Instrument Flight® – Printing Colors, True to Creators Intent
The AI powered Autopilot for Color and Consitency in Print Production
What is Instrument Flight® and how does it work?
- Instrument Flight® is an advanced color control technology continuously developed by System Brunner for over 30 years. It processes color readings from color measurement devices and issues automated color adjustments back to the printing machine.
- Instrument Flight® is available as OEM implementation for several press manufacturers as well as an offline standalone version.
- Instrument Flight® reads all available information from the color bars and uses its AI to make a human-like interpretation of the printed result.
- Instrument Flight® acts as an autopilot for color adjustments and works from makeready throughout the print run.
- The Instrument Flight® technology can reduce makeready by up to 70%.
- Instrument Flight® also keeps colors perfectly consistent during the print run and avoids waste and color variations.
Main Features
(Implementation dependent)
- AI (Artificial Intelligence) supported color adjustments.
- Standards/Presets for regular or customer-specific color targets.
- Color control Priority-Modes: GrayBalance (G7®), ISO/PSO, SolidBalance, GrayStabilization.
- Extremely simple to operate (less total operation efforts for operators).
- Closed-Loop or Monitor/Instruction-Mode.
- Comprehensive Job-Reporting
- Color-centric-approach (Instrument Flight® adjusts for color, not solid densities)
- Balance Navigator® – Precise gray balance and tonality fine-tuning via CIELab controls.
- Consistent color management from design-to-press via internal use of ICC-profiles
- Available as 4C-process and 4C+EXG variant.
Auto Color Matching & Auto Color Endurance. Real-time, Closed Loop, AI-driven.
AI-powered Color Control
Instrument Flight® is System Brunner’s flagship product. A high-tech system for real-time, precise color control on industrial printing machinery. Instrument Flight® is the result of decades of research and development in human vision, printing technology, measurement technology, and artificial intelligence.
Automatic Color Matching
Instrument Flight® is the only solution available capable of actually “seeing” the printed result like a human. Instrument Flight® evaluates spectral and densitometric data simultaneously using our unique AI-core. In combination with a closed-loop color control system, Instrument Flight® fully automatic color matching. We not only measure densities – we control the actual image including dots, graybalance, color hue, and tonality.
Color Management extended into the Pressroom
In addition, Instrument Flight® can be driven using ICC-Profiles for constant cross-evaluation of the printed result with the same data the design was created with. Therefore, hardcopy proofs can be dropped in many cases.
Superior Technology
Instrument Flight® outperforms trivial solid-density adjustment by leveling process colors to maintain compliance with printing standards and/or visual proof-to-press match.
Process-Variation safe
The printing process is influenced by more than 30 variables, constantly driving the printing result apart from its optimum. Instrument Flight® permanently evaluates the technical and visual printing parameters and issues countermeasures by re-leveling target densities.
Easy to use
With Instrument Flight®, System Brunner provides the printer with an easy-to-use but powerful tool that makes color-compliant printing a snap. Set up a new job in less than 10 seconds and you are ready to run.
See the Benefit of Instrument Flight®
The Problem: Consistent solid ink densities or low Delta-E’s in the solids are no guarantee for consistent color.
Process variations affecting dot gain and overprints may render a print job unacceptable.
It is hard for press operators to counteract to maintain color consistency by constantly checking and manual color balancing.
The following picture demonstrates color variation over the print runs at consistent solid ink densities.
Color Variation and inconsistent Gray Balance despite Solid Ink Density Control:
The Solution: Instrument Flight® supported Closed-Loop Color Control matches colors automatically and maintains color consistency over the print runs.
No color variation and consistent Gray Balance with Instrument Flight®
OEM dependent Implementation
The Instrument Flight technology comes in different flavors and integration levels depending on our OEM partners’ needs.
System Brunner actively supports OEM partners not only in the implementation of our technology but also in how to provide the best printing and color performance on the given equipment.
