Wastage Analysis and Scope Of Wastage Reduction In

Sheetfed Offset Printing

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

of the degree of

Bachelor of Engineering
in

Printing & Packaging Technology

by

Ishwar Shonoy 116A4019

Saurabh Chavan 115A4008

Under the Guidance of:

Prof. Gaurav F

Department of Printing & Packaging Technology

SIES Graduate School of Technology

2019-2020
1
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project entitled ​“Wastage Analysis and

Scope Of Wastage Reduction In Sheetfed Offset Printing” is a

bonafide work of the following students done at ​AJANTA PRINT

ARTS, AIROLI during their Industrial Training, submitted to the

University of Mumbai in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the

award of the degree of ​Bachelor of Engineering in ​Printing &

Packaging Technology.

Ishwar Shonoy 116A4019

Saurabh Chavan ​115A4008

Prof. Garav Fasate Prof. Prasad Balan Iyer Dr. Atul Kemkar
Internal Guide Head of Department Principal

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3
4
 PROJECT REPORT APPROVAL

This project report entitled (​Wastage Analysis and Scope Of Wastage

Reduction In Sheetfed Offset Printing)​ by following students done at

AJANTA PRINT ARTS, AIROLI ​during their Industrial Training is

approved for the degree of ​Bachelor of Engineering in ​Printing &

Packaging Technology.

​Ishwar Shonoy 116A4019

Saurabh Chavan ​115A4008

Name of External Examiner: --------------------------------

Signature:--------------------------------

Name of Internal Examiner: --------------------------------

Signature:--------------------------------

Date:

Place: ​Nerul, Navi Mumbai

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 DECLARATION
We declare that this written submission represents our ideas in our own words
and where others’ ideas or words have been included, we have adequately cited
and referenced the original sources. we also declare that we have adhered to all
principles of academic honesty and integrity and have not misrepresented or
fabricated or falsified any idea/data/fact/source in our submission. we
understand that any violation of the above will be cause for disciplinary action
by the Institute and can also evoke penal action from the sources which have
thus not been properly cited or from whom proper permission has not been taken
when needed.

Ishwar Shenoy 116A4019 _____________

Saurabh Chavan 115A4008 _____________

Signature

Date:

6
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As our academics and internship experience are success , we express our deepest
appreciation to all those who provided me the opportunity and guidance . It is a
pleasure to express our deep sense of gratitude to , Mr. Pranav Sathe , Plant
Head at Ajanta Print Arts , Airoli ,​ for his continuous support, supervision,
motivation and guidance throughout the tenure of our project .He helped us in
clarifying the abstruse concepts, requiring knowledge and perception , handling
critical situations and in understanding the objective of my work . We would like
to thank all the officials and workers from the Ajanta Print Arts , Airoli who
rendered their help during the period of my project work .

We are extremely thankful to ​Prof. Gaurav Fasate​ , our internal project

guide for providing invaluable guidance , comments and suggestions throughout
the course of the project . Also , we are thankful to all the faculty of the ​Printing
and Packaging Technology Department​ for their help .

Lastly , It is our privilege to thank the ​Principal of SIES Graduate School

Of Technology , Nerul​ for providing us the opportunity to embark on this
project .

Project Team

Ishwar Shenoy

Saurabh Chavan

7
 ABSTRACT
​As the packaging industry is flourishing, there has been a continuous demand for improving
the existing process to achieve greater profits as well as customer satisfaction. Even after
making so much progress, defects and wastage remains a major problem faced by all the
printing industries. The main challenge for the company is completing the job and reducing
wastage in the given schedule, such that the speed of the machine is not altered. Also, the
quality of the print is an important aspect for customers as people want to buy the best
possible product at the least price. This is where defects in printing cause problems. When
there is a huge amount of wastage in the industry due to defects, the cost for the production of
the printed substrate increases, therefore the profits by the company suffer to sustain the
market competition. Considering the above points we can say that identifying the defects and
coming up with a solution to reduce that waste is necessary for every printing industry.

