Report 24 | 2004

24No.

New technologies, renewed confidence

Print bounces back

Advertisers, printers and their supplierslook back on three years fraught with

challenges. Among the media the overall pic-ture has been defined by glacial demand, a de-cline in prices driven by fierce competition,mounting losses leading to staff redundanciesand a growing number of bankruptcies.

During Drupa, newspaper printers had the chance to attend a production run on the world’s first triple-widthnewspaper press, a 6/2 Commander brought on stream by Tamedia in Zurich a few weeks earlier

Our new-generation Rapida 105, oneof the many attractions on our stand atDrupa 2004, is winning the hearts andminds of male and female printers alike,among them Romy Schumann, whooperates one at the Rob. Leunis &Chapman Group (Colorpack) in Berlin

The raft of innovations unveiled and thevolume of contracts inked at Drupa 2004 havegot the industry buzzing again. Although this isa far cry from the unbridled euphoria fuelled bythe dotcom boom, the outlook for print is sud-denly much brighter. It is up to us to make ithappen. Klaus Schmidt

KBADrupa review 2New Radebeulcustomer centre 6

Digital Print74 Karat, a short-runperfector 7Power mix in Drupa City 8Film printing with 74 Karat 10

Security PrintingBanknote Horizons 12

Sheetfed OffsetNew Rapida 105 atLeunis & Chapman 14Details make the difference 16Innovation award forRapida 74 G 19Greatest Of All Time 20Australians think big 23UV and lenticular printing 24Rapidas –high-speed copiers? 26Rapida duo at PLV 28Rapida 105 for STS 30VLF boosts UK firepower 32HGO guaranteessecondhand presses 33

Web Offset/RotogravureWoodford Litho thinkswide and fast 34Unimac Graphics, USA 36OPV goes FM 38Lenglet takes 3rd TR10B 404.32m TR12Bat maul-belser 41Speedy giants at Springer 42

Newspaper6-wide presses 44CTPress or CTPlate? 45New training programme 48Cortina workshop 49Fourth Comet for Janssen 504/1 Prisma 51

Shorts 52

Contents

PRODUCTS · PRACTICES · PERSPECTIVES www.kba-print.com

Edition 2/2004

Report 24 | 20042 Report 24 | 2004

Editorial

A lthough many print-ing plants and theirsuppliers are still suf-

fering the effects of the long-est economic and advertisingdownturn in recent decades,with recovery particularly slowin Europe, print made a sweep-ing comeback in Düsseldorf.Fresh ideas and innovative ap-plications have galvanised theindustry, transforming wide-

Print makes a comeback

A super Drupaafter allThe number of visitors and the volume of business transacted at theworld’s biggest print media trade fair confounded the subdued pre-show expectations. KBA certainly had plenty of reasons to celebrate.Thanks to an array of new products and innovations we landed morecontracts than at the record millennium event. Orders for sheetfedoffset presses, which have seen strong growth for many years, weremore than twice as high as at the last Drupa, while our web pressdivision booked a succession of orders for commercial, newspaperand gravure presses.

spread resignation into re-newed confidence and entre-preneurial zest. There is everyreason to hope that this will re-vive demand in Europe, LatinAmerica and other lacklustremarkets.

Print has a future –but we must work for it

KBA’s message at Drupa,enunciated by president andCEO Albrecht Bolza-Schü-nemann at the opening pressconference, was crystal clear:“The era of print as an art iswell and truly past, and printmedia production must be in-dustrialised in the sense of con-version into an automated pro-cess. Technological advancesare vital for print’s survival: itis no use adopting JDF and newbusiness models if the underly-ing technology is outdated andlabour-intensive. The industrymust rediscover its strengthsand redefine its role with new

Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann,president of Koenig & Bauer

The millennium Drupa in Düsseldorf fouryears ago marked the 50th anniversary of thefirst world trade fair for printing and paper.The industry was on a roll and exhibitors viedwith each other in the frequency and speed atwhich they snapped up new orders and an-nounced new performance records. Sincethen, the economy in many parts of the worldhas changed dramatically, and with it the situ-ation in the print industry. This in turn has im-pacted on suppliers like KBA. Which is why,despite intensive preparation, we headed forDüsseldorf at the beginning of May with de-cidedly mixed feelings. Every day we checkedvisitor numbers and totted up the contracts wehad inked.

All systems go!

This year, with attendance figures approaching the 400,000mark, well over half from abroad, Drupa demonstrated anew itsunique standing as the single genuinely international showcase forour industry. In comparison to 2000 the volume of visitors fromAsia more than doubled, reflecting the geographical changes thathave taken place in the business. Drupa exceeded the expectationsof just about all the 1,800-plus companies exhibiting.

In the four-year countdown we systematically pursued an ex-panded base of technological innovations and new products. As aresult we boasted a broader and more advanced range of equipmentthan any other exhibitor at the show, from 16-page commercial weboffset to rotogravure presses for a web width of 4.32m (170”), fromsingle-width to triple-width newspaper presses and from compactSRA3 to gigantic size 9 sheetfed offset presses, the biggest world-wide. All of them were either upgrades or new launches. Judging bythe market response and the volume of sales booked, this diversifi-cation strategy has been a resounding success.

The emergence of new media over the past decade, and theirimpact on print markets, have posed a challenge to which the indus-try has responded with vigour and perspicacity, embracing the ben-efits and exploiting the potential. Nowadays, it is hard to imagine amodern printing plant without an array of IT aids. E-phobia hasgiven way to a healthy self-assurance and confidence in thestrengths of print on paper, and this was clearly evident inDüsseldorf.

The downturn we have experienced in recent years seems tohave bottomed out. Since summer 2003 KBA has booked a succes-sion of orders which are keeping our production facilities hum-ming. Many of our customers are thriving, having ridden out therecession by upgrading their equipment, streamlining their internalstructures and launching new products. We shall continue to focuson standardising production sequences and delivering high-quality,versatile and cost-effective production tools to promote furthergrowth.

Yours,

Report 24 | 2004 3

KBA | Drupa 2004

confidence, be more receptivetowards genuine innovationand respond more sensitively tochanges in media consumptionand communication.”

Walking the talk

The group banner, “Peopleand Print: Driving Advances –Together”, underscored KBA’soptimistic strategy for the longterm based on launching acontinuum of new products,processes and applications de-veloped and promoted in alli-ance with top industry players(ABB, Akzo Nobel, Bäuerle,ContiTech, Creo, EAE, Epple,Hiflex, Huber, HumanEyes,Marks-3zet, Müller Martini,Presstek, Rogler, Siemens, SunChemical and Toray, to namebut a few).

High- tech showcase forsheetfed offset

KBA was the only exhibitorat the show to present a com-plete range of new sheetfed off-set presses aimed at enhancing

the cost-efficiency and flexibil-ity of print production acrossthe board, from SRA3 to VLF.To underpin our role as a moverand shaker in sheetfed tech-nology, we laid claim to theworld’s biggest sheetfed offsetpress (Rapida 205), the mostversatile size 7 to B2 presses atthe show (Rapida 162, Rapida105, Rapida 74), the most inno-vative B3 press on the market(Genius 52), the world’s long-est B1 press (Rapida 105 uni-versal “EffectPress” at MeinkePrint Media Partner in Neussnear Düsseldorf), plus world

premieres like the Rapida 74G™ (Gravuflow) waterless,keyless unit-type press exhib-ited by alliance partners Marks-3zet. A raft of new features,some of them unique (shaftlessfeeders for medium- to large-format presses, suction-lay-freeinfeed on the new 18,000sphRapida 105, Qualitronic IIinline sheet inspection systemetc), highlighted the rapid paceat which our sheetfed offset di-vision is driving innovation.

Although space limitationsmeant we could only exhibit asingle printing unit of our new

superlarge Rapida 205, we or-ganised tours to a new installa-tion at teNeues in Kempen.Booked out for the durationof the show, these tours haveresulted in further orders.

Reaping the rewards oftechnological advances

The fact that waterless pio-neers Marks-3zet and Toray de-cided to exhibit KBA presseson their stands, in the form ofthe innovative Genius 52 andunique new Rapida 74 G, in-dicates where they perceivegenuinely new ideas are to befound for taking the intuitionout of sheetfed offset. It alsohighlights the way KBA pro-motes the union of new presstechnologies with new con-sumables (eg hybrid finishing,direct offset on corrugated,printing on plastics with oxi-dative inks on the 74 Karat,ecological offset) in order topower technological advances.

And the market willinglyrewards such advances pro-vided they make economic

The Rapida 105 universal, an all-round pressavailable in a variety of configurations, will beretained in our product range

Our sleek new Rapida 105 sets the benchmark in B1with a maximum rated output of 18,000sph and anarray of unique features

Our new Rapida 74 has a maximum rated output18,000sph in straight production and 15,000sph inperfecting mode

The 14,000sph Rapida 162, which has the makereadytimes of a B1 press, printed on paper and board

A treat for poster and display printers: seeing thenew Rapida 205 in action at teNeues in Kempen

A VLF Rapida 205 printing unit was muchadmired

Art meets print: taking as his theme “In the Realm of Colours”, Hundert-wasser master student Horst Kordes decorated the seven printing-unit coverson a new Rapida 105 with images drawn from the five continents

Report 24 | 20044

booked before, during and afterDrupa will contribute to dou-ble-digit growth in our sheetfedoffset sales for the current year.

Exploiting potential incommercial web offset

The Compacta 217 high-performance 16-page commer-cial web offset press exhibited

sense. Over the past twelveyears we have posted a six-foldincrease in sheetfed offsetsales, laying the foundationsfor continuous growth in mar-ket share. Because our sheetfeddivision does not depend onhigh-volume sales of mass-pro-duced goods it weathered therecent industry downturn rela-tively unscathed. Contracts

at Drupa incorporated a stringof improvements to establishedfeatures (minigaps, Drivetronictotally shaftless drives, perfectimprinting with standard print-ing units, automated gripperand pin folders, automatic andsemi-automatic plate changing,superstructures based on gra-vure know-how etc). But thereis still plenty of potential forenhancing cost efficiency andexpanding the range of applica-tions in commercial web offset,and we are making a concertedeffort to shake up this highlycompetitive market with newadvances and technologies.

Trendsetter in publicationrotogravure

Publication rotogravure inEurope and North America isdominated by a small numberof major global players. AtDrupa, KBA staked its claim tothe pole position in this tech-nology with two reels 4.32m(171”) wide. Webs of this sizewill be run on two super-wideTR12B press lines we are cur-rently shipping to maul-belserin Nuremberg (see page 41).Each of these presses has a pro-duction speed of 60,000 cylin-der revolutions per hour –equivalent to a web speed of15.2mps or 2,992fpm – and amaximum capacity of 112 A4pages, enabling it to pump out6.7 million four-colour A4pages per hour. That is theequivalent of over 220,000m2

(2.38 million square feet!) ofprint, or seven times the outputof our new high-speed 16-pageCompacta 217. KBA demon-strated the logical interaction of

print and e-media via an onlinelink from a new gravure con-sole on the KBA stand to theconsole of a TR10B press atAxel Springer’s printing plantin Ahrensburg (see also pp 42-43).

Cortina and 6/2 Commander:a new approach to

newspaper production

The uncrowned star ofDrupa 2000, our waterless,keyless Cortina mini towerpress, is now in operation atprinting plants in Germany, theNetherlands and Belgium.Even though it did not featureat Drupa, this benchmark inno-vation was a focus of interestamong the surprisingly largenumber of newspaper printerswho attended the show. Thebeta press, which has been turn-ing in a superb performance inOffenburg for nearly two years,has now been retrofitted withautomatic plate changers andminigap blanket cylinders, fur-ther enhancing the quality at-tainable in semi-commercialproduction.

The automatic platechangers on the Cortina can befed with new plates while thecurrent edition is still running,and the used plates disposed ofwithout stopping the press. Theplate change itself takes lessthan 100 seconds for individualplates, all 64 plates in a four-high tower or all 192 plates in a48pp section. This ultra-shortchanging time was demon-strated at Drupa on a workingmodel of our new automaticplate changer, PlateTronic A.Prospects could also see a dem-

The Rapida 74 GTM with GravuflowTM inking units is the first press of its kindworldwide to combine waterless offset technology with a unit-type design

The 14-unit Rapida 105 universal (“EffectPress”) at Meinke Print MediaPartner in Neuss proved a magnet for sheetfed printers (photo: VALUE)

Our high-tech Compacta 217 sailed through automatic reel and platechanges, not to mention flying imprint changes, to produce a 20-pagebrochure in several different languages

Gravure printers could check out our cutting-edge control technology, whichat Drupa was linked online to a TR10B rotogravure press line at AxelSpringer in Ahrensburg

Report 24 | 2004 5

onstration on the Cortina atReiff Zeitungsdruck in Offen-burg.

Innovative press giantsin Zurich

A few months ago the firsttwo sections of a 6/2 Com-mander press for a web widthof 1,920mm (75”) came onstream at Tamedia in Zurich.During Drupa a number ofnewspaper professionals fromoverseas made the round trip toSwitzerland to see the world’sfirst triple-width press in ac-tion. This gigantic installation,with a total of 16 towers, 16reelstands and five jaw folders,can print 48-page broadsheetnewspapers on just two towersinstead of the three necessarywith a 4/2 press. Fewer printingtowers and reelstands mean notonly considerable savings incapital outlay and ongoing en-ergy, space and labour costs,but also a higher net productionoutput through having fewerwebs. The 6/2 Commander inZurich encompasses a string ofnew features including auto-matic roller locks and auto-matic web tension control. TheSwiss installation is also thefirst to incorporate PastomatRC 1500 reelstands for a diam-eter reel of 1,500mm (59”).This cuts the frequency of reelchanges, and the associatedworkload, by around one-third.

Demos of automatic rollerlocks, which significantly re-duce maintenance and promoteuniformly optimum printingconditions, were conducted ona working model of ourRollerTronic.

Klaus SchmidtKlaus.Schmidt@kba-print.de

On our stand we installed a JDF workflow embracing a complete Creo pre-press (including the new Brisque 5) plus proprietary software supplied byHiflex and Rogler

KBA subsidiary Metronic presented its Genius 52 UV press for plastic and itsuniverSYS automatic system for transporting, personalising and finishingplastic cards

Our compact, innovative B3 press, the Genius 52,could be seen in three different halls printing paper,board and plastic

3D digital photos supplied by HumanEyes were printed onfilm in our short-run factory by a 74 Karat DI offset press,which also perfect printed with no pile turning

Small-format DI offset “Power Mix”: the 46Karat, Epple’s aniva® inks and KonicaMinolta’s CF3102 laser printer

Special pressesfor niche markets

KBA is not only a majorplayer in core print markets buthas also built up an extraordi-narily extensive product rangeaddressing diverse niche mar-kets which rarely enter thespotlight. This year some ofthem even featured at Drupa, orat parallel events.

In early May, for example,our Swiss subsidiary KBA-GIORI, which was also repre-sented on our stand inDüsseldorf, launched newbanknote and security printingsystems at a four-week openhouse entitled “Banknote Hori-zons” (see page 12).

Another KBA subsidiary,Bauer+Kunzi based in Dit-zingen near Stuttgart, demon-strated its metal-decorating ex-pertise on the KBA stand withMetalStar 2 presses based onlarge-format Rapidas.

In hall 11 our subsidiaryMetronic showed a Genius 52UV press for printing plasticcards and film alongside auniverSYS automatic cardtransport and personalisationsystem, as a brief insight intoits broad product range in thefield of UV offset and ID label-ling technologies (inkjet, laser,hot stamping etc).

It will be interesting to seewhat the next Drupa in 2008has in store.

Report 24 | 20046

KBA | Sheetfed Offset

The showroom at our facility nearDresden now offers our manysheetfed offset customers from all

over the world the opportunity to conductprint tests using the most advanced tech-nology on the market, to attend informa-tion updates and discuss individualprojects in an even more spacious and con-genial environment.

Complete printing and finishing lines

Whether you specialise in printingcommercials, books, plastics or packaging,the six Rapida presses, from half- to largeformat, in the demonstration showroom

Radebeul showroom completely refurbished

Apt setting forcutting-edge technologyThe re-opening of the customer centre for pre-press, digital offset and small format at ourRadebeul facility at the beginning of the year was followed by a complete refurbishment of thecustomer demonstration showroom and the installation of the Rapida sheetfed offset pressesexhibited on our stand at Drupa.

Klaus SchmidtKlaus.Schmidt@kba-print.de

Demonstration presses in hall 1

Rapida 105-10+perfector (720 x 1050mm)• Automatic plate changing• Automatically convertible perfecting• Shaftless feeder, suction-lay-free infeed• Console-controlled chilling device• Optional lightweight/CX packages (60 - 700gsm)• Console-controlled ink pumping• Washing system

(impression/blanket cylinders, rollers)• Eco-package• ACR control• Densitronic S• Logotronic Professional, JDFLink

Rapida 142-6+coater (1020 x 1420mm)• Automatic plate changing• Shaftless feeder with automatic nonstop facility• Board/lightweight capability• Hybrid package• Optional Wash & Print package• Coater with doctor blade• Dispersion and UV coating feed• Console-linked ink pumping• Double delivery extension with dryers• ACS (Air Clean System) delivery• ACR control• Densitronic S• Logotronic Professional, JDFLink

Demonstration presses in hall 2

Rapida 74-5+coater+CX (520 x 740mm)• Automatic plate changing• 1mm max. board capability• Film/plastic package• Hybrid and ecopackage• Optional Wash & Print package• Impression-cylinder washing• Anilox coater with pumping system• Double delivery extension with dryers• ACS delivery• ACR control• Densitronic S• Logotronic Professional, JDFLink

Rapida 74 G-4+coater+corona+CX(502 x 740mm)

• Semi-automatic plate changing• Keyless inking units for standard and

oxidative film inks• Film and plastic package• Corona unit for film• 1mm max. board capability• Impression-cylinder washing• Anilox coater with pumping system• Double delivery extension with dryers• ACS delivery• Logotronic Professional, JDFLink

Rapida 105-5+coater (720 x 1050mm)• Automatic plate changing• Shaftless feeder with automatic nonstop facility• 1.2mm max. board capability• Lightweight package• Hybrid and eco-package• Optional Wash & Print package• Anilox coater with pumping system• Double delivery extension with dryers• ACS delivery• Qualitronic II inline sheet inspection• ACR control• Densitronic S• Logotronic Professional, JDFLink

Rapida 105-6+coater+CX (720 x 1050mm)• Automatic plate changing• Shaftless feeder with automatic nonstop facility• 1.2mm max. board capability• 450mm plinth• Hybrid and eco-package• Optional Wash & Print package• Baldwin washing system• Anilox coater with pumping system• Double delivery extension with dryers• ACS delivery• ACR control• Densitronic Basic• Logotronic Professional, JDFLink

Hall 2 of our refurbished showroom in Radebeul. Front left: a Rapida 105 five-colour coater presswith Qualitronic II sheet inspection. At the rear a Rapida 74 five-colour. Front right: a Rapida 74 GTM

(GravuflowTM) with coater and corona unit. Behind it a Rapida 105 six-colour carton press erectedon a plinth

are configured and equipped to address theprinting and finishing needs in your spe-cific market. All the presses are networkedwith each other and with the pre-press/JDFcentre in the adjacent building and embed-ded in a universal JDF workflow based ontechnoLOGIC software supplied byRogler.

The box on the right lists the variouspresses now available for demonstrations,together with their key features. RajkoGeissler and his crew look forward to plac-ing this cutting-edge technology at yourdisposal.

Our new keyless Rapida 74 GTM, which features in our demonstration showroom as a four-colour coaterversion with a corona unit, can print on paper, board and plastic film

Report 24 | 2004 7

Digital Print | Technology

On the KBA stand atDrupa 2004 we dem-onstrated an automatic

pile turntable for the 74 Karat.Here we explain how it func-tions and the cost savings it candeliver.

The benefits of acompact design

In sharp contrast to conven-tional unit-type presses formulticolour production, the 74Karat is configured with thefeeder and delivery located onebehind the other at one end ofthe press and the four inkingunits one above the other at theother end. This design has anumber of major advantages.

The stream feeder on the 74Karat feeds the sheets onto the

feed table face down. They arethen printed on the underside,but are output to the deliverypile with the printed side facingup. So in effect the press has abuilt-in perfecting facility.

As a result the sheets al-ready have the correct orienta-tion for a second pass. All thatremains to be done is to turn thepile around to bring the leadingedge up to the front lays again.This eliminates the need for agripper margin. And becausethe leading edge of the sheet isthe same for both passes, thereis no risk of register differencesbetween the recto and versoprint due to imprecise sheettrimming.

Second pass possibleafter just 21/2 minutes

To minimise the time andlabour input needed to turn thepile we offer an optional au-tomatic turntable specificallyengineered for the 74 Karat.Where a work-and-turn printjob (eg four-page flyer) doesnot entail re-imaging of theplates, the sheets can be readyfor the second pass in just 21/2

minutes with the aid of the turn-table.

Automated sequence dispenseswith manual intervention

The intelligent way to perfect print

74 Karat – the high-speedshort-run perfectorWith the 74 Karat, the printedpile need only be rotated 180°

on a horizontal plane prior tothe second pass: there is noneed to turn it over. So short runsof work-and-turn jobs can beprinted fast and cost -effectively.

Mike EngelhardtMike.Engelhardt@kba-planeta.de

If a water-based coating isapplied to the sheets, they arealready dry when they hit thedelivery pile. The empty feederpallet withdraws from thepress. The delivery pallet withthe recto-printed sheets is low-ered onto the turntable, rotated180° and subsequently guidedready aligned to the infeed by aroller conveyor. Pile accelera-tion is carefully defined andcontrolled during both rotationand transport to the feeder, tomaintain precise alignment.Meanwhile the empty pallet isguided automatically to the de-livery. There is no need formanual pile turning in front ofthe press with a pallet truck.

More cost-effectivethan lengthy perfector

Turning the sheet within theprinting unit enables the 74Karat to print short runs fasterand more economically than alengthy eight-colour unit-typeperfecting press. The charts be-low show how a 74 Karat withautomatic pile turner can re-duce the cost of various printjobs.

Although a moderate costsaving of up to 20% can beachieved with the 74 Karatwhen straight printing 4/0 or4/4 jobs with re-imaging, oncework and turn comes into play,in this example 4/4, the 74Karat really demonstrates itsedge by delivering savings ofup to 50%.

