Kongsberg Table Camera Marks in CAD File?

[Stephen Marsh]

We have a client that was either not trained or did not pay attention if they were trained:]

They wish to cut their flexo plate on their Kongsberg table.

I presume that they should be including special rego marks or eyespots in their plate files for the camera system.

What about the CAD files being plotted? I presume that there also needs to be a way to line up the .acm file with the plate?

It is not my problem. Just trying to help someone that appears to be unable to ask the right questions!

Stephen Marsh

 

[PDL]

They can always start here. http://www.esko.com/en/Support/Overview/ Find Kongsberg in the Documentation area.

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Thanks for the links eskopdl, it may come to telling them to RTFM (or I can read it too when I have “free time”), however I hope that an end user that is cutting flexo plate can point out the basic approach of the what/how to for the marks on the plate and what to do in the CAD file/plotting.


Stephen Marsh

 

[Karl Jennex]

We cut mockups using the camera on the Kongsberg, the marks come from Artios./Tools/ geometry Macros/Registration Marks/Print Registration Marks for Designs.

We also have a "Output " set up (were this came from I dont know it was here before I came) It seems like the marks from Artios gives the marks for export (eps) and the "Output" sends code to the Kongsberg for the camera.

Ive tried to send a file to the Kongsberg with the marks not using the "Output" set up and it doesn't work.

 

[jaed]

It is a much better idea to have the marks on a job to get the best cut possible, but you can cut a job with out the marks on it by reading the edge of the substrate. I'm not sure what the rated accuracy of the machine is with out the marks, but it is possible.

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Thank you for the replies so far! Please keep them coming…

Is anybody else ganging up work on flexo plate and cutting them with a Konsberg table?

Do you place special marks on the ganged plate file that the cutting table uses? I would presume that these plate marks also have corresponding marks in the CAD file that is being cut in exactly the same position/layout.

Or do you just have a ganged flexo plate on the cutting bed with no camera marks and the CAD file may or may not have cutting marks? if so, how do you ensure that the CAD data is cutting in the correct position to the ganged work on the plate on the cutting table?

Am I missing something in my understanding of the process?


Stephen Marsh

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Can somebody please provide a copy of these rego marks in CAD/AI/EPS/PDF format? Also what colour name should the mark be named (there is an Artios line type called “Print registration” and it is a dirty aqua green colour)? Are these marks placed at a specific margin in from the media edges? Any other info?


Stephen Marsh

 

[Karl Jennex]

Stephen,

Did you figure this out?

 

[zoran]

Sorry, I did not see this earlier.
We use Kongsberg table in our Wide Format department, we also use it for packaging mockups and special projects, however we did not have need to cut any plates so far.
You are correct that you need marks for registration with camera.
You can either use special free Esko tools that makes this job very easy, illustrator plugin from Esko or just create your own.
Marks have to show up on identical spot on both print and cut file and file must have layers named like "Cut" "Score" Regmark", etc..
Print file does not need layers as long as the marks appear on the same spot.
If you want I can create sample file or just download sample files from Esko website, it's all free, free plugin is called AICut, https://esko.com/en/Support/DownloadsAndLicenses/free-software/

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Stephen,

Did you figure this out?

Me personally, no, the client is in another country and they are very good at screaming that something does not work, but not very good at providing any details for helping themselves or providing feedback to the vendors that they are complaining to. Of course, they wait for their compulsory first year maintenance contract to expire and then complain that something they should have finalised in their first year of support is not working (which is why maintenance is mandatory in the first year, why should 3 different vendors be expected to pocket the expense of doing this out of contract when the client should have been on the ball if this was so critical to their workflow?).

However, the good folk at Arden Software and Kodak have been very helpful and I believe that there is a solution, however we have been waiting for client feedback for a couple of months now. I guess we will only hear from them when there is a problem and this is “urgent” again. Of course in the 2 months of downtime things could have been tweaked and finalised, however it appears that this client prefers to wait until the last minute and expect instant results. :]


Stephen Marsh