In this project, the main focus is on the Sheet Fed Offset printing process. Sheet-fed offset is
mostly used for printing of short-run jobs such as posters, cartons, brochures, and leaflets
printing. In Sheetfed offset the Printing is carried out on a single sheet of paper as they are fed
into the press one at a time. Sheet-fed presses use mechanical registration to relate each sheet
to one another to ensure that they are reproduced with the same imagery in the same position
on every sheet running through the press. Different types of Absorbent Substrates such as
Paper / Coated / Uncoated / Duplex / Virgin Board and Nonabsorbent Substrates Board with
MET PET / Blister Cards / IN Mould Labels / PP and PET Substrates were considered and the
study was conducted on each selected job.
The purpose of this work is to map the current substrate waste scenario in the Ajanta Print
Arts Investigate its Causes and suggest an approach that may be employed by the company
and to reduce the wastage in the company.

Keywords: A​ bsorbent and Non Absorbent Substrates , Sheet Fed Offset Process, Mechanical
Registration, Printing Substrate, Wastage.

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 Contents
Details Particulars Page No.
Chapter 1 Introduction 12-13
1.1​ ​Background 12
1.2 Need for the project 12
1.3 Scope of the project 13
1.4 Objective of the project 13
Chapter 2 Review of Literature 14-16
Chapter 3 Report on Present Investigation 17-27
3.1 Process Workflow 17-18
3.2 Defects 18-19
3.3 Wastage Analysis according to the substrate 20-24
3.3.1 Board 20-22
3.3.2 Paper 22
3.3.3 PP Sheets 22-23
3.3.4 Board with MET-PET 23
3.3.5 IML 24
3.4 Remedies for the defects observed 24-25
3.4.1 Machine Problems 24-25
3.4.2 Material Problems 25
3.4.3 Method Problems 25-27
Chapter 4 Results and Discussions 28-33
Chapter 5 Conclusions 34
Chapter 6 Reference 35-36
Annexure Internship Summary and Weekly Reports

9
 List of Figures

Table Figure Caption Page

No. No.
3.1 Process FlowChart 17
3.2 Problem Area in the organisation 18
4.1 Substrate Wise wastage comparison of wastage during printing 29

4.2 Control Chart of PP Sheets 30

4.3 Control Chart of Board with MET-PET Sheets 31
4.4 Control Chart of IML Sheets 32

10
 List of Tables

Table Table Caption Page

No. No.
3.1 ​Data Analysis of the Board 20-22
3.2 Data Analysis of the Paper 22
3.3 Data Analysis of the Polypropylene 22-23
3.4 Data Analysis of the Board with MET-PET 23
3.5 Data Analysis of the In Mould Labels 24
3.6 Problems And Remedies Of Shade Variation 25
3.7 Problems And Remedies Of Drying 26
3.8 Problems And Remedies Of Misregistration 26
3.9 Problems And Remedies Of Scumming 26
3.10 Problems And Remedies Of Setoff 27
3.11 Problems And Remedies Of Picking 27
3.12 Problems And Remedies Of Mottle 27
4.1 Substrate Wise wastage comparison of wastage during printing 29

11
 1. Introduction
1.1.​Background:
One of the most important products in an industry which contributes to the majority of the
packaging market is offset printed products. It plays an important role in day to day life
because of its exceptional properties over other packaging such as water resistance, chemical
durability and a wide range of its application. The quality of offset printing depends on
factors such as quality of raw material, type of production process i.e (Sheet Fed or Web Fed),
and the efficiency of human labour .Sheet Fed Offset Printing is one of the largest segments
in the printing industry. It will continue to grow in future . The main problem of the Sheetfed
Offset printing process was its high percentage of defects resulting in wastage. The main
purpose of this project is to identify and analyze the wastage that affects the print quality and
generate a solution to minimize the percentage of defect by using quality techniques and
ongoing improvement.

1.2. Need for the project:

Wastage caused because of the defects in the sheet fed offset printing is one of the main
factors which influences the cost . In sheetfed offset printing, paper is always wasted in press
setup and production errors (rejection via quality control procedures). In addition, the
finishing processes require an additional allowance (this quantity is not affected by the
printing process and is not covered in this paper)
● The need of this report is to give a detailed view of ​the current waste situation during
printing at Ajanta Print Arts, investigate its causes and suggest an approach for how
waste can be reduced in the company.

● Improving quality in the manufacturing process, increasing the rate of production and
eventually reducing the wastage and indirectly increasing the profits of the company.

12
1.3 Objectives of the project:

The objectives of the project include:

● To study the actual printing process.

● To evaluate various defects in sheetfed offset printing.
● To analyse the best practices used for reduction in wastage of folding carton
manufacturing process.
● To provide effective methodology for waste reduction .