An innovative press design and automatic pile turntable make the 74 Karat anexceptionally cost-effective “perfector” for short-run work

With the 74 Karat, the cost of printing 4/4 work-and-turn jobs can be reduced by up to 50%

4/0 job 4/4 job 4/4 job with work and turn

Run length

Prod

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Prod

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Prod

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Run length Run length

Rapida 74 GTM 74 Karat

100 % = print costs Rapida 74-4 100 % = print costs Rapida 74-4/4 100 % = print costs Rapida 74-4/4

Report 24 | 20048

Digital Print | Quality

Laser Litho4 has stayedahead of the curve eversince it was founded in

1978 with the aim of utilisinglaser technology, at that timestill in its infancy. Its first pieceof kit, a Hell Chromagraph DC300 electronic colour scanner,brought a big improvement inpre-press quality. It was laterfollowed by a second DC 300plus two Hell Chromacom sys-tems, as Laser Litho4 contin-ued to set quality benchmarkswith cutting-edge technology.

New formula, provenphilosophy

It has remained true to thisphilosophy ever since, recentlyadopting a new formula forsuccess: “Waterless powermix” represents a highly effec-tive combination of waterlessoffset with the 46 Karat and

46 Karat with aniva® and Konica Minolta at Laser Litho4

Waterless power mix in Drupa city

This intriguing headline hasnothing to do with thirsty mag-nates, desert utilities or fitness-boosting energy drinks, but aninnovative strategy for maximis-ing quality in small - format dig-ital offset. And one man putting itto the test is Ulrich Steiner, man-aging partner and director ofLaser Litho4 in Düsseldorf, homeof Drupa.

aniva® inks from Epple, on-press digital plate imaging withPresstek’s ProFire™, colourmanagement with softwaresupplied by Trutt ManagementService and proofing withKonica Minolta’s CF3102.

This awesome armoury hasmade photographic-quality im-age reproduction in sheetfedoffset a routine occurrence atLaser Litho4. It offers the fol-lowing benefits:

Waterless printing

The 46 Karat waterless off-set press for a 460 x 340mm(131/4” x 18”) sheet has a maxi-mum production output of7,000 sheets per hour. Its ultra-compact design, with inkingunits fanning out in a V fromthe common impression cylin-der, means that all four colourscan be printed in absolute regis-

ter with no gripper transfers.Waterless printing already ad-dresses the emerging shifttowards more environmentally-friendly print production be-cause it entails no volatileorganic compounds (VOCs) orchemicals. Since there is nodampening solution to con-taminate the inks, theirrheological properties remainunimpaired when they makecontact with the paper –another factor promoting a pho-tographic-quality image.

On-press imaging

The ProFire chemistry-freeplate imaging system is anotherkey element. The lasers, elec-tronics and motion controls arefitted in a single compact unit.Imaging takes just 41/2 minutesat 2,540dpi, plate cleaning an-other 4 minutes. The platesused, process-free PEARLdryPlus, differ from conventionalwet offset plates in that the im-age areas are deeper than theink-repellent silicone surfacelayer, so more ink is transferredto the paper for any given area.The result: brilliant colours andrich contrasts.

Aniva inks

The aniva four-colour inkseries was specially developedby Epple Druckfarben for off-set print production. The high-pigment formulation, in con-junction with a specialisedtechnique for image-data sepa-ration, supports a much larger

Laser Litho4 MD Ulrich Steiner and his press operator Andreas Breitensteinexamining a printed sheet off the 46 Karat

The aniva® colour scale forwaterless offset. The aniva® inkssupplied by Epple are highlypigmented and include a novelvegetable-based binding agent

Offset printer Andreas Breitensteinmeasuring the colour density on thesheet at the 46 Karat

Report 24 | 2004 9

comprehensive on-site training.Aniva software can also be sup-plied, together with a standardi-sation test forme for checkingand adjusting the relevant oper-ating parameters.

Konica Minoltaproofs

The final link in the “PowerMix” chain, the Konica Min-olta CF3102, is a toner-basedcopier system with a maximumrated output of 31 colour pagesper minute. It enables LaserLitho4 not only to produceproofs with an aniva colour

steiner@laser-litho4.deMike.Engelhardt@kba-planeta.de

www.laser - litho4.de

colour gamut than its conven-tional counterparts. It deviatesfrom the European colour scaledefined in DIN 16539, comply-ing with DIN ISO 2846-1.

Using aniva inks modifiedfor waterless, Laser Litho4works at densities equivalent toa photographic print, namely1.9 for cyan, 1.8 for magenta,1.7 for yellow and 2.4 forblack. On coated stock this pro-duces a striking, high-contrastimage with ultra-fine colournuances which can otherwiseonly be achieved with addi-tional spot colours. The inkscontain no mineral oil, dry rap-idly and are rub- and scratch-resistant.

Total colourmanagement

Not surprisingly, LaserLitho4 has become highly pro-ficient in total colour manage-ment, mastering specialist im-age-data separation, modifiedcolour profiles and press/proofer calibration with equalprowess. All the data can beevaluated, measured and con-trolled. KBA offers additionalsupport in the form of an op-tional aniva package completewith an instruction manual and

profile but also to handle ultra-short print runs extremely cost-effectively. The match betweena proof off the CF3102 and aproduction print off the 46Karat is outstanding, thoughthe print, being waterless off-set, is naturally that much morevivid, more brilliant and dis-plays a sharper contrast.

User verdict

Laser Litho4’s strategy isclearly a resounding success.Prior to taking the new kit onboard the company scrutiniseda number of other toner- andinkjet-based digital printingsystems. However, they provedto be too inflexible in the rangeof substrates they could handleand too costly in terms of tonerand ink for runs of just a fewhundred sheets or less. Theprint quality also left a lot to bedesired.

For Ulrich Steiner, the big-gest advantage of toner andinkjet systems – their ability todeliver personalised prints –failed to outweigh the manifolddisadvantages. “There is abso-lutely no doubt in my mind thatthe “Power Mix” package weinstalled was the perfect choicefor printing short-run colour inphotographic quality. And if aclient doesn’t want to take myword for it, I just show himsome prints.”

The control console of the 46 Karatencompasses a densitometer (PDS-E) for rapid colour monitoring andan Auto Print system for fast,automated job changes

Laser Litho4 has implemented totalcolour management. All the data canbe evaluated, measured andcontrolled

Samples printed in waterless offseton the 46 Karat using aniva inks

Konica Minolta’s CF3102 colouroffice system is an integralcomponent of the “Power Mix”package

Report 24 | 200410

Digital Print | Applications

L eipzig’s city centre,lovingly restored to itsformer glory, gives a

deceptively prosperous impres-sion of the east Germaneconomy, where conditions forthe print industry are challeng-ing, to say the least. It is anindustry dominated by a prolif-eration of small printshops, fewof which have specialised orexpanded their product palettesin order to raise their competi-tive profile and drive growth.Merkur is one of the few.

In 1992 Merkur was one ofthe first repro studios in Leip-zig to invest in a colour plottercomplete with the relevantcomputing technology. In1994/95 there followed a re-alignment to embrace printing,dtp, design and complex finish-ing. Adopting this full-servicestrategy has enabled the com-pany to expand its payroll to25, most of them young, in-cluding nine apprentice mediadesigners.

Enhancing profile with digitaloffset and personalisation

In 2000 Hans Huhn orderedan Indigo TurboStream fromKBA and a year later an IndigoePrint Pro+. The TurboStreamwas replaced in April 2003 by afive-colour HP Indigo Press3000 which now prints jobstypically entailing variablecopy and graphics: VIP invita-tions, business cards and ques-tionnaires with individuallyprecompleted fields. There wasalso an increase in the demandfor quality colour products likepresentation folders, customermagazines or product bro-chures, flyers and discount cou-pons.

74 Karatthe perfect addition

In December 2003 Merkurinstalled a 74 Karat with coater,IR dryer and film- plus plastic-printing package. The press is aneat fit with the Indigo becauseit can handle longer runs andbigger formats more cost-effec-tively, expanding the compa-ny’s portfolio. On top of this,

74 Karat for film and plastic printing at Merkur, Leipzig

Versatility drives successAddressing niche markets or offering a broad spread of services is usually a sure- fire recipe for success –as Hans Huhn, managing partner at Merkur Druck- and Kopierzentrum, is well aware. Which is why thefirst 74 Karat in Germany to sport a plastic -printing package went live early this year at the company’spremises in Leipzig, Germany.

the layout data for the Indigoscan be used for the Karat aswell.

The press went live in mid-February, fully embedded inthe production chain. Within afew weeks it had gained thecompany new customers andattracted additional work fromexisting ones. At present oneshift is sufficient to handle thejobs scheduled for the Karat,but another will soon be neededthanks to the press’s cost-effi-ciency for longer print runs.

Pre-press for the 74 Karatembraces standard publishingapplications, O.R.I.S. Worksand RIP software supplied byHainburg-based CGS Publish-ing International, Preps imposi-

Merkur MD Hans Huhn checking the quality of the images printed by the 74 Karat on matt-transparent PVC film thatwill subsequently be made into mousepads

At Merkur, pre-press for the 74 Karat comprises standard DTP applications,Preps imposition software from Creo and O.R.I.S. Works workflow softwarefrom CGS

Report 24 | 2004 11

tion software supplied by Creo,and an Epson Stylus Pro 7500digital proofer.

The colour reproductioncharacteristics of the 74 Karatand HP Indigo Press 3000 areharmonised with the aid of theO.R.I.S. Color Tuner colourmanagement and digital proof-ing software to ensure that thecolour is identical in both pre-liminary and main print runs.

The Karat’s four-coloursystem can simulate HKS andPantone colours. Numerousspecial tones, including white,grey and metallics, are alsoavailable for the press.

Film and plastic -printingoption

expands spectrum

The package for printingplastic and film comprises anumber of machine compo-nents and materials, amongthem an aqueous coater and in-frared dryer. The press must becapable of handling a maxi-mum substrate thickness of0.5mm (19pt). Some of themany typical jobs that can thenbe printed include bank, tele-phone, staff and customercards, mousepads, labels, POSbanners and price tags, docu-ment sleeves and covers, pack-aging and display components,calendars and educational ma-terial, projector and light-boxfilms.

The washing system mustbe modified for use with spe-cial cleaning agents, and a bankof electrodes fitted to eliminatestatic on the plastic film. Othercomponents include an extraset of ink troughs to supportfaster changes at the Gravuflowinking units, and a differenttype of blanket. Although thepress does not run with UVinks, UV-compatible blanketshave proved to be the most suit-able.

On the materials side, thepress must be run with water-less offset ink that can be driedby infrared radiation to enableit to adhere instantly to non-ab-sorbent surfaces. Merkur usessilicone-free Toracard TF inkssupplied by Zeller + Gmelin in

Dieter KleebergMike.Engelhardt@kba-planeta.de

Related websites:www.zeller - gmelin.com

www.kpfilms.com

Eislingen, which support ultra-fine screens and laminate well.

With this package it is pos-sible to print polystyrene, PVC,ABS, polyester (PET) andpolycarbonate films, but notpolyolefines such as polypro-pylene (PP). The aqueous coat-ing must also be suitable forplastic and film. Tippl, an Aus-trian firm based in Vienna,has developed a water-solublePVC coating, Tipadur-Print-coat P-1203 B3, specifically forthe 74 Karat.

User verdict

Hans Huhn and Karat pressoperator Jürgen Stubbe have al-ready gained a wealth of expe-rience with this new technology– not least because KBA usesthe press for customer demon-strations, and customers tend tobring along a selection of filmsto test their suitability. “Plasticis not just plastic,” explainsHans Huhn, referring to the“demo effect”. “Films can dif-fer a lot in the static they gener-ate, their printability and theirexpansion under heat. Thesmoothest, in the truest sense ofthe word, is Pentaprint.” A PVCfilm supplied by the KlöcknerPentaplast group in Montabaur,Pentaprint is available in matt,

Plastic film, waterless offset and IRdrying – the inks for this unusualcombination are Zeller + Gmelin’sToracard TF series

gloss, reinforced white andclear.

Hans Huhn is well pleasedwith his 74 Karat and stands byhis decision to add a plastic-printing option. “Adding thiscapability has enabled us toraise our competitive profileand expand our client base, as

The blankets normally specified forUV inks are also suitable for the IRinks and plastic film used on the 74Karat

Merkur’s highly proficient pressoperator, Jürgen Stubbe, at theKarat

the large number of new ordersand prospects shows. Qualityand cost-efficiency are a hugeimprovement on silk-screen.This option will boost our bot-tom line, there’s no doubt aboutthat.”

Report 24 | 200412

Security Printing | Innovation

The production of mod-ern, counterfeit-proofbanknotes is experienc-

ing a period of revolutionaryadvances, demanding highlyspecialised skills and expertise.Our staff in Würzburg andMödling, the two plants wherethe relevant equipment is made,collaborate closely with KBA-GIORI to create machinery atthe cutting edge of technologyand science. The appointmentof Johannes Schaede, head ofsecurity press engineering anddevelopment in Würzburg, tothe post of technical director atKBA-GIORI is a clear indica-tion of the desire to reinforcethe existing links between thetwo operations.

Although KBA-GIORIplayed host to a stream ofrepresentatives from securityprinting plants, both privateand state-run, on our stand atDrupa, the four-week Bank-note Horizons event that tookplace concurrently drew morethan 1,100 distinguished visi-tors from 69 countries to LeMont, near Lake Geneva, for anupdate on the current state ofthe art in pre-press, press, post-press, security features andquality assurance for a printedproduct whose popularity hasremained unimpaired by theproliferation of credit cards,electronic banking and elec-tronic cash: banknotes.

Complete banknote productionline in action

Visitors witnessed at firsthand the results of enhancedR&D activity at KBA-GIORI

Banknote Horizons at KBA -GIORI in Switzerland

Technology powersbanknote innovationBanknote and security printing is a sensitive subject, which is why we seldom lift the veil on a niche market in which our Swiss subsidiary, KBA-GIORI, is the global leader. But in May, KBA-GIORI compellingly demonstrated its technological leadership with an open house entitledBanknote Horizons 2004. A good reason for us to offer a glimpse behind the scenes in a line of business that has been one of our core activitiesfor half a century or more.

since its acquisition by KBA in2001. For the first time ever anentire banknote productionline, featuring a grand total often main production machines,was erected in the Le Mont

demonstration centre. The newproduction line is based on acompletely modular architec-ture with a high degree ofcommonality among all the ma-chines, most notably in the

feeder, delivery and electroniccomponents. This is in keepingwith KBA-GIORI’s philosophyof reducing spare parts require-ments and enhancing user flex-ibility.

Specimen banknote“Jules Verne”

A complex specimenbanknote inspired by the worksof the legendary French author,Jules Verne (1828 - 1905), wascreated especially for BanknoteHorizons by Renato Manfredi,one of the world’s leadingbanknote designers. It incorpo-rates over 90 security features,including some unusual oneslike latent imaging on the backof the note.

FlowSys:integrated data management

From offset printing to fin-ishing, the entire productionline demonstrated in Le Montfeatured new control systems,on-line process control toolsand an integrated security anddata management system calledFlowSys, which monitored andcontrolled every sheet printedas it moved through the produc-tion process.

Super Simultan IV:first ten - colour offset press

The centrepiece of the pro-duction line in Le Mont wasa Super Simultan IV, theworld’s first 10 colour sheet-fed offset press for banknotes,which has a wet and/or water-less capability and was put

KBA-GIORI’s print centre in Le Mont, near Lausanne

At Banknote Horizons 2004, KBA-GIORI demonstrated afully integrated banknote production line featuring tendifferent machines for printing, quality control,personalisation and finishing

A new offset press, the Super Simultan IV with triple delivery, can beconfigured with up to ten colour units

Report 24 | 2004 13

through its paces using the newJules Verne specimen to high-light the design and print possi-bilities the press can offer.

NotaScreen II screen-printsoptically variable inks

A new screen-printingpress, the NotaScreen II, wasshown applying two separateoptically variable inks (OVI) atspeeds in excess of 10,000sheets per hour.

OptiNota-Hfor holograms and kinegrams

One of the highpoints of thedemonstration was the launchof a new cylinder system on theOptiNota-H, which supportsmuch faster job changes whenapplying optically variable de-vices (OVDs) such as holo-grams or kinegrams.

Super Orlof Intagliowith CTiP

A Super Orlof Intaglio fit-ted with a full set of Computerto Intaglio Plates (CTiP) ap-plied a succession of new andadvanced security features in-cluding continuous intagliobackgrounds, multi-depth en-gravings, dual and multi-tonefeatures plus negative and posi-tive microprint.

NotaCheck III:offline quality inspection

Checking the quality of theprint on both sides of thebanknote is a crucial aspect ofproduction, and with theNotacheck III includes AFX(algorithmic flexibility) transil-lumination to inspect the water-marks and a system based onMRF (machine readable fea-tures) to check visible and in-visible UV and magnetic inks.Faulty specimens are flaggedusing inkjet.

NotaProtectorfor a longer life

NotaProtector, a modifiedflexographic sheetfed press, ap-plies a protective coating along

with additional security fea-tures in one perfecting pass,giving banknotes a longer lifewithout impairing their familiarhaptic and optical qualities.

Super Numerota III:sophisticated personalisation

One of the areas whereKBA-GIORI has made majoradvances is in banknote person-alisation and finishing. TheSuperNumerota III demon-strated in Le Mont featuredfour new numbering technolo-gies. Direct Drive and SmartSkip numbering was used forletterpress printing along withtwo non-impact marking tech-nologies – NotaMark andJetCode. The NotaMark lasersystem employs a solid-state la-ser to burn alphanumeric codesinto metallic elements (OVDsor inks) on the banknote, andthe JetCode inkjet system prints

Klaus SchmidtKlaus.Schmidt@kba-print.de

code or text using an invisiblefluorescent ink.

NotaNumber III:high-speed individual

numbering

Complementing the Super-Numerota, the NotaNumberIII numbered and finished indi-vidual banknotes at speeds of60,000 notes per hour. Faultybanknotes detected by theNotaCheck III were ejected.

CutPak III:one-pass cutting, banding and

shrink-wrapping

Finally, visitors witnessedthe global launch of an auto-mated banknote finishing sys-tem, CutPak III, which cuts,bands and shrink-wraps thenotes with no need for priorcollation or human interven-tion.

The fascinating history ofbanknote design

Visitors to the pre-pressdemonstration centre in Sevelinembarked on a voyage of dis-covery and adventure, in thestyle of Jules Verne, followingthe step-by-step creation of thebanknote design using ONE, adigital design and assemblysystem, in conjunction withCTiP. The skill of the masterengraver, combined with themost advanced digital technol-ogy available, has driven thedevelopment of spectacularsecurity elements embeddedwithin a complete and inte-grated banknote design.

Ongoing commitment

Reviewing the advancesthat have been made, technicaldirector Johannes Schaede said,“The new equipment launchedis the fruit of invaluable inputfrom both sales and field engi-neers into the R&D projects.When I started out in 1983 wehad three printing processes: si-multaneous offset on two sides,intaglio and typographic num-bering. Today, in addition tothese classical processes, weoffer hot stamping, screenprinting, laser perforating andmarking, final inspection, fin-ishing and inkjet marking.Tomorrow – who knows?”

Olivier Beaumont, manag-ing director of KBA-GIORI,affirms: “Our goal was to makeBanknote Horizons 2004 themost sensational event our in-dustry has ever seen and toprovide all the machinery, in-formation and personnel neces-sary for our clients to discoverthe future of banknote printingand our industry in general. Wehave achieved this, and muchmore. We have clearly commu-nicated to our clients KBA-GIORI’s ongoing commitmentand dedication to them.”

NotaScreen II, a new screen-printing press, can apply optically variable inksat speeds in excess of 10,000 sheets per hour

NotaCheck III inspects banknotes offline and tags faulty specimens

Johannes Schaede (l), technical director, and Olivier Beaumont, managingdirector of KBA-GIORI

Report 24 | 200414

per cent faster than with itspredecessor, while its produc-tion output is 20 per centhigher. A more advanced levelof automation, with automaticplate changing as a standardfeature and additional consolefunctions such as skewed-sheetcorrection at the front lays, con-figuration of washing programsetc, have substantially en-hanced efficiency.

Innovator, not imitator

Bestehorn stresses the factthat the group’s aim is to be aninnovator, not an imitator. “Theeastward expansion of the EUmeans that the higher cost oflocating production in Ger-many must be counterbalancedby productivity gains.” Here,development alliances withmanufacturers can make a sig-nificant contribution.

Sheetfed Offset | New Products

Aclear-cut product de-lineation, a high de-gree of specialisation

and international alliances arethe tools RLC has used to offerits clientele the agility of a fam-ily-run, mid-size enterprise onthe one hand and the firepower,outreach and other advantages

Folding carton technology leader helps drive advances

Baptism by fire for new Rapida 105 atRob. Leunis & Chapman GroupWhen our new 18,000sph Rapida 105 B1 (411/2”) press was unveiled at this year’s Drupa, a press of this type hadalready been put through its paces for several months at the pharmaceutical centre run by the Rob. Leunis & ChapmanGroup (RLC) in Berlin. “We needed the most advanced and efficient technology on the market, because competition inthe packaging industry is so fierce that only the fittest survive,” says Hans-Christian Bestehorn, managing director of thisfamily- run enterprise, which was established back in 1861.

of an international player on theother. The factory in Hanover,called Leunisman, prints pre-mium packaging. Of the Berlinlocations, Colorpack handlesgeneral packaging, Centerpackoffers contract work and serv-ices and PharmaCenter, a newaddition to the group, special-

ises in folding cartons for thedrug industry. Medium- andlarge-format Rapida presseshad been in operation atColorpack for many years be-fore the new Rapida 105 wentinto action at PharmaCenter.

High level of flexibility

The six-colour coater presswith delivery extension is theideal piece of equipment forPharmaCenter. Being mountedon a 45cm (171/2”) plinth af-fords much greater flexibility inhandling materials, which canrange from lightweight paper toheavy board. “We have evenrun 80-gram jobs on it,” ex-plains Bestehorn. With runlengths rapidly diminishing,partly as a result of recenthealth reforms in Germany, theflexibility is crucial. Make-ready with the new press is 20

With the new Rapida 105 at RLC, makeready is 20% faster and output 20%higher than with its predecessor

Press apprentice Matthias Klampfl at the feeder of the high-performanceRapida 105

Press woman Romy Schumann and her male colleagues have been workingwith the new Rapida 105 at RLC’s pharmaceutical centre since the spring

Report 24 | 2004 15

This autumn Colorpackwill be doubling its Rapida 142capacity when it takes deliveryof a second press, this time a sixcolour with two coaters, ex-tended delivery and automatedpile logistics. It will feed to oneof the first 1,000 x 1,450mm(391/2” x 57”) Sprintera die-cut-ters to roll off the Bobst pro-duction line. The new kit willenable the company to offer itsmany customers value added ingeneral packaging. The optionof end-of-press UV coatingdramatically increases the glosslevels possible in inlineprocessing. On top of this, pro-ductivity is enhanced becausethe new Rapida 142 has a maxi-mum rated output of 15,000sheets per hour, as fast as anormal medium-format press.Nonstop automatic features atthe feeder and delivery, in con-junction with the pile logistics,will enhance efficiency evenfurther.

