The PDI Group Expands Capabilities with 'Push to Stop' Technology from Heidelberg

After months of deliberation, PDI Group, the largest independent sheetfed print company in Quebec, has purchased a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106-5 with LED Drying Technology (PRINTING United Booth 10143) in order to expand their offerings to their customers.

The company has grown substantially in the past few years due in part to strategic diversification efforts. According to Gaetano DiTrapani, CEO of PDI Group, and Jamie Barbieri, President of PDI Group, “It was time to take stock of our sheetfed printing operations and rejuvenate our capabilities within the organization in order to better serve our customers.”

PDI Group’s new XL 106 press configuration may seem a little out of the norm; however, the company believes that they are ahead of the curve. Using the latest in UV Curing Technology, the XL 106 is equipped with a Heidelberg LED Curing system at the end of the press, which supports the “dry sheet” concept. Sheets are completely dry coming out of the press regardless of whether they are passing back through the machine or being sent directly to post-press for further processing.

Before the XL 106, PDI Group used a method for drying their sheets which, while common, was more costly, less efficient and required more floor space for the press. According to Barbieri, “Our analysis showed that approximately 80% of the coating we do is purely to dry the sheet for further processing, not to add effect to the sheet. This was not a cost-efficient way to dry.”

On top of the quick dry speeds, the LED Curing System offers high energy efficiency, reduced maintenance and enhanced quality of print on matte, satin and book offset substrates.

Equipped with Heidelberg’s “Push to Stop” technology, the XL 106 offers total integration with prepress delivering a wealth of job ticket information to the Prinect Press Center XL 2 Console. The console converts the job data to the press autonomously, triggering a completely automated job change. Once all of the sheet sizes and inking parameters are set, plates are hung automatically with AutoPlate Pro, and the press begins printing. Using the Prinect Inpress Control, an inline color and register system, sheets quickly reach approval status, allowing Inpress Control to “OK” the color based on preset parameters. The “good sheet counter” is turned on, and production begins at 18,000 sheets per hour — all of this happens in less than five minutes.

One of the deciding factors for the new investment was the complete energy efficiency of the Heidelberg Speedmaster. According to Gaetano, “The environmental footprint of this press is worth talking about. Low waste, fast run speeds, LED drying, no aqueous coating. It all adds up to a very low carbon footprint per sheet/job. Many of our clients are concerned about the environment now, and we are listening to them and doing what we can to support their initiatives.”

Taking it one step further, the press will feature the distinctive “CO2 Neutral” accreditation. Heidelberg and PDI worked together to generate a carbon footprint for the manufacture of the entire press, and PDI has purchased CO2 credits to balance that manufacturing.