1.4 Scope of the project:

Sheet fed offset has been a major part of printing. Many technological improvements and
changes have been made. But the defects still stand as one of the major problems faced by
the industry as it leads to maximum wastage in any printing industry. This project
concentrates on analyzing some of the defects and finding the preventive measures and the
solutions to those defects.

13
 CHAPTER 2

Review of Literature

1​. ​Sangita Yadav, Bhupender Yadav & Ravinder Singh et al.reviewed the “Sheet Fed offset
presses for optimum consumption of printing substrates”. The aim was to reduce the wastage
of the printing substrates used in different sheet offset presses. The whole study was divided
into 2 sub-parts to improve the work. Some of the factors that influence the wastage are slur;
ink and water balance, scumming. The following methodology was adopted during the study.
1)Examine the printing substrate used in sheet-fed offset work along with the cost, efficiency
and consumption.
2) Different jobs of the " Sheet-fed Offset Presses” consuming moderate amounts of printing
substrate were selected and the study was conducted on each selected job.
A checklist had been incorporated in the printing section on sheet-fed offset machines. It was
in the tabular form to check the different factors on a particular machine on daily printing
before handling all jobs. It was observed that the checkpoints help to reduce the wastage of
printing substrates. The research was concluded in a manner that, there will be significant
reduction in wastage if the suggestions are implemented in correct manner and also
controlling the factors that influence the wastage.

2. Mrs. Chetna Gupta, Mr. Bijender & Mr. Ankit Boora et al. conducted “Comparative
analysis of print wastage occurring in Sheet-Fed offset Printing organisations for carton based
packaging application”. The objective of this research paper was to analyze and compare
various causes of print wastage for mono and liner carton based packaging applications. The
machines that were used are Printing Machine: Heidelberg CD 102 7 color, Lamination
machine: KDXD i.e., Cutting machine: Bobst Novacut 106, Liner machine: Heiber Scrubber ,
Folding and Gluing machine: Bobst Vision Fold. The methodology involved an examination
of 10 cartons of both Mono and Liner Carton. It was observed that the wastage percent for the
first month for mono carton was 3.65% and for liner carton it was 6.15%, whereas the
wastage percent for the second month for mono carton was 4% and for liner carton it was
6.4%. The major causes of wastage were due to printing, cut and creasing . In case of mono
carton wastage was caused during UV applications; on the other hand in case of liner carton
major wastage was caused by printing and liner machines. Hence, it was concluded in a
manner that the print wastage was significantly higher in the case of liner cartons

14
3. Arohit Goyat, Sangita Yadav & Bakshinder Kaur et al. reviewed “Perspective of Total
Quality Management and wastage reduction in corrugation printing ” .The objective of this
study was to improve the quality of corrugated boxes by Implementing TQM Process and to
reduce the wastage of Kraft paper & corrugated boards by using different techniques in
“Asian Group of Industries, Baddi”. The methodology was divided into 4 parts:
1) Study of different techniques & processes used for Implementing TQM in Corrugation
Printing.
2) Analysis of paper & board wastage reduction techniques in Corrugation Printing.
3) Some jobs of the “Asian Group of Industries, Baddi ” were selected in which Paper &
Board wastage was more & each selected job was analyzed and examined.
4) Data Related to Quality management & Wastage Reduction was collected during the study.
Checklist was developed according to the job and the machine availability and the
checkpoints were checked before the initiation of each task which would result in reduction in
wastage while printing of day to day jobs. The research was concluded in a manner that, if all
suggestions were implemented for reducing wastage & improving quality then a positive
result will be achieved.

4. Anil Kundu , Ambrish Pandeyet et al.investigated “Factors responsible for shortage of

finished printed product in commercial printing press ”. The aim of this research was to
reduce the wastage in order to avoid the problem of final product shortage. The jobs were
tracked from the press to the post press section. The collected data was analyzed using
suitable statistical methods, quantifiable methods and tools , these were used to reduce the
shortage of sheets during the print production process. The data was collected on a day to day
basis. It was observed that the lamination, cutting, folding, UV coating and binding wastage
was very less. The main defects during production were due to scum, color variation, dirt, set
off, water spot, scratch, Mis-registration out, paper sticking etc. The research was concluded
in a manner that, to overcome these problems some suggested control techniques and set of
guidelines should be followed for offset lithography