Currently available OEM Implementations
The fully-featured Instrument Flight® by System Brunner. Includes all Options and latest Developments to address any possible Challenge in Print Color Control.
Instrument Flight® is available with Color Control Solutions from Baldwin Vision Systems and Koenig & Bauer Sheetfed.
Reduced functionalities compared to the complete Instrument Flight® software, tuned to G7® Parameters and Metrics. GrayBalance focused Control Priorities.
Available for Koenig & Bauer ErgoTronic and QualiTronic.
Reduced functionalities compared to the complete Instrument Flight® software, tuned to PSO Control Parameters and Metrics. TVI , TVI spread and LAB solid focused Control Priorities.
Available for Koenig & Bauer ErgoTronic and QualiTronic.
okBalance® 2.0 is a minimalistic Instrument Flight® Implementation, capable of keeping a given OK-Result consistent look, based on the classic System Brunner GrayBalance color control algorithm. okBalance® is available with manroland sheetfed for online and inline measurement systems.
Why Instrument Flight®
Print Quality and Color Accuracy in industrial printing is a moving target. More than 30 variables constantly drive the printing result apart from its optimum. Without Instrument Flight® and simple solid ink density controls only, the operator is tied to the presses’ console, constantly taking samples, evaluating the result, and making manual decisions on how to counteract the variations. One wrong move can cause additional unwanted variations in color and render parts of the print-job unsellable.
In times where quality, efficiency, performance, and environmentally friendly production matter, there’s no room for trial and error.
This is where Instrument Flight® comes into play. A modern, intelligent system, makes it a breeze to overcome the previously mentioned challenges.
Full Technology Feature List
- Visual Color Consistency over time with Real-Time-Compensation of Process Variations
- AI-supported Color Control right from the Beginning of the Print-Job for minimized Makeready, Color Matching Efforts, and Waste
- Constant System-Learning for continuous Improvement in Speed and Precision
- Closed-Loop-Integration for fully Automated Operation
- High-Quality Printing Results – Operator-independent
- Balance control priorities™ incl. G7®, ISO12647/PSO
- World’s First G7®-certified Color Control System
- Ready for Expanded Gamut Control (EXG) 7-Color Process
- Packaging Option to control incomplete Process Color Sets and Spot Colors in VisualBalance or Lab-Target Mode
- Job-Dependent Quality-Focus (GrayBalance, G7®, ISO/PSO, Solid)
- Process-Safe Solid-Ink-Densities with auto-dynamic Matching to lowest ΔE
- System Brunner Hexagon Diagram for real-time Quality Evaluation and Process Diagnosis
- ICC-Supported Operation for Colors, True to Creator’s Intent
- Color Corrections in CIE-Lab and Intuitive Visual BalanceNavigator®
- Automatic Color-Matching of Frontside-to-Backside in Case of Perfecting Presses
- System Brunner Star Rating for Visual and Target-Standard Compliance
- GCR-Mode for Printing Web-Optimized Printing-Data on Sheetfed without Re-Rendering
- Comprehensive Job-Reporting including Quality Parameters and Optimization Recommendations
- Press Calibration Optimization Recommendations from actual Job-Data
- Auto-Compensation of Color Variations caused by varying Printing Speeds
- Auto-Compensation for Varying Substrate Color
- Auto-Color-Balancing for Best Possible Results even if no Calibration for a particular Substrate is present
- Consistent OK-Sheet Functionality – holds the Colors according to Customer’s accepted Sheet
The comparison with aviation is no coincidence. The correct course of an aircraft is influenced by many external parameters and without intelligent software, the pilot would soon be unable to cope. The printer is in a similar situation. The indirect image control Instrument Flight® with color/gray balance process technology ensures optimal color stability in the production run despite many influencing variables that can lead to color variations. Instrument Flight also ensures repeatability and features a high level of automation. The system safeguards the print results in accordance with international standardization concepts (Globalstandard®, ISO/PSO, G7®).
Request Your Online Demo Today
Let’s find out how Instrument Flight® will improve your Print Production.