Upgrades to Esko’s ArtiosCAD packaging design and Automation Engine pre-press software have been introduced. These form part of its Suite 12 modular software family.

It said that its ArtiosCAD 12 structural packaging design system ‘marks a paradigm shift from 2D to 3D.’ It includes tools for 3D design, editing, rendering and visualisation, as well as new Intelligent Dielines tools and cloud-based collaboration. It integrates the latest native 3D file import libraries from Esko’s technology partner, Spatial. This is said to give a speed improvement of over 50% when importing 3D models. A new 3D import preview feature, allows users to select individual parts from a model assembly. This lets the structural designer quickly and automatically build a carton around the imported 3D parts to be packaged, Esko said.

There are other time-saving features. For example, with a single mouse click users can fill a carton, case or tray with the product to be packaged. Placement of one design within another is now easier with the new Collision Detection feature, which gives visual feedback when the two designs intersect.

Flap priorities of panels can be shown. For Re-Board and multi-wall displays and designs, the software can add edge bands for finished edge calculations and visualisation, along with building reverse v-notches with partial cuts for accurate conversion of these materials. User-defined perforations and tear-away designs required for Retail Ready Packaging (RRP) and Shelf Ready Packaging (SRP) can also be shown, in addition to the full set of common perforations.

Some 13,000 licenses for earlier versions of ArtiosCAD have been sold worldwide.

Automation Engine 12 is a major component of Esko’s Suite 12 software family, first announced at drupe in May and now available. The company said that it completes the integration of its formerly separate ‘legcy’ product lines Odystar, Nexus and BackStage. These were originally developed separately by Esko Graphics and Artwork Systems prior to their merger in 2008. Customers using any of these server based systems can now upgrade to Automation Engine 12 and access its ‘robust and scalable, fully database-driven framework,’ while maintaining their current workflows.

Esko said that Automation Engine 12 is also the first product in the market to provide full workflow automation for jobs that combine multiple printing techniques. This allows for complete automation of complex packaging print jobs for the first time, it said. Parameters such as trapping, preflighting and distortion can all differ depending on the printing process.  Using Automation Engine 12, a printing process can be assigned to every separation in the file if necessary.

Other new features include: scripting support for Adobe Creative Suite applications as well as some other third party tools such as Alwan; improved integration with the WebCenter packaging management solution; and web based administration.

‘Automation Engine 12 takes automation of label production to a whole new level. It is the first server framework in the market to provide full automation for jobs that combine multiple printing techniques,’ said Dries Vandenbussche, product manager for server platforms. ‘Its flexible scripting capability for more automated artwork creation, and the automatic synchronization with WebCenter, make Automation Engine 12 the ideal platform for complete automation from business system to plate or digital press.’

Contact: www.esko.com