5. ​Arohit Goyat, Nishan Singh, Rakesh Kumar et al.reviewed “The machine, man, method &
material model for wastage reduction”. In this research paper, the focus was on optimization
and wastage reduction of folding box boards in the packaging industry during the
Manufacturing, Prepress, Press and Post Press Section. This was the case study of ITC
Limited. Various Factors i.e. Man, Machine, Method, Material, were considered, because of
which wastage takes place. The research concluded in a manner that, there were several
factors due to which the Paperboard wastage occurred during printing in the press room such
as printing defects, paperboard and ink problems, machine problems, as well as external
factors such as atmospheric humidity, and room temperature. Eventually, with the
implementation of certain action plans, the average waste was reduced from 7.18 % (make -
ready waste 5.08 % and running waste 2.10 %) in February 2012 to 3.84 % (make ready

15
waste 3.10 % and running waste 0.74 %)in March 2012. Hence, the wastage reduction was
optimized by standard action plans.

6. Anil Kundu, Vikas Jangra ,Sandeep Kumar Garg et al. reviewed “ Identification of Defects
Occurred During Production in Printing Organization'' .The key objective of the research was
to identify the defects that occurred during printing. This was a case study of Thompson
Press, Faridabad.For this study, seven jobs were analyzed.The jobs were tracked from initial
to final stage during production. During this production cycle various problems were
identified. The data was collected on a day to day basis. It was observed that the percentage of
average jobs affected in the sheet fed section was recorded as 2.20% . It was also observed
that the frequency of jobs affected due to some of the defects like lamination, UV coating
and binding etc and the percentage that contribute to these particular defects are 0.61%,
0.56% and 0.33% respectively. It was concluded in a manner that , in order to reduce wastage,
suitable procedure should be implemented .To encounter scumming, set off and color
variations common preventative measures should be adopted.

7. Arohit Goyat, Nishan Singh & Vinay Arya et al.studied “The corrugation process for
optimum utilization of fibreboard”. The main objective of this research was the study of the
corrugation process for optimum utilization of board in “B.K Print & Pack” Haridwar. The
dominating material for transport packaging is a corrugated board of various qualities and
grammages. Therefore, if optimum utilization of corrugated board was done for the
corrugation process then overall cost will be reduced and the quality will also be improved.
Different standards were considered for optimizing the design such as Forming Process
,Optimization of size and proportion and Palletized corrugated packaging . The research
methodology included:
1) Study of corrugation process in a printing press. Record readings like print reading, total
wastage in terms of money and power, and paper.
2) Some jobs of the “B.K Print & Pack” Haridwar, were selected in which Paper & Board
wastage was more & the readings were recorded on each selected job.
3) A checklist was generated during project work and then reading was recorded to optimize
the utilization of the board.
4) Data related to optimum utilization of the corrugated board was collected during study.
It was observed that the various points in this checklist will help to reduce the wastage of
paper & board and hence will improve the quality of the corrugation process. The project
concluded in a manner that if all suggestions were implemented for optimum utilization of
board & waste reduction then a positive result will be achieved and the quality of the
corrugation process will be improved

16
 CHAPTER 3

Report on Present Investigation

3.1 : Process workflow -

Chart No 3.1 - Process Flowchart

17
 Chart No 3.2 - Problem Area in the organisation

3.2​ : ​Defects​ -
The Defects are errors , shortcomings that happen during the printing . There may be several
reasons because of which waste is generated during the printing process .

● Machine
● Method
● Material

All the defects are checked and identified by the machine operator itself and there is an
inspection booth where the sheets which are taken out of the delivery pile for inspection are
getting checked for defects such as color variation , Scum, Ink Density etc.

1 ) ​Shade Variation - ​Color / Shade Variation is the most common and recurring problem
that occurs in the sheet fed offset printing . Share Variation results from inconsistent color
reproduction between proof and the printed samples . That is why shade cards are generated
which enables the client as well as printing supervisors to inspect the sheet . The shade card
which is generated contains the standard for printing, which has the correct shade, one light

18
and one dark shade. The printed image should fall between these ranges. Anything out of this
range is rejected.

