News & Events

Automation in Finishing

(Irving, TX June 20, 2013)
InfoTrends conducted a survey and found that a big priority in 2013 for companies was the automation of finishing.  “Improving finishing automation is important because of the opportunity available for printers to reduce costs through improving production turnaround times, reducing dependency for manual labor, and removing human errors.”
Xerox and HP heard what the consumers are asking for and looking for and have developed solutions to further the automation process.

Xerox Integrated PLUS solution was developed in partnership with CP Bourg, Ultimate Technographics, and StandardHorizon, with the intent to assist in automated booklet creation through integration with FreeFlow Process Manager. A unique component to this solution is the Xerox Dual-Mode Sheet Feeder, developed by CP Bourg that enables an inline finishing solution to act as a near-line solution or can turn an offline finishing solution into near-line. The feeder is activated by scanning a barcode that uses JDF and JMF data to automatically set up finishing devices.

HP SmartStream Finishing Connectivity solution is a finishing expert system that determines the most optimal finishing process for each job and communicates this to the required finishing device in the shop. It also shows operators how to finish the job in the most efficient way by visually displaying every finishing step on the console of the finishing device. The solution was developed through partnership with Ultimate Technographics Imposition intelligence software and communicates to devices through JDF and JMF data. SmartStream Finishing Connectivity can be used in production workflows for near-line finishing processes. The solution was showed at drupa as a technology demo and is expected to come on the market after summer.

As more consumers demand further automation, more companies are sure to follow with new products to fill that need, creating a rich market full of solutions to meet each companies needs.  And a robust, competitive market is a win-win for the printing industry!

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