Just returned from Zhaoqing after learning how to operate printed wash care labels machinery. I didn’t expect “Technician Ruan” to get the chance to step up to the line so soon.
Normally, our label manufacturer operates almost seven days a week, so there are never any idle machines for me to practice on and get familiar with the operation. These past two days happened to present an opportunity: one of our flexo press technicians bought a new car—a happy occasion—and took two days off to head home.
My original purpose in going to learn was to gain a deeper understanding of wash label production technology and become an industry expert. Now that a machine finally freed up, there was no way I was going to pass up such a great opportunity.
Back when I was training in Zhaoqing, Technician Zhang mentioned that I had a real natural talent for this, which gave me plenty of confidence coming into today.
In the morning, the master technician assigned me a small job: a batch of 200 ribbon wash care labels—relatively simple, single-sided printing in black.
During the setup and calibration, I noticed that some characters were hollowed out, where the ink hadn’t fully transferred. Based on my own judgment, I assumed it was due to insufficient pressure, so I tried increasing it, but the issue persisted.
I had no choice but to turn to the other technicians and ask for their advice. One technician took a quick glance and said, “That’s actually caused by too much pressure.”
In my mind, I had always thought that heavy pressure only caused double-imaging or embossing effects; I didn’t realize it could cause this as well.
It seems that to produce a perfect wash label, the first step is learning how to analyze the problem and identify the root cause before applying the right solution.
Even though I operated the equipment myself from start to finish today, I didn’t feel a strong sense of accomplishment because I still had to rely on the guidance of the experienced technicians.
Tomorrow, I’ll be back in the workshop pushing forward all day. I hope to complete at least one qualified wash label project completely on my own, without needing anyone else’s help.
If a wash care labels turns out unsatisfactory, maybe it’s time to let Ruan Qiuyue give it a try.
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