The scheduling boardhas had its day

The entire front-end at RLCwas converted to CTP long ago.“We now receive all our data ina digital form,” says Hans-Christian Bestehorn, “and pre-press data are routinely used topreset the Rapida presses.”

With the new Rapida 105 atPharmaCenter the companygoes one step further. For ex-ample, a management informa-tion system is currently beingcommissioned. The Rapida 105will soon be embedded inRLC’s digital workflow viaLogotronic Professional, andthe scheduling board for printjobs will be trashed. Jobs willthen be scheduled electroni-cally, with functions likePressWatch giving manage-ment and schedulers a perma-nent update on the progress ofeach job through the productionchain. All events and reports re-lating to the press can betracked and accessed. The pressdata can be made available toadministration for statisticalcost accounting and the pressoperator will have his job list,complete with all the relevant

data, directly on hand at thepress in a digital form. The newRapida 142 will also be embed-ded in the digital workflow atRLC.

Folding cartons –an ecological packaging

RLC’s folding cartons, itsmain product, are the most en-vironmentally friendly in thepackaging industry. Productecology has always been highon the firm’s list of priorities.“We don’t waste a lot of wordson it, we just do it,” says Hans-Christian Bestehorn. “Formany companies, unrelentingpressure from customers tokeep prices nailed down auto-matically generates the need toinnovate with new, more eco-logical products.” Low-alcoholor alcohol-free production, theuse of environmentally friendlyinks, reductions in emissions,production waste, raw materi-als and ink – these are issuesthat RLC addresses day afterday. And not just because it isobligatory for a company thatproduces food and drug pack-aging. Although a licence likethe one PharmaCenter owns forprimary drug packaging is onlyissued by the health authoritiesafter rigorous vetting, RLC isequally motivated by respectfor the environment and con-cern for staff welfare.

Martin DänhardtDaenhardt@kba-planeta.de

Continuous growth

In recent years, despite aneconomic downturn that im-pacted on the print industrywith greater or lesser severity,the Rob. Leunis & ChapmanGroup achieved its corporatetarget of solid year-on-yeargrowth. Sales in 2003 ap-proached €50 million ($62m),with the three plants in Berlincontributing a little over half.This year sales will be wellabove the €50m mark. RLC has346 people on its payroll, splitequally between Berlin andHanover. The finished-goodswarehouse in Berlin alonecontains some 7,000 palletpositions. A further 10,000 willbe added at Centerpack in Janu-ary 2005.

As a member of theCOPACO packaging partner-ship and the Global PackagingAlliance, RLC can justifiablyclaim to be an international op-eration. The Alliance networkenables it to offer global brandmanufacturers an identicalservice and production stand-ard both in Europe and abroad.Thus a developer of a certainpackaging type, series or sys-tem, for example, guaranteesthe same quality at all its part-ner enterprises throughout thealliance, giving customers ac-cess to a universal standard of

service regardless of their geo-graphical location. This enablesRLC to offer packaging inseven countries: the USA, Bra-zil, Mexico, China, Australia,Russia and Germany.

Award-winningproducts

The group has garnered in-ternational awards for some ofits product designs. In 2002, forexample, its automatic systemfor packaging baked goods us-ing a blank won the company aPro Carton/ECMA Award. Thisqualified it for the World Staraward sponsored by the WorldPackaging Organisation, whichit won the same year with pack-aging for a dome-shaped cake(“Kuppelkuchen”) sold byBahlsen.

Stephan Bestehorn with the packaging system for baked goodsthat won a World Star award

Automatic ink pumpingwith cartridges is a standardfeature of all the Rapidas atRLC

The new suction belt table has justone broad suction belt running atmaximum production speed

Report 24 | 200416

Sheetfed Offset | Technology

Our established B1press series has beenrenamed the Rapida

105 universal to underline thefact that all the versions previ-ously available with this modelhave been fully retained in ourproduct range.

A closer look beneath itssleek exterior reveals that theRapida 105 is quite differentfrom its predecessor – a totallynew product, in fact, and notjust a new generation. This canbe seen in the modified cylin-der geometry alone. The angleof sheet bend during transferhas been made more oblique inorder to support a productionspeed which, at 15,000 sheetsper hour in perfecting modeand 18,000sph in straight-runproduction, is fully twenty percent faster than before, even onan eight-unit press. The deliv-ery extension has been elevatedto eye level to promote asmoother, gentler sheet pas-sage, afford easy access to thedryers and allow the addition ofnew features like our Quali-tronic II sheet-inspection sys-tem.

Even when pumping out18,000 sheets per hour thispowerful new press runs assmooth as silk and comfortablywithin its mechanical capabili-ties – evidence of the extremeprecision with which it wasconstructed. The result is en-hanced reliability and a longerservice life. This is due in nosmall part to the superiordesign and stability of themechanical components, eg thecast-iron substructure, gearboxes cast onto the superstruc-tures, the continuous gear traindrive with no unwieldy mainshaft, and zero-play antifrictionbearings for the cylinders.

Unique features:shaftless feeder...

Some of the many featuresunique to this new model are tobe found at the feeder and theinfeed. The shaftless feederwith direct AC drives, whichfor medium- to superlarge-for-mat presses is only availablefrom KBA, now operates with

In a class of its own: our new B1 Rapida 105

The difference lies ina diversity of detailsAt Drupa, what first struck the professional eye observing the new Rapida 105 in action were its classynew design, its fast makereadies and its stunning output of 18,000 sheets per hour. But what makes itreally stand out from other genuine or apparent new launches in its format class is an array of uniquetechnical features which, though not immediately evident, fascinate the technically minded, make lifemuch easier for printers and deliver substantial economic benefits. What is more, this new press hasalready undergone exhaustive shopfloor testing and is available here and now, not with a delay of twelvemonths.

gears, cardan shafts, chain andsynchronous belt gears are athing of the past. The pile lifthas a much smoother action, ir-respective of stock weight. Justone broad suction belt with asheet decelerator conveys thesheets precisely to the infeed,whatever their grammage. Inthe event of a stoppage thesheets can be withdrawn andrestacked on the feeder pile byactuating the function “reversesheet collect”.

... and suction- lay-free infeed

As an option, the newRapida 105 can be fitted with asuction-lay-free infeed insteadof the standard pneumatic lays– an absolute world first. Withthis option, the suction lays thathave been a standard feature for

Our new B1 Rapida 105: a technological masterpiece from feeder to delivery

The shaftless feeder has just one suction belt for an optimum sheet feedirrespective of stock weight

much greater precision, ismuch more ergonomic and iseasier to maintain, particularly

when production entails fre-quent changes of substrate.Abrasion-prone adjusting

Report 24 | 2004 17

so many years are replaced by asensor that continuously scansthe sheet edge and passes theinformation to the feed drumfor pre-alignment of the gripperbar. Following sheet transferfrom the swing arm the gripperbar is positioned precisely by aservo motor located on theinfeed drum. So there is almosttwice as much time availablefor sheet alignment as withpneumatic suction lays. Also,there is no tugging action to im-pair the infeed sequence to thefront lays, which can be ad-justed singly or collectivelyfrom the console. Both light-weight stock, which easilybuckles, and rigid sheets, whichtend to recoil from the frontlays, thus have plenty of time toalign precisely at the front lays.This benchmark innovationmakes the entire process muchsmoother and more accurate,while relieving the operator oftime-consuming setting taskswhen changing the substrate.

Raft of new features in theprinting units too

The automatic platechangers fitted as standard onthe new Rapida 105 are noweven faster and no longer angleoutwards during plate changinglike those on its predecessor.Direct drives for the plate cyl-inder, trumpeted as a world firstby another press manufacturerat Drupa 2004 and demon-strated on a single printing cou-ple (but not on an operational

press with a full-colour capabil-ity!), are no novelty for KBA,having been the subject of in-tensive testing for some time.However, because we are alltoo familiar with the techno-logical and print-related chal-lenges associated with this typeof system, we decided that di-rect drives were not yet readyfor launching at this year’sDrupa. Good things take time.

Modifications and im-provements to the inking unitsin the new Rapida 105 have en-hanced quality control and re-duced waste even further thanthe fast-reacting and stable ink-ing units in its predecessor.Here we drew on our engineer-ing expertise with large-formatRapidas, which deliver a highlysuperior print quality. Otherinteresting features from theuser’s point of view are three-point ink train separation withprofile retention during pro-duction stoppages, two-phaseroller throw-on/off and a newfunction, “quickfeed”, whichoffers the option of restarting ata higher speed (maximum12,000sph) after interruptions.This cuts start-up waste to aminimum of just 10 sheets orso. Along with our proven,abrasion-free Colortronic inkducts, one of the options wehave preserved – and one notavailable from our competitors– is the ability to disengage ink-ing units that are superfluous torequirements for the currentrun, thus eliminating needlesswear and tear on the rollers.

New features include a dif-ferential drive for the dampen-ing forme roller which can nowbe engaged at full speed duringthe production run and not justat the basic speed; automaticpredampening at impressionON; an optimised washing pro-gram; and an optional multiplewashing system for the blanketand impression cylinders intandem with Baldwin Impact.

Perfect sheet guidance

The sheet transfer systemfrom the feeder to the deliveryin the new Rapida 105 is engi-neered to support a higher pro-duction speed and a broadersubstrate spectrum. Contact-free, airborne sheet travel forstock weighing up to 450gsm(19pt board!) is now a standardfeature. And on the new press,as on all our others, the sheetsare always fully printed – eventhe maximum image length –prior to transfer. The air flowfor sheet guidance can be finelyadjusted at the console, so han-dling critical substrates be-comes a routine task. All the airsettings can be stored at theconsole for repeat jobs. The CXpackage enables the press tohandle materials up to 1.2mmthick, like 48pt solid board or

F-flute. The well-proven grip-pers with universal pre-tensioning no longer have to belaboriously reset when chang-ing the substrate, regardless ofwhether lightweight paper fol-lows thick carton, or vice-versa.

Ionisers and an optional co-rona unit that can be built inafter the infeed make the UVversion of the Rapida 105 apowerful yet cost-effectivemeans of production for speciallaminated materials and film.

Delivery optimisedfor higher speeds

In practice, the higherspeed and the ability to handle a

The new Ergotronic console, with integrated Qualitronic II sheet-scanningsystem (the screen on the left) and the Densitronic S dual-purposedensitometric and colorimetric control system (in the background)

High-speed, automatic plate changers with non-pivoting shafts are a standardfeature on this new B1 press

Convenient operation from theconsole thanks to easy-view datascreens. The example shown hereis for air-flow control during sheettransfer

Report 24 | 200418

The new Rapida 105 was unveiled before an appreciative audience at our pre-Drupa open house in Radebeul at the end of March

Klaus SchmidtKlaus.Schmidt@kba-print.de

broad range of stock weightsare only possible if the sheetsare conveyed to the deliverypile with absolute precision.For this reason the elevated ex-tension is just one of manymodifications to the delivery.

Gripper guidance has beenkinematically optimised withthe aid of computers, the pow-der sprayer integrated in theconsole controls and nonstopdelivery made a standard fea-ture.

All the air-flow elements inthe delivery can be adjusted us-ing an eye-level touch-screendisplay directly at the delivery.All the format-dependent se-quences in the delivery, eg theactivation or deactivation of therelevant suction rings at thesheet brake, can be preset at theconsole during central formatadjustment, as can the numberof inspection sheets that are tobe pulled.

Typically comprehensive choiceof inline finishing features

The inline finishing optionsavailable with the Rapida 105universal (standard coating, hy-brid coating, double coating,numbering, perforating etc)are, of course, also possiblewith the new Rapida 105. Buthere, too, user-driven improve-ments have been made, amongthem lightweight aluminiumrollers plus an optimised platechanger for the anilox coater.

ACR, Qualitronic, Densitronic,Logotronic, JDF...

The Rapida 105 raises thebenchmark in electronic andcontrol technology. Virtuallyevery element that can be pre-set or adjusted pneumatically ormechanically – optional extrasincluded – can be controlledfrom the new Windows-basedErgotronic console.

The list of extras availablefor quality control and docu-mentation is substantial. Itranges from automatic video-based colour register controland our new camera-basedsheet-scanning system, Quali-tronic II, for quality controlwithin the press, to a Densi-tronic Basic colour-control sys-tem embedded in the console or

The delivery extension on the new Rapida 105 has been elevated to eye levelfor easier operation and access plus a smoother, gentler sheet run

Densitronic S in a separate deskfor combined densitometricand colorimetric control. Andlike all its stablemates, the newRapida 105 can be integratedvia Logotronic Professionaland a JDFLink interface inan all-digital, JDF-compliantworkflow with managementinformation systems sourcedfrom various providers. In con-junction with the many othermodules, the electronic produc-tion schedule now embedded inLogotronic Professional facili-tates the transition to a digitisedprintshop routine.

Practical designfor practical users

Our new Rapida 105 is notpurely the work of experienceddesign engineers. Veteran print-ers and critically constructiveusers also played a decisiverole in its creation. This is ap-parent in every detail, from thepress per se to the data screensat the console.

Our Drupa stand was packed whenever the Rapida 105 was demonstrated

KBA Qualitronic II: effective inlinequality control via a high-performance colour camera directlyabove the final impression cylinder

This issue of Report features asupplement on cross-process ap-plications for XML in the printingindustry. If your copy does notcontain this supplement you canobtain it free of charge from ourmarketing department in Würz-burg at the address on page 63.

Report 24 | 2004 19

Sheetfed Offset | Innovation

A t Drupa 2000 theRapida 105 was thefirst sheetfed offset

press worldwide to be awardedan “emission tested” environ-mental certificate by the BGDP,which is the equivalent of theH&SE in the UK or OSHA inthe US. The entire Rapida pressrange subsequently followedsuit. In order to achieve such anaccreditation, all press emis-sions must remain below thelowest levels permitted by anystate within the EU. There aretwo key criteria: the press mustsupport low-emission produc-tion and the manufacturer mustenable the user to implementlow-emission production in thepress room.

The Rapida 74 G has nowbecome the first waterlesssheetfed offset press worldwideto attain this coveted certifi-cate. And if that is not enough,it was also the first recipient of

Environmentally friendly technology

Innovation award for Rapida 74 GAt Drupa in May our waterless Rapida 74 G with keyless Gravuflowinking units took centre stage on the Marks -3zet stand when, accom-panied by its proud progenitors from KBA Radebeul, it was awardednot only an “Emission tested” certificate by the BerufsgenossenschaftDruck und Papierverarbeitung (BGDP) but also the first “Emission Re-duced Waterless Offset” certificate to be issued by the EuropeanWaterless Printing Association (EWPA).

a brand new “Emission Re-duced Waterless Offset” certifi-cate presented by the EWPA.All those engaged in its devel-opment and certification re-ceived the EWPA’s InnovationAward.

New directionafter 200 years of roller-based

inking units

At the award ceremonyKBA president Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann pointed out thatafter almost 200 years of roller-based inking units in sheetfedprinting it is time for a rethink.The B2 (29”) Rapida 74 G isthe first unit-built sheetfed off-set press to feature a tempera-ture-controlled keyless inkingsystem. The core componentsof the Gravuflow inking unitare an ink duct with doctorblade and ink feed via car-tridges, a screen roller and an ink-forme roller (both with the

same diameter as the plate cyl-inder). This guarantees a totallyghosting-free image, evenwhen a thick film of ink is be-ing applied, start-up waste ofless than ten sheets, a perfectmatch with the proof and abso-lute copy-to-copy and run-to-run repetitive accuracy. Thenew press unites the benefits ofKBA short-train inking tech-nology with the flexibility ofunit-type construction, whichsupports individual press con-figurations featuring up to eightprinting units plus perfectingand inline finishing. As a resultit offers a raft of economic ad-vantages for short-run printing,

Martin DänhardtDaenhardt@kba-planeta.de

especially when it comes tohandling costly substrates suchas film, designer paper, alu-minium-coated carton etc.

First press goes on streamin Sweden

During the fair a number ofRapida 74 G presses were soldto printers in Scandinavia, Ger-many and other Europeancountries. The press exhibitedat Drupa (four colours withcoater) has since been put intooperation at Swedish packag-ing printer Cela Grafisk inVanersborg.

Detlef Braun (l) of the EWPA presenting the first Innovation Award toAlbrecht Bolza-Schünemann

KBA president Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann (right) receives the certificate“Emission tested” from Albrecht H. Glöckle of the BGDP

The Rapida 74 G with Gravuflow keyless inking units redefines sheetfed offset

Report 24 | 200420

Sheetfed Offset | Products

Exclusive Muhammad Ali biography printed on large- format KBA presses

Greatest Of All TimeIt is forty years since the great Muhammad Ali –or Cassius Clay as he was then known – beatSonny Liston by a knockout to win his first worldheavyweight championship. His legendary ca-reer, which not only made history but alsobrought him enormous popularity beyond theworld of sport, has now been documented in a

unique biography that itself has merited an entryin the Guinness Book of Records. Following ad-vance promotion at the Frankfurt Book Fair in2003 with 25 specimen copies, this master-piece was recently printed in Italy – on Rapida162a presses at Arti Grafiche LEVA (SestoSan Giovanni, Milan) and Canale (Turin).Unique, heavyweight and much

admired – just like its subject. The500mm (20”) square Muhammad Ali

biography printed on our Rapida162a size 7-plus presses weighs in at34kg (75lbs) and is being publishedin a strictly limited edition of just

11,000 copies

The two Italian print op-erations were selectedfor the job by book-

binder Legatoria LEM, whichhad been entrusted with theoverall production by Cologne-based German book publisherBenedikt Taschen. LEMscreened a number of possiblecandidates, all of them high-profile enterprises, but finallyawarded the contract to ArtiGrafiche LEVA because it en-joys an international reputationfor immaculate quality. ArtiGrafiche LEVA has been in thebusiness for more than 25years, printing upmarket artbooks, posters, calendars, soft-back books and brochures for adiscerning and highly criticalclientele.

Tradition of qualityin Italy

Like the champion himself,this elaborate new biography,entitled “Greatest Of All Time –A Tribute to Muhammad Ali”,beats all records. In the wordsof Marco Fraceti, marketing

manager at LEVA: “The pro-duction of the book, which wascreated for wealthy collectorsthe world over, represented atremendous challenge, partlybecause we had to work to anextremely tight deadline andpartly because the quality de-manded was exceptionallyhigh.”

He continues: “BenediktTaschen, the publisher, wasadamant that the job should bedone by a specialist printingplant in Italy with experience increating luxury illustrated vol-umes and art books. Because ofthe complexity of the work in-volved, and also to guaranteethat we could meet the dead-line, we split the job with an al-lied enterprise, Canale, whosereputation in the internationalbook market is of the same highcalibre as ours. Also, like us,Canale operates size 7-plus(633/4”) Rapida 162a coaterpresses. In the sheetfed offsetmarket, the Rapidas are in aclass of their own as far as pro-duction output and print qualityare concerned.”

Guinness Book of Records:a heavyweight rarity…

“Greatest of All Time” wasnot only a “big” sensation at theFrankfurt Book Fair last year,but was also awarded an entryin the Guinness Book ofRecords. The production dataspeak for themselves.

The biography is beingpublished in a special limitededition of 11,000 individuallynumbered copies. Not even theawesome asking price of$10,000 for the 3,000 copies ofthe Champ’s Edition has de-terred serious collectors andboxing fans from signing up forsuch a rarity. And the Collec-tor’s Edition, a snip at just$3,000 for each of the 8,000copies, was also snapped up inno time.

The Champ’s Edition has awhite silk cover with pink let-tering. It includes four gallery-quality silver gelatine printsmeasuring 500mm (20”) squaresigned by photographer How-ard L. Bingham and the greatman himself. Every Champ’s

Edition comes with the sculp-ture “Radial Champs” by JeffKoons. The Collector’s Editionshows Ali’s torso with pink let-tering and each copy comeswith a photo-litho version of“Radial Champs”. All 11,000copies are individually signedby Muhammad Ali and JeffKoons.

A world heavyweightamong books, the biographytips the scales at 34kg (75lbs).It is hand-bound in pink leather(the colour of Ali’s firstCadillac) and housed in an ex-clusive silk-covered presenta-tion box illustrated with NeilLeifer’s iconic 1966 photo “Alivs Williams”, which was votedthe greatest sporting image ofall time by The Observer maga-zine, London.

...with an exclusive design

Printing the biography wasa technological tour de force.The 792-page book is made upof 66 signatures perfect printedin nine colours plus gold-metal-lic coating on Zanders Xeramix

Report 24 | 2004 21

coated stock specially selectedby the publisher. Because of theextreme difficulty of printingwith special colour shades plusgloss and matt coatings, twopasses were needed for bothprinting and coating. Some ofthe many richly illustratedpages, featuring unforgettableimages like the world champi-onship bouts in Kinshasa andManila, are gatefolded and canbe opened out to 1.5m (59”) or,in sequence, a full 2 metres(783/4”).

Says Marco Fraceti: “Con-sidering the three years of re-search that went into collatingmaterial for this project, and theyear’s pre-publication prepara-tion, the six-week time-frameallocated for the production runwas extremely short. Prior togoing on impression we ran testprints for a week, and BenediktTaschen flew down to Milanspecially to inspect the results.Only after he had expressedhimself satisfied with the re-sults were we able to start theactual print run.”

Cutting-edge technology

Arti Grafiche LEVA in-stalled its first KBA press in2001 after printing on othermakes of press for many years.In relatively quick successionthe company inaugurated thetwo big coater presses and aRapida 105 six-colour B1 (40”)

press, also with a coater. Thethree KBA presses have beengiven pride of place in the4,200m2 (45,000ft2) productionhall at the company’s newpremises in Sesto San Gio-vanni.

“Initially we were inclinedto stay with B1, because we be-lieved that large format was un-able to compete on quality andcost-efficiency,” says MarcoFraceti. “But KBA soon con-vinced us otherwise. TheRapidas have an outstandingreputation among Italian print-ers, as numerous installationsdemonstrate, and we needed tokeep pace with competitorswho had installed them. That iswhy we decided to go forKBA’s advanced technology –because it has proved to be thebest on the market.”

Rigorous quality criteria

With an elaborate job likethis, and a relatively short printrun, it was not the 14,000sphmaximum rated speed of thetwo five-colour coater pressesthat was put to the test but theoutstanding quality for whichlarge-format Rapida presses arerenowned.

