Achieve standardized cigarette pack production in just four steps
In order to better maintain the consistency of the printing quality of cigarette packs, during the production process, operators need to carry out standardized operations according to the operating procedures to avoid different personnel operating according to personal preferences and habits during the actual production operation process. To achieve standardized operations, standard operating procedures (SOPs), product process technical standards and appropriate product quality testing methods are required. Based on practical work experience, the author takes one of the "golden leaf" golden mantang cigarette packs produced by the company as an example to explain how to implement standardized operations in the production process.
Develop standard operating procedures
Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) refers to the description of the standard operating procedures and requirements of an event in a unified format to guide and standardize daily work. In layman's terms, SOP is the refinement and optimization of key control points in a program. From a management perspective, SOPs can shorten the learning time that new employees spend on unfamiliar and complex firms, and mistakes and oversights can be avoided by following the steps.
SOP is summarized through continuous practice, and can achieve the optimal operation program design under the current conditions, usually with the following functions: first, it can save operation time; second, it can reduce resource waste; Third, production stability can be obtained, and its manifestation and use method are simple, intuitive and easy to understand, which is an effective tool and means for post personnel to quickly obtain the basis for operation.
When formulating standard operating procedures, the following elements need to be paid attention to, the first element is standard, the second element is process, and the third element is operability.
01. Standards
The standards based on the formulation of operating procedures mainly include the code of conduct of operators, the technical parameters of production equipment and auxiliary equipment, the technical standards and quality requirements of products, and other management requirements stipulated by the enterprise.
02. Process
The process mainly includes the equipment operation preparation stage, the auxiliary equipment installation and commissioning stage, the equipment operation stage and the work finishing stage, and the main content includes various elements of the production link such as "man, machine, material, method, environment, and measurement".
03. Operability
Operability is mainly considered in combination with factors such as equipment characteristics, operator skill level, production space environment, and product production process requirements. The printing equipment used by our company to produce "Golden Leaf" Golden Mantang cigarette packs is a Bost ten-color gravure printing machine with a large sheet function.
Formulate product process technical standards
Product process technical standards include product technical standards and production process standards. Product technical standards mainly refer to the standard information contained in the standard proofs issued by the higher technical department, such as product size, shape, crease stiffness, appearance hue, printing hot stamping pattern and its position relationship and other elements, which need to be interpreted and produced and copied. Production process standards refer to the process standards formulated according to product characteristics, equipment performance, and required materials in the production process, and the two standards need to be combined with each other when formulating.
The interpretation of product technical standards should be detailed, and the size and relative position of the printing and hot stamping pattern, the size of die-cutting and indentation and the position of the relative pattern should be accurately quantified. The varieties and specifications of the base paper and electrochemical aluminum used, ink type and viscosity, printing color sequence, and technical parameters of the equipment should be clearly marked on the production process standards to ensure that the product quality can achieve a better homogenization effect in the production process to meet the quality standards of the manufacturer and the adaptability requirements of the machine packaging. The technical standards of "Golden Leaf" Golden Mantang cigarette packs are shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 "Golden Leaf" Jinmantang Cigarette Pack Technical Standards (Unit: cm)
Use appropriate testing methods
The testing methods here mainly refer to the physical testing methods used during the production process. By thoroughly interpreting the product process technical standards and transforming the standards into usable tools, production process instruction cards are created for hot stamping, embossing, and die-cutting processes, and are posted on the production machines. The content of the instruction cards should include the technical parameters that need to be controlled for these production processes and the process quality standard parameters for self-inspection, especially giving detailed indications of the distances between different patterns, the distance from the pattern to the die-cut edge, and the stiffness requirements for each crease line.
At the same time, make film positives with patterns consistent with the standard sample sheets (as shown in Figure 2). The film positives have high transparency and are not easily deformed. During inspection, place the film positive above the product to compare the pattern in the film with the pattern on the product. This allows for a clear view of whether the dimensions and relative positions of the patterns on the product are accurate and whether the deviations meet quality requirements. Using this method for process self-inspection during production is very convenient for machine operators and effectively improves both inspection speed and inspection effectiveness.
Figure 2 Detection of film sheets
Consolidation of standardized operation results
After a period of operation and inspection, the company revised and improved areas of the standardized operation process that required enhancement, producing the 'SOP Standardized Operation Process Manual' and the 'Process Technology Standards Manual' as shown in Figure 3 to consolidate the results. These manuals were distributed to technical management personnel and machine operators, and the aforementioned personnel were trained to understand and master the content of the manuals, so that they could perform operations in accordance with the standards during actual production, thereby ensuring consistency and homogenization of product quality.
图3 标准化作业手册