Summary

Nearly every rotary printing press installed today is equipped with one or several monitor control consoles. All press operations are preset, controlled, supervised, statistically recorded and disturbances diagnosed via masks on a display screen. In this, however, the manners of display differ so much from one make to another that a certain level of standardisation would seem to be necessary. The need for standardisation becomes even greater when, with good reason, it is intend- ed to integrate the press control system into an overall printing plant control system. The same problem is currently being experienced in the manufacturing field, where the CIM technique (Computer Integrated Manufacturing) is attracting a lot of attention. It is due to market-leading companies such as General Motors, as a major customer for computer control systems, that, with the OSI reference model (Open Systems Interconnection) of the international standardisation organisation ISO, draft standards have been estab- lished, and with MAP (Manufacturing Automation Protocols) as well as TOP (Technical Office Protocols) standards exist to which many manufacturers of computer equipment already adhere. Furthermore, the OSI model was taken up both by the.communications industry and postal authorities and recommended by CCITT. To give some impetus also in the newspaper industry, IFRA held a Forum on 8th and 9th’ July 1986 in which manufactufers of monitor press control systems, press manufacturers and users participated. We summarise the results of this Forum in this Special Report.