“As a specialist in art repro-duction we enforce the stricteststandards of quality control,”says Marco Fraceti. “Our Rapi-da presses are equipped withoptional electronic extras such

The 792-page bookcomprises 66signatures perfectprinted in ninecolours plus a goldcoating. Some of therichly illustratedpages can be foldedout to a total width of1.5 metres (59”)

An international reputation for quality was the reason why KBA customer ArtiGrafiche LEVA (Sesto S. Giovanni/Milan), in alliance with fellow KBA userCanale (Turin), was awarded the printing contract by German publisherBenedikt Taschen. From the left: Dario Braschi (KBA-Italia marketingmanager), Marco Fraceti (LEVA marketing manager) and Antonio Vezzoni(KBA-Italia sales manager for Lombardy) at the new Rapida 162a

The contract to print the biography was a challenge for the press crew at ArtiGrafiche LEVA

Report 24 | 200422

as KBA Logotronic for produc-tion management and KBADensitronic S for closed-loopcolorimetry and densitometry.This makes for a high level ofreliability in monitoring andcontrolling the entire printingprocess. Added to which anonline link to the pre-press andadministrative departmentspromotes a highly efficientworkflow.”

As few as 30 posters or asmany as 100,000 books

He continues: “The threeRapidas for two sheet formatsdeliver maximum productivitywith every type of job. Our cus-tomer base includes mediumand small publishing housesnot just in Italy, but also in therest of Europe and beyond. Runlengths generally range from1,000 to 100,000 copies, but inthe niche market we serve, cus-tomers often ask for evenshorter runs. The Scala in Mi-lan, for instance, may need 30posters within 24 hours. Ourproduction lines, with their fastmakereadies, advanced tech-nology and high productionoutput, enable us respond tocustomer and market demandscost-effectively and with un-precedented flexibility. We canprint small, complex jobs andhigh-volume runs with equalefficiency, while value-addedfeatures such as inline coatingand drying support product di-versity.”

Legatoria LEM –a byword for quality in the

international art world

The print run for theMuhammad Ali biography wascompleted on schedule and thesheets sent to Legatoria LEMfor finishing. Since the middleof March the company has beenbusy folding, collating, gluingand binding at a rate of 1,000 to1,500 copies per month, whichto a layman may seem slow butto an expert indicates the con-summate skill that is involved.The last book in the series willbe delivered to its eager recipi-ent in October. Like LEVA and

Canale, LEM has a reputationfor rising to a challenge, how-ever daunting it may. Estab-lished in 1969 by LeonidaGriggio, the company enjoys areputation among publishersand in the international artworld for its ability to handleseemingly impossible jobs. Theproduction plant at its 1.7ha(46-acre) site in Landriano(Pavia) is equipped with themost advanced technology onthe market for manual, semi-automatic and automatic pro-duction. No matter how taxingand eccentric its customers’specifications may be with re-gard to format, materials andfinishing, LEM is happy tocomply, reliably fulfilling qual-ity criteria and meeting deliv-ery deadlines. The previousrecord-holder for the world’sbiggest book – a biography ofstar photographer HelmutNewton – was also publishedby Taschen and bound byLegatoria LEM.

Superior finishing

Production manager RenzoDe Grandi, who joined LEMa while ago from prominentart printer and KBA customerAmilcare Pizzi in Milan, is wellaware of the challenge thatproducing the Muhammad Alibiography entails: “It’s ourtrickiest job yet. We haveplanned everything right downto the last detail and left abso-lutely nothing to chance. ForLegatoria LEM, a print contractsuch as this is a prestige issue.It demands absolute precisionand meticulous care on the partof man and machine at everysingle stage of production. Ifboxing champion LennoxLewis, who recently retired,should ever plan to have a biog-raphy written – we’d be morethan happy to oblige. But what-ever contracts we may receivein the future, “Greatest Of AllTime” will occupy a place ofhonour in our portrait gallery.Muham-mad Ali was, and stillis, the greatest.”

The optional extras for the large-format Rapidas include Densitronic Selectronic quality control (from the rear desk) to ensure maximum efficiencyin monitoring the printing process

Book-binder Legatoria LEM has made a name for itself in the art world andamong international publishers for its ability to handle challenging contractsdemanding the greatest technical expertise

Famous predecessor: also published by Benedikt Taschen and up until nowthe biggest book in the world – the biography of star photographer HelmutNewton – was also bound by Legatoria LEM. Pictured with it are LEMproprietor Leonida Griggio (2nd r) and production manager Renzo De Grandi(on his right) with Antonion Vezzoni and Dario Braschi of KBA-Italia

For further informationplease contact:braschi@kbaitalia.it

Report 24 | 2004 23

Sheetfed Offset | Large Format

M elbourne packagingprinter Glama Pakruns a Rapida 162a

press line 25.4m (83ft) long andalmost 3.6m (12ft) high, capa-ble of handling a maximumsheet size of 1,200 x 1,620mm(471/4” x 633/4”).

The six-colour press withcoater features automatic platechanging, nonstop auto feedingand a string of other modulesfor cutting makeready times.The 162a is extremely versatileand able to print on a variety ofmaterials, from 80gsm paper(55lb book) to 1.6mm (E-flute)corrugated.

Glama Pak invested A$6m($4.3m) last year in installingthe new press and expanding itsKilsyth, Melbourne, factory.“The Rapida 162a has run welland given us the confidence toorder a second machine fromKBA for delivery next year,”says John Wheeler, who owns a51% controlling interest inGlama Pak.

Glama Pak:finest quality,

just- in- time service

The Kilsyth facility pro-vides a full printing, corrugat-ing and converting service. Inaddition to packaging, GlamaPak’s new Rapida also pro-duces point-of-purchase mate-

LF Rapidas gaining ground

Australian packaging printersstart thinking bigWith the biggest sheetfed offset press in Australia now up andrunning at Glama Pak in Melbourne and the world’s longestsheetfed offset press heading soon for Anzpac in Sydney, Australian

rial, displays, posters and maps.The company focuses its mar-keting efforts on smaller manu-facturers needing a fast, re-sponsive and quality service.Jobs can be turned around injust three days, includingsourcing of stock. Provision ofpackaging to manufacturers hasbecome very much a just-in-time business, with average runsizes of around 5,000.

John Wheeler believes hiscompany will continue to growand remain competitive againstthe big-time players in the Aus-tralian packaging market. Tothis end he is investing a total ofA$17.5m ($12.6m) in newtechnology up to 2005.

40-metre Rapida 142for Anzpac

Sydney-based Anzpac Ser-vices (Australia) opted for a12,000sph size 6 (55”) Rapida142 comprising eight units, twocoaters, three dryers, autocon-vertible perfector, a triple deliv-ery extension and automatedpile logistics. Extending 40 me-tres (more than 131 feet), it isnot only the longest large-for-mat press ordered from KBAto date but also the longestsheetfed offset press world-wide. The 142 is slated to shipin October and take up produc-tion before the end of the year.

Established back in 1900,Anzpac has evolved from afamily-owned firm into one ofAustralia’s premier manufac-turers of high-volume foldingcarton packaging. In 1986 itwas purchased by RothmansHoldings and is now the print-ing and packaging arm of Brit-ish American Tobacco Aus-tralasia. The company also sup-plies packaging for leadingbrands of fast food, confection-ery, medical diagnostics, fabriccare and bakery products.

Anzpac was one of the firstpackaging companies in Aus-tralia to attain ISO 14001 envi-

Klaus SchmidtFurther information:Kbasales@kbaaustralasia.com.au

Record length in large format: the Rapida 142 with eight printing units, twocoaters and three dryers for Anzpac in Sydney is a massive 40 metres long

The Rapida 162a six-colour at Glama Pak boasts the largest sheet formatin Australia

printers have discovered the delights of our giant Rapidas forpackaging and displays, even though Australia is not a typicallarge-format market.

ronmental accreditation, whichcompliments Anzpac’s existingISO 9001 and HACCP accredi-tation. Year for year it recyclessome 2,300 tonnes (2,530 UStons) of board, plastic and liq-uid waste.

Management opted for theRapida 142 following an ex-haustive tour of Europeanpackaging plants. The newpress will enable the companyto trim costs by streamlining itsproduction flow, eg with inlineperfecting and perfect coating.

Report 24 | 200424

Sheetfed Offset | Production

A lso known as opticallyvariable images orOVIs, holograms are

pictures in the classic sense be-cause the best way to createthem with the fine detail neces-sary is to use photographicprocesses. To achieve the im-pression of movement from oneimage to another when thesurface is tilted, at least twodifferent images are generallyneeded. These are divided intostrips, in a similar way to a tel-evision image, and the two setsof strips exposed in alternatesequences on the carrier. So ba-sically the images are split upand then combined to create asingle image.

Lenticular printing:precision’s the word

One way to do this is tolaminate the lenticular filmonto the image. Another way isto directly expose the lenticular

Berle:druck focuses on UV and lenticular printing

Catch the eye, make the sale

Printed holograms, a popularphenomenon in the sixties andseventies, are currently experi-encing a revival. More oftenthan not they are now beingused to promote products ratherthan to entertain. Post cards andCD or magazine covers are justa few of the possible applica-tions. New, high -precision tech-niques in pre-press and press,coupled with advances in UVtechnology, have vastly im-proved the images that can beobtained.

film after coating it with photo-graphic emulsion. The uppersurface of the film bears a lot offine parallel lines which func-tion like optical lenses. In orderto achieve the desired hologrameffect, each of the strips in the

sequences to be combined musthave exactly the same width asthe distance between the linesand must be placed precisely ontop of them. The first imagebecomes visible when the len-ticular film is viewed from one

angle, the second image when itis viewed from another. Theimage thus appears to move orto have a third dimension.That’s the basic principle.

Printing lenticular images

3-D printing on 500 x 700mm film, the ideal format for lenticular printing

At Berle, the office opens directly into the press room where the new Rapida74 five-colour with coater and UV capability is in operation

“Our UV capability addresses thediverse needs of our clientele. Weare confident that 3-D will enable usto build up a new field of business.”Rudolf Berle

Report 24 | 2004 25

The printing process mostfrequently used for lenticularprints is UV offset. Sophisti-cated screening technologiesnow enable photorealisticprints to be created. The preci-sion of modern, high-automa-tion printing presses is anotherfactor that has made UV offsetthe process of choice for pro-ducing lenticular images. Theability of the 74 Karat digitaloffset press to apply oxidativeToracard inks means that theimage can be exactly andrepeatably printed on the film,even in long runs. Modern coldUV lamps prevent the syntheticfilm from distorting during cur-ing. At the same time therehave been substantial improve-ments in the technology formanufacturing lenticular films.The impression of movement –the “flip-flop” effect – is one ofthe simpler ones possible withlenticular film. “Morphing”(creating the appearance of ametamorphosis by means of se-quential movement) and zoomeffects are much more sophisti-cated.

But it is with 3-D effectsthat lenticular technology re-veals its true fascination. Here,prints appear deceptively plas-tic. Studies have shown that 3-D images attract attention moreeffectively than static images.The eye lingers on a 3-D len-ticular image up to four timesas long as on a two-dimen-sional one. And the “stoppingfactor” is five times higher thanwith normal pictures. 3-D pic-tures tend to arrest the gaze,which is why most lenticularprints nowadays are used todisplay 3-D images in prefer-ence to flip-flop effects ormorphing.

Product differentiationwith UV and 3-D

It was this enhanced impactthat appealed to Rudolf Berle,who runs a small printshop inKaarst for a clientele which pri-marily comprises advertisingagencies. After careful delib-eration, earlier this year Berleinvested in a new Rapida 74five-colour coater press with

Uwe CleverClever@netcologne.de

UV capability, online CIP4 datatransfer and a Densitronic Ba-sic colorimetry and densitom-etry system. For berle:druck,rigorous quality standards, arapid turnaround and a highlevel of flexibility in the use ofUV, hybrid and conventionalinks are of the first importance.

Now 45, Rudolf Berle tookover his father’s business as ayoung man back in the 1980s.At that time the company spe-cialised in printing businessforms and writing paper. In theearly nineties the focus shiftedto upmarket products targetingadvertising agencies. In 1997 afour-colour offset press was in-stalled and in 1999 berle:druckequipped its pre-press depart-ment with CTP, fully adoptingit in 2001.

Staying ahead of the curve

Says Rudolf Berle: “As asmall-scale enterprise with ahighly motivated team we needto stay ahead of the curve in or-der to survive, and this is whywe decided it was time for morehighly specialised applications.Hybrid has always fascinatedus because of the effects thatcan be achieved. Our UV capa-bility addresses the diverseneeds of our clientele and ena-bles us to provide a reliableservice. Problematical andcostly materials no longerpresent a challenge, nor doesperfect printing on cartonboard.We can convey the sheets to thefinishing department straight-away, with no delay for drying,and can calculate material re-quirements and costs muchmore accurately. We are confi-dent that 3-D will enable us tobuild up a new field of busi-ness.”

He goes on, “We started 3-D printing at Drupa. KBA andplascon, a lenticular film spe-cialist, wanted a more eye-catching way to demonstratethe wide variety of options pos-sible with lenticular printing forcreative applications and werelooking for a suitable produc-tion scenario. Since we had justupgraded our entire pre-press,platemaking and press technol-

ogy and already served anagency clientele, KBA asked usif we would be interested injoining the team. We were de-lighted to accept.”

Virtual worlds in print

For Rudolf Berle, the com-plex processing of two-dimen-sional images is only the start.

A versatile production tool: the Rapida 74 can applyUV, hybrid or conventional inks

The lenticular prints must be prepared and checkedusing a microscope

Plate exposure without the aid ofSquare Spot on Creo’s Lotem 400:lenticular printing demands variablescreen angles

The Epson Stylus Pro 7600 issuitable for proof-printing lenticularprints on specially coated syntheticfilm

He believes that future growthlies in using print to create real-istic, three-dimensional virtualworlds similar to those in videoanimations. He is persuadedthat these virtual worlds are theshape of advertising to come.

Report 24 | 200426

Sheetfed Offset | Technology

One of our primarygoals in designing thenew Rapida presses

was to replace manual settingtasks with remote-controlledpresetting capabilities and au-tomation, thus minimising thetime and labour required forjob changes, and the waste gen-erated. The basic aim was tosupport the remote control ofvirtually every function fromthe feeder to the delivery. An-other major priority was to fa-cilitate operation with the aid ofgraphics at the console andtouch-screen displays at theinfeed printing unit and deliv-ery.

Data screenspromote better grasp

of technology

The data screens at the con-sole were developed in closecollaboration with press users.To assist the operator, they notonly display the individualfunction keys but also employsimple graphics to illustrate thesequences – some of which arehighly complex – and the inter-

New-generation presses boast unique operating features

Are Rapidas becoming high-speed copiers?Although there has been a lot oftalk about our vamped-up B1Rapida 105 and new VLF Rapi-da 205, the focus has been ontheir print output, sheet size,changeover times, automationand snazzy new design. Controlsequences have only been men-tioned in passing, despite thefact that the systems for bothpresses boast some unique fea-tures. And the question as towhether the Rapidas are on theway to becoming high -speedcopiers, as far as their operationis concerned, is not as ridiculousas it may seem.

actions that occur within thepress when a setting is changed.Giving the minder a bettergrasp of the overall machinetechnology dramatically re-duces the number of human er-rors and faulty settings. On theone hand this approach helps toaddress the problems arising inmany countries from a chronicshortage of trained personnel,which is forcing printers toplace their high-performancepresses in the hands of lessqualified staff who then strug-gle to deliver the desired imagequality. On the other hand it ex-tends the net production timeand enhances cost-efficiencyby exploiting the enormous po-tential for shortening andoptimising control sequences.The press crew has more timeto focus on quality, an increas-ingly important aspect.

Manual settingsthe absolute exception

With many B1 and large-format presses it is still com-mon practice to make a lot ofthe mechanical and/or pneu-

matic adjustments manually atthe individual subassemblies.On the new Rapida 105 andRapida 205 scarcely a singlevalve must be manually ad-justed at the feeder, infeed,printing units or delivery. Suc-tion and blower air is adjustedvia + and - function keys. Bothstock-specific and job-specificsettings can be stored. So if the

same stock is used later for adifferent job, all the settingscan be downloaded from thememory and the press presetautomatically. And even thoughit is still possible to correctsheet travel at the individualsubassemblies, there will soonbe no need to do so. The sameapplies to setting the sheet size,printing pressure, inking unit

The new Rapida 105 relieves the operator of routine setting tasks, enabling him to concentrate on quality

Printing unit configuration for a five-colour coater press. Options include theability to disengage the printing units that are not required for the next run

Report 24 | 2004 27

settings (eg vibrator timing ordistribution adjustment) and alot of other routine operatingtasks.

Example 1:infeed printing unit

Here are three examples toillustrate this new automationphilosophy, starting with theinfeed printing unit. The pulllay, sheet guides and belt suc-tion at the feed board can all becontrolled from here with ab-solute precision via clear-textdisplays (figure 1). It is alsopossible to set the sheet counterfor a specific job and even tokey in a different language forthe display at the infeed print-ing unit from that selected forthe console or delivery display.This is a useful feature if thepress crew is composed of vari-ous nationalities.

The suction settings for allfour chambers in the suction-belt feed table and the blowerfunction at the feed board canbe controlled using the + and -keys (figure 2). This paves theway for automatic press setting,since the only manual task thatremains is to create a databasein which the presetting valuesfor the different types of stockcan be stored. If users are will-ing to place such data at our dis-posal, we can even manage thedatabase in-house and includeit with the software when ship-ping to new customers. Thedata can be used to set virtuallyall the feeder and infeed func-

tions – minor adjustments areonly needed when a new batchof paper is delivered or a newtype of stock used.

Example 2:delivery

At the delivery, both theblower frame and gripper tim-ing – which previously requiredmanual adjustment – have beenautomated in the same way. Us-ing the clear-text display at thedelivery, the gripper timing forthe relevant substrate can beadjusted at the upper point(maximum speed) and thelower point (basic speed), andthese job-specific settingsstored for future use (figure 3).Gripper timing at the currentpress speed is displayed as achart, which makes it easierboth to train operators and forthem to operate the press. Thesettings can also be stored forrepeat jobs. The same proce-dure is used to adjust the airflow in the blower frame (fig-ure 4).

Example 3:Ergotronic console

Wherever it makes sensefor a particular function, the en-tire press is represented graphi-cally at the console in its actualconfiguration. An array of sup-port graphics, eg for sheettravel through the printing unitsor details of blower settings,makes the sequences mucheasier to understand, as do the

Martin Dänhardt/Karsten GrossmannDaenhardt@kba-planeta.de

command buttons which arenow all identical. The switch toMicrosoft Windows means thatthe console now incorporatesan operating system that is un-likely to become obsolete in thelong term and is sufficientlywidespread for most operatorsto be familiar with the basicstandard software. Consolessupplied by some of our com-petitors are still based on DOS,which was developed aroundtwenty years ago and is nowoutdated. This alone severelyrestricts the options for graphi-cal representation. The operat-ing systems for all new KBApresses will have the samecommon platform, which is abig advantage when workingout manning schedules. Despitethe advanced level of automa-tion, manual operation of keyfunctions is still possible in or-der to maintain production inan emergency.

The Logotronic systemenables settings to be trans-ferred collectively from oneRapida to another in the samepress room. So the machinescheduled to print a repeat jobcan be preset automatically andprecisely, regardless of whetherit was used to print the originalrun.

User-driven advances

Our new control concept isbased on direct feedback frompress operators. Having carriedout a survey among customerstaff we set up a task forcestaffed by press users and mem-bers of our R&D department,with a brief to design the opti-mum operating and automationsystem. In view of the higherproduction output our newpresses deliver, one of the taskforce’s primary goals was togain more time for quality as-surance. This is only possible ifroutine processes such as presspresetting can take a back seatto monitoring and control ac-tivities. With the new Rapida105 and 205 presses that is pre-cisely what they do.

The main menu on the clear-text display atthe infeed printing unit. All the submenus forpresetting the feeder and the infeed can beaccessed from here

Suction setting for the belt at the feed table.Blower/suction air at each individual phaseof the sheet run at the infeed and suction-belt table can be adjusted using the + and -keys. The exact settings can be stored anddownloaded for repeat jobs on identicalstock

Graphic display at the delivery for settingthe gripper timing

The blower frame above the delivery pile isalso set via the clear-text display. The datacan be accessed for repeat jobs

Infeed register and cocking – everything is displayed in detail on theconsole screen

Figure 4

Figure 3

Figure 2

Figure. 1

Report 24 | 200428

Sheetfed Offset | Packaging

PLV offers an all-in serv-ice embracing what itterms “contract bag-

ging”, which involves fillingflexible packaging with prod-ucts such as detergents orcleaning agents and insertingthem manually, semi-automati-cally or automatically into fold-ing cartons or displays.

Big clients andsmall markets

Five years or so ago thecompany was given a completechange of management when itwas taken over by the Gogliogroup. Luigi Goglio, a skilledand dedicated engineer whohad previously run Goglio’sflexible packaging division,placed his knowledge and ex-perience at PLV’s disposal ascompany president. The othermembers of the board are gen-eral manager Dr FrancescoTofani, head of productionMatteo Piller d’Adamo, andhead of sales Carola Goglio, thelast two also engineers.

Two-and-a-half years agoPLV invested heavily in everyaspect of production, bringingthe company up to speed withcurrent and anticipated marketdemand. Automation, stand-ardisation, productivity andquality enhancements are thecompany’s declared goals. Theloyalty of its multinationals andits parallel policy of addressingniche markets virtually guaran-tee strong growth in both do-mestic and foreign markets.

PLV in Varese runs one of the longest packaging printing presses in Europe

Rapida duo puts onsuperb performanceThe initials in the name of Italian packaging printer PLV in Varese(Lombardy) stand for Produzioni Lithografiche Varie. Despite this indi-cation of product diversity by the ISO 9001-accredited enterprise,PLV basically specialises in the production of high-grade packagingand displays.

Technological realignment

According to Matteo Pillerd’Adamo, the focus of the tech-nical realignment was the print-ing division. The changes hehas implemented included aswitch to a different press

manufacturer, leading to thesubstitution of four MANsheetfed offset presses by twoKBA Rapida 142 large-formatpress lines. Although thishalved the number of presses,there was absolutely no reduc-tion in PLV’s output, capabili-ties or quality. On the contrary:

with the two big Rapidas, oneof them for seven colours andthe other for eight, Pillerd’Adamo has been able to real-ise his ambition to automateand standardise his productionworkflow, boost his productionflexibility and enhance value-added with inline finishing.The Rapida 142 eight-colourfor a sheet size of 1,020mm x1,420mm (401/4” x 56”) meas-ures 28 metres (almost 92’) inlength and is thus the longestpackaging press in Europe.