2 ) ​Drying - ​Drying occurs when the ink film which is applied on the substrate is wet and
tacky when touched

3 ) ​Misregistration - Before full scale production starts the machine operators after
mounting on the plates check for Misregistration by trial runs . Misregistration will cause an
effect from design accuracy to the color pattern .

4 ) ​Scumming - ​Scumming is one of the most important things which needs to be

considered during the printing . Scumming occurs when the non image area of the plates
accept ink resulting in the printing of the unwanted color on the substrate .

5 ) ​Scuffing - ​Scuffing occurs when the printed sample exhibits poor resistance when the
samples rub against each other and scraps away the ink fragments .

6 ) ​Set-Off - ​Ink gets transferred on the backside of the other substrate resulting in sticking
during the stacking in the delivery pile .

7 ) ​Ink Missing - ​Patches are formed due to failure in ink transfer from cylinder to
substrate in certain areas.

8 ) ​Ink fast drying​ - ​Ink dries before transferring to the printed substrate

9) ​Ink slow drying - ​Ink does not dry completely on the substrate even after passing
through the drying chamber.

10) ​Picking / Linting - ​Accumulation of Unwanted dust particles and fibres from the
substrates onto the Blanket and plate cylinder .

11)​ ​Mottle - ​Mottle defect is seen when there is poor lay of ink on the substrate .

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3.3 : Wastage Analysis According to the Substrate​ -

3.3.1 :​ ​BOARD​ -

Table No 3.1 - Data Analysis of the Board

Job Production Process Actual Observed

No Quantity quantity Wastage Wastage Wastage %
1 20834 21312 156 151 0.72
2 7500 8064 104 97 1.29
3 12000 12600 168 168 1.40
4 2020 2150 0 0 0.00
5 1620 1750 0 0 0.00
6 4000 4500 78 78 1.95
7 4400 5400 94 94 2.14
8 25000 25488 28 28 0.11
9 22600 23040 183 183 0.81
10 22600 23040 182 182 0.81
11 35000 35640 528 528 1.51
12 15000 16000 195 195 1.30
13 66000 67320 469 469 0.71
14 25000 26684 410 410 1.64
15 2000 2100 152 152 7.60
16 23000 23418 182 182 0.79
17 21600 22032 150 142 0.66
18 20000 20376 97 97 0.49
19 33336 34600 121 121 0.36
20 20834 27384 260 248 1.19
21 4687 5200 116 116 2.47
22 37500 38600 127 127 0.34
23 2000 2500 259 196 9.8
24 30000 30413 287 285 0.95
25 3000 3300 20 140 4.67
26 30000 30900 228 232 0.77
26 8750 9800 97 97 1.11
27 25000 25636 110 110 0.44
28 16417 16805 95 93 0.57

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29 20834 21119 165 165 0.79
30 71429 74200 537 532 0.74
31 40000 42800 118+82 178 0.45
32 11250 12000 75 70 0.62
33 12500 13400 115 115 0.92
34 6250 6800 40 40 0.64
35 7500 8025 112 112 1.49
36 8667 9000 90 80 0.92
37 12350 12800 50 51 0.41
38 1750 2300 205 225 12.86
39 8333 8700 75 69 0.83
40 17000 17850 136 138 0.81
41 5000 5500 77 80 1.60
42 7500 8000 121 121 1.61
43 6250 6800 65 65 1.04
44 12500 13350 211 208 1.66
45 7000 7500 53 54 0.77
46 10000 10700 110 46 0.46
47 25000 25800 94 94 0.38
48 8928 9288 80 74 0.83
49 50000 51500 74 74 0.15
50 7500 7900 40 40 0.53
51 500 800 55 56 11.20
52 6667 7000 19 16 0.24
53 3334 3800 352 353 10.59
54 6250 6808 100 100 1.60
55 17858 18320 207 225 1.26
56 3250 3800 51 51 1.57
57 33900 34850 144 145 0.43
58 8500 8750 26 26 0.31
59 940 8750 296 296 31.49
60 8500 8750 339 180 2.12
61 33900 34850 112 112 0.33
62 3000 3456 70 70 2.33
63 12667 13250 79 79 0.62
64 56964 59200 210 208 0.37
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 65 8500 8750 58 60 0.71
66 33900 34850 64 58 0.17
67 8750 8500 13 13 0.15
68 22626 23500 81 83 0.37
69 1250 1600 56 56 4.48
70 1250 1600 35 29 2.32
2.09

