Techkon
| Techkon GmbH
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|---|---|
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| legal form | Company with limited liability |
| founding | 1983 |
| Seat | Koenigstein im Taunus , Hesse , Germany |
| Branch | Printing industry , measurement technology , software development |
| Website | www.techkon.com |
The Techkon GmbH , based in Koenigstein im Taunus with Frankfurt is a leading manufacturer of optoelectronic measuring instruments for the printing industry and a provider of innovative solutions for app development.
history
General
The company was founded in 1983. It develops and builds densitometers , spectral densitometers , color measuring systems and printing plate measuring devices as well as software solutions that are sold worldwide directly and through specialist dealers.
Metrological innovations for the printing industry
In the company's history there are several products that have helped shape the development of optoelectronic measurement technology for the printing industry. The most important innovations were and are
- 1984 the automatic recognition of the partial printing inks and thus the automatic measurement filter selection in reflected light densitometry;
- the elimination of mechanically moving parts in the measuring head for densitometers (1993) and spectrophotometers (1995);
- 1995 the world's first spectral densitometer ;
- 1998 the automatic detection of all kinds of measuring field transitions in scan densitometers and spectrophotometers for the evaluation of print control bars and the Ugra / Fogra media wedge ;
- 2000, using a high resolution color camera - sensor for the digital image analysis , when measuring on printing plates ;
- 2004 new technology standard for spectral densitometers in general, including for the first time worldwide with a polarizing filter that can be automatically swiveled in and out when changing modes between densitometry and spectrophotometry, number and selection of functions;
- 2007 the world's first realization of this new technology standard for spectral densitometers in electromotive scanning spectral densitometers;
- 2010 an inline spectrophotometer specifically designed for real-time measurement of high-speed flexo - and inkjet -Rollendruckmaschinen;
- 2012 the world's first equipment of pressroom robust spectral densitometers with the physically correct measurement mode M1 according to ISO 13655 : 2009 through complete conversion of the measurement lighting to LED technology;
- 2012 the world's first professional smartphone app with reproducible precision for use in the pressroom (measurement of the accuracy of fit of multi-color prints).
At the annual innovation award of the German printing industry in 2004, the spectral densitometer SpectroDens received 3rd prize in category C2 “Most innovative technology in printing technology”. In addition to functionality, the reason for the award was the ergonomic one-hand operation.
A copy of this type of spectral densitometer was handed over to the Deutsches Museum in Munich on December 17, 2006 . In the Communication Department , Printing Technology Exhibition, visitors learn that colors can be represented as numerical values by being able to carry out measurements on a spectral color disk with the measuring device.
InnovationLab with cross-industry importance
In view of the rapid spread of smartphones , which are characterized by a practical digital camera and a high processing speed of apps, Techkon has been summarizing all activities under the term InnovationLab since 2013 with the aim of developing apps and additional hardware, with which the company derives its measurement expertise transfers new application markets. One focus is on the exact color capture and communication with mobile devices. Other activities concern cognitive image analysis on smartphones.
Techkon is thus also manifesting a new philosophy in measurement technology: Instead of dedicated measurement devices with high development, manufacturing and shipping costs, existing devices (smartphones) that are de facto suitable for measurement are upgraded to professional measurement devices through apps and accessories and also integrated into measurement scenarios as data transmission and visualization devices . In addition, InnovationLab extends the basic platform concept from smartphones to hardware in general.