Tandem configurationoptimises workflow

“Our underlying aim was tooptimise the entire workflow,”explains Matteo Piller d’Ada-mo. “We believe that the tan-dem configuration we finallychose, which is a fairly com-mon phenomenon in commer-cial web offset but rare insheetfed, is the most efficientway possible of integrating thetwo new presses into the pro-duction process. The size 6Rapidas have given us anamazing level of flexibility.They are both equipped withcoaters, a 2.6 metre (8’6”) de-livery extension, automaticplate changers and a CX pack-age for printing cartonboard.They are controlled from twoadjacent Ergotronic consolesand are linked online to a cen-tral Densitronic S workstationfor densitometric and colori-metric quality control. The cen-tral controls for production

The 160-employee company, which celebrates its 40th jubilee thisyear, ranks among the leading suppliers to the Italian packaging in-dustry, serving major brand names like Henkel, Procter & Gambleand Lever along with medium-scale producers in the niche market forcake packaging (panettone).

New management and cutting-edge KBA press technology in large-formatsheetfed offset have proved a recipe for success in the international packagingmarket. Pictured here, from the left: general manager Dr Francesco Tofani,president Luigi Goglio, head of sales Carola Goglio and head of productionMatteo Piller d’Adamo

At 28 metres, the eight-colour Rapida 142 is one of the longest size6 packaging presses in Europe

Report 24 | 2004 29

scheduling and quality assur-ance are also located betweenthe two presses, so the operat-ing crew always have thepresses within their field of vi-sion. Another advantage of thetandem line-up is that it reducesthe amount of legwork requiredduring job changes, whichmade it instantly popular! Inaddition to a pile logistics sys-tem at the feeder and infeed weinstalled an automatic palletfeed developed in associationwith an Italian manufacturer,Diesse in San Pietro, Bologna,and this has helped to stream-line the production flow.”

Value addedwith hybrid inks

He continues, “Both theRapida 142s are engineered forthe use of hybrid inks. Prior totaking the plunge we got to-gether with Epple and Vegraand carried out a series of trialproduction runs. We are nowreaping the benefits of thisintensive development work.Specs for the two pressesincluded coaters plus IR, hot-air and UV dryers which enableus to offer a choice of finishingoptions in an even better qual-ity than before. We use aqueouscoatings, primer and UV coat-ings to enhance our overallproduct quality. But havingseven or eight printing units at

Gerhard Rennbraschi@kbaitalia.it

our disposal also allows us toprint gold and silver in onepass.”

Successful alliance

Matteo Piller d’Adamo hadhigh expectations of the tech-nological realignment, and ishappy to report that they havebeen fulfilled one hundred percent: “We decided to switch toKBA only after careful delib-eration, because we believedthat the technology embodiedin the Rapidas is not only sim-

pler and more logical but alsodelivers a better performance. Ispent a long time in Radebeulwith our company presidentLuigi Goglio, who is a sea-soned engineer. We checkedout the quality of the parts pro-duction and assembly andfound that the standards werefirst class.”

He goes on, “It was obviousthat the Rapida presses offeredsome substantial mechanicaladvantages as well. They areengineered for high quality,print with absolute precision

and zero vibration and areremarkably easy to operate, de-spite all their high-tech com-ponents. Working closely withKBA in Germany and withKBA-Italia on site duringproject planning and the instal-lation of the two big press lines,we were able to draw on theprofessional services of a com-petent, experienced and well-functioning team. And as forautomation and networking,here, too, KBA worked to ourindividual specifications.”

Persuasive arguments

“Our press crews have prof-ited perhaps the most. Theyhave never known presses thatare so easy to operate. Workingin two and three shifts a day wecan maintain a consistentlyhigh standard of quality on sub-strates ranging from 90gsm pa-per (61lb book), to 500gsm(19pt) cartonboard and G-fluteeven at production speeds ofmore than 12,000 sheets perhour. A 30% reduction inmakeready time and a 20% in-crease in production speed arepretty persuasive arguments infavour of switching to KBA.”

PLV is already planning itsnext acquisition. Says MatteoPiller d’Adamo: “We are nowlooking for smaller presses thatwill enable us to address thetrend towards shorter runs, av-eraging say between 1,000 and50,000 sheets. This will giveus even greater flexibility inscheduling print jobs. No doubtKBA will come up with someequally persuasive technologyfor smaller formats as well.”

For head ofproduction MatteoPiller d’Adamo (topright) and his presscrew, the switch toKBA has delivered abig improvement inoutput and flexibilityand an ease ofoperation previouslyunimaginable

High-automation tandem printproduction: the two Rapida 142press lines, which run in two andthree shifts a day, deliver aconsistently high print quality onpaper, cartonboard and microflute

Founded in 1964, PLV has a payroll of around 160 and is one of the leading suppliers to the Italian packaging industry.Its customer base includes Henkel, Procter & Gamble and Lever along with medium-size enterprises in niche marketssuch as cake packaging

Report 24 | 200430

Sheetfed Offset | Sri Lanka

B esides supplying itsplants in Dhaka (Bang-ladesh), Chennai (for-

merly called Madras, India)and Istanbul (Turkey), STS hasearmarked one of the latestpresses for its operations inColombo, Sri Lanka – the firstRapida to come into service inthe country.

The 15,000sph B1 (491/2”)Rapida 105 universal for STSwill be configured as a six-colour coater with extendeddelivery. It will feature nonstopsystems for the feeder anddelivery plus additional sheetguiding elements between theunits to enable it to print board

Wing Hung and STS bring Rapidas to the centres of the textile industry

Rapida 105 will hot up the pacein tropical Sri LankaFor Chinese print enterprise Wing Hung and one of its affiliates,Shore To Shore (STS), this year’s Drupa was a good opportunity tosign contracts with Koenig & Bauer for an additional four Rapidasheetfed offset presses. The dynamic focus of this loyal KBA customer

as well as paper. The presspackage also includes anInkline ink-pumping system,Densitronic S colour measure-ment and control for quality as-surance and documentation,and Logotronic Basic to enableprimary data from pre-press tobe used directly for press pre-setting and job records.

Among world’s biggestRapida users

At present, Wing Hung andSTS operate a total of 20Rapida presses, comprisingmore than 80 printing units and12 coaters, plus one 74 Karat

on the growth centres of the international textile industry is alsoenabling the blue- and-grey Rapidas to boost their global presenceby moving into countries where they might otherwise not have beenfound so soon.

The delegation from Wing Hung and STS in front of the new Rapida 105 on the KBA stand

John Lao (right), managing director of Wing Hung, with KBA sales directorDietmar Heyduck

Report 24 | 2004 31

DI press, placing them amongthe biggest users of KBAsheetfed worldwide.

Wing Hung alone runs 17of the Rapidas (70 units, 10coaters) and the Karat at itsChinese production plants inDongguan and Shanghai,which together boast more than50,000m2 (540,000ft2) of pro-duction space and employ over1,800 people. A letter of intentwas recently signed for a sec-ond 74 Karat.

Rather surprisingly, whentop managers from the twocompanies’ various facilitiestravelled to Germany this year,it was the first time they paid avisit to Radebeul.

Networked printingwith the 74 Karat

Wing Hung and Shore ToShore’s objective in boostingtheir global printing capabili-ties is to offer brand manufac-turers, most of them from theclothing industry, an identicalstandard of quality and work-flow excellence irrespective oflocation, plus unbeatable logis-tics.

Feasibility and quality testsare currently being conductedto compare the performance ofthe 74 Karat in Dongguan with

that of another press located inthe UK. The Karat will also beused to print plastic labels, in-cluding lenticular film. Thesoftware, provided by Human-Eyes, has already been in-stalled. Since a large proportionof the jobs printed entail specialcolours, the 74 Karat’s abilityto reproduce Pantone colourswith CMYK inks was a com-pelling factor its favour.

Martin DänhardtDaenhardt@kba-planeta.de

Global player withlocal presence

For STS, flexibility in han-dling a broad range of sub-strates, comprehensive qualitymonitoring and fast make-readies are key criteria when itcomes to ordering a new press.The new Rapida 105 Universalin Colombo is to print both la-bels and packaging for the

clothing industry. This de-mands the ability to handle awide range of substrates, frompaper to board and even plas-tics, in ultra-short runs. STShas found that Rapidas are idealfor the job.

Wing Hung and STS haveexpanded their presence inAsia, Europe, North and Cen-tral America. In 1999 WingHung achieved ISO 9002 qual-ity certification. Eight of STS’smanufacturing facilities, whichoperate in major clothing mar-kets worldwide, have followedtheir example. Wing Hung andShore To Shore’s main prod-ucts are barcode and variableinformation labels, tags andpackaging, which include fold-ing cartons, price and brandtags and adhesive labels usingvarious substrates and materi-als. With manufacturing loca-tions in most major garmentmanufacturing countries, retail-ers and branded apparel compa-nies need only contact onesupplier for their entire mer-chandise identification andpackaging needs. Wing Hungand Shore To Shore provide alocal service, while the globalnetwork helps cut costs andresponse times.

KBA executive vice president for sheetfed sales, Andreas Mössner (2nd left), and Beauno Fernando, managing directorof STS Sri Lanka, shaking hands on the deal at Drupa 2004 in Düsseldorf. Looking on (l-r) are KBA sales directorDietmar Heyduck and vice president Jens Junker, Wing Hung managing director John Lau and STS production directorJonny Fernando

A Rapida 105 universal six-colour press with coater and delivery extension, similar to the one pictured here at Drupa,will be shipped to STS in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Report 24 | 200432

Sheetfed Offset | UK

The first 15 presses aredestined for Germany,Italy, France, Spain,

Switzerland, the USA, Russiaand the UK. The overwhelmingresponse from printers of post-ers, POS displays and otherlarge-format products has ex-ceeded all our expectations,causing us to extend the initialseries scheduled for 2004 and2005. The Rapida 205’s superi-ority with regard to the range ofprintable substrates, maximumformat, choice of equipmentand level of automation hasbrought orders from printerswho previously had not fea-tured on our books.

Augustus Martinexpands 21- strong KBA fleet

In the UK, the first to signup was Augustus Martin, thecountry’s largest producer ofpoint of sale material and out-door media. The LondonDocklands group has also takenan option on a second Rapida205.

Through a total first phaseinvestment package exceeding£3m ($5.5m) Augustus Martinwill be reinforcing its leader-ship in retail and brand com-munication by expanding andenhancing its existing super-large sheetfed capability.

Joint MD Lascelle Barrowcomments: “All our investmentdecisions are based on identify-ing customer needs and deliver-ing cost or service benefits tothem – the 205 will fit perfectlywith that aim.”

The first Rapida 205, a five-colour UV machine, will be de-livered to Augustus Martin’smain London plant and will be

Worldwide interest in super XXL sheetfed

Giant Rapida 205sboost UK firepowerPrint demos on the world’s first Rapida 205 superlarge press at Plakatfabrik Ellerhold during the pre-Drupa open house organised by KBARadebeul at the end of March, and customer tours to the second user, TeNeues in Kempen, while the trade fair was running, have sparkedworldwide interest in these high- tech giants.

The Augustus MartinGroup, founded in 1966 byLascelle Barrow and joint MDBarrie Dix, operates a policy ofsustained investment in the lat-est offset, screen and digitalprinting equipment. Today thegroup has a turnover set totouch £40m ($73m) and em-ploys nearly 350 staff.

Klaus Schmidt/Terry UlrickKlaus.Schmidt@kba-print.de

Augustus Martin’s plant in eastLondon

Capital Printswitches to KBA

Capital Print, the leadingLondon-based print and POScompany, will celebrate its 25th

anniversary next year with theinstallation of a Rapida 205.

Recently relocated to new12,500m2 (134,000ft2) premis-es in Stratford, London, thecompany now has the space toexpand and enhance its clientservices. In an investment of£4m ($5m), the four-colourRapida 205 is fitted with acoater, dryer and plastic plusCX package. It will deliverbenefits to clients in terms ofefficiency, flexibility and theability to print on a wide rangeof paper, board and plastics.

For Capital Print, a long-time MAN Roland house, theRapida 205 indicates a switchin favour of KBA’s acknowl-edged supremacy in large for-mat and its history of successwith the Rapida 162.

“We have nothing againstMAN Roland,” says managingdirector David Gill, “but KBAcan offer us the various sizes ofpresses we require for the fu-ture. The 205 is another ele-ment in our three-year strategyto provide one of the most mod-ern and efficient printing facili-ties in the UK.”

The new site enables Capi-tal Print to plan separate litho,screen and digital printing ar-eas, a state-of-the-art CTP de-partment, computerised storageand warehousing facilities andcomfortable client suites.

the largest sheetfed press everinstalled in the UK. It will alsobe the world’s largest UVsheetfed offset press, as capableof printing on plastic as it is onboard and paper. The new kitwill complement AugustusMartin’s existing 21 Rapidaunits which are spread across105 and 162 models.

Giant Rapida 205 presses like the one pictured here at TeNeues in Kempen,Germany, have been snapped up by Augustus Martin and Capital Print inLondon plus a string of other large-format printers

Capital Print MD David Gill (r)signs the Rapida 205 deal withKBA UK MD Christian Knapp

The new Capital Printfactory in Stratford,London E15

Report 24 | 2004 33

Sheetfed Offset | Secondhand Machines

New business model

HGO now guarantees itssecondhand machinesThe market for secondhand printing equipment has seen a lot of changes in recent years. In a new departure, Holland Graphic Occasions(HGO) in Wieringerwerf, Netherlands, a KBA subsidiary that handles the sale of secondhand printing equipment worldwide, has startedproviding warranty certificates similar to those already available for secondhand vehicles.

HGO, which became amember of the KBAgroup in 2001, was

founded 25 years ago. In thattime the secondhand machinerybusiness has evolved out of allrecognition. “Back then, it wasjust a matter of buying and sell-ing,” explains one representa-tive. “You bought a press andsold it on in almost exactly thesame condition.” Today, mostof the presses are shipped backto the factory, where they aregiven a thorough inspection,completely refurbished andsubsequently subjected to rig-orous testing. The purchaser isthen issued with a warranty cer-tificate.

Expanded activities sinceacquisition by KBA

In April 2003, two years af-ter HGO’s acquisition by KBA,the existing management wasreplaced by Wolfgang Kretzeras managing director and Anne

Paling as financial director.Originally the company spe-cialised almost exclusively insheetfed offset presses and fin-ishing equipment, but it hassince added coldset newspaperpresses to its repertoire. HGOnow finds customers for mostof the secondhand printingpresses that KBA repurchases,negotiating transactions allover the world.

Cleaning withcarbon-dioxide snow

The labour involved incleaning and overhauling sec-ondhand machinery can varyenormously. Sometimes all thatis needed are a good clean and afew minor repairs. Cleaning is apretty spectacular process. Thepress is erected in a well insu-lated room where it is blastedwith high-pressure carbon-dioxide “snow” (dry ice) at-67° Celsius, just a few degreesabove its sublimation tempera-ture. This loosens all the dirt(ink, varnish, oil), making it

easy to remove. The electronicsystems must be treated withthe greatest care. The next stepis to touch up the paintwork.Once they have been degreasedall the visible parts are re-painted in the original colourand the press looks like newagain.

Highly experiencedassembly team

After that the inner work-ings are subjected to a ruthlessscrutiny. The team responsibleis made up of fitters with exten-sive experience and an intimateknowledge of almost all typesof printing press and finishingequipment. HGO employs atotal of twenty fitters. Theydecide which parts must be ex-changed and which ones can berepaired. Original parts are or-dered from the authorised OEMsuppliers. The control systemsand other systems are fre-quently updated: since 1995,for example, all KBA sheetfedoffset presses a given a CIP3

upgrade and can also be retro-fitted with the relevant softwareupdates.

(Almost) every wishfulfilled

“A lot of customers give usprecise specifications of whatthey want,” says WolfgangKretzer.” HGO then has thetask of finding a suitable press.Since it is not always possibleto come up with a press thatmeets all their specifications,we take them through ashortlist of the ones on offer tosee whether any of these wouldbe acceptable. We generallymanage to find a satisfactorysolution.”

The Fogra test is a standardpart of the pre-shipment testingprocedure following refurbish-ment. The warranty certificategives the buyer the confidencethat the press will function asspecified.

The surfaces are blasted withcarbon-dioxide snow to loosen ink,varnish and oil

Wolfgang KretzerKretzer@kba-planeta.de

The presses in the halls at HGO are in various stages of assembly anddisassembly

HGO maintains a team of twentyfitters to refurbish the presses

Report 24 | 200434

Commercial Web Offset | UK

The company and SimonFox, its managing di-rector, are successfully

illustrating the wide and fastmaxim with some superb serv-ice from its new double-circumference Compacta 618four-unit 48pp press. The deci-sion to go “wide” was takenback in 2002. “The move towide format, up to 1,450mm(57”) on the Compacta, wasone we just had to take,” saysSimon Fox. And as for speed –by the spring of this yearWoodford Litho’s pressroom

Woodford Litho, Essex, with new 48pp Compacta 618

Think fast, think wide, think KBAWoodford Litho, a leading UK magazine and catalogue web offset printer with its manufacturing plant atWitham in Essex, has proved that its thinking is both wide and fast and that its thinking is KBA.

was achieving 42,500 revolu-tions per hour, a completemakeready in 35 minutes and acomplete plate change in lessthan 8 minutes! Now the com-pany is targeting 45,000rph.“We are delighted with thepress and the regular speed it isachieving, but we believe it iscapable of a little more,” saysFox. “At 1,240mm (483/4”) cyl-inder circumference, this repre-sents a 15.5mps (3,050fpm)web speed and that is clearlythe fastest commercial webpress in the UK today.”

Installation via Webcam

Woodford Litho is confi-dent that it has chosen well withKBA, confident in its productquality and the colour maga-zine and catalogue markets itserves. That confidence, andthe company’s economic stabil-ity, was in evidence when itpaid cash for the Compacta.

The press came with semi-automatic plate loading, Pasto-mat RC reelstand, cantileveredsuperstructure, high-speed P5folder with twin choppers and aLogotronic press managementsystem. The installation pro-gramme through to the begin-ning of this year went verywell. Simon Fox even organ-ised a continuous Webcamallowing his customers andsuppliers to see the progress ofthe installation live on theinternet.

Improving competitiveness

In April the companyopened its doors to the WebOffset Forum of the BritishPrinting Industries Federation.Over 25 top directors and man-

Terry Ulrickcknapp@kba-print.co.uk

Woodford Litho is a successfulfamily business with a progressiveinvestment policy

agers from the UK’s leadingweb offset printing companiescame to watch the Compacta618 in action. The press be-haved brilliantly and the high-calibre audience was greatlyimpressed. After only 700 revo-lutions the Compacta was pro-ducing saleable copies. Fromthis very low start-up waste itwas ramped up to 42,500rph.

The Compacta installationwas a great fillip to WoodfordLitho’s staff of 50 and goodnews for the local community.The company takes great pridein making a contribution to thelocal environment whilst im-proving competitiveness andsafeguarding jobs. That con-tribution from the Compactaincludes less paper consump-tion, maintenance-free drives,energy savings and low-alcoholoperation.

Progressive investment policy

KBA beat off strong com-petition to win the order. SimonFox comments: “I had a genu-ine choice between two finemanufacturers but I am confi-dent I have chosen the betterone.” The Compacta replaced along-serving 16pp press andwas part of a progressive in-vestment policy that saw thecompany also invest in work-flow and a CTP system.

The company was foundedin 1934 by Simon Fox’s grand-father and traded initially inEast London as Fox PrintingPress. Woodford Litho is todaya £7.5m ($14m) turnover com-pany deriving some 50% of itsturnover from group sister pub-lishing companies and earningthe other half from the opencommercial market.

Managing director Simon Fox (l), pictured here with Christian Knapp,managing direktor of KBA (UK), is delighted with his new Compacta 618

Members of the British Printing Industries Federation Web Offset Forum were greatly impressedby the performance of the press

Report 24 | 2004 35

Commercial Web Offset | Service

Anew building with3,000m2 (33,000ft2) offloor space has been

inaugurated at the company’sexisting premises and contractsinked for a Compacta 408,an environmentally-friendly re-generative afterburner, finish-ing equipment to follow onfrom all the press lines, a newcooling system and colour den-sity control. Four CTP unitsand two of Agfa’s ApogeeXpre-press workflow systemswill support a digital workflowand replace the existing plate-setting system with film.

Drukkerij Grafix is upgrad-ing the console technology forits existing commercial presses,a Compacta 101 and 214, witha retrofit package supplied byKBA in tandem with Bau-müller Anlagen-Systemtechnik(BAS). The package gives

Console upgrade for Compacta 101 and 214 in Belgium

Retrofit package for DrukkerijGrafix

legacy press lines a new leaseof life by cutting makereadytimes and enhancing cost-effi-ciency.

All - in solution

The existing OS/9 consoletechnology for the two presseswill be upgraded with aBaumüller process manage-

Belgian commercial printer Druk-kerij Grafix, a major provider ofpromotional print to the Beneluxmarket, launched an investmentdrive earlier this year to upgradeits production technology withadditional equipment and a newKBA press. The Dessel -basedcompany is part of GrafischeGroep Bongaerts.

Drukkerij Grafix’ technologyupgrade includes a new KBACompacta 408

ment system, BPLS. The con-sole will then encompass twoidentical OPC servers with re-dundant operation. The registerPC will furnish a link to digitalpre-press via CIP3 and an inter-face to the colour-density con-trols.

The modular design of thepresses enables them to be up-dated on a continuous basis to

Lining up for a photo at Drupa after signing the contract (l-r): Karl-Heinz Stichling, head of customer services at BAS,Uwe Jessberger of KBA after-sales service, Bart and Tom Bongaerts, joint managing directors of Drukkerij Grafix, andDr Ulrich Strunz of BAS management

address changes in customerneeds. The innovative remotemaintenance system can be ac-tivated at any of the BPLS com-puters and enhances machinereliability by supporting thehigh-speed location and analy-sis of malfunctions via directaccess to the control CPU.Drukkerij Grafix is planning tointroduce a roster of support ac-tivities, eg updates and trainingfor service personnel, via theinternet. Retrofitting each presstakes just a few days, sincehardware modifications areonly necessary in a limitednumber of areas.

Bart Bongaerts, proprietorof Drukkerij Grafix, comments:“The upgrade in control andproduction technology will en-able us to respond with greateragility to market demands andoffer our clients a much betterservice and faster turnaround.”

Uwe JessbergerUwe.Jessberger@kba-print.de

Report 24 | 200436

Commercial Web Offset | USA

G eorge Amann knows atrend when he seesone. Being a mere six

or seven miles away from Man-hattan has a way of keeping acommercial printer like Uni-mac Graphics in touch with thelargest agencies, publishers,pharmaceutical and health carecompanies in the country.Amann built what was then Un-ion Graphics from his basementin 1979. In 1981 he rented2,000ft2 (186m2) of space, tookon some partners and divedhead-first into print work fortrade and commercial accounts.He bought out his partners in1985 and rode a boom ingrowth through 1995.

