BST Pro Mark® Unveils BST Premius Digital Digital Automated Inspection and Print Process Management System

During Label Expo 2002, BST Pro Mark® has officially introduced what the company believes is the world’s first digital automated inspection and integrated closed-loop process control system for web printing applications, dubbed BST Premius DIGITAL.

BST Premius DIGITAL is designed to be used as a visual inspection system, an automatic defect detection system, a closed–loop register control system, a bar code verification device, a real time color monitoring system or any combination of these, in a single process control and management system. The product employs a unique modular design architecture, allowing true plug and play expandability, and the ability to readily customize every system to the users specific needs.

The basic product includes a comprehensive set of features essential for effective web printing and inspection - visual capabilities, virtual repeat® technology, job save, positional memory and reference image comparison.
Additional process controls (defect detection, color monitoring, register control, etc.) are added when the system is first installed or at any time thereafter.

BST Premius DIGITAL uses a proprietary digital camera with a resolution of 1024 X 1280, which produces a picture quality superior to even the best 3CCD analog cameras, the industry standard for the past ten years. The camera is also insensitive to ambient light, a significant advantage over analog technology for applications that perform automatic defect detection, register control and other process management functions.

Yet another important and real advantage of the proprietary digital camera technology in BST Premius DIGITAL is its’ color reproduction capabilities. The digital image has been specifically engineered to be particularly sensitive to the green color spectrum, as is the human eye. The result is image quality that more accurately reproduces printed colors on CRT monitors than any other inspection system ever made.

BST Premius DIGITAL uses a Fire Wire signal interface, CAN bus communications protocol, and digital pixel synchronous image transmission (up to 7 pictures per second transmission rate), with a data transfer rate of up to 400 Mbit./second. The internal bus system will support connection of up to 64 integrated components and move
information at unparalleled rates of speed.. This opens all kinds of new possibilities for image sharing, run documentation and information flow.

BST Premius DIGITAL comes standard with a large 61/2” X 83/4” field of view. An optional 4” X 5” field of view is available for narrow web use and applications with limited space for camera mounting. An optional 91/2” X 13” field-of-view is also available. A 17” monitor and a combination audible/visual alarm are standard.

Ease of use and intuitive operation are accomplished by means of a 15” touch screen graphic user interface. Most commands are executed in one or two steps, resulting in a system that is easier to learn and performs common tasks faster and with less effort than any system before.

Image navigation has been greatly improved via use of BST Pro Mark®’s unique Virtual Repeat® technology, which provides detailed thumbnail images of the entire repeat for visual inspection mode, and allows visualization of the entire repeat at a glance.

BST Premius DIGITAL includes a comprehensive standard set of visual inspection features, which research has shown to be required for maximizing productivity from web presses. These include job save, positional memory, fast track programming, auto constant scan (user definable) and image comparison (live image versus a stored reference image).

BST Pro Mark® even improved it’s trademark “simplicity of operation” with some never before seen features. Auto image centering, two-touch camera navigation and quick zoom are new features designed to make the tool work better for the operator by performing common tasks faster and with the absolute minimum number of steps.

But the real power and value of BST Premius DIGITAL is as an automated defect prevention and process management system. The system allows operators to manage specific quality attributes -- color, bar codes, register, defects -- on a continuous basis throughout the run. By defining minimum Acceptable Quality Levels (AQL’s), warning and alarm thresholds, BST Premius DIGITAL will notify the operator as quality deteriorates, but before it reaches unacceptable levels. The result is minimized waste, faster set-up times, and the production of a higher quality product with less effort.

The process control functions available for BST Premius DIGITAL are:

DEFECT DETECTION

Defect detection allows identification and management of defects as small as one pixel (0.007”) in size. Typical kinds of defects identified with the system include splash, pin holes, haze, spots, fill-in, slur, doctor blade streaks, dirty print, misprints and ink smear. Defects are automatically identified and highlighted for the operator on the monitor. Defect sensitivity is operator definable, and the unique software algorithms in BST Premius DIGITAL compensate for web stretch, warp and skewing, so the product is suitable for use on presses that run flexible as well as paper substrates.

COLOR MONITORING
Automatic Color Monitoring allows continuous active monitoring of actual on press color as compared to a defined standard and acceptable tolerance range. The operator defines the size and areas to be monitored, the acceptable range for each color. When actual print color is outside the tolerance, an alarm alerts the operator of the problem and shows the operator where the color problem is located. All color settings, positions and standards are saved with the job for use during re-runs.

BAR CODE VERIFICATION
Automatic Bar Code Monitoring monitors the quality of a variety of static bar code symbologies (UPC, UPC-A, EAN,
etc.) printed in either ladder or picket fence orientation. When bar code print problems are identified, an alarm alerts
the operator, displays the problem bar code and provides a scan reflectance profile which identifies the root cause of the problem (reflectance, edge contrast, modulation, defects, reference decode, decodability, symbol contrast). This enables the operator to find and correct problems before a run is contaminated. Bar codes are inspected in accordance with ISO 15416 standards, and the product provides histograms of quality data.

CLOSED-LOOP REGISTER CONTOL
The automatic register monitoring feature in BST Premius DIGITAL is used to bring new jobs into correct register, typically in less than a minute using less than 300 feet of material. It can also monitor register during the run and initiate corrective action if required. The product will detect shifts in either lateral or linear register and will
correct register to a tolerance better than ±0.004” (0.1mm). The register control module will work with a variety of marks, which can be printed in either lateral or linear direction on the web, and can be placed anywhere in the print. The closed-loop register control feature is presently available only for Flexo CI presses.

IMAGE OVERLAY
Image overlay captures simultaneous images of both sides of the web and displays them one superimposed over the other. This is used to check the relative position of register on both sides of the web, or to check the relative position of print to a varnish or coating, such as cold seal. The system automatically monitors the relative positions of both sides visually and alerts the operator when register is drifting and/or corrective action is necessary.

Many other options are available for BST Premius DIGITAL:

- Multiple operator interfaces
- Remote monitors
- Dual Cameras
- Varnish, UV or cold seal strobes
- Automatic flagging devices
- Automatic web marking devices

BST Premius DIGITAL was originally sold in Europe, and there are already over 100 systems installed and operating worldwide.

BST Pro Mark® is the worlds’ largest manufacturer of web inspection systems, with almost 10,000 system installed in 65 countries worldwide. The company is a manufacturer of process control systems. It’s product line includes visual and automatic defect detection systems, web guiding systems, web cleaning systems, bar code verification systems, closed loop register control for offset and flexo and fountain control systems for offset.

BST Pro Mark® is a division of BST GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Electro-Mechanik GmbH and member of Elexis AG, a German conglomerate traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the share-index number 508500.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
John D. Thome
BST Pro Mark®
650 W. Grand Avenue, Suite 301
Elmhurst, Illinois 60126
E mail: jthome@bstpromark.com
Telephone: 630.833.9900
Fax: 630.833.9909
www.bstpromark.com

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