Case Study: Läser AG enhances quality control with BOBST Digital Inspection Table

Läser AG is a leading packaging business based in Gontenschwil, Switzerland. Serving brands in the food, tobacco, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, the business supplies a wide range of cartonboard packaging, cut and die-cut labels, shrink sleeves and die-cut direct mailing products.

For over 20 years, Läser AG has been working with its own Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Exploring potential technologies that would enhance its quality assurance operations, the BOBST Digital Inspection Table was the perfect match. 

“We were looking for a solution which would allow us to develop our in-house digital network, and it was clear that ideally, it would have to integrate effortlessly into our ERP system,” Dr. Andreas Hitzler, Managing Director at Läser AG, explains.

Läser AG selected the BOBST Digital Inspection Table (DIT) 106 for folding carton as the ideal complement to its packaging operations. The innovation is a stand-alone quality inspection unit, designed to make zero-fault packaging effortless. 

DIT is suitable for 106 format die-cutters and hot foil stampers, as well as folder-gluers and CI flexo printing presses. With precision and speed at the heart, BOBST DIT helps packaging converters to control cost, shorten makeready time and curtail waste. Crucially, its accuracy helps to eliminate expensive and reputation-harming recalls. Following the investment and installation of the DIT, Läser AG found significant advantages in quality, as well as a reduction in downtime.

Tobias Frank, Production Manager and Deputy Managing Director at Läser AG, explains: “We installed the DIT in our pre-press department, where we feel it adds an extraordinary level of value to our workflow. We use the machine to check all print products before we make the printing plate, whether that’s for packaging, labels or specialty products. Previously, we had a complex foil filing system and made a 1:1 print example of every single job that came in, which we then checked.”

Frank added: “Fitting perfectly into our workflows, when we assemble a print sheet, a PDF is created and automatically sent through to the Digital Inspection Table. By projecting the whole sheet assembly onto the unit, we can check internally defined control points and identify any potential issues before they happen. If the print sheet is good to go, we then make the printing plate. Then, the first printed sheet goes to prepress again, and is projected using DIT. We can then see whether any errors have occurred during plate exposure, which helps us to create a slicker, faster and more reliable quality assurance process.”

Developed by BOBST to support packaging converters, DIT provides the ultimate in digital efficiency. With automatic and consistent data capture, the innovation provides data-driven insights and fits smoothly into existing digital workflows. 

The machine improves printing, cut-to-print, creasing, patching, hot foil stamping and braille embossing quality processes, and makes reporting simpler. Able to handle a maximum sheet size of 1,300 x 790mm, DIT comes equipped with three 4k projectors up to 6 pixels per mm, delivering 20MP photographic quality records of all checks. The machine can integrate seamlessly with HMI SPHERE, enabling operators to directly control and adjust machine parameters.