Amann then made a boldmove by acquiring Mac-Naughton Einson Graphics in1999, which catapulted UnimacGraphics into the $35 millionsales range and gave the newly

Unimac’s attack

Closing the loopWith one of the most unique mixes of equipment under one roof on the East Coast, offering digital variable data printing all the way up to full-web and 78” (1,981mm) sheetfed printing capabilities, Carlstadt, NJ - based Unimac Graphics is fighting to differentiate itself from competitorsin a very price- sensitive New York market.

deteriorated, people would getmore involved in web printing.Webs have become so techno-logically advanced that start-upcosts on each job are minimal.Both web offset and digitalprinting are cutting into the 40”sheetfed market.” Not thatAmann is worried in that re-gard; he has all the bases cov-ered. In summer 2002 Unimaccreated Strategic Content Im-aging (SCI), a digital divisionfor on-demand and variabledata printing in up to six col-ours, as well as distribution andinternet-based inventory ac-cess. It has provided anothertool for Unimac in a regionalmarket that demands a largetool belt.

“There are lots of opportu-nities in the tri-state area, butthere’s also intense pricingpressure,” Amann says. “It

Unimac Graphics executives shown (from the left) are: George Amann, StevenRickett, Keith Barreiro and Charles Amann

Unimac workers standing at thefolder section of the Compacta 215

christened company anothercapability: large-format print-ing such as posters, banners,billboards, point-of-sale andpoint-of-purchase.

Unimac took another keystep with the addition of a 64”(1,630mm), six-colour Rapida162a sheetfed perfector withinline UV coater in 1999. Butwhen Amann installed a 40”(1,020mm), six-colour Com-pacta 215 16-page heatset weboffset press, the company camefull circle. It is the first suchKBA web press to be installedin the United States – it cameonline in February 2003 – andis churning out book covers, di-rect mail, posters, publicationsand pharmaceutical materialsto go with its roster of tradi-tional products such as finan-cial printing, point-of-purchaseretail and high-end corporatecommunications.

Web vs 40” sheetfeds

“We believed it was a mar-ketplace that was going to grow– as the 40” sheetfed market

Report 24 | 2004 37

seems every company is re-evaluating its print needs orrepurposing its business. WithSCI we learn about our custom-ers’ product mixes and showthem how they can take a data-base and, instead of printing iton a traditional offset machine,print it on a digital press on-de-mand to create zero obsoles-cence. We are a solutions-basedcompany. We try to understandtheir needs, globally, then weprovide solutions to help themreduce their printing costs andobsolescence, and literally helpthem control their graphic ex-penses.”

Currently, the companygenerates $63 million in annualsales backed by an employeework force of 225. Unimacboasts 146,000ft2 (13,564m2)of manufacturing space at itsCarlstadt, NJ campus, whichhas served as the company’shome since September of 1999.

Sudden impact

It is hard to ignore the im-pact that the new Compacta215 web press has had onUnimac Graphics – a $10 mil-lion spike in business, byAmann’s estimate. Beyondthat, the full-web press hasgiven the company a high pro-file in an arena where it previ-ously only boasted half-webprinting capabilities. “Thepress has been running forabout a year now, and we’re op-erating it five, six days a week,”notes Steve Rickett, vice presi-dent and director of manufac-turing. “Our level of work hasrequired that. The press is avery quick makeready machinethat allows us to be highly com-petitive in a very tight NewYork-area marketplace.”

“The Compacta has ena-bled Unimac Graphics to targetsome of the more dynamicgrowth markets, including di-rect mail, pharmaceutical, retailand consumer goods,” saysvice president of marketingCharlie Amann. “The 215 hasenabled us to fulfil our strategyof providing a total service so-lution for our clients. We haveone of the most unique mixes of

Eric Cagle, Printing ImpressionsErik.Rehmann@kba-print.de

equipment under one roof onthe East Coast. This truly al-lows us to differentiate our-selves from the competitionand compete on larger, moresophisticated projects andproduct launches.”

The web press installationwas a bright spot in a difficultyear for the printing industry,though it proved to be a hard-earned victory for UnimacGraphics. “We had a good year

in 2003, even with the intensepricing pressures,” GeorgeAmann says. “We maintainloyal customers and we had tomake sure our efficiencies andproduction were top-notch. Thebest way to increase profits is toreduce expenditures. Maintain-ing a technologically-advancedplant with the fastest and mostquality-oriented machinery al-lows for increased production,which lowers cost.”

Process improvement

Enhancing manufacturingand quality processes is an on-going quest for Unimac, whichis ISO 9001:2000 certified. Thecompany has positioned itselfto “turn on a dime,” accordingto Amann, with little bureauc-racy and immediate answers toclient questions. The forecastfor the remainder of 2004 looksvery much like its predecessor,which is fine with GeorgeAmann. “We’re not focusing onsales growth; we’re focusing onbecoming the best printingcompany we can be,” he says.“Before we take on new busi-ness, we will make sure ourloyal clients are getting the bestquality, at reasonable prices, ontime.” Even so, Amann is keep-ing his eye on the future of newequipment, sending a crew offive to Drupa in Düsseldorf insearch of the latest technolo-gies. “We are a very strongcompany financially, so whenwe see a machine that can cre-ate new opportunities for ourclients, we have the ability topurchase it,” he says.

Charlie Amann feels thekey for 2004 is seeing advertis-ing rebound to its previous lev-els. “People said that theinternet and e-commerce weregoing to spell the end of print-ing; we don’t see that or believeit will ever be the case,” hesays. “But when the economy istough and companies need tocut back, printing is one areathat has been sacrificed. As theeconomy gets stronger, wehope that customers will onceagain realise the value ofprinted products. We can helpclients fill a special niche theymay not have seen previously.We try to better understandtheir businesses, and strive tofind ways to help them increasethe efficiency of their commu-nications and reach larger audi-ences.”

The 16-page Compacta 215 press in action

Unimac Graphics president George Amann estimates that his firm’s six-colourCompacta 215 has provided a $10 million spike in business

Report 24 | 200438

Commercial Web Offset | Italy

P roprietor FrancescoCalderara and his part-ner Gildo Pellegrini are

not just the print providers ofchoice among a wide-rangingclientele in Italy. Since they in-stalled their first Rapida in1989 they have developed thebusiness into a top address withan international reputation fordelivering a truly superb printquality. In that time Calderarahas installed five more Rapidas– four medium and one largeformat. In 2000 the companyexpanded into web offset with aCompacta 215.

Specialist forchallenging printwork

OPV’s customer base em-braces industrial enterprises,the Arena in Verona and inter-national book, magazine andart publishers. As a result thecompany’s product palette isequally diverse, spanning high-quality fashion, cosmetics andart catalogues, luxury bro-chures for the automotive in-dustry, glossy magazines andbooks with fine colour illustra-tions. OPV even contract printsfor some of the big Italian print-ing houses when a job has to

High-quality printing with FMFrequency-modulated screening,or FM screening, has gainedsome keen advocates south ofthe Alps despite occasionalscepticism with regard to thelimitations of this applicationand the risk factors involved.Among Italian sheetfed and weboffset printers, Offset PrintVeneta (OPV) in Verona is onesuccessful example of an enter-prise which has progressivelyconverted its entire productionworkflow to support this increas-ingly popular process.

Offset Print Veneta (Verona)

inline finishing options plus arotary sheeter after the folder,delivers an exceptionally fineprint quality which, Calderaraclaims, “is comparable to thatdelivered by our Rapidapresses. In fact, sometimes thequality of the prints off the webpress is even superior.” Withthe sheeter the Compacta 215can print stock weights of up to200gsm (134lb book). “We’veeven printed 250gsm stock suc-cessfully,” he confides.

The winner of a string of in-ternational awards, Calderara isconstantly on the look-out forways to further improve thequality of commercial products

that must often be printed onsubstrates that are exception-ally problematical. Which ishow he and his partner hit uponthe idea of using frequency-modulated screening as ameans of refining quality.

CTP of thehighest order

When it was launched in1992, FM screening, which isalso known as stochastic or ran-dom screening, was considered

OPV sees FM screening as apowerful weapon in the hard-foughtbattle for market share. Picturedhere, from the left: Silvio Simeone ofStudio Grafico, OPV printer NerinoBiondani and proprietor FrancescoCalderara, and Dario Braschi ofKBA-Italia

Offset Print Veneta uses FM screening to produce cookery books like these along with luxury brochures, high-qualitycatalogues and glossy magazines

meet the highest quality speci-fications.

The stimulation of a challenge

Francesco Calderara’s rec-ipe for success is to hunt forniche markets that othersheetfed and web printers areunable or unwilling to take onbecause of the complexity in-volved. Calderara finds thechallenge of completing suchjobs successfully – and polish-ing his quality credentials in theprocess – enormously stimulat-ing.

OPV’s 16-page Compacta215, which has an array of

A luxury catalogue for Spanish carmanufacturer Seat was the first weboffset product that OPV printedsuccessfully using FM screening

Report 24 | 2004 39

revolutionary, but the technicaldifficulties associated with im-plementing it without the aid ofCTP caused it to fall from fa-vour. Now, advances in CTPtechnology have changed allthat. CTP systems like Creo’sLotem Quantum 800, which isused by OPV’s pre-press pro-vider Studio Grafico (Verona),have led to a renaissance in FMscreening. Thermal printingplates, eg Kodak’s Electra Ex-cel, and more sophisticated,hybrid screening systems likeAgfa’s Sublima Screening,which OPV uses alongside tra-ditional FM technology, havemultiplied the options.

Brilliantimage reproduction

Francesco Carderara saysthat, in his experience, FMscreening delivers uniform col-our gradations, a homogene-ous, moiré-free image, smoothskin tones and fine details. Andsince there are no angles,screen widths or rosette effects,it can reproduce far more ofthese fine details. With FMscreening, the dots are smallerand distributed irregularlyacross the image. More dots perany given area of image resultin a higher resolution, greaterdepth and razor-sharp images.The copy-to-copy stability isalso outstanding, ie there are nocolour fluctuations throughoutthe entire print run. With mod-ern CTP devices, Euroscaleinks and the relevant colourmanagement systems, the col-our gamut in four-colour offsetcan be expanded by more than128,000 colours. Most of thespot colours previously re-quired can now be printed inCMYK, which eliminates theneed for additional makereadyand multiple passes through thepress.

Intensive testingoptimises entire system

But Francesco Calderaradid not rush to adopt FM. “Ifyou’re going to use the technol-ogy successfully, you need todevote a lot of time and pa-

tience to understanding it andmaximising its potential. Weran a series of tests with StudioGrafico using FM and hybridscreens on both our web andour sheetfed presses, in order tocheck the influence of inks,substrate, blankets and rollers.As a result we can now deliveran image quality that com-pletely silences the critics. Thefirst job we printed using FM

Gerhard RennErik.Rehmann@kba-print.de

was a catalogue for Seat, the carmanufacturer. The quality wasstunning. In fact the quality ofjust about all the jobs we haveprinted to date on our web andsheetfed presses using FM (fur-niture catalogues, cookerybooks) has been first-rate. Thishas encouraged us to promotethe use of FM more widely. Inweb offset we print a dot size of30µ, depending on the type ofstock run, and in sheetfed offseteven smaller than that, 20 to10µ.”

Hybrid screeningeliminates drawback

He continues, “Agfa’s Sub-lima FM screening technologygives us an even more sophisti-cated tool than classic fre-quency modulated screening.The hybrid screen eliminatesthe drawbacks of the randomcomputation on which FMscreening is based, which in thefirst generation led to graini-ness in mid-tones. The twoscreening processes, auto-typical and stochastic, are com-

bined on one forme. The mid-tones are printed using theautotypical screen, while depth,very light and very dark areasare printed using FM. FMscreening also helps to com-pensate for register differencesin both web and sheetfed off-set.”

Use on all typesof substrates

“The use of fine FM screensresults in an outstanding printquality not only on coated andglossy art paper, but also onstock of an inferior quality,such as LWC, improvednewsprint and uncoated stock.Makeready takes less timebecause the colour register canbe set faster. And because thereis far less colour variation andfluctuation, tonal values aremore stable. We always checkthe specified tonal value curveswith the customer both onpaper and at the press, whichmeans that last-minute correc-tions are no longer necessary.The print is an exact reproduc-tion of the data content. Andwith presses as reliable as ourCompacta and Rapidas, there isabsolutely no need to try andinfluence the image throughmanual intervention, which inany case runs counter to ouraim of standardising produc-tion.”

Irrefutable evidence forsceptical customers

Francesco Calderara sumsup: “We believe that FMscreening, with its present levelof sophistication, has enormouspotential because it is faster,more reliable, cleaner and moreexact than current conventionaltechnologies. We have the printjobs to prove that it raises thequality standard even higher.And since this quality enhance-ment can be achieved at no lostof cost-efficiency, we are confi-dent that, sooner or later, evenour most sceptical customerswill be won over.”

Francesco Calderara spares no effort to enhance the quality of his productsand production processes in order to outperform his competitors

Continuous advances in CTP, inks,substrates, blankets and rollers,coupled with exhaustive testing,have enabled OPV to utilise FMscreening with remarkable success

The Compacta 215 at OPV has a sheeter and many other features that make itthe perfect tool for addressing the needs of a quality-focused market

Report 24 | 200440

Publication Rotogravure | France

Two more KBA rotogravure presses for Cambrai

L englet proprietor JeanLenglet has been pursu-ing this corporate vision

single-mindedly since 2001.“We are implementing an on-going investment strategy withthe aim of creating a cutting-edge printing plant for publica-tion rotogravure,” he explains.And he has put his moneywhere his mouth is. The firstpress was commissioned inspring 2002 at the company’simpressive new premises on a130,000m2 (32-acre) greenfieldsite. The second press followeda year later.

Bold decisionsbear fruit

The decision to embark onsuch an ambitious project dur-ing a global recession is typicalof Lenglet’s corporate philoso-phy. The company’s manage-ment team, comprising JeanLenglet, William Lenglet andVéronique Drain, bears equalresponsibility for its successfulimplementation.

Says Jean Lenglet: “We re-alised that offset was fast ap-proaching its limits and wewere firmly convinced that gra-vure is the technology of the fu-ture. Gravure is the only cost-effective alternative to offsetfor high-volume, high-pagina-tion print production. Modern,high-performance productionplants are essential for handlingcustomers’ work to the qualitystandards and within the deliv-ery time-frames they demand,and this is why gravure is thebest solution. Practical experi-ence during the past two years

Lenglet Gravure pursuesfast-track expansion courseBusiness is booming at French print enterprise Lenglet Gravure in Cambrai. Just two years after enteringthe European gravure market it is spending heavily again on new kit. In 2005 and 2006 its two existingKBA presses will be joined by two identical ones to handle a big jump in orders.

has confirmed all our prog-noses.”

Success in Europefor French gravure

He continues: “Our successhas encouraged us to initiatethe second phase of theproject.” The plant’s location inCambrai, north of Paris, isclose to all industry decision-making centres. The printingplant, which offers 30,000m2

(32,300ft2) of production space,had been designed from thestart for a much bigger produc-tion capacity. William Lengletexplains: “We have a large andvaried customer base. Most ofthe products we print are high-volume catalogues or maga-zines, so it is extremely impor-tant for us to offer wide, high-

speed printing presses with ahigh output capability. We havesucceeded in making a namefor ourselves in the Europeanprinting market after just twoyears production with our exist-ing KBA presses.”

Targets firmlyin sight

The first of the two bigKBA TR10B press lines, whichhave a web width of 3,684mm(145”) and a maximum cylin-der circumference of 1,530mm(601/4”), went live in spring2002. Each press can print 144A4 pages in one impression, ata maximum web speed of morethan 15mps (2,992fpm). Theweb can be slit into 14 ribbonsand the copy stream guidedover two parallel deliveries, eg

Erik RehmannErik.Rehmann@kba-print.de

Jean Lenglet (r) and KBA presidentAlbrecht Bolza-Schünemann signingthe contract in Frankenthal for twomore rotogravure presses

Lenglet’s management team of William Lenglet (3rd l), Véronique Drainand Jean Lenglet, who is pictured here with his wife Paulette, were givena warm welcome in Frankenthal by KBA project manager Bernd Bickel (l),sales director Christoph Müller, president Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann,sales managers Ursula Büse and Reiner Dluschek and deputy head ofgravure Thomas Potzkai

Managing director William Lengletis well pleased with his two existingKBA presses in Cambrai, andanticipates a huge production boostwith two more identical presses

for 2 x 72 pages via the twofolders. The presses are config-ured with three control con-soles apiece and linked tofinishing systems with a palletrobot at the end of each one.The fully automatic engravinglines complete an entire cylin-der, across the full width of upto 14 ribbons, in 25 to 30 min-utes, depending on the circum-ference.

The third TR10B forCambrai is scheduled to comeon stream in June 2005, thefourth, identical, press line willgo live a year later. By then thecompany will have invested atotal of €150m ($186.6m) in itsnew plant.

Report 24 | 2004 41

Publication Rotogravure | Innovation

Maul-belser has in-vested a total of €60million ($74.6m) in

taking on board the technologyto address the aspiring demandsof its customers in a marketdriven by the need to enhanceproductivity and cost-effi-ciency on an ongoing basis.

Intensive planningessential

Implementing the projectwithin the stipulated three-yeartime-frame, and ensuring thateach stage is completed onschedule, has entailed not onlyintensive planning, engineeringand testing but also complexand detailed scheduling for thetransport logistics, offloadingand placing, erection and com-missioning.

In addition to the twosuperwide gravure presses,each of which has one reelstandand eight printing units, thecontract also specified thecorresponding CT12 proofingpress with four printing units.The presses feature compact,asymmetrical superstructuresfor 18-ribbon production, plusdouble folders and stitchers.

The first phase of the pressinstallation began on 28 Juneand lasted approximately three-and-a-half weeks. It includedtransporting the first TR12Band CT12 aggregates from ourfactory in Frankenthal to maul-belser’s printing plant in Nu-remberg and then offloading,placing and pre-assemblingthem in two different halls. Forthis part of the project we drewon the competence and experi-ence of Stuttgart-based systemsservice provider Scholpp Mon-tage, which sent in a ten-manteam of specialists to erect thetwo presses simultaneously.“The time frame we were allot-

Maul-belser media federation implements major project

First 4.32m gravure press heads for the actionThe quantum leap in gravure technology announced early last yearby KBA and German media giant maul -belser Medienverbund willsoon be translated into copies per hour when the first of two TR12B

ted for these activities was ex-tremely tight and demandedflawless co-ordination amongall the parties concerned,” saysHeinz-Jürgen Unverzagt, headof our on-site crew.

The lorry drivers deliveringthe printing units and foldersfor the first TR12B and theCT12 proofing press had todemonstrate their manoeuvringskills time and time again. Thepress aggregates, some ofwhich weigh 20 tonnes (22 UStons) or more, were hoisted

from the low-loaders by atower gantry and loweredthrough an opening in the roofof the production hall, wherethey were positioned to the mil-limetre by two electrically op-erated 24-tonne block andtackle systems. The aggregatesfor the proofing press, whichwere just as weighty, wereoffloaded by a heavy-loadcrane and a 33-tonne industrialcrane.

According to Dr WinfriedMarquardt, managing director

Erik RehmannErik.Rehmann@kba-print.de

presses for an awesome web width of 4.32m (170”) roll into actionat maul -belser’s production plant in Nuremberg, one of the biggestpublication rotogravure operations in Europe.

of maul-belser Medienverbund,keeping to the schedule was ab-solutely crucial. “The cylindermanufacturing lines had to bemodified and the auxiliariesand utilities installed prior toerection and commissioning.We have been delighted withthe performance of both KBAand Scholpp to date. In the sec-ond phase, which starts on 18February 2005, we’ll be able toprofit from the experiencewe’ve gained with the first ma-chine, which should save sometime.”

The TR12B’s web width of 4.32m is unique worldwide and heralds a newdimension in gravure technology at maul-belser

The press aggregates, some of which weigh many tonnes, were lowered bycrane and hoist through an opening in the roof of the production hall, wherethey were positioned to the millimetre using block and tackle

The lorry drivers delivering the printingunits and folders for the first TR12B and theCT12 proofing press demonstrated theirmanoeuvring skills repeatedly

Low-loaders queuing up punctuallyto offload the presses at maul-belser’s main production plant inBreslauer Street

Report 24 | 200442

Publication Rotogravure | Germany

W ith consolidationwidely expected topick up pace in the

European gravure printing mar-ket, every operation is strainingto carve out a position of ad-vantage. The Ahrensburg print-ing plant has a strong handhere, thanks to the successfulinterplay of cutting-edge pro-duction technology and ahighly motivated workforce –motivation due in no smallmeasure to “uniquely compre-hensive training,” as KBAproject manager Bernd Bickelglowingly describes it.

State of the art

The standard of technologyincorporated in the two TR10Bpresses, and the level perform-ance they deliver, place them atthe pinnacle of KBA’s achieve-ments to date. The first press

TR10Bs at Axel Springer

Speedy giantsGerman publishing house Axel Springer’s gravure plant inAhrensburg is among the biggest in Europe, with a tally of eight KBApresses. The press crews are so proficient that the firm’s most recentadditions, two TR10B presses for a web width of 3.64m (1431/4“),are now pumping out top-quality prints at well above their maximumrated speed.

came on stream in July 2002,the second, which is virtuallyidentical, followed in January2003. They form the centre-piece of a €70m ($84.4m) in-vestment package which alsoincluded an upgrade in formemanufacturing and three Tem-po gang-stitchers from MüllerMartini.

The TR10B presses are 34metres (111’6”) long, 14m(46’) wide, including the cylin-der stations on the drive side,and 10m (33’) high. Each pressis configured as eight printingunits fed by one reelstandwith a pre-tensioning unit andtopped by a superstructure fora maximum of 14 ribbonsthrough two V7-1000 folders.This enables up to 224 full-colour pages to be printed inone pass.

The maximum rated pro-duction speed specified in the

contract was 57,000 cylinderrph, but since the first TR10Bswung into action the presscrew at Springer has achievedan increase of more than ten percent, equivalent to a web speedof around 15.5mps (3,050fpm).This has given productivity anenormous boost and has evenastonished our engineers inFrankenthal. Print managerLars Meusburger is under-standably proud of his team:“They really get the maximumout of our presses.”

Balancing on a knife-edge

This is only possible if themanufacturer and the user workhand in hand. Bickel andMeusburger are well aware thatat that level of performancethey are balancing on a knife-edge. In order to maintain sucha speed, all the parameters thatcan be influenced by the usermust be absolutely spot-on.

