when to go digital in metal packaging
TRANSCRIPT
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When to go digital in metal packaging
Key criteria and options for line integration
Richard Moore, Suzhou SLAC
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Digital: a long time coming
Benny Landa founded Indigo Digital Printing in 1977, now
a division of Hewlett Packard
Gutenberg Printing press c.1440 Litho 1796
Digital 1977Inkjet 1951
Silk Screen 1911Offset 1875
Rotary 1843
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Digital printing is already mass market
13% of Flexibles
27% of Labels
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And moving into new mass markets
Koenig & Bauer is building a full-width RotaJET 168 printer to be installed at Tetra Pak’s converting plant in Denton, Texas
Corrugated cartons on a HP PageWideC500 Digital printer installed at BoxMaker, Seattle
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But metal has been slower to adopt
Digital value share2017
All printing 17%
Advertising 49%
Graphics 34%
Publications 11%
Packaging 4%
of which Labels 27%
Flexibles 13%
Metal >1%
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The drivers are the same for all packaging
• Fragmentation of demand
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The drivers are the same for all packaging
• Fragmentation of demand
• Shorter and shorter print runs
• Tighter supply chains
• Need to react quickly to changes in demand
• Need to make decisions as late as possible and as close as possible to the end consumer
• Hold low stocks
• Avoid writing off obsolete stocks
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Conventional production line for Beverage Cans2100 cpm, annual capacity 900m cans
UNCOILERCUPPER
BODYMAKER
TRIMMER
DECORATOR
VISION SYSTEM
INSIDE SPRAY
LIGHT TESTER
NECKER
PALLETIZER
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Conventional offset: very steep costcurve for short runs
0
50
100
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200
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300
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400
450
Beverage Can Production Cost/000 per print run
Conventional
Minimum print run, beer USA
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Some conventional solutions
• Two decorators in line
• Reducing label changeover time• Preparation
• Training
• Fast changeover teams
• Fast changeover equipment
Good solutions if:You have mainly medium print run lengths (more than 30 000 cans)Or if short runs are less than 20% of all ordersOr if your customers pay the real cost of short runs
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Digital is the right choice for printruns less than 30 000 cans
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100
150
200
250
300
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Beverage Can Production Cost/000 per print run
Conventional Digital
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Digital Printing on cans and aerosols
No changeover downtime
Designs stored in digital file
Label change in a click
No ink changes, no roller cleaning
No printing plates
No scrapped cansSLAC
SC-DP-200
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Digital Printing on cans and aerosols
Designs stored in digital file
Label change in a click
No ink changes, no roller cleaning
No printing plates
No scrapped cans
No changeover downtime
One can, one design
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Photo quality images that resist stress
High resolution: easy to reach >300 dpi
Small texts perfect down to 2pt positive, 3pt negative
CMYK+2 special colours, creating millions of different colour options
Ink stability through the stresses of necking and shaping
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One Can, One Code
Equipment
Canmaker
Filler
Internet Distributor
Delivery
SLAC provides ‘canmaker to consumer‘ software (project in progress)
One QR code
Consumer purchases
personalized canon internet
Make to orderShort supply chainNo stockTraceabilityConsumer data basePrevent counterfeits
Personalized cans
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How to integrate digital printing in an industrial beverage can line?
Beverage can line 2100 cpm
Aluminium aerosol line 180 cpm
SLAC Digital printer SC-DP-200 150-200 cpm
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First thoughts
• Use label change downtime on a conventional line
• Run off bright cans, print digitally, re-introduce for inside spray, necking and palletizing
• Operational problems arise when re-introducing different labels into the process flow after digital printing
• Not recommended
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SLAC Mini-line concept
• Centred on the SLAC digital printer
• A basecoat is applied prior to digital printing
• A conventional over-varnish is applied after digital printing
• As part of the package SLAC provides a mini-basecoater and an over-varnish unit adapted to the capacity of the digital printer
• SLAC mini-necker up to 300 cpm
• Mini depalletizer and palletizer
www.slac.com.cnwww.slac.com.cn14/03/2017
Option One: SLAC mini-line fed by front end of an existing beverage can line. Annual capacity 75m cans p.a.
MINI VARNISH
UNIT
MINI-BASECOATER
MINI NECKER
RIM COATER
PALLETIZER
DE-PALLETIZER
IBO
ARC MINI PIN OVEN
INSIDE SPRAY
ARC MINI PIN OVEN
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Option Two: stand alone mini-lineAnnual Capacity 75m Cans
MINI NECKER
PALLETIZER
MINI-CUPPER
MINI VARNISH UNIT
MINI-BASECOATER
ARC MINI PIN OVEN
IBO
INSIDE SPRAY
VMI WASHER
DRIER
ARC MINI PIN OVEN
BODYMAKER
TRIMMER
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Option Two: stand alone mini-lineAnnual Capacity 75m Cans
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Option Two: stand alone mini-lineAnnual Capacity 150m Cans
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Option Two: stand alone mini-lineAnnual Capacity 225m Cans
www.slac.com.cnwww.slac.com.cn14/03/2017
Option Three: SLAC mini-line stand alone, using Protact® laminated steel from Tata Steel.Dry process, so no washer, no inside spray.Annual capacity 75m cans
MINI VARNISH
UNIT
MINI-CUPPER
MINI NECKER
Protact®
PALLETIZER
BODYMAKER
TRIMMER
ARC MINI PIN OVEN
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Modular production:• Each mini-line focussed on a single can size• No lengthy size changeovers• 75m cans from each line
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Lowering the DWI volume threshold
• Mini-line concept: the cost advantages of DWI without the high volume constraint
• Combined with SLAC’s digital printer, brings a low-cost solution to short runs
• Allows a modular approach to production, avoiding changeovers
• Flexibility and efficiency
Opens up the market for:Craft beersNew age soft drinks Mineral waters plusPrinted food cans Aerosols
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Mini-line installed in SLAC Suzhou
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Digital printing is a first step in intelligent systems
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The Hive Initiative™
Efficient
Ability to communicate
Self-adjusting
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The Hive Initiative:Complete Line Monitoring
• Sensors continuouslymonitor performance
• Predictive maintenance alerts for tool replacement
• Alerts when out of specification
• Self adjusting mechanismwhere feasible
• Indication of root cause and recommended action whenrequired
• All information sent to a central data base
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First steps• Creating the data environment
• Collecting the data, starting with cupper and bodymaker (150+ data points on each)
• Use existing sensors and add data capture function to PLC’s
• Put in self-adjusting loops where possible e.g. oil pressure
• Send data from PLC’s to central data point
• Use analytics and sorting to provide alerts and indicate root cause
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The Shape of the Future
• Digital printing
• The end of changeover times
• Modular production
• Self-adjusting lines
• Predictive maintenance
• Complete Line Monitoring
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Thank you!
The Future is Here