Troika Systems launches AniCAM upgrade

Troika Systems, a UK-based supplier of print quality control products, has released an enhancement to AniCAM, its measurement tool for anilox rolls used on narrow and wide web and corrugated flexo presses.

‘Most flexo printers know that good anilox measurement and management is the logical move towards a healthier balance sheet,’ said the company’s managing director Phil Hall. ‘Poor management of a printer’s anilox inventory is a guaranteed way to increase press downtime. A significant percentage of print problems in the flexo sector are down to anilox roll issues, and with press time costing typically 400 euros per hour, it doesn’t take too many anilox problems causing density variations or job re-runs to show how cost effective an investment in anilox measurement and management with an AniCAM can be.’

The latest enhancement has led to the company releasing two versions of the specialist camera-based unit, AniCAM-P and AniCAM-M. The two new variants are targeted at specific markets – AniCAM-P for flexographic print producers and AniCAM-M for anilox roll manufacturers. ‘Our research and our experiences with the first generation of AniCAM product has shown us that the requirements of anilox manufacturers differ slightly from printers needs,’ said Hall.

With regards to anilox roll manufacturers, Troika already has 19 of the 40-plus suppliers worldwide using its AniCAM products. The new AniCAM-M product provides many additional features, including the ability to read more complex engravings such as trihelical, emerald and HVP, as well as ‘Press-O-Film’ aluminum foil cell profiling materials.

No worldwide standard

‘Perhaps the most significant enhancement for manufacturers, however, is our ability to be compatible with their current system of measurement,’ stated Phil Hall. With no universal system for measuring anilox rolls, manufacturers have historically developed their own standards. Hall explains: ‘As the number of anilox manufacturers grew over time, so anilox measurement evolved. Each manufacturer adopted the method of measurement they knew best and could afford. Consequently there is often a large difference in ink released from rolls from different manufacturers, despite the rolls being marked up as having the same volume.’

Troika conducted its own research into these issues in 2007. It took an anilox roll with 12 bands (from 40 lpcm – 480 lpcm) to 15 anilox manufacturers in Europe and North America where the manufactures were asked to measure the bands using their standard method of measurement. ‘The results were stunning. We found the minimum variation on one of the bands was 27 percent and the most extreme band had a 141 percent volume variation,’ explained Phil Hall. ‘This makes life particularly difficult for the manufacturer of anilox volume measurement tools, as each anilox manufacturer will, of course, defend its own standard of measurement and will not want to change the standard which they may have used over the past five, 10 or 15 years. Our solution is to calibrate the new AniCAM-M to translate readings to any manufacturer’s standard. This means that roll suppliers can either translate AniCAM readings to their own internal system, or use our standard readings. This will help us to overcome a major objection.’

AniCAM-P for printers

Effective anilox roll management has the potential to save a flexo printer a significant amount of press downtime. Measuring and archiving volume readings for each roll helps to monitor cleaning issues as well as wear of the roll – both major causes of press downtime. By reducing machine downtime by just 2 percent, Troika says, the owner of three presses running double-day shift could save over 300,000 euros over a three year period.

‘We currently have in excess of 150 installations of our original AniCAM products, and believe that our new enhanced system will appeal to a good number of new customers,’ said Phil Hall. ‘The important thing for the printer is to take the guesswork out of problem situations. If you know that the anilox is doing what it should do, then that reduces the potential problem areas within the press significantly. Certainly printers that are already using the original AniCAM product appreciate the savings that they have been able to make, and the more efficient printing service that they have been able to provide for their customers.’

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