Chromasens GmbH, a manufacturer of line-scan camera systems for 2D and 3D machine vision applications, now offers a print inspection system that achieves unprecedented accuracy by incorporating spectral image capture with twelve individual color channels per pixel -- instead of just the traditional three (RGB).
Available now, the fully-automated system combines the Chromasens truePIXA multi-spectral 12 channel linescan camera with the company's CORONA II broad-band line light. Software that mimics the functionality of a traditional spectrophotometer completes the package. The system can be successfully deployed in-line or off-line in offset, gravure, flexo, or digital printing, as well as in the color analysis of printed products such as sheets, stickers, brochures, and wallpaper. High-speed color inspection is performed over the full-size document or in smaller, arbitrary areas of interest at any stage in the production process, adding to the system's versatility and value.
"In-line checking reduces the number of rejections and lets the printer initiate corrective actions, such as separating defective prints or readjusting machines, early in the production process," notes Klaus Riemer, Product Manager for Chromasens. "The result is significantly less waste, lower labor costs, and extremely high speeds."
Traditional in-line print inspection systems are based on simplistic three-channel RGB (Red-Green-Blue) vision technology that often lets color defects escape, especially in high speed web or sheet-fed applications, or during longer print runs. In addition, color checking is often performed off-line in a manual process where a device, such as a spectrophotometer, must come in physical contact with the product it is measuring. The truePIXA and CORONA II combination empowers printers to produce higher quality documents at lower cost.
truePIXA Spectral Camera
Chromasen's truePIXA cameras feature 12 spectral selective sensors that simultaneously scan the printed documents within the complete visible spectrum. The resulting spectral images provide for precise space-resolved spectral measurements in the whole image and in arbitrary areas of interest. With up to 3500 pixels per channel and 21.1 kHz line frequency, the cameras achieve high resolution at speeds up to 6 meters-per-second.
CORONA II
The CORONA II LED linescan illuminator combines superior homogeneity of light distribution with unprecedented illumination strength up to 2,500,000 lux, allowing the truePIXA line scan cameras to operate at far faster speeds than conventional models. Emitted LED light is focused leveraging the company's patented mirror technology to achieve optimal light shape and spectral homogeneity in the illumination focus range, resulting in no chromatic aberrations.