3.3.2 :​ ​PAPER​ -

Table No 3.2 - Data Analysis of the Paper

Process Actual Observed

Job Production Quantity quantity Wastage Wastage Wastage %
1 4375 4575 100 97 2.22
2 3500 3675 55 55 1.57
3 5000 5300x2 45 49 0.98
4 7500 7800 205 209 2.79
5 5834 6200 63 85 1.46
6 5000 5150 98 96 1.92
1.82

3.3.3 :​ ​PP Sheets​ -

Table No 3.3 - Data Analysis of the PP Sheets

Job Production Process Actual Observed

No Quantity quantity Wastage Wastage Wastage %
1 5000 5512 60 62 1.20
2 16667 17500 280 262 1.60
3 2000 2100 120 122 6.10
4 350 750 55 55 15.70
5 25000 26250 200 403 1.60
6 20500 21525 61 100 0.50

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 7 12500 13125 31 33 0.3
8 13862 14550 609 565 4.1
9 11138 11650 303 306 2.7
10 1050 1160 9 9 0.9
3.46

3.3.4 :​ ​Board with MET PET -

Table No 3.4 - Data Analysis of the Board with MET-PET Sheets

Job Production Process Actual Observed

No Quantity quantity Wastage Wastage Wastage %
1 3756 4400 50 51 1.36
2 4167 4600 33 34 0.82
3 3750 4900 100 173 4.61
4 1072 1368 95 97 9.05
5 4167 4600 260 258 6.19
6 3755 4400 53 52 1.38
7 1834 2400 104 105 5.73
8 8334 8900 110 112 1.34
9 12500 13750 71 71 0.57
10 1500 1800 151 147 9.80
11 12150 12750 102 169 1.39
12 3572 3900 48 54 1.51
13 2380 2700 164 167 7.02
14 3571 3900 137 134 3.75
15 12750 13400 347 347 2.72

16 2150 2650 113 113 5.26

3.96

23
3.3.5 :​ ​IML​ -

Table No 3.5 -Data Analysis of the IML Sheets

Job Process Actual Observed

No Production Quantity quantity Wastage Wastage Wastage %
1 5000 5500 276 282 5.6
2 5000 5500 240 240 4.8
3 5000 5500 650 650 13.0
4 2500 3000 230 236 9.4
5 42000 44000 580 580 1.4
6 47620 49950 105 110 0.2
7 5520 5762 138 137 2.5
8 50000 52500 284 284 0.6
4.69

3.4 :​ ​Remedies for defects observed

3.4.1:​ ​Machine Problems​ -

● Feeding Unit ​-

Cause​ - Static Charge problems occurs In non absorbent substrates such as IML , PP
and PET Substrates . Static problems cause multiple sheets getting picked up by the
sucker because of the improper setting of the double sheet detector .

Solution -​ Proper cleaning of the antistatic equipment . Maintaining the temperature

of the printing area . Checking the Suction capacity of the Suckers .

● Dampening and Inking Unit ​-

Causes - ​Ink Drying too fast . Ink Drying too Slow .

Solution ​- Ink and Water balance is one of the most important factors which need to
be considered while printing . If the ratios of ink and water are not properly balanced

24
 then there will be problems of emulsification which will cause defects in the end result
such as scumming, catchup, trapping problems, ink density and in some case drying
problem Resulting in the final product unfit for delivery to the end client .

● Delivery Unit ​-

Causes - ​Overshoot problem, logistic problem, dust problem, pile board problem.

Chips of IML coming out due to loosening of the bolts of the gripper .

​ Solution - ​Check all the bolts and change the Damaged bolts .

3.4.2: Material Problems ​-

Causes - ​Damage Sheets , Wavy Sheets .

​Solution​ - Check the damage sheets and seperate it . Cover the pile board properly,
Jogging of the sheets .

3.4.3: Method Problems​ ​-

● Shade Variation -

Table No 3.6 - Problems And Remedies Of Shade Variation

Problems Remedies

​Substrate variation Discuss with the Inventory supervisor of

the substrate to change the stock

Special/ Process Colors does not Match Consult Ink Manufacturer , Maintain
SOPs.

