WEB OFFSET REPORT -- Make Ready for Change

Shaftless drive technology has helped to enable the engineering of wider presses, notes Chris Clement, product manager for commercial web presses with Heidelberg Web Systems in Dover, NH. "The technology continues to evolve, with the latest press systems featuring independent, a.c. servo drives for each component. The advantages include low maintenance, smoother acceleration and deceleration to reduce web breaks, faster makereadies and the flexibility to de-couple printing units," Clement says.