LARGE-FORMAT SHEETFED PRESSES -- Printing to Perfection

BY MARK SMITH

Technology Editor

With all the talk of excess capacity and declining sales, why would any printer consider buying a new press? First, the obvious reason. Capacity on an industry-wide level doesn't necessarily mirror the situation in a local market or any given company.

There also is a more subtle rational that has grown in importance with the changes in business conditions. The pressures of a highly competitive market make it even more critical for a shop to have the right kind of capacity. Production efficiency and flexibility are more important than gross capacity.

Sheetfed offset presses used to break down fairly cleanly into several categories based on size/format and capabilities. Today, with the introduction of new sizes and extension of features throughout product lines, the market has become more of a continuum. Larger format machines—40˝ and bigger—will be considered here, but many of the issues and trends carry over into other segments.

"There are a lot of old-generation, large-size sheeted presses out there," agrees Christian Cerfontaine, director of marketing at MAN Roland. "But, it's getting tougher to make money with them because they take so long to makeready from job to job, and their run rates are low compared to what you can accomplish on a modern 40˝ machine.

"One new, automated 40˝ machine with CIM (computer-integrated manufacturing support) can replace two or three old presses," Cerfontaine continues. "Or, one new, automated 73˝ press with CIM can do the work of two or three modern 40˝ machines."

The latter case is simply a question of mathematics, he says. If the size of the sheet is tripled, then the press can be three times as productive—assuming all other variables are kept equal.

"There is a difference between old capacity, which wastes time, money and energy, and smart capacity, which uses CIM and automation to maximize uptime and productivity," Cerfontaine asserts. "The ideal presses are the ones that provide printers the most production possibilities."

Such machines have the capabilities to bring in new business opportunities for their owners, he says, with features such as handling lightweight stocks up to heavy board and perfecting for one-pass productivity.

"We've seen growth in the larger format sheetfed market," reports Eric Frank, vice president of marketing for KBA North America, Sheetfed Press Div. "KBA has taken all the automation and increase in speed from our large-format (40˝) models and added them to our super-large-format sheetfed presses. We're showing printers that such a press offers the productivity of two 40˝ machines with less cost, reduced manpower and less capital investment, while providing superior quality and extremely fast makereadies."

The motivating factors for press buyers are somewhat different today than they were five years ago, adds John Dowey, vice president of sheetfed product management at Heidelberg.

"Back then, printers were looking to increase capacity. Today, they are just as likely to be looking to reduce costs, whether that be by doing the same work with fewer machines, slashing makeready and waste, or doing more complex jobs with fewer press passes."

Long perfecting machines are one advancement that continues to offer a significant competitive advantage for the general commercial printer, Dowey says. Another reason for making an investment in new iron is to move into a more digitized workflow.

"By using CIP4 presets and closed-loop color, printers can get to OK color faster. Combine that with the advances in digital proofing and color management, and it's not unheard of to have a 10-unit, 5/5 perfecting press up to color and in register in as few as 200 to 300 sheets," the company exec claims.

Mitsubishi Lithographic Presses (MLP U.S.A.) also has been focused on enabling printers to reduce their number of wasted sheets, reports John Santie, product manager of sheetfed presses. "The press needs to run fast and you need to be able to makeready quickly but, at the same time, a printer can't afford to be wasting thousands of sheets trying to get the job to look right," Santie says.

In a similar move, Komori America's main focus is on improving the overall print quality of its press lines, says Doug Schardt, product manager. "This means building a press that avoids issues such as ghosting and streaking, rather than trying to fix these problems after they occur on a job. Our Lithrone press line already is highly automated, as well as being user-friendly. Improving lithographic issues is the next big step to further speed job cycle times and help printers achieve the profit margins that build healthy printing companies."

Expanding on his earlier point, Heidelberg's Dowey says a long perfecting machine of eight, 10 or even 12 colors can make a lot of sense for the general commercial printer that runs a variety of products. He also refers to this concept as one-pass productivity.

"The quality that can be achieved is outstanding, and the reduction in cost to print give the printer an edge," Dowey contends. "Combine these advantages with an in-line, roll-to-sheet feeder, which allows for use of web-roll paper at lower costs, and you have a solution for today's competitive market."

MAN Roland, too, is focusing on longer presses with perfecting, both with and without in-line finishing, notes Cerfontaine. "They provide one-pass productivity while achieving higher quality levels," he says. At Drupa 2004, the company plans to introduce a 12-color version of its Roland 700 perfector press.

Randy Siver, Mitsubishi business development manager, sees a lot of potential in perfecting capabilities, as well. "The top thing potential press buyers are looking for today is to get the biggest bang for their buck," he says. "Perfectors, in any form, are going to be a big part of the equation. Printers want a lot of versatility and flexibility in a press."

The company's Double Diamond product is an example of a 40˝ press that fits the bill, Siver contends. The perfector press is available in 4/4 or 5/5 configurations with double coaters to also coat both sides of the sheet.

Mitsubishi also offers the Tandem Perfector, a straight-through machine that prints both sides of the sheet without having to flip it over. "That way, we're able to keep exact register front-to-back," Siver claims.

Save Some Trees

In addition, using the same gripper all the way through the press can result in some substantial paper savings, Santie says. The long perfector can be built in any configuration of up to 12 units, but that becomes its dedicated configuration and can't be changed by the printer, he points out.