Speed is Increased Reduce the machine speed

25
● Drying -

Table No 3.7 - Problems And Remedies Of Drying

Problems Remedies

RH of the room high Maintain the temp of the press room

Ink taking up too much water Maintain Ink and water Balance

Conductivity of the Fountain solution Maintain the pH / Conductivity of the

not proper fountain solution between 4-4.5

● Misregistration -

Table No 3.8 - Problems And Remedies Of Misregistration

Problems Remedies

Alignment of plate, blanket , substrate Check the alignment before full length
not proper production

Blanket and its packing not proper Replace Blanket or its packing

Press sheets not trimmed properly Trim the sheets

● Scumming -

Table No 3.9 - Problems And Remedies Of Scumming

Problems Remedies

Printing pressure too high Reduce the pressure of the cylinders

during printing

High Ink Viscosity Decrease ink Viscosity

Plate not processed properly or exposed Desensitize or Remake the plate , Adjust
to light . plate making process

26
● Set-off -

Table No 3.10 - Problems And Remedies Of Set-Off

Problems Remedies

Substrate Sticks on the the on the other Increase the Powder application
substrate

Ink dries too slowly Check the drying and type of UV lights
used.

● Picking / Linting -

Table No 3.11 - Problems And Remedies Of Picking / Linting .

Problems Remedies

Blankets too tacky Change to less tacky blanket or Change

blanket wash

Ink too tacky for the stock Consult the Ink Manufacturer to adjust
the ink for less tack .

Substrate too tacky . Change to more Lint resistance stock .

● Mottle -

Table No 3.12- Problems And Remedies Of Mottle

Problems Remedies

Printing pressure not uniform Adjust Printing Pressure

Improper ink/water balance Adjust to proper ink / water balance

Worn out blanket Replace blanket .

27
 CHAPTER 4

Results and discussions

After the entire analysis and Study the results ,the majorly observed defects were Scum ,
Mis-registration , Setoff and Shade Variation

The following problems were found during printing.

1.Feeding Unit ​-
Cause​ - Static Charge problems occur in non-absorbent substrates such as IML, PP, and
PET Substrates. Static problems cause multiple sheets to get picked up by the sucker because
of the improper setting of the double sheet detector. Board wavy form

2.Dampening and Inking Unit​ -

Cause - ​Ink Drying too fast. Ink Drying too Slow.

3.Printing Defects​ -
Cause - ​Scum, Scuff, Misregistration, Shade Variation, Ink Missing, Setoff etc.

4.Make Ready Problems​ -

Cause - ​Running more sheets than the intended sheets which were calculated during the
preparation of the job card.

5.Delivery Unit​ -
Causes - ​Overshoot problem, logistic problem, Dust problem, Pile board problem.
Chips of IML coming out due to loosening of the bolts of the gripper.

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Following were the average wastage of printing jobs during printing recorded from
25/02/2020 till 18/03/2020 ( Substrate Wise ) .

Table No 4.1 - Substrate Wise wastage comparison of wastage during printing

Board with Plastic (Inmold

Board Paper Plastic (PP) MET PET labels)
Wastage 2.09% 1.82% 3.46% 3.96% 4.69%

Chart No 4.1 - Substrate Wise wastage comparison of wastage during printing

The result of the data collected during the research is depicted in the Chart No 4.1 . By
analyzing the data during the research period it was evident that the defects were most
frequently occurring on the Non-Absorbent Substrates as compared to the Absorbent
Substrates .When the data was analyzed we had found out that Paper Substrate had 1.82% of
wastage, Board had 2.09 % of wastage .Non-Absorbent Substrates had higher wastage % as
compared to the Absorbent Substrates .PP substrate had 3.46 % of wastage .Board with

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MET-PET had 3.96% of wastage and IML had 4.69% of wastage . After analyzing the data it
was observed that the Non-Absorbent Substrates i.e IML,PP and Board with MET-PET has
more wastage as compared to Absorbent Substrates i.e Board and Paper .The average wastage
percentage between different substrates was 3.2% .

Chart No 4.2 - Control Chart of PP Sheets

● Mis-registration in PP sheets was one of the biggest problems faced by the company .
It was detected Majorly during Job 3 and Job 7 . The main problem for this
misregistration contributing to the wastage was Mis-alignment of plate, blanket ,
substrate not proper or when the sheets were not jogged properly . However after
making these changes it was found that wastage was significanlty reduced .
● The Static Charge problem was one of the biggest problems faced by the company . It
was found in Job 7 , Job 8 and Job 9 .When the Static Charge Kv was checked it was
too high (10-35Kv) than the normal range ( 2-5Kv) of the substrate . Therefore they
increased the value for the Antistatic Blower at the feeding section and brought down
the press room temperature to (25-27 *C )and the wastage was brought down to some
extent .