The most important are theability to operate the folder atmaximum efficiency and aforme-manufacturing processthat is equally efficient. LarsMeusburger explains: “Withthe increase in speed to morethan 60,000 revolutions there isno room for manoeuvre in cyl-inder geometry and increment.”Cylinder increment, or cylinderstepping, refers to the gradualincrease in cylinder diameterfrom the first recto printing unitto the last verso unit, in order tomaintain the correct web ten-sion.

No test unitpossible

Designers of gravure press-es must rely to a large extent ontheir experience and on the as-sistance of on-site fitters – aform of collaboration which atKBA is “traditionally verygood,” as Bernd Bickel knowsfrom his 30 years’ experience.

The rotating slitter in the TR10B can slit the web into a maximum of14 ribbons, enabling as many as 224 pages to be delivered in one passvia one or two folders

The console for the TR10B: the press is operated by three printers and twohelpers. At Drupa, in association with Siemens, one of the items of equipmentKBA exhibited was a new-generation gravure console with an online link toone of the consoles for the new TR10B in Ahrensburg

Report 24 | 2004 43

Since building test units wouldbreak the budget, the onlychance design engineers haveto try out new features is whena new contract is being pro-cessed. According to ThomasPotzkai, deputy head of the gra-vure engineering division atKBA in Frankenthal, “Whenwe get the green light we reallystick our necks out – and thenhave to print at the customer’spremises, where everythingmust function like clockwork!”In order to achieve the currentweb speeds, for example, KBAengineers had to completelyreconfigure the printing unitsand extend the drying paths.This is because when the ink isapplied to the web it has justhalf a second to dry before itenters the next printing couple.

Carbon fibre rollers

As web widths have in-creased, carbon fibre (CF) hasbeen adopted for some of therollers because its lightweightstrength is more effective atcounteracting deflection andthe inherent vibration of thepress line. Around half the 134rollers in a TR10B are nowmade of carbon fibre.

Physical processes, such asthe behaviour of the ink in thecells, are also more difficult tocontrol at such high speeds. Butthe engineers in Frankenthalhave done their homework wellon the XXL presses for webwidths of 3.5 - 4.32m (11’6” -14’). As a result KBA is themarket leader in rotogravure,with an installed base of morethan 20 presses worldwide.Axel Springer receives vigor-ous support in optimising itsproduction workflow, aboveand beyond the inductive train-ing for its staff. After all, forKBA’s engineers and theirproduct development, seeingwhat problems can arise is ofthe first importance.

Exchangeof views

“This is the first time thatwe have experienced an inter-change of this intensity,” says

Bernd Bickel. Lars Meusburgerconcedes that there has been “alot to learn” and “a lot of theo-ries to prove”– even thoughSpringer’s highly skilled staffboast decades of gravure expe-rience. The installation beforethis one was a 2.4 metre (7’10”)wide press generation of whichsix lines still form the backboneof the press fleet. They dateback to the era of central drivesand main shafts. Dedicateddrives have wrought a lot ofchanges in gravure. The ben-efits are undisputed – the abil-ity to change speed withoutpushing up waste, for example– but they have also posed addi-tional challenges. This is par-ticularly true for the plant’smaintenance staff, who mustwork on dedicated drives alongwith 23-year-old switch cabi-

Gerd Bergmanng.bergmann@publish.de

nets for the presses installed inthe early nineteen-eighties.

According to Lars Meus-burger, they have adopted astep-by-step approach to com-plex issues like the folder, reg-ister and cylinder geometry. Heexplicitly praises the “userproximity” of KBA’s specialiststaff, which has resulted in a“focused and highly objectivecollaboration.”

Faster makeready

Operating standards at AxelSpringer are necessarily high,not least because all the plan-ning and production sequencesare embedded in an IT-com-pliant network. The companyprogrammed its productionscheduling software in-house,installing a direct digital link to

support the online transfer ofjob data to the control consolesfor presetting the press, ribbonregistration and the web moni-toring system, with feedback ofconsumption levels.

The press presetting systemsupplied by KBA has helped toreduce makeready times at thenew gravure press by almosthalf. As a rule, a complete jobchange – from the last to thefirst saleable copy – takes about90 minutes, plus cleaning timeas necessary. Changing theprinting forme within a produc-tion run takes approximatelyhalf an hour. If only the blackforme is changed the press canbe restarted in less than 15 min-utes.

Automatic forme manufac-ture and shorter makereadytimes have made gravurepresses more competitive withhigh-volume heatset offsetpresses. Lars Meusburger hascalculated that the minimumrun length at which a gravurejob is cost-effective is 200,000copies. Of course the total pagecount must also be taken intoaccount.

A gravure forme cylinder prior to removal from a Hell K6 automatic engraving line configuredwith 14 engraving heads

View of the delivery behind the TR10B in Ahrensburg. The mailroom isequipped with Print-Roll systems and Müller Martini gang-stitchers

(taken from a feature in“Deutscher Drucker”,issue 16/2004)

Report 24 | 200444

Newspaper Production | Technology

Comprising nine towersof nine-cylinder satel-lites, nine reelstands

and three jaw folders, the 6/2Commander will be installed ina printing plant soon to be builton a four-hectare site in the newPortes de l’Europe (Gateway toEurope) industrial zone in northNivelles.

Economic benefits of6/2 configuration

Jacques Valembois, techni-cal director at Rossel, says:“We opted for the 6/2 configu-ration because it offers us alaundry list of economic ben-efits for our specific circulationsize and copy structure: a singletower can print 24 instead of 16full-colour broadsheet pages,

Imprimerie Rossel in Brussels orders 6/2 Commander

Six-wide presses on the advanceFrom autumn 2005, Le Soir; one of Belgium’s leading newspapers, will be printed along with a number of other publications on three six-wideCommander presses. Following initial sales in Switzerland, Imprimerie Rossel in Brussels, the newspaper division of Belgian media groupRossel et Cie, has become the third printing house to place an order for this new press.

and on top of this it takes upless space, costs less, consumesless energy and can be operatedby a smaller crew than a con-ventional 4/2 press. Apart fromcutting the cost of expandingproduction capacity and colourimpositions, the 6/2 Com-mander gives us much greaterflexibility, for example by sup-porting a wide choice of layoutoptions and the inline produc-tion of supplements. The inno-vative press design, with con-tinuous lock-up slots, minigapcylinders, automatic rollerlocks and pneumatic lock-upsfor the blankets and blanketsplates etc offered a lot of com-pelling arguments, both fromthe technology point of viewand for ease of operation,makeready and maintenance.”

Transition to reader- friendlyBerliner format

For Le Soir, the new presssignals the completion of atransition from the Nordic tothe smaller, more reader-friendly Berliner format. Atpresent the copies are trimmeddown to the Rhine format by atrimmer located between thepress and the mailroom.

Rossel et Cie, whose news-papers and weeklies are cur-rently printed in Brussels,Charleroi and Liège, recentlyset up a new subsidiary, RosselPrinting, to staff the Portesde l’Europe premises. RosselPrinting will have around 160employees and an annual salestarget of some €40m ($48m).The new Commanders willprint more than 400,000 news-papers per night. Their daytimejob will be printing weeklytitles with a total circulation ofmore than three million copies.

Automatedtechnology

The three 6/2 Commanderpresses for Brussels will beerected on a concrete substruc-ture. They will have a cylindercircumference of 940mm (37”),a maximum web width of1,920mm (751/2”) and a ratedoutput of 90,000cph in straightproduction.

The press package basicallycomprises:• 9 Pastomat RC automatic

reelstands,• Patras A automatic reel han-

dling and butt-end removal• 9 towers of 9-cylinder satel-

lites for 4/4 on 24 broadsheetpages,

• 72 couples with film inkingunits and spray dampeners,minigaps on the blanket cyl-inders, automated rollerlocks, continuous lock-upsslots and high-speed pneu-matic plate clamps,

• 7 double turner bars,• 3 cantilevered folder super-

structures with four formerson two levels (the lower as-sembly with three formersside by side, the upper onewith one former plus provi-sion for two more) and

• 3 KF 7 jaw folders with a2+2:7:7 cylinder ratio.

Automatic wash-ups for theblanket and impression cylin-ders, web aligners, cut-off reg-ister controls, ink pumping andcutting-edge console technol-ogy with ABB’s MPS Produc-tion job-scheduling and presspreset system plus RIP inter-face document the advancedlevel of automation. Provisionhas been made for the additionof ribbon and sections stitchersat a later date.

Dr Bernd HeusingerBernd.Heusinger@kba-print.de

After signing the contract at Drupa

Report 24 | 200445

Back at Drupa 1995KBA demonstrated on-the-fly individual im-

printing on an Anilox-Expressfour-high tower featuring aScitex digital inkjet system inthe superstructure. Supportedby an automatic plate changingsystem, each of the 700 copiesthat left the machine duringthe 20-minute demonstrationssported a different caricatureand caption on the title page.Although this world first madea big impact in the industry itfailed to catch on for threereasons: quality limitations(monochrome only, coarsescreen), the reduced productionspeed during imprinting, andthe relatively high cost of thehardware and ink. Graphicproof that technical and eco-nomic feasibility do not neces-sarily go hand in hand.

Computer - to-press for newspaper production

CTPress or CTPlate?Cost-efficiency’s the key!

At Drupa 2004 one of our majorcompetitors claimed that “in fu-ture, all newspapers will beprinted digitally.” Is there reallyan alternative to the ever morepopular CTP pre -press for news-paper production – or is thismerely marketing hype for atechnology whose economic vi-ability for newspapers is unlikelyto match its physical feasibility inthe foreseeable future?

On the market for 14 years...

The claim did not refer todigital newspaper productionlike that practised by Océ, inassociation with Hunkeler, forultra-short runs of certainprominent newspaper titles, butto the on-press laser imaging ofoffset plates mounted in thepress by hand. In other words,direct imaging (DI) or compu-ter-to-press – a process which,far from being new, has fea-tured in sheetfed offset since1990 and in web offset sinceDrupa 2000, when MANRoland unveiled the Dicowebthat images directly on the cyl-inder, with no plates.

At Imprinta 1997 we un-veiled the first B2 DI offsetpress, the 74 Karat, in a jointventure with Scitex. SinceDrupa 2000 we have shippedmore than one hundred of thesepresses, gaining valuable expe-rience in computer-to-pressalong the way. When we pur-chased Scitex’ stake in this jointventure in early 2002 we ac-quired a string of direct imag-ing patents along with the rel-evant know-how. So whyhaven’t we launched a packagefor newspaper presses as well?

...but still not cost -effectivefor newspapers

Imaging technology andconsumables have come a longway, and as one of the indus-try’s most innovative playerswe never reject a potentialapplication out of hand. Com-puter-to-press for newspaperproduction has thus long been afocus of KBA research, withvarious projects being pursued,among them a laser imaginghead which has been success-fully tested in a press-roomenvironment. New-generationpresses like the Cortina offerthe option of retrofitting suchimaging heads at a later date.However, although we have thetechnological capability, wehave decided not to offer a DIoption for newspaper presses atpresent, but to focus instead onapplications with much greatershort-term potential for cuttingproduction costs.

KBA demonstrated copy-to-copy digital imprinting on the title page of an exhibition newspaper at Drupa 95 using aScitex inkjet system embedded in the superstructure of an Anilox-Express

Far from being new, the process trumpeted by our competitorhas featured in sheetfed offset since 1990 and in web offset

since Drupa 2000

Newspaper Printing | New Technologies

Report 24 | 200446

What are the drawbacksof CTPress?

The main ones are eco-nomic.

Capital investment costsare very much higher than foroff-press imaging. Assumingcurrent CTP prices and allow-ing for potential cost savingsfrom the lower resolution specsfor newspapers of 1,200dpi, wecalculate a minimum initialinvestment cost of €500,000to €600,000 (around $600,000 -$725,000) per four-high tower,or €1.5m to €1.8m for a 48ppsection. It is highly improbablethat such an enormous upfrontexpense can be recouped bysavings elsewhere within an ac-ceptable time-frame. To thismust be added the limited serv-ice life of laser diodes and thehigh maintenance costs forsuch a sensitive technology,which in view of the largenumber of printing couples andimaging bars (24 in a 48pppress) are an exponential ofthose for an offline CTP sys-tem. Ambient conditions (inkmist, paper dust etc) are alsolikely to drive up maintenancecosts compared to CTP in amore sterile pre-press environ-ment.

Tellingly, even the afore-mentioned proponent of digitalnewspaper production con-cedes that re-imageable platessuitable for newspaper produc-tion (relatively long print runs,extremely high productionspeeds) will not be availablewithin the next three to fouryears. Mounting processlessplates manually and imagingthem on-press simply cannotcompete with offline CTP intandem with high-speed auto-matic plate changing. Nowa-days, newspaper printers mustcalculate in minutes and cannotafford to experiment with eco-nomically dubious technolo-gies.

Despite years of coldset re-search, the maximum servicelife of the imaged cylinder sur-face on the only DI web offsetpress currently on the market isjust 20,000 - 25,000 cylinderrevolutions and therefore inad-equate for newspaper produc-tion. The service life of plateswill scarcely be any longer, atleast initially.

The complex manufactureof re-imageable plates andsleeves makes them much morecostly than conventional CTPplates for wet or waterless off-set. On top of this, volume-focused plate manufacturerswill no doubt be reluctant tocannibalise their sales of stand-ard CTP plates by producing

re-writable ones, unless theycan secure much higher profitmargins.

A newspaper press has aminimum service life of 12 to15 years. Innovation cycles forimaging technology, by con-trast, are similar to those forcomputers, ie a product is out-dated (and probably no longerfunctions 100%) after just afew years. Replacing all the im-aging units in a large number ofprinting couples at such fre-quent intervals is much moreexpensive and time-consumingthan replacing a few offlineCTP systems.

In view of the large numberof on-press imaging systems re-quired for a single press line,

each and every one must be99.999% reliable if they are tosafeguard newspaper produc-tion within a tight time-frame.Prospective users can judge forthemselves whether such alevel of reliability is realistic ornot.

A medium-size newspaperconsumes 600 - 1,200 plates aday. With eight plates per cylin-der this would require between75 and 150 imaging sequencesper day. If just one plate iswrongly imaged, whetherthrough a pre-press error or amalfunction, the whole proce-dure must be repeated. Produc-tion time is lost and the idlepress becomes an overpricedimaging machine. That is noway to make a profit.

In the long term, the user istotally dependent on the pressprovider and thus unable totake advantage of better alter-natives in the form of CTP,where rapid advances are beingdriven by competition amongnumerous providers.

The holes pre-drilled in theside frames so the press can beretrofitted with cheaper imag-ing units at some vague futuredate, if re-imageable plates

74 Karat DI offset press with directimaging via two laser heads. Morethan 100 of these presses have beensold since Drupa 2000

Laboratory trials in the 1990s exploring cost-effective methods for imaging newspaper plates on press using inkjet wereabandoned because the resolution attainable at that time was too low. This may well change in the future

Experimental laser imaging unitin our R&D lab

Tellingly, even the aforementioned proponent of digitalnewspaper production concedes that re- imageable plates suitable

for newspaper production will not be availablewithin the next three to four years

Report 24 | 2004 47

plates disposed of while thepress is running. The actualplate-changing sequence takesless than 100 seconds, whetherfor individual plates, all 64plates in a four-high tower orall 192 plates in a 48pp section.The plates can be imaged and

suitable for newspaper prod-uction eventually becomeavailable, do little to promoteconfidence among potential us-ers and should be viewed moreas a marketing gimmick.

Other “innovations” ourcompetitor has claimed, egcolour register control via tagsor colour preset using bitmaps,are already available on themarket in a similar form andwith the same level of effec-tiveness. And direct imagingdoes NOT solve the problem offan-out on wide webs in four-colour production.

Already faster and cheaperwith the Cortina

Proponents of computer-to-press for newspaper productionare applying the technologyprematurely to treat the out-ward symptoms of a centralfailing – a lack of standardisa-tion – with ever more complexautomation systems.

The Cortina, by contrast,tackles the root cause by elimi-nating dampeners and ink keysand hence the higher labour in-put, waste levels and qualityfluctuations associated withthem. Functions are automatedonly where substantial cost andtime savings can be gained interms of manning, makeready,maintenance and productionconditions. Some examples in-clude automatic plate changing,remote-controlled roller locks,glide-apart towers and speed-dependent cooling systems.With waterless offset, fan-out isno longer an issue.

Automatic plate changing inless than 100 seconds

With the Cortina, newplates can be fed to the optionalPlateTronic A automatic plate-changing system and used

A working model of the PlateTronicA automatic plate-changing systemfor the Cortina was exhibited atDrupa 2004. The system feeds platesto the changing units while the pressis still running, enabling all 64plates in a four-high tower to bechanged in less than 100 seconds

The innovative Cortina, with its dedicated cylinder drives, could be retrofittedwith imaging units if computer-to-press were to become a viable proposition

quality-checked during the cur-rent production run. Technicalprecautions (bar-coding theplates or similar) virtually ex-clude the risk of plates beingwrongly positioned. The blan-kets can be washed during platechanges.

Direct imaging does NOT solve the problemof fan-out on wide webs in four- colour production.

Klaus SchmidtKlaus.Schmidt@kba-print.de

Our conclusions• For KBA, direct imag-

ing is not a question oftechnical feasibility butof economics, practica-bility and timing.

• Computer-to-press pro-longs edition changesand costs much more toinstall and maintain thanoffline CTP. This, on itsown, makes the technol-ogy unsuitable for news-paper production in theforeseeable future.

• Our waterless Cortina,with its dedicated cylin-der drives, could be dig-itally enabled if com-puter-to-press were tobecome a viable proposi-tion.

• KBA imaging compo-nents represent the cur-rent state of the art. Theimage data flow can becontrolled and the presslinked to pre-press. Ourinternal machine com-munication systems havesufficient band-width tohandle image data. Ourmodern, open-architec-ture console technologyhas the computing powerneeded to embed thepress in a digital imagedata flow.

• Automatic plate chang-ing on the Cortina sup-ports the automatictransport of processlessplates.

• Our cross-platform com-petence gives users theconfidence to innovate.As in sheetfed offset, weshall continue to pursuethis avenue of research sothat we can offer CTPressfor newspaper presses assoon as technologicaladvance make it cost-effective.

Report 24 | 200448

Newspaper Production | Service

Our aim in expandingour training curricu-lum is to guarantee

maximum efficiency in the op-eration and maintenance ofpress installations that have be-come increasingly complex inthe course of time, and to en-able press crews to familiarisethemselves not just with thepress technology but also withnew processes and the work-flows in which both are embed-ded. A new training centreequipped with cutting-edgetechnology and sophisticatedtraining aids was inaugurated atour Würzburg facility at the be-ginning of the year.

Anticipating futureneeds

“Dedicated facilities andthe broadened scope of our ac-tivities allow us to address our

Enhancing customer focus and efficiency

New, expanded training programme for web printersEnabling users to make the mostof their KBA presses is one of ourtop priorities, equalled only byour desire to provide the mostadvanced technology on themarket. To this end we offer acustomised training programmespanning a wide choice of basicand advanced courses plus spe-cialist seminars on mechanicaland electrical servicing, drivesystems, automation and printtechnology for our entire rangeof web presses.

customers’ needs with muchgreater finesse, enhancing thequality and effectiveness of thetraining we offer,” explainsBernhard Harant, divisionalhead for newspaper presses,whose responsibilities includecustomer training on news-paper and commercial webpresses.

A training plan is formu-lated along with the configura-tion of each new press. Classsizes are limited to a maximumof eight participants. All thecourses include hands-on train-ing at the press, underpinnedwith a thorough grounding intheory by highly qualified in-structors.

“One significant change,”continues Harant, “is that semi-nars on programmable logiccontrollers (PLCs) and Indra-mat or AMK digital drive sys-tems, which previously had to

be outsourced, can now be heldat the new training centre.”Training manager GerhardKnorz agrees: “This not onlysaves a lot of time but alsomakes us more flexible inadapting courses to individualcustomer needs.” However,customer-specific basic train-ing and practical instruction onpress automation and workflowsystems are still conducted ex-ternally by our automation part-ners, EAE and ABB.

New training centre

The training programmeincludes special seminars onour Cortina, a benchmark pressfor the production of newspa-pers. Theoretical and practicalcourses acquaint Cortina presscrews and pre-press operatorswith the capabilities of water-less technology.

Hands-on training isjust as important aslearning the theory

Our well-equippedtraining facilities forelectricians

Dr Bernd HeusingerBernhard.Harant@kba-print.de

Demand for training hasrisen dramatically over the pastfew years, in line with the in-creased sophistication and pro-liferation of KBA presses. Inthe first three months of thecurrent year alone more thanone hundred customer staff at-tended training courses at thenew centre. “We have noticedan emerging emphasis on train-ing among all our customers,”observes training managerGerhard Knorz. “Unrelentingpricing pressures and competi-tion are forcing them to focusas never before on optimisingtheir operational and mainte-nance practices. We are here togive press crews the necessaryknow-how and skills.”

Customers can take advan-tage of this service for the en-tire life span of their press lines,for example with regular fur-ther training or instruction onupgrades, in order to maintainoptimum efficiency, productiv-ity and reliability. Individualrequirements are accommo-dated wherever possible.

The members of our training teamwere hand-picked for theirknowledge and expertise.The photo shows training supervisorGerhard Knorz (front left) andco-ordinator Andrea Rothenbucherwith, from the left, instructorsRainer Wassmann (drivetechnology), Ludwig Meth(mechanical systems), RainerBreunig (reelstands, Patras andAMK drives) and Werner Gust(electrical systems)

Report 24 | 2004 49

Newspaper Production | Development

In the recent past KBA hascollaborated in variousfields (hybrid inking and

coating, direct offset on corru-gated, digital offset on plasticwith oxidative inks etc) with anumber of players from theconsumables industry, demon-strating what can be achievedby pursuing a goal with persist-ence and determination, andnot becoming side-tracked bythe customary crossfire accom-panying benchmark innova-tions in the marketplace. Othermembers of the graphic arts in-dustry not directly engaged inthis primary development workalso benefit from the results.

Standing stillis a step backwards

In the medium term thiswill also be the case in water-less newspaper offset, a projectwhich KBA has been pursuingtirelessly for the past five yearsin association with suppliersand prospective users, with theaim of promoting standardisa-tion in newspaper productionby making presses more reli-able and cost-effective. But adevelopment coalition must

Workshop on waterless newspaper offset

Development coalition “programs”progressThe interplay between new print-ing technologies and enhancedconsumables still offers a lot ofpotential for enhancing qualityand cost-efficiency and develop-ing new applications. The keyto success is a willingness to in-novate, coupled with the system-atic creation and pursuit ofdevelopment “coalitions”amongthe relevant parties. One currentexample is the optimisation ofwaterless newspaper offset.

have a well-defined objectiveand clear-cut methodology inorder to achieve the desired re-sults. Which is why KBA andfellow coalition member UPMKymmene Stracel, a leadingpaper manufacturer and sup-plier to the printing industry,sent out invitations to a Cortinaworkshop in Strasbourg inJune. Technical staff from sixmajor ink manufacturers at-tended the workshop alongsidepersonnel from UPM, KBA anda maker of inspection, measur-ing and test equipment.

