Die cut label inspection gets even faster with Surfscan

As much as 20 minutes per shift can reportedly be slashed from 100 percent on-press inspection of die cut labels thanks to an upgrade of its CheckMate inspection system by Surfscan Technologies.

The upgrade is suited to the inspection of matrix stripped die cut labels and the speed increase is seen as important by the company’s pharmaceutical clients for whom shaving minutes from an operation adds up to serious money.

Surfscan has now incorporated fork sensors in its equipment used for this application.

This technology can be utilized for the inspection of cartons and printed boxes and Surfscan has just announced that it will be revealing major developments in this regard in the third quarter of 2008.

Surfscan’s Damian Harvey said: ‘You need to be careful when using a fork sensor to detect the edge of a part that is then cut off to ensure it does not hit the lens of the fork sensor. These lenses are made from tough plastic, but they are no match for a sharp burr on a metal part. One way to protect the lens is to install a ramp inside the fork sensor to divert the part away from the lens. But we take care of all that for the customer.’