World Premiere at Ipex 2006 - First Ten-Color Press in 35 x 50 Format |
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| 23-02-2006 |
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New Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 52-10-P combines maximum productivity with ultimate fle- xibility in B3 format
At Ipex 2006, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) will be showcasing the world’s first ten-color press in 35 x 50 (13.78 x 19.68 inch) format - the Speedmaster
SM 52-10-P. Back at drupa 2004, the company unveiled the Speedmaster SM 52-8-P, the first long perfecting press in B3 format. With the Speedmaster SM 52-10-P, Heidelberg is re- sponding to the growing demand for even longer perfectors in this format.
Commercial print shops will now be able to further rationalize the production of items with special colors or coatings in a single pass. Varnishing is particularly beneficial, speeding up postpress operations and protecting products more effectively. As a result, the press is ideal for short runs with frequent job changes.
With its long perfecting presses in 35 x 50 format, Heidelberg opens the gateway for commercial printers to move into industrial production. Shorter delivery times, greater flexibility and increased productivity open up new market opportunities for these print shops and make them more competitive. The Speedmaster SM 52 ten-color press will be available from the final quarter of 2006.
The first Speedmaster SM 52-10-P has been in operation at W. Kohlhammer in Stuttgart-Obertürkheim since the end of last year. After just one month, it had already printed over a million sheets. Kohlhammer has a workforce of over 200 and is one of Germany’s largest and most state-of-the-art print shops, providing its customers with an all-round service. The Speedmaster SM 52-10-P is run in double-shift operation as a 4-over-6 color press and mainly produces covers, brochures and leaflets. A typical day sees the completion of 15 jobs with an average run size of 3,000 to 5,000 sheets. But runs of just a few hundred sheets are produced on the press too. "The press has operated smoothly from day one. Jobs that used to take an entire shift are now completed in half the time," summarizes plant manager Steffen Franzisi his positive experience with the press.
Top-quality perfecting
The Speedmaster SM 52 ten-color press is available with a perfecting device after either the fourth or fifth printing unit. An essential component of long perfectors is the sheet transfer system which was completely revised for drupa 2004. This includes TransferJacket Plus ink-repellent cylinder jackets for the transfer cylinders and PerfectJacket Plus for the impression cylinders downstream from the perfecting device, ensuring optimal print quality on both sides of the sheet. The reduced-diameter reversing drum, also fitted with TransferJacket Plus, provides sheet reversal with minimal marking. Closed sheet guide plates and transfer cylinders ensure smooth sheet travel. A sheet brake with suction tapes is used in the delivery. Its central suction tape can be replaced with air panels so that the sheet is transported on an air cushion. This allows the full-area printing on the front and reverse sides normally required for brochure covers. Inking unit tempe- rature control maintains consistent print quality, even over long operating periods. The maximum print speed of the Speedmaster SM 52-10-P, in both straight and perfecting printing, is 13,000 sheets per hour. All other models in the Speedmaster SM 52 series produce up to 15,000 sheets per hour.
Tried-and-tested small-format press
The market launch of the Speedmaster SM 52 dates back to drupa 1995 and nearly 24,000 printing units have been supplied to date. Since 1996, Heidelberg has been supplying the press with a high-pile delivery and inking unit temperature control. Since 1998, it can be equipped for UV printing. A coating system with an extended high-pile delivery was added in 2000, while 2002 saw the unveiling of an inline die-cutting unit. This is located after the last printing unit and means that printing, die-cutting, perforating and creasing can be performed in a single pass. Since the middle of 2005, the coating unit has been available with chambered blade technology.
Industrial commercial print shops find that the Speedmaster SM 52 is a valuable addition for large-format printing, enabling them to produce short runs profitably. Small and medium-sized commercial print shops, meanwhile, regard it as a standard press capable of printing the entire product range.
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With the Speedmaster SM 52-10-P, commercial print shops can further rationalize the production of items with special colors or coatings in a single pass.
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