The print workflow goes robotic

by carly_mchugh | 24 July 2023 2:51 pm

By Tony Curcio

After a four-year hiatus, the biennial Graphics Canada trade show—held this past May—was replete with educational opportunities. With 175 separate exhibitors and more than 1,500 exhibiting personnel, it covered just about every conceivable function of a print operation.

Event director Dan Mustata summed it up best: “We had a successful show by all accounts,” he said. “Most of the exhibitors commented on what a great event it was, and reported solid leads, quality visitors, and interested prospects. The energy and enthusiasm were real after four years. The printing industry came together to network and to be inspired.”

One attraction that turned heads was the Web Connect+ booth, a unique collaboration between Infigo, Significans Automation, Enfocus, Motionalysis, Ronik Inc, and Elitron America Inc. Each day, via live demonstrations, attendees were guided through every step of the printing process—without any human intervention. Company representatives worked their magic at computer stations just outside the perimeter of the expansive booth, as showgoers saw a robot scurrying back and forth to gather and offload printed pieces. From designing a personalized product to pre-flighting, digital printing, and finishing, attendees were able to see an entirely seamless workflow in action and discover its game-changing cost savings and untapped efficiencies.

How it worked

To begin, attendees created a personalized print product using U.K.-based Infigo’s web-to-print platform. The technology allows users to create 100 per cent customized e-commerce storefronts, even if they have no web design experience. With drag-and-drop functionality, users could either personalize a pre-defined template or create a custom design from a blank canvas.

Next, the job was processed by Significans Automation, a solutions integrator that helps to customize every aspect of a printer’s or converter’s workflow. The Toronto company’s team has a combined 100 years of expertise and hands-on experience with the intricacies of the market’s workflow software providers. Therefore, it was able to tie all upstream and downstream systems from its booth partners together, resulting in a unique, seamless, and integrated process.

With Significans specialists configuring the software to drive the overall workflow, customize it, and make any necessary changes, the job was then sent to Enfocus for pre-flight checks. The software used for this step “automates the flow of information, breaking down barriers between systems, teams, and islands of disparate processes,” said Piet De Pauw, global marketing manager for Enfocus. He referred to the common problem of corporate “silos” in any business (often created with the introduction of “disruptive” technology) where teams work separately rather than in unison. The software also provides simplified connectivity through configurators and apps for tools in production, data manipulation, and more—including fully automated, customer-focused, online PDF proofing and approvals, as well as seamless connections to print management information systems, web-to-print, impositions, and other production tools.

From there, the job was forwarded to imposition and planning software, also provided by Enfocus. It offers solutions for packaging, labels, commercial, and wide-format printers. Combining imposition and planning allows a shop’s pre-press and planning departments to save valuable time repeating the same work. Users can plan layouts and use the same job in pre-press to produce print-ready output.

Another key partner, U.S.-based Motionalysis, provided live tracking and shop-floor analytics of the printing and finishing equipment. The software and services company specializes in digital manufacturing, with a focus on optimizing digital XY cutting in a print shop. What exactly do “analytics” mean in this situation? Essentially, it no longer makes sense to capture, track, and report data manually, as it uses up a great deal of time, resources, and labour. Plus, with the increase in smart manufacturing and automation, it is simply unrealistic for printers to manage their operations and business data effectively without the help of production data collection software.

With regular, automated collection of data, printers can achieve greater visibility into their entire production processes in real time and are better able to understand and evaluate it. This helps shop owners see where employees need support, while also providing detailed information about such things as machine status, parts, employee efficiency, finishing department throughput, and other key metrics. Ultimately, having accurate, up-to-date data is essential for making smart business decisions.

Once the designs were ready to become a reality, a Ronik flatbed printer began to produce high-quality, full-colour prints. The Mississauga, Ont., company’s printers can accommodate both rigid and flexible substrates with LED-curable inks. They include a built-in unloader and offer print-on-demand capabilities, with minimal maintenance. This particular printer series can process more than 50 boards per hour.

A ‘fun’ finish

Finally, the prints arrived at an Elitron digital cutting table, where attendees saw the final product created—all without any manual intervention. The Italy-based manufacturer, with a North American office in Atlanta, Ga., specializes in producing robotic cutting solutions for the sign, display, and packaging industries, with advanced material handling solutions.

However, the most head-turning and exciting feature of the booth was exactly how the prints arrived at the Elitron cutter—via a Ranger Interlogistics autonomous mobile robot (AMR). Created by U.S.-based company GreyOrange, these AMRs can navigate through a production environment quickly and independently. Integrating robots and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled software also allows real-time decision-making for print fulfillment. In fact, tight labour markets combined with escalating stock keeping unit (SKU) volumes and accelerated shipping times now demand moving past older, more time-consuming, and costly fulfillment technologies. To make the process even smoother, Ronik’s parent company, Garry Machine Manufacturing Inc, developed a custom drop plate that sat on top of the AMR, making it a more “universal solution” for carrying various types of print media.

Embracing workflow technology

In today’s ever-evolving print landscape, implementing these technologies in their production lines could be crucial for print service providers (PSPs) to stay ahead of
their competitors.

“From workflow software to AI to robotics, it is clear that printers must adapt to the latest advances to remain competitive,” said Marc Raad, president of Significans Automation. “Obviously, you can show different technologies in isolation, but when they were tied together seamlessly, show visitors got an entirely different—and very surprising—perspective. I think visitors to our booth were blown away by how you can create a fully integrated print shop workflow with little or no touchpoints, while maintaining top production speeds.”

Not only does automation enhance productivity and efficiency, but it also significantly reduces costs and mitigates risks, making it a reliable investment for businesses of all sizes. For example, Raad said his own clients have experienced a 30 to 300 per cent increase in yearly printing capacity; several hours of labour reduced to a few minutes; job preparation times reduced from eight hours to five minutes; pre-press productivity increased from 10 to more than 50 jobs per day; labour costs cut by more than 50 per cent; and return on investment (ROI) in weeks or months, rather than years.

The future of digital printing

It was rather ironic that one of the biggest attractions at Graphics Canada this year was a large booth with no humans inside it. Usually, showgoers who walk the floor are compelled to visit the displays which attract large crowds. However, this was a completely different and refreshing experience. It was also clear proof that collaboration for the mutual benefit of each partner’s end clients makes the industry much stronger and more resilient. Those involved in this unique venture insisted, first and foremost, they were part of a “print industry community.”   

Tony Curcio is a Toronto-based freelance writer, former head writer in the Toronto Star’s communications department, and former news editor at Graphic Arts Media. He has more than five decades of experience in printing, publishing, and marketing.

Source URL: https://www.signmedia.ca/the-print-workflow-goes-robotic/

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