Deco Carriage Maintenance: Preventing Faded Print Defects
This video, created in collaboration with Billy Smetana of SMB-Services Can Printing Solution, addresses a common Deco defect called Faded Print, which can occur on the Rutherford Decorator due to delayed Decorator Carriage maintenance. The full-length interview with Billy can be seen on the World of Cans.
Faded Print appears at the overlap of the label on a can, where the decoration starts bright but fades toward the end of the label, where it meets the start of the decoration. This defect is often linked to insufficient maintenance.
The Rutherford Carriage operates on four cam followers that ride on hardened Track Wear Plates. When the decorator detects a missing can on a mandrel, the carriage retracts to prevent ink from being applied to a bare mandrel. The frequent retraction and reengagement of the carriage cause wear on the Track Wear Plates over time, leading to carriage height variation.
This variation in carriage height results in faded print at the can's label overlap, where the start and stop of the decoration meet.
Faded Print appears at the overlap of the label on a can, where the decoration starts bright but fades toward the end of the label, where it meets the start of the decoration. This defect is often linked to insufficient maintenance.
The Rutherford Carriage operates on four cam followers that ride on hardened Track Wear Plates. When the decorator detects a missing can on a mandrel, the carriage retracts to prevent ink from being applied to a bare mandrel. The frequent retraction and reengagement of the carriage cause wear on the Track Wear Plates over time, leading to carriage height variation.
This variation in carriage height results in faded print at the can's label overlap, where the start and stop of the decoration meet.