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● The Statistical Process Control Chart emphasizes early detection and prevention of
problems, rather than the correction of problems after they have occurred.
● Chart No 4.2 depicts a control chart without the Job No 4 which is an outlier . When
the outlier was not considered it was seen that there was a significant decrease in the
difference between UCL and LCL which indicates decrease in the variation .

Chart No 4.3 - Control Chart of Board with MET-PET Sheet

● Mottle was one of the main defects that occured in MET-PET sheets . It was detected
in Job 1,2,3,4,5,10, 12 ,13 ,14 and 16 .Mottle can be described as spots or blotches of
different color or shades of color as if stained or it can be also referred to as
‘Patchiness’ . It was found that Printing pressure was not uniform and hence the
pressure was reduced and the machine speed was also reduced which caused a
decrease in Mottle effect .
● Chart No 4.3 depicts a control chart without the Job No 10 which is an outlier . When
the outlier was not considered it was seen that there was a significant decrease in the
difference between UCL and LCL which indicates decrease in the variation .

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 Chart No 4.4 - Control Chart OF IML Sheet

● Scum was observed in Majorly Job 3 , Job 4 and Job 5 which consisted of yellow
color Inks . Therefore the pressure of the cylinders was reduced during printing and
the plate was re-processed . Due to these changes there was a significant decrease in
the scumming issues in the latter jobs .
● Shade Variation was most common in Job 1 and 2 which caused wastage . This was
brought down by Reducing the machine speed from 10000 sheets per hour to 8000
sheets per hour . The Printing pressure was also reduced which brought the wastage
down .
● Apart from these printing problems there were also Static Problems which were
significantly reduced by using Anti Static Brushes and Blowers which brought down
the Static Charge values.
● There were also problems in the Delivery unit where chips of IML labels were coming
out of the Sheets . This was brought down by replacing the Bolts of the gripper unit.
● Chart No 4.4 depicts a control chart without the Job No 3 which is an outlier . When
the outlier was not considered it was seen that there was a significant decrease in the
difference between UCL and LCL which indicates decrease in the variation .

32
Several Other Statistical tools such as ANOVA , Bar Graph , Time Variance Chart , Scatter
Plot and Histogram were also assessed but due to insufficient data it was not possible to
predict the trendline in the Scatter Plot . There was also no count of sheets for individual
parameters such as Scumming Static so it was not possible to use ANOVA , Bar Graph chart .

During training time it was analyzed that Non Absorbent Substrate waste can be minimized
by standard working procedure on the machine , maintaining the machine in proper condition;
and controlling the temperature and humidity of the press room. Following Checklist was
Proposed to achieve better results in waste minimization .

1. Clean all the units of the machine properly like - feeding units, delivery unit, inking
unit, dampening unit and inking unit.
2. Clean the Dampening chillers .
3. Check the blanket and change the packing .
4. Clean and adjust the pH, conductivity and IPA value.
5. Clean the Coater Unit.
6. Check and clean all the air conditioners.
7. Setting of dampening and inking rollers .
8. Close all the doors of the production room.
9. Check the feeding unit before starting the job and proper setting of air blowers,
suckers, double sheet detector and antistatic equipment.
10. Replace new sheets with old sheets or sheets which have been used in previous jobs,
for color matching as well as for make ready purposes.

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 CHAPTER 5

Conclusion

There are various reasons because of which wastage occurs during printing such as printing
defects i.e ​Scum, Scuff, Misregistration, Shade Variation, Ink Missing, Setoff ​, Substrate
Problems, Inks, and Machine Defects. Apart from this there are some external factors such as
room temp and humidity which play an important role in reducing wastage.. Therefore it was
important to analyze the wastage, study the cause and provide a suitable remedy so that
wastage can be reduced. Controlling these parameters and maintaining standard SOPs will
ensure a reduction in wastage.

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 CHAPTER 6

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8. ​https://www.printpeppermint.com/the-sheet-fed-offset-printing-process/
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13. ​CHAPTER 8 OPTIMISING THE SHEETFED OFFSET PRINTING PRESS TO ACHIEVE
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