Print Process Control System Spot Color Tolerance Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional print process control systems require excessive maintenance to maintain tight tolerances, which diverts resources from production and may not be necessary for achieving acceptable print quality, and existing inspection systems are time-consuming and inflexible, unable to handle varied print jobs effectively.
Innovation Solution
A print process control system that identifies spot colors in print jobs, determines required tolerance levels, and routes jobs to suitable printing devices based on their ability to reproduce these colors within specified tolerances, using test charts and measurement data to confirm device capabilities and optimize job routing and maintenance scheduling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If tight tolerances are maintained to ensure high print quality, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to excessive maintenance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different quality levels to different print jobs based on their specific requirements. Instead of maintaining uniform tight tolerances across all jobs, the system identifies spot colors in job data and determines required tolerance levels for each job, allowing maintenance resources to be focused only where high precision is actually needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts tolerance parameters based on the specific characteristics of each print job. By parsing job data to identify spot colors and determining required tolerance levels, the system changes the quality parameters adaptively rather than maintaining fixed tight tolerances, thereby reducing unnecessary maintenance while preserving required print quality.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional inspection systems are used to evaluate print quality, then manufacturing precision is monitored, but loss of time increases due to significant setup time required
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of job data to identify spot colors and determine required tolerance levels before printing begins. This advance preparation eliminates the need for time-consuming setup of conventional inspection systems, as the quality requirements are already determined and integrated into the printing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the printing device's own measurement capabilities to evaluate print quality automatically. Instead of requiring separate inspection systems with significant setup time, the printing device performs self-verification by capturing measurement data and comparing it against the predetermined tolerance levels for spot colors.
3Manufacturing precision
If press characterization is used as the target for print shop control, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but device complexity increases due to additional maintenance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential quality information needed for each print job by parsing job data to identify spot colors. Instead of maintaining comprehensive press characterization for all possible print conditions, the system focuses only on the specific color reproduction requirements of each job, thereby simplifying maintenance requirements while maintaining necessary precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a universal quality control approach that works with any print job by using standardized spot color identification and tolerance determination. Instead of requiring job-specific inspection system configuration, the system applies a multi-functional methodology that adapts to different print jobs through automated job data analysis, reducing the complexity of maintaining multiple specialized inspection setups.
Data Source
AI summary
A print process control system includes a plurality of printing devices and an order management system to manage print jobs to the printing devices. Each printing device has an achievable quality level corresponding to its ability to meet color printing requirements. Job data for a print job is parsed to identify spot colors related to colors to be reproduced at the printing device. The printing device receives a test chart with color patches for the spot colors. Measurement data is captured from the color patches of the test chart. Using the measurement data, the order management system confirms whether the printing device can reproduce the spot colors according to a required level of tolerance or quality level.