A processing machine has a plurality of processing stations for the processing of articles. A plurality of the processing stations are each configured in the form of a printing unit. The processing stations, which are provided for processing the articles, are each arranged at different positions. At least one handling device is provided for transporting at least one of the articles which is to be processed. The handling device has a drive which is controlled by a control device and, which handling device, by the use of this drive, can be displaced from one processing station, in which the respective article is processed, to at least one next processing station for processing this article. The processing machine has a learning phase and a production phase. Provision is made for a memory device, which is connected to the control device, to store, in the learning phase, position-related values of the relevant handling system, those position-related values being determined by the use of a calibration travel executed by the relevant handling system for a certain processing procedure. Following the changeover of the processing machine from its learning phase to its production phase, the drive of the relevant handling device is controlled by the control device such that the relevant handling device assumes, one after the other, the positions previously stored for it in the memory device in the learning phase.

A method for cleaning a printing fluid off a surface of at least one rotatable component of a printing press includes selecting and executing one of a plurality of predefined cleaning operations in an automated way. The selection is made on the basis of a predefined mathematical model executed on a computer and, when the model is executed, a parameter corresponding to an amount of the printing fluid present on the surface is calculated. The improved cleaning method may be applied in all modes of operation of the printing press and in particular allows detergent, cleaning cloth, and/or water to be saved.

A method for cleaning a printing fluid off a surface of at least one rotatable component of a printing press includes selecting and executing one of a plurality of predefined cleaning operations in an automated way. The selection is made on the basis of a predefined mathematical model executed on a computer and, when the model is executed, a parameter corresponding to an amount of the printing fluid present on the surface is calculated. The improved cleaning method may be applied in all modes of operation of the printing press and in particular allows detergent, cleaning cloth, and/or water to be saved.

Provided are a printing result inspection apparatus, a method, and a program capable of determining a printing defect caused by a printing step and a printing paper defect caused by printing paper by reading the printing paper once. A printing result inspection apparatus 10 accepts designation of paper defect information used for determining a defected region through an operation unit 14. A defect determination unit 24 determines whether defected regions D10, D12, and D14 extracted from a non-image region A10 are the printing defect or the printing paper defect based on designated paper defect information, a density change amount, and a color, and an image feature amount of a defected region determined as the printing paper defect in the non-image region A10 is stored in paper defect information I10 and is accumulated in a paper defect information storage unit 30. The defect determination unit 24 performs the determination of defected regions D20 and D22 extracted from image regions A20 and A22 based on the designated paper defect information, stored paper defect information relating to printing paper P10 being inspected, and the paper defect information I10.

Printing machine includes a guide; at least one printing station located along the guide; at least one supporting station for supporting a product to be printed by the printing station; at least a first and a second positioning units mounted along the guide, at least one of the positioning units being located at the printing station. The supporting station includes: a motor substantially integral with the supporting station for moving the supporting station along the guide; an acquisition device capable of acquiring an identification code from each of the positioning units when the supporting station is at each of the positioning units; a memory wherein reference codes corresponding to the identification codes and at least one reference distance corresponding to a distance between the first and second positioning units are stored; a processing unit configured to control the motor based on the acquired identification codes and on the reference codes and reference distance stored in the memory.

Printing machine includes a guide; at least one printing station located along the guide; at least one supporting station for supporting a product to be printed by the printing station; at least a first and a second positioning units mounted along the guide, at least one of the positioning units being located at the printing station. The supporting station includes: a motor substantially integral with the supporting station for moving the supporting station along the guide; an acquisition device capable of acquiring an identification code from each of the positioning units when the supporting station is at each of the positioning units; a memory wherein reference codes corresponding to the identification codes and at least one reference distance corresponding to a distance between the first and second positioning units are stored; a processing unit configured to control the motor based on the acquired identification codes and on the reference codes and reference distance stored in the memory.

In a control device which controls a printing press, a capturing unit captures an inspection target object printed on a target printed material by the printing press, and outputs RGB values of each pixel of a captured image. The converter specifies a pixel with respectively equal RGB values and a pixel with respectively approximating RGB values as pixels in the grayscale area in the image, and converts the RGB values of each pixel other than the grayscale area into HSV values. An extractor extracts a pixel of an extraction target color from the image based on the RGB values in a case of the pixel in the grayscale area, and the HSV values in a case of the pixel other than the grayscale area. The controller controls the printing press to correct the print misalignment based on the pixels of the extraction target color extracted by the extractor.

In a control device which controls a printing press, a capturing unit captures an inspection target object printed on a target printed material by the printing press, and outputs RGB values of each pixel of a captured image. The converter specifies a pixel with respectively equal RGB values and a pixel with respectively approximating RGB values as pixels in the grayscale area in the image, and converts the RGB values of each pixel other than the grayscale area into HSV values. An extractor extracts a pixel of an extraction target color from the image based on the RGB values in a case of the pixel in the grayscale area, and the HSV values in a case of the pixel other than the grayscale area. The controller controls the printing press to correct the print misalignment based on the pixels of the extraction target color extracted by the extractor.

A marking system includes: a whole camera that generates a captured image; a pass/fail determination section that determines pass/fail of printing using the captured image; a history storage section that stores a plurality of determination results including an NG determination result, the captured image, and state information of a laser marker in association with each other; a display section that displays at least one of a first display area for displaying the plurality of determination results and a second display area for displaying the captured image; a receiving section that selects either the NG determination result or the captured image; and a control section that displays state information, associated with the NG determination result or the captured image selected via the receiving section, among a plurality of types of the state information on the display section.

There are provided a characteristic table generation system and so on capable of enhancing the convenience of the user. The characteristic table generation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a system for generating a predictive voltage characteristic table for defining a predictive characteristic curve, the system including a data acquisition section configured to obtain a measured viscosity characteristic table defining a measured characteristic curve between viscosity and temperature of the liquid, and a predetermined parameter separately, as input data, a conversion coefficient generation section configured to generate a conversion coefficient used when performing a conversion process from the measured characteristic curve into the predictive characteristic curve based on the predetermined parameter using a first analytical method as a predetermined analytical method which takes the predetermined parameter as an explanatory variable, and which takes the conversion coefficient as an objective variable, and a table generation section configured to perform the conversion process using the measured viscosity characteristic table and the conversion coefficient generated by the conversion coefficient generation section to thereby generate the predictive voltage characteristic table.