Perfecting technology optimizes productivity and cost-efficiency, even with short runs- Swiss commercial printer sees positive results with new Speedmaster XL 106 eight-color LE UV press
The Heidelberg Info Days at the Print Media Center in Heidelberg recently showcased state-of-the-art LE UV dryer technology (LE stands for Low Energy). No fewer than 235 customers from 19 different countries attended this event organized by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). They gained an excellent insight into the efficiency and productivity of long perfectors and the associated postpress equipment. With over 2,000 long perfectors installed worldwide, Heidelberg boasts a great deal of know-how in this field. This includes Perfect Jacket technology, which enables virtually identical print quality on both sides of the sheet. The intuitive operator guidance system IntelliStart, the fully automatic and simultaneous plate changing system AutoPlate XL, reduced washup times, and the inline color measurement system Prinect Inpress Control combine to deliver fast, reliable, and stable job processing. This applies to both long runs and the very short runs that are becoming increasingly popular.
A Speedmaster XL 75 eight-color press with coating unit demonstrated the latest perfecting technology and its impressive flexibility to visitors attending the Info Days. And the Speedmaster XL 106 ten-color press on show set new productivity standards, operating at 18,000 sheets per hour in perfecting mode. But the highlight of the event was the Speedmaster SX 102-8-P+L with LE UV. Impressed customers witnessed the high-quality production of the perfecting press. Sheets surface finished on one side emerged dry from the delivery ready for postpress.
All press models - from the Speedmaster SX 52 to the Speedmaster XL 162 - can be equipped with LE UV. A Speedmaster SX 74-4-H with LE UV - an entry-level solution for commercial printing - has recently been added to the demonstration presses at the Wiesloch-Walldorf plant.
LE UV the right decision for Swiss commercial printer
Sylvain Cognard, Production Manager at Swiss commercial print shop W. Gassmann AG/ Courvoisier-Attinger Arts graphiques SA in Biel, related his experiences with the world's first 18,000 sph generation Speedmaster XL 106-8-P LE UV during a panel discussion at the Info Days. This print shop employs 350 staff and its customers come from markets with challenging requirements such as the watchmaking and jewelry industries. "We use perfecting printing for 90 percent of our work. The LE UV press works perfectly at a speed of 18,000 sheets an hour and the quality is excellent," said Cognard. His overall impression is a positive one and he now uses the benefits of LE UV to provide his customers with a fast, top-quality service. When the print shop processed a job using both standard sheetfed offset printing and LE UV and presented the two results to a customer, the customer chose LE UV. According to Cognard, LE UV offers great potential for premium products. "We printed a watch catalog on challenging offset paper for Basel World. Only thanks to LE UV were we able to complete the job within a tight timeframe," he revealed. Cognard also underlined the cost-efficiency of production on the Speedmaster XL 106. "For a recent job, we replaced the full set of plates every eight minutes, which meant changing 60 plates every hour. Replacement intervals of this kind can only be cost-effective with AutoPlate XL and Prinect Inpress Control," he stressed.
Key issue of service and insights into new technologies
Visitors to the Info Days were given food for thought on a number of subjects. For example, Heidelberg Service demonstrated a number of solutions and offerings to ensure that, if the worst comes to the worst, action can be taken quickly to prevent long downtimes and ensure print shop productivity does not suffer. The Remote Monitoring presentation in particular showed customers how predictive maintenance can prevent a press from breaking down. The Saphira portfolio serves a similar purpose. The newly launched Saphira Anilox Roller GTT reduces downtimes while also improving print quality. Appropriate CtP systems and Prinect solutions round off this product portfolio.
Heidelberg also presented its UV LED system, which was unveiled at drupa 2012 on a Speedmaster SX 52 and is currently being transferred to the Speedmaster SX/CX 102. Delivery of the first DryStar UV LED systems started in Japan at the end of last year and there are plans to roll out UV LED technology in Europe over the coming months and years. The big advantage of UV LED is its low energy consumption and the ability to control the switching on and off of LEDs for a particular format width and sheet length.
Another topic touched on was Anicolor technology, which has proved its value for rapid makeready with minimum waste and maximum productivity. Speedmaster XL 75 Anicolor perfecting presses equipped with this technology will be available from the second half of 2014 and it is planned to offer them in conjunction with UV and LE UV technology in the first half of 2015.