While it expects to see continued growth in the larger press market, Mitsubishi currently has no official plans to go beyond the 56˝ format on its largest press, Siver reports.

"Buyers in that segment demand the same kind of automation features as general commercial printers using state-of-the-art 40˝ machines," he notes. The press manufacturer has offered automation features across its product lines for years, and is now looking to enhance the productivity of these components by increasing their operating speed and/or improving the operator interface, the company execs say.

Another version of one-pass printing has been championed by Akiyama International. Its "J Print" press design is said to feature a unique linear transfer arrangement for trouble-free printing on both sides of the sheet in one pass. This is accomplished by employing matched sets of upper and lower printing units (also sometimes referred to as "stacked" units) in configurations of up to 6/6 colors. The same gripper edge of the sheet is maintained throughout the run, providing accurate register between both sides of the sheet.

According to the manufacturer, the compact design requires less floor space and makes working around the press easier, resulting in faster makereadies and less operator fatigue. Presses are available in 40˝ and 44˝ formats, as well as smaller sizes.

With its 73˝ Roland 900 XXL, MAN Roland claims to offer the "widest modern sheetfed press currently on the market." The press delivers 328 percent more printable area than a conventional 40˝ machine, Cerfontaine points out.

"The idea is to combine the advantages of added size with the full automation of a state-of-the-art 40˝ press," he explains. "We've only just launched the Roland 900 XXL, and its official international debut will be at Drupa." The company also planned to give Graph Expo 2003 attendees a first look at the press.

KBA currently markets the Rapida 130 (51˝), Rapida 142 (56˝) and Rapida 162 (64˝) press models, but it plans to make a bid for MAN Roland's title. The manufacturer will debut the new Rapida 185 and 205 super-large sheetfed presses at Drupa 2004, according to its vice president of marketing. At 81˝, the 205 model will be the largest sheetfed offset press ever built, Frank claims. The Rapida 185 will offer a 72˝ format. Both models are targeted for large poster work, book printing, packaging and long-run commercial applications.

For its part, Komori America is working to incorporate many of the productivity and quality enhancing features of its award-winning Lithrone S40 (40˝) press into its larger format presses, Schardt says. The company's product line currently is capped off by 44˝ and 50˝ models. "At present, we expect the market for large-format presses to grow, albeit slowly," the product manager notes.

The Lithrone S40 was among the 2003 GATF InterTech Technology Award winners presented by the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation. It was recognized for "taking a systems approach to printing by offering the highest levels to date of sheetfed press automation and open systems architecture. The press comes equipped with Komori's Color Connection software suite and, when coupled with a CIP4-compliant K-Station, it provides a link in the evolution to computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) in the pressroom," the release states.

According to Dowey, Heidelberg is focusing on several areas of development with its Speedmaster 102 series of presses. The first area he broadly classifies as the "environment."

"Speedmasters are available with systems like DuoSpray and CleanStar, which reduce powder consumption and help keep the press and pressroom clean," the company exec points out.

Looking beyond the press itself, Heidelberg sees integration with the digital workflow as being of prime importance, Dowey says. "Our Prinect suite of products offers bi-directional transfer of production information to and from the presses. Prinance, our JDF-based MIS system, has the ability to digitally preset the press to the next job, and get production data online in real time. With PrepressInterface, we set ink fountains directly from CIP4-compatible data. Even our ImageControl closed-loop color system can be digitally preset based on actual color values from prepress," he reports.

Given the current state of CIM adoption in the printing industry, Dowey advises press buyers to look for controls with an upgradeable operating system (OS) based on open standards. "Everybody knows JDF is the standard for a CIM manufacturing environment but, as it evolves, additional functionalities can be added. That is why having an upgradeable OS is so important."

CIM Takes Hold

CIM already is becoming a competitive issue, MAN Roland's Cerfontaine asserts. "Older presses can't communicate with each other or with the overall workflow. This disconnect puts them out of touch with the productivity enhancement links to prepress, postpress and a plant's MIS system," he says. "As markets get more competitive, having old presses becomes a liability."

The mechanics of a press must be 100 percent automated if a printer is going to reap the benefits of CIM production, the marketing director argues. "Many of CIM's advantages are derived from presetting a press—not just its ink fountains, but everything from feeder to delivery. To maximize uptime, you need to be able to preset all parameters online, but off-press. That way the press can be producing the current job while the next project is being preset. Our PECOM JobPilot module does just that," Cerfontaine points out.

"With our larger format presses, we've already proven that JDF and CIM dramatically improve throughput, decrease makeready times, increase speed and reduce manning," adds Dan Quenzer, KBA's western region sales manager. "The older presses that the 205 will replace take one hour per unit to makeready; our new Rapida 205 only takes 15 minutes for the entire press. The older presses normally run only 5,000 sheets per hour, compared to the 11,000 sheets per hour produced by our new Rapida 205."

There is one other press manufacturer that competes in the large-format sheetfed press arena, but admittedly on a select basis at present. According to Mike Grego, marketing manager, the primary focus of Sakurai USA is on the half-size and smaller sheetfed markets. The only large-format press the company offers is an automated, two-color, 40˝ convertible perfector, he notes.

"That product is geared toward the 1/1 book market. It is equipped with automatic plate changers that can mount single, two-sided or polyester plates in less than one minute per unit. The press has a fully automatic perfector changeover, auto roller wash, programmable doctor cycling and other quick makeready features. This machine also has the ability to outperform two older non-automated presses," Grego claims.