A closed-loop control system that guarantees maximum colour stability and consistency on a metal decorating press won the gold award for Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint at the Metpack Innovation Awards this week in Germany.
MetalControl scans each sheet and measures the ink density. The results are transmitted digitally to the control panel, evaluated and the ink zones automatically corrected without operator intervention.
Held during the Metpack trade show, which visits Essen every three years, the Awards recognise innovative content, cost savings, as well as quality improvement and sustainability. Some 19 companies offered 31 entries.
The Silver award went to Spanish coatings and sealant firm Actega for a new system that monitors the amount of sealant applied to lids by rotating liners and makes immediate adjustments.
Rotarflow detects any deviation from the target value of the dry film weight and automatically changes pressure and needle lift accordingly. Downtimes and manual interventions are eliminated. The system is said to reduce cost, material and time input while increasing quality.
The Bronze Award was won by Swiss canmaking equipment manufacturer Can Man, part of the Soudronic Group, for its Powercut Superflex duplex blank cutting machine, which enables format changes to be made automatically in what is claimed to be a record time of 15 minutes.
