By: Robert Norcross, President

1. What is ink?

2. How are you wasting ink, solvent and plastic

3. Sensitivity and its importance

4. Automatic Control-Sensors & Controllers

5. What is Good Control

6. Manual vs. Automatic Control

7. Real Savings!

8. 7 Other events that impact viscosity.

What you will learn

Pigment, mixed with solvent and varnish

M

I

X

What Is Ink?

Printing on Soft Pack

These examples illustrate the range of your customer‟s demands.

End Products

Opportunity to waste!

Opportunity to waste!

Here you have the surface (stainless-steel pan) on

which you will place the ink (tape)

Opportunity to waste!

Here you have enough ink to give correct color and coverage.

Opportunity to waste!

Here you have extra ink on the surface which a Zahn Cup will

not see the change in viscosity that is causing the extra

thickness.

Opportunity to waste!

Here you see you can put on less and still have coverage but

you need to be able to measure the viscosity to do this.

Wasted Ink and Solvent

Opportunity to waste!

Wasted Plastic

Opportunity to waste!

Option 1

WASTE

Option 2

SAVE

Make your choice

Manual Control with a Zahn Cup

Sensitivity

*

Manual Control with

Zahn 3 Automatic Control

Sensitivity

Sensitivity

#3Z #4Z #4S

Oil Sample #1

(cSt 55)

Oil Sample #2

(cSt 86)

Oil Sample #3

(cSt 130)

Zahn Cup #3 10 11.5 14.4

Zahn Cup #4 8.3 9.2 11.4

Shell Cup #4 14.6 20 29.7

Piston .735 7.4 8.5 12.4

Let’s Talk Numbers

Let’s Talk Numbers

cSt

Seconds

When measuring manually there is a natural margin of error which can be +/- 1 second.

For this presentation lets assume 2 things:

1. The margin of error is only +/- .5 second

2. All calculations will be done starting at 120 cSt (since this is a common range for ink)

Using this information we will calculate and compare the sensitivity of the Zahn Cup #3, Zahn Cup #4 and the Shell Cup #4. To do this we will mark where each cup intersects with 120 cSt. Then we will see where each cup intersects if we go +.5 seconds and -.5 seconds. This will produce the % margin of error for each cup listed above.

Let’s Talk Numbers

This data is assuming a +/- .5 second margin of human error

112 130

130-112= 18

18/120=15% ERROR

Let’s Talk Numbers

cSt

Seconds

This data is assuming a +/- .5 second margin of human error

112 130

130-112= 18

18/120=15% ERROR

112 128

128-112= 16

16/120=13% ERROR

Let’s Talk Numbers

cSt

Seconds

This data is assuming a +/- .5 second margin of human error

112 130

130-112= 18

18/120=15% ERROR

112 128

128-112= 16

16/120=13% ERROR

118 122

122-118=4

4/120=3% ERROR

Let’s Talk Numbers

cSt

Seconds

Automatic Control

Norcross Sensors and Controllers

M51

VISION MXBO

VUE100

Automatic Control Claim

Let‟s see what this looks like…

• Claim they can measure to within +/- 1 Zahn cup second.

Other Viscosity Control

Companies

• Can measure to .1 TOF which is the equivalent to +/- 1.1 cSt

Automatic Control

cSt

Seconds Other companies

control to +/- 1 Zahn

Cup Second

Norcross Automatic

Control to +/- 1.1 cSt

Automatic Control

cSt

Seconds

Now of course you

can‟t see how well

Norcross is controlling

using a Zahn Cup.

Thus customers often

say the other

viscometer is good

enough.

This is data from an actual gravure press in China.

Customer Examples

Real Customer Savings

This customer reduced their ink consumption by 20%

by simply using Norcross automatic viscosity control.

Real Customer Savings

Solvent consumption down 30%

Varnish consumption down 30%

ROI = 2 Months!

Without Viscosity Control With Viscosity Control

*This is why the NSF/ NCR is being started.

*If you can‟t measure changes then you will

think you are doing good when you are not!

*We need to break the mindset that a Zahn cup

is „good enough‟ simply because it has been

around “forever.”

*The charts show the waste, we know we can

control so well the Zahn cup cannot see our

saw tooth wave of control.

*Customers must use better cups!

*But Bob, “they have always used that and the operators will never agree to having two cups to pick from.”

*Why two cups? Because if you have really good cups and a wide range of Zahn cup viscosity then you will need two good cups to cover one Zahn cup.

*But you only use one cup on a given job.

*But Bob, “they just won‟t do it.”

*They will if their customers (i.e. the packaging buyer) knows that there is waste, pollution and money to be saved.

Why?

• Reduce Sediment buildup

• Keep ink conditioned by good mixing

Ink Circulation

Covering Ink Tanks and FountainsWhy?

• Decrease solvent evaporation

• Reduce fire hazard and hazardous fumes

Maintaining Ink LevelWhy?

• Inconsistent ink levels can affect viscosity, temperature and ink conditioning.

Thank You!For all additional questions

please contact us at

www.viscosity.com