29–31 March 2023 (seminar language tbc) & 12-14 July (English language seminar) in Stuttgart, Germany · An introduction to gravure cylinder preparation and printing with demonstrations and practical exercises
Gravure at your fingertips
Stuttgart Media University is the only university in Europe which operates a complete gravure line, from cylinder preparation through to a rotogravure printing press. Hence, the cylinder preparation and gravure printing department at HdM is unique in European further and higher education. In the labs all aspects of gravure can be closely experienced and tried out, and the quality of all production steps can be tested with special measuring methods.
The introductory course offered here covers gravure in theory and practice, from the electro plating for copper plating of a cylinder, through surface processing and finishing, preparation of a layout and the subsequent electromechanical engraving process, to printing on several papers with different ink viscosities. Besides electromechanical engraving, all workflow processes for other modern gravure cylinder engraving procedures such as laser assisted etching and laser engraving are explained. The new developments of cylinder surfaces are touched.
All process steps are tried and tested on equipment in the cylinder preparation laboratory and in the gravure printing department. Participants will design a layout, help prepare and engrave a cylinder with it, and print it on different types of paper. These steps will be accompanied by quality control with the corresponding measuring equipment.
The course is designed to provide a practical overview of the whole process chain for employees of gravure printers, cylinder engravers and reproduction studios, from paper, substrate and ink manufacturers, and also for newcomers to the industry coming from a different field. This course does not include advanced operator training and so is not intended for the experienced technical staff from gravure printers.
The number of participants has been limited to 10 participants per course. This enables each participant to take an active “hands on” part in each production step, which will enable a better understanding of the complete process.
General Information
Venue
Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart
Nobelstr. 10
70569 Stuttgart
Tel: +49-711-8923-2811
www.hdm-stuttgart.de
Duration
2 1⁄2 days
Target group
employees from gravure production and supply chains needing a general overview of the process
Languages
29-31 March: language tbc
12-14 July: English language
Participation Fees
ERA Non-Members: € 2.599,– (+VAT)
ERA Members: € 1.799,– (+VAT)
The seminar participation fees are per person. Fees include seminar participation, seminar documentation, hotel accommodation for 2 nights, day catering, dinner and transfers from hotel and back.
Programme
Wednesday, 12 July 2023
13:00 › Arrival of the participants at the hotel
14:00 › Arrival at Stuttgart Media University
14:10 › Welcome of the participants and tour through the technical departments of the Stuttgart Media University
14:45 › Introduction to the course, Introduction to gravure printing, Structure of a gravure unit, Introduction to gravure cylinder production, Gravure printing applications and markets
Coffee break
16:00 › Mechanical structure of a gravure cylinder, Surface property of gravure cylinders, Influences of substrate parameters onto form production, Comparison of base copper and ballard skin process, Gravure specific measurement instrumentation, Electro plating of a cylinder, Surface treatment
18:30 › End of first day of the seminar
Thursday, 13 July 2023
08:30 › Function of electromechanical engraving, ell shapes, screen angle, screen width, image signal processing, preparation of a sample for a print form with job ticket, colour management for gravure printing, Xtreme/TransScribe
Coffee break
10:00 › Engraving of the prepared sample (2 cylinders), Quality control, Metrological acquisition of a gravure gradation
11:30 › Form production with lasers, Etching with laser as mask generation tool, Direct engraving with laser (DLC, Cellaxy, DigiLas), Alternative surfaces for form production (DLC, HelioPearl, etc.)
13:00 › Lunch
14:00 › Gravure inks – basics and composition, blending of inks for test print, mixing of the inks in the ink kitchen
Coffee break
16:30 Structure of gravure presses, Corona treatment, Drying, Print control devices: web tension, register and viscosity control
18:00 › End of second day of the seminar
Friday, 14 July 2023
8:30 › Colour theory and colour measurement for the evaluation of the prints
9:30 › Print with the two cylinders prepared on the previous day on the Rotomec MW 60 rotogravure packaging press with different speeds, substrates, doctor blade angles, viscosities and ink/extender ratio.
12:30 › Lunch
13:30 › Metrological and optical evaluation of the prints, generation and discussion of print gradations
Questions and answers
ca. 15:00 › End of seminar/departure
Registration
Closing date for registrations is 27 July 2023. The number of participants is limited to 7 only. Participation places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Cancellations
Cancellations must be submitted in writing by 27 July 2023. In case of absence or late cancellation, the complete participation fee is to be paid. After this date, the registration fee is transferable but not refundable. ERA reserves the right to cancel, defer or modify the event proceedings without prior notice.