InnovationLab application examples that are already available serve a wide variety of technical and medical purposes:
- ColorCatcher - Use of the smartphone for exact color capture and communication, for the first time as a calibratable color recognition device ( calibration to a standardized color table was previously not possible with similar apps), which displays the closest RAL Classic color palette value both as CIELAB values and as Displays web-compatible sRGB values including Delta-E color deviation and hit quality;
- BiliKid - special medical application of the ColorCatcher technology (exact color detection and communication) for the colorimetric determination of the bilirubin concentration in newborns ( jaundice - symptom ) by colorimetrically recording the skin tone of the toddler with the smartphone camera and using a special yellowness scale is compared; Nursing staff can use it to carry out simple monitoring over several days , with the app suggesting a specialist examination if there is a questionable yellow trend;
- SpectroBase - basic metrological platform, the hardware and software of which can be tailored to specific industry and customer requirements; In general, a colorimetric analysis of liquids, pastes, granulates, powders and flat surfaces is possible, which are intended for use in the food industry (e.g. determining the degree of roasting of coffee ), the chemical industry (e.g. concentration of liquids) or the processing of raw materials (e.g. whiteness of lime) is specified; The smartphone is used for additional visualization and data transfer to other applications:
- MeterCheck - using the smartphone as a reading device for electricity meter readings with the help of cognitive image analysis; Similar to capturing and interpreting a QR code , the smartphone camera is pointed at the numeric display of the counter, the counter reading is optically captured and interpreted as a sequence of digits with a unit of measurement.
Product portfolio
The product range includes:
- Spectral densitometer (for individual measurements as well as hand-held and electromotive strip scan measurements),
- Printing plate measuring devices (for offset printing plates ),
- Quality assurance software for offset printing ,
- Colorimetry software for color measurement tasks of all kinds,
- Smartphone apps for metrological applications in the printing industry (e.g. for accuracy of fit in multi-color printing ) in various printing processes or in other, non-media industries (see InnovationLab).
Cooperation with institutions that develop standards
In cooperation with the research institutes Fogra (printing industry Germany ) and Ugra (printing industry Switzerland ), the associations Bundesverband Druck und Medien eV (printing industry Germany), IFRA (newspaper printing / publishing worldwide) and DFTA (flexographic printing in German-speaking countries at the Stuttgart Media University ) Several solutions emerged that meet metrological requirements under special production conditions or support or implement complete work instructions from ISO and industry standards, for example
- a system for universal parameter acquisition in newspaper offset printing using the "Ugra / Fogra MiniTarget" based on an image analysis of a single digital image ;
- a measuring head for permanent process and quality control in highly automated production lines for printing plate imaging as a basic technology for closed-loop solutions, which has been made available to various manufacturers of printing plate imaging systems , developing machines and bending devices;
- a tool for tonal value compensation in digital imaging of photopolymer printing plates in flexographic printing ;
- the first implementation of the Fogra Measuring Bar value table in plate measuring devices , which automatically creates calibrated conditions for every plate measuring process;
- the support of an automatic measurement of the Ugra / Fogra media wedge - the Europe-wide recognized control element for the color accuracy in the media standard print , which is published and regularly updated by the Federal Association of Printing and Media (bvdm) - in the spectral densitometer device series;
- the consideration of specific reference tables and work instructions from ISO-12647 and bvdm process standard offset printing in the spectral densitometer device series, e.g. B. the ISO paper classes or the compliance with the prescribed process color sequence .
Foreign branches
In the main markets of North America and Southeast Asia , sales are carried out by the Techkon USA LLC in Danvers ( Massachusetts ) and Techkon Japan Co. Ltd. in Abiko (Chiba) . Techkon USA also employs its own team of developers. B. is responsible for inline spectrophotometers (for high- speed flexographic and inkjet web printing systems).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Milestones ( memento of the original from March 6, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , last accessed on March 11, 2014
- ↑ Print.de - Portal for prepress, cross-media publishing, printing and postpress: Innovation Award of the German Printing Industry 2004 ( Memento of the original from March 11, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , last accessed on March 11, 2014
- ↑ Exhibition plan , last accessed on March 11, 2014
- ↑ Bundesverband Druck und Medien eV (bvdm) , in Berlin since January 2013, last accessed on March 11, 2014
- ↑ Technology Center of DFTA , last downloaded March 11, 2014
- ↑ WAN-IFRA: Ifra Special Report 2.32: Automated process control of CTP production. A feasibility study (PDF; 598 kB), last accessed on March 11, 2014
- ↑ Flexographic Printing Technology Center: Dot Gain Compensation Tool, DGCT V1.0 , last accessed on March 11, 2014
- ↑ Blog WhatTheyThink.com: Printing Industry News, September 10, 2009 , last downloaded March 11, 2014
