The efficiency of register control systems in newspaper printing

Electronic register control systems, invented by the Electric Eye Company, later called Hurletron, in the USA already in the 193Os, and after World War II further developed by Crosfield Electronics with its Autotron, have been a must for many years in precision colour printing rotogravure presses, and many different brand names accompanied its market growth. In newspaper printing electronic register control systems are quite new and were introduced only when more and more four-colour pages appeared in newspapers and four-high printing units became the dominant production method. To inform our members about the advantages and limitations of these control devices, we commissioned the Technical Research Centre of Finland VTT with a research project on this topic. The main outcome teaches us, that electronic register control systems are of advantage to a certain degree with all newspaper presses, independent of their individual printing unit configurations, but especially with 3/4-satellites, 10 cylinder-satellites and four-high units. An automatic register control system provides maximum benefit during splices, make-ready, restarts, and register drift - not so much during constant running conditions. To adjust the lateral or sidelay register other means like bustle wheels have to be taken into consideration as well (see separate Special Report on this, worked out by TFL in Stockholm, Sweden). Certainly, an electronic register control system cannot replace an accurate web tension t control system on the press, nor can it make slack paper reels run perfectly nor can it compensate for Gut of roundness running press parts. To see these limibtions and to know which actions have to be taken to optimize the whole system will be the main service given to our members by this report