A run-down on Cortinatechnology and the technicalaspects of waterless newspaperoffset by Peter Benz andGeorg Schneider of KBA wasfollowed by a paper on “Opti-mum waterless coldset ink fromthe view of the paper manu-facturer” presented by ElinaKalela, manager in charge ofresearch, development andtechnical service at UPM.

Predictable results

A study by Peter Bauern-schmid, managing director ofprüfbau Dr Ing H. Dürner, aMunich-based manufacturer of

measuring instruments and ma-terials testing equipment, wasreceived with avid interest. MrBauern-schmid, who had testedwaterless printing inks fromvarious manufacturers, nowpresented his findings. Keepingthe data anonymous, he ana-lysed the basic properties (tack,stability, printability, ink take-up, ink/paper interaction, initialtack, striking-in) of the inks andthus indirectly their suitabilityfor applications in an auto-mated production process.From the point of view of po-tential users it is interesting tonote that, with careful analysissuch as this, it is relatively easyto predict which new printinginks can be run with no prob-lems on the waterless offsetCortina, and which still need tobe improved.

Avoiding unpleasantsurprises

As far as the ink industryand end user are concerned, onemajor benefit of KBA’s col-laboration with prüfbau is thatthe suitability of a new printingink can be measured and as-sessed impartially prior to its

adoption in the press hall,eliminating the risk of unpleas-ant surprises during production.For print entrepreneurs work-ing to tight deadlines, this abil-ity to have inks tested andapproved prior to use helps tomake the whole productionprocess much more reliable.Similar tests can be conductedfor blankets and paper, twoother key parameters in the off-set process.

Until now, manufacturersof printing presses became in-volved in the optimisation ofconsumables more by accidentthan design. If problems arose,the buck was frequently – andsenselessly – passed from oneparty to another. We believethat a systematic and co-ordinated methodology on thepart of all the suppliers in-volved in the printing processcan make a substantial con-tribution towards cutting thecost of newspaper productionand automating the productionflow.

Klaus SchmidtKlaus.Schmidt@kba-print.de

Driving advances – together: representatives from ink manufacturers BASF, Flint-Schmidt, Michael Huber München,Lindgens, Siegwerk and Sun Chemical line up with Elina Kalela of UPM, Peter Bauernschmid of prüfbau (4th l) PeterBenz (3rd l) and Georg Schneider (2nd r) of KBA during the Cortina workshop in Strasbourg

Report 24 | 200450

Semi-commercials | Benelux

This is the eighth time insuccession that we haveopted for KBA news-

paper press technology,” saysmanaging director Jan Ver-heijen. “Within the de Jong/Janssen Pers media group thenew Comet will be the 17th

KBA press.”

Newspaper press withcommercial folders

According to Roel deWeerd, technical director of al-lied media enterprise de Jongin Baarle-Nassau, the contractwent to the Comet because itscombination of heatset technol-ogy and two high-performancecommercial folders offered thebest concept. “The way KBAcustomised the Comet for ourproduction scenario, with thenew P3 pin folder plus numer-ous inline finishing and auto-mation features, confirmed ourbelief that it was the rightchoice. Its high level of produc-tivity and quality standards will

Rising demand for four- high towers with heatset capability

Fourth SC Comet for Janssen in GennepSemi-commercial production onfour- high single- or double-widthnewspaper presses with a heat-set capability is becoming evermore popular, most notably inthe Benelux states where printproviders see them as a cost-effective means of producingsupplements, flyers and othersemi- commercials. At the end ofthe year a 75,000cph Cometwith semi-commercial packagewill join an array of other KBApresses at Dutch printing houseJanssen/Pers Rotatiedruk inGennep.

deliver the technology upgradewe need and substantially in-crease capacity.”

110 titles per week

Established in 1883, Jans-sen/Pers employs around 300people and posts annual sales inexcess of €50m ($60.8m).Week for week, the Gennepplant prints 110 different titleswith a total circulation of 18million copies. Alongside itsown titles the company alsodoes a lot of contract work. TheComet will primarily be used toprint full-colour flyers for fur-niture stores, DIY and gardencentres, supermarkets etc. It

will be in operation 24 hours aday, seven days a week –Janssen/Pers’ response to anemerging demand in the semi-commercial market for fasterdelivery, more flexible produc-tion and a better print quality.

The single-floor Cometpress line has a 578mm (223/4”)cut-off and can handle webwidths variable between635mm (25”) and 1,000mm(391/2”). It will be fed by aPastostar RC reelstand inte-grated in a Patras M reel-han-dling system and will comprisean H-type tower for four col-ours blanket-to-blanket, twoP 3 pin folders, one folder su-perstructure with one former

Dr Bernd HeusingerBernd.Heusinger@kba-print.de

and another with two turnerbars, plus a gluing and soften-ing device.

Unparalleled flexibility

The variable slitter and thecommercial superstructure sup-port a high level of productionflexibility. Provision has beenmade for a quarterfold facilityplus length and cross perfora-tors for inline finishing. Thepress will be configured with ahot-air dryer, a chill roller standand a silicone unit for heatsetproduction. The extensive auto-mation package for the SCComet also encompasses rein-forced inking and dampeningunits, automatic colour and cut-off register controls, Baskoweb-tension control, web guid-ance prior to printing unit andfolder infeed, automatic blan-ket washing, automatic inkpumping for black and processinks and a console with diag-nostics PC. The press crew willreceive special training in howto make the most of their newpress line.

Poised to seal the deal in Würzburg, from the left: Bert Geefshuysen, production director of Janssen/Pers Rotatiedruk;Jochen Schwab, KBA; Jan Verheijen, managing director of Janssen/Pers Rotatiedruk; and Ingo van Koll, KBA. Lookingon: de Jong technical director Roel de Weerd (2nd r) with Heiko Klein, Peter Müller and Christian Fuhrmann of KBA

The new semi-commercial Comet forJanssen/Pers Rotatiedruk in Gennepfeatures a Megtec hot-air dryerabove the two commercial pinfolders

“

Report 24 | 2004 51

Newspaper Production | New Products

A t our factory in Würz-burg, a Prisma engin-eered for the standard

US newspaper format is stand-ing by to demonstrate its capa-bilities to newspaper publisherswho have no need to run collectproduction but wish to takeadvantage of the two-pagejumps, high print quality andoutput afforded by a double-width press.

The Prisma brings versatil-ity to colour newspaper print-ing, uniting the high output of adouble-width press and theflexibility of a one-around ma-chine. Its one-around plate cyl-inder addresses the widespreadshift towards localisation byexpanding options both for thetotal page count and for thenumber and thickness of the in-dividual sections.

The Prisma can print thesame number of pages as a two-across, one-around (2/1) presslike the Continent but with onlyhalf the number of printingunits and reelstands, so thepress requires less manning,takes up less space and can bemade ready faster.

All current formats

The printing units on thePrisma are all H-type and canbe configured either as full orhalf-units in line or as a towerfor 4/4 or 2 x 2/2. The tower hastwo main operating levels and,at just 6m (19’ 8”) high, is neatand compact.

A maximum rated output of75,000 copies per hour cuts thetime lag between news eventsand coverage. There is a choiceof cut-offs, from 470mm to598.5mm (181/2” - 231/2”). Webwidth depends on the cut-off,with a standard maximum of1,680mm (66”).

The Prisma incorporatesour well-proven Drivetronicshaftless drives for the printingunits, reelstand, infeed unit,draw rollers in the superstruc-ture and the folder. Sophisti-cated console technologymakes for easy handling. It canbe configured as a floor-mounted, two-floor or sub-frame version.

Prisma 4/1 tower press

Later, but betterThe launch of our new four-by-one Prisma 8pp offset press was delayed by an exceptionally heavyproduction workload at the beginning of the millennium. But although it appeared on the market later thanmodels by some of our competitors, we used the time to make this four-high tower press far superior tocomparable first-generation presses in terms of operating convenience and print quality.

Quality colour printing

The H-type printing unitsare engineered for ergonomicproduction. The double-sizeblanket cylinders feature theminigaps first introduced onour commercial presses somefive years ago and now in op-eration on more than 600 print-ing couples. The plate cylindershave proven, maintenance-freelock-up slots. Pneumatic blan-ket lock-ups support easy blan-ket changes without the needfor tools.

The compact design of theprinting units shortens webpaths and thus reduces fan-out.Yet despite this compactness,and the fact that the plate cylin-ders are only one plate around,all the units are freely accessi-ble and easy to operate duringplate changes. Automatic blan-ket washing units are availableas an option.

Product - and press -orientedoperation

Even the standard versionof the Prisma offers the opera-tor active assistance in product-oriented press preparation, witheach printing couple automati-cally assigned to the specifiedpage. Setting colour or damp-ening merely entails keying inthe relevant page and colour.

With press-oriented opera-tion, a specific printing coupleor subassembly is selected viathe function keyboard with theaid of colour graphic screens,and production parameterssuch as ink, water, web tension,web leads, folds etc are presetto shorten set-up times.

The console system can, asan option, be linked to a job-scheduling and press-presettingsystem. Digital data for preset-ting the ink keys can be trans-ferred online from pre-press via

Klaus SchmidtKlaus.Schmidt@kba-print.de

Ready for demonstrations at our Würzburg factory – our new 4/1 Prisma

Easy handling and access for platechanging, even though the platecylinder is only one plate around

a RIP interface. This reducesstart-up waste. The press canalso be embedded in a digitalworkflow.

Report 24 | 200452

Shorts

When Prince Felipe ofSpain married Letizia

Ortiz on 22 May, each weddingguest received a very specialgift: a bottle of Rioja wine inartistic packaging produced byDigraf in Albelda de Iregua, atown in the same region inwhich the wine is grown.

The packaging was printedon a 1987-vintage Rapida 104four-colour coater press. Thishas since been joined by aRapida 105 universal six-col-our coater press with a hybridcapability, which in addition toexpanding production capacitywill enable the company to cre-ate even more sophisticatedproducts featuring totally newcoating effects, yet at a moder-ate price.

Digraf also prints cigarettepackets and luxury packagingfor perfume.

Digraf: Purveyors to the Spanish Royal Family

The owners of Digraf, Mercedes Jubera (r) and Javier Elias (2nd r), with KBA sales director Claus Hartungand Jesus Herrero of KBA-Ilasa after inking the contract for a Rapida 105 universal similar to the one exhibitedat Drupa

Basler Zeitung toastscolourful future

On 25 June, at an official in-auguration ceremony at-

tended by a plethora of printprofessionals and distinguishedguests, a new Commanderpress line swung into action atSwiss newspaper BaslerZeitung (BaZ) printing a spe-cial commemorative edition.The whole project, from break-ing the ground for the light andspacious new press hall to com-missioning the press, took justover two years to complete.The high-tech Commander, asatellite press configured aseight 10-cylinder towers withnine reelstands and three jawfolders, started up productionin late autumn last year.

The press line prints almostfour million copies per weekand has an annual consumptionof around 33,000 reels of paperwhich are automatically con-veyed from a high-bay reelstore 50m (164’) long and 20m(65’7”) high built by Metso Pa-

Cutting-edge newspaper technology in a light andspacious new press hall – the KBA Commander atthe Basler Zeitung (photos: Dieckhoff)

plied by Agfa and a new Feragmailroom complete the line-up.

Speaking at the inaugura-tion ceremony, the director of

the Basle printing plant, FelixBitterli, said: “Let us raise ourglasses to a colourful future.” Afuture founded on quality rec-ognised by membership of theprestigious International News-paper Color Quality Club 2004- 2006, awarded for a Co-opnewspaper with a weekly circu-lation of 1.4 million copies –printed on the new Com-mander.

per of Finland. The eight ABBconsoles are housed in a sound-proofed control room on thesecond floor. The entire instal-lation, from the reel room to thesuperstructure, is monitored by

40 video cameras which furnishthe press crew with a continu-ous update on production con-ditions. Two CTP systems sup-

Report 24 | 2004 53

Shorts

In mid-June, German printinghouse Holzer Druck und

Medien in Weiler (Allgäu) cel-ebrated another big advancewith a symposium and the inau-guration of a new Rapida 105universal five-colour withcoater. The symposium, thesecond to be held at theKornhaus in Weiler, offeredsome 80 customers an updateon print-related technologies.

Holzer, whose origins dateback more than 150 years, is aleading light in the regionalprint industry. Its productionplant runs 20 B1 plus five B2KBA printing units supportedby Heidelberg pre-press. Thenew B1 press is the sixth KBApress the 130-employee com-pany has ordered since 1990and the first to feature a coater.

Holzer started testinganiva® inks in 2002. The anivacolour system, developed byEpple, has an expanded colourgamut that enables the press todeliver photographic-qualityprints. To make the most of thisstunning visual impact Holzerapplies Heidelberg SatinScreening FM technology. Thesuperiority of aniva inks isshown to best effect on textiles,technical illustrations and re-productions of luxury goodssuch as watches or cosmetics.According to plant managerPeter Rasthofer, this inspired

Holzer enhances print with Aniva and FM

At the inauguration of the new Rapida 105 five-colour Michael Stürmer, head of KBA Süd, presented Dr Elmar Holzerand his wife Gertrud with an original sheet of one-dollar notes printed at the Bureau of Engraving and Printingin the US (photo: Müller)

combination of aniva inks andFM screening has been in placefor several weeks.

Among Holzer’s clientelethere is an emerging demandfor more extensive and imagi-native finishing capabilities. Asa result, aqueous coating was amajor specification for the new

press. “We were looking formore than just a straightfor-ward four-colour productiontool,” says company owner DrElmar Holzer. “Our customerbase largely comprises interna-tional corporations. The newtechnology and enhanced qual-ity we can now offer will en-

able us to attract new ac-counts.” Alongside catalogues,brochures and diverse publica-tions for big industrial andcommercial groups Holzer alsoprints for a string of publishinghouses and has established areputation for the quality of itsfacsimile prints.

KBA North America hasbeen named Supplier of

the Year by Rex Corporation,a packaging printer in Jackson-ville, Florida. KBA was pre-sented with a plaque for itshonour, which was accepted byRalf Sammeck, president andCEO of KBA North America,on the company’s behalf.

KBA North America named Supplier of the Year

Chipper Hall, president of Rex Corporation, holds a miniature press model ofhis Rapida 105 press in front of the real thing

“This is an annual awardthat we present to the equip-ment supplier who shows ex-clamatory service,” says Chip-per Hall, Rex’s president. “Wehave been partnering with KBAfor many years and workingclosely together and they havehelped us to grow and improveour company.”

Report 24 | 200454

Shorts

Fratelli Spada, a majorEuropean printing and pub-

lishing house, is expandingcapacity at its Rome headquar-ters with a 64-page KBA Com-pacta 818 heatset commercialpress.

Established in 1957, Fra-telli Spada has a payroll of 300

Fratelli Spada takes 64pp Compacta 818

and annual sales of around€60m ($73m). The company’sbroad service spectrum em-braces print, finishing and mul-timedia production. Roughly70% of sales are generated inItaly, 30% abroad, with the fo-cus on central and eastern Eu-rope.

Rome-based Fratelli Spada is one ofEurope’s major printing andpublishing houses

The company’s currentfleet comprises ten 16- to 64-page web presses and an equalnumber of sheetfed offsetpresses. With the new Com-pacta 818 Fratelli Spada is tar-geting annual growth rates of10% to 20% over the next threeyears.

The Compacta 818 forFratelli Spada has a cylindercircumference of 1,197mm(47”), a web width of 1,905mm(75”) and a maximum webspeed 13.3mps (2,618fpm).The maximum rated output is40,000 64pp copies per hour.

To minimise makereadyand streamline logistics thepress features automatic platechangers and a Patras A auto-matic reel-handling system forthe Pastomat RC beltlessreelstands. But the piece de re-sistance is a variable-format V5folder that supports two orthree cut-offs around the cylin-der circumference and thus theproduction of short- or long-grain copies, enabling theCompacta 818 to be used for amuch wider range of products.It is slated to come on stream atthe Rome facility in November.

Signing the contract in Rome (l-r): Luigi Miculan (technical manager, Spada), Dario Braschi (sales manager, KBA-Italia), Marco Spada (president of Spada), Dieter Mattern (sales manager, KBA), Dr Gianmaria Lombardi (managingdirector, Spada) and Hubert Kistner (product manager, KBA)

HumanEyes Technologiessigned a joint-venture and

distribution agreement withKBA during a HumanEyespress conference on the KBAstand at Drupa. With immediateeffect, HumanEyes’ 3D Karatsoftware, which is suitable bothfor the 74 Karat and Rapidamachines, will be offeredthrough our existing distribu-tion channels. NumerousHumanEyes 3D Karat softwarepackages have already beensold with 74 Karat presses.Live demonstrations of thesoftware were run on the 74Karat throughout the show.

Commenting on the agree-ment, Gideon Ben-Zvi, presi-

KBA to distribute HumanEyes softwaredent and CEO of HumanEyesTechnologies, said, “We are de-lighted to see HumanEyes soft-ware bringing together theworld of digital 3-D photogra-phy and the advanced plasticprinting systems developed byKBA in order to offer a high-quality lenticular solution suit-able for mainstream printing.”

The Karat workflow servesas the ideal platform for thisunique software by reducingmakeready time and supportingdirect printing on plastic withoxidative inks. It delivers a su-perb three-dimensional imageon lenticular film with an abso-lute minimum of waste.

From the left: Gideon Ben-Zvi, Yoav Chelouche (both of HumanEyes),Andreas Mössner and Jens Junker (both KBA) signing the joint distributionagreement

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Anew Karat to be installedin Miami, Florida, will

bring additional business intoColor K Graphics. The presswas sold on the first day ofDrupa when the owner, DanielKorzeniewski, saw the high-quality printing along with ex-tremely short makeready times.“We’re excited about the KBApartnership that will allow us togrow our organisation into newmarkets as well as being able toadd to our services for our ex-isting customer base. KBA’sDrupa booth and the pressesshown were extremely impres-sive and its wide range ofcutting-edge technology willensure that KBA is the bestpartner for our future develop-ment.”

Color K is a small digitaland offset company serving thesouthern Florida marketplace.The 74 Karat features an inlinecoater for high gloss and fasterturnaround. This will addresscustomer demands for same-day service. The press also hasan optional board package forrunning thicker substrates. Thiswill help the company expand

Color K addresses new markets with 74 Karat

The delegation from Color K – Daniel, Frederico and Juan Carlos Korzeniewski – flanked by sales rep Ed Fitzpatrickand CEO Ralf Sammeck of KBA North America’s Sheetfed Division, in the short-run factory on the KBA stand

into the short-run packagingmarket.

Being able to serve clients’total needs in Miami is ex-tremely important as it is a fast-

paced marketplace and printbuyers have limited time. Manyorganisations use the trendy hotspot for testing new packagingconcepts, and the Karat is the

ideal tool for capturing thisemerging market. No otherpress can delivery such qualityin this format with such fastturnaround times.

Amajor market for our 74Karat is the UK, where it

is used for various applications.Fast prototyping for the in-

ternational packaging market isone of the tasks assigned to anew coater version at JenningsDAR (Design, Artwork andReprographics), Barnsley, an80-employee company with a

Jennings DAR, Taylor Bloxham place orders for 74 Karatmirror organisation in SriLanka and partner pre-presscompanies in the USA andChina.

Established in Leeds some15 years ago, the firm providesa supply chain managementand reprographic bureau serv-ice across Europe, originatingdesigns for the packaging andpoint of purchase sectors aswell as a substantial tranche ofpublishing work.

So what clinched the orderfor KBA? “The Karat’s excel-lent substrate flexibility andfast makeready,” says JohnJennings. “It enhances the serv-ice we provide to our discern-ing international clientele.”

For Leicester-based TaylorBloxham, one of the UK’s larg-est sheetfed litho printers stillunder family management, the74 Karat represents a carefullyplanned move into digital print-ing.

The press will work along-side a 12-colour Speedmaster.Says operational development

director Wesley Sykes: “We be-lieve the 74 Karat will meet ourexacting requirements. It is abrilliant concept and will giveus immense flexibility, deliver-ing high-quality print.”

Founded in 1938, TaylorBloxham is today the majorcompany within The Print Peo-ple Group which, together withsister companies C&R PrintingServices and facilities manage-ment company FastAnt, em-ploys over 200 staff and has aturnover in excess of £20m($36.5m). The group’s productrange includes magazines, cata-logues, business reports andaccounts, greeting cards andhigh-quality commercials.

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Aldridge installs Rapida 105/10 to add clout in themarketplace

An investment set to extendthe company’s competi-

tive edge is how AldridgePrint Group describes its pur-chase of a new Rapida 105/10.

With a modern 30,000ft2

(3,000m2) factory at Mitcham,Aldridge specialises in high-quality corporate work, settinghigh standards for both its printand its in-house operationalsystems.

Managing director RobertAldridge represents the fourthgeneration of the founding fam-ily. Today the group employsover 60 staff and has a turnoverin excess of £6 million ($11m).

The Rapida 105/10 will re-place a six-colour and a two-colour Heidelberg. “I have beenhappy with the Heidelbergproducts, says Mr Aldridge.“But we are now attracted byKBA’s newer technology, su-perb print quality and theRapida’s ability to print fiveback five on material up to 700microns. We were also attracted

From the left: Aldridge Print Group MD Barry Smith, CEO Robert Aldridge and technical director Roger Bushat the press in Radebeul

by its sound environmental cre-dentials. Today, you need to beof a size to compete well andthis new machine as our leadpress will give us increasedclout in the marketplace.”

The company strains forevery technological advantageit can gain from its Screen CTPsystems, award-winning FMscreening, ISO 14001 environ-mental accreditation, impres-

sive e-commerce service and itstrail-blazing use of Metal FXprinting. “We are quite good atsystems technology,” RobertAldridge adds modestly.

Corporate philosophy atthe Schmelzle-Gruppe, a

big German web offset printinggroup, is informed by rigorousquality standards at its fouraffiliated companies – GmähleRollenoffset in Waiblingen,Limburger Offsetdruck in Lim-burg, Frotscher Druck Leipzigin Gerichshain and WagnerscheUniversitätsdruckerei in Inns-bruck (Austria).

That is why, earlier thisyear, it applied to the relevantregional branches of theBVDM (Bundesverband Druckund Medien = Printing and Me-dia Industries Federation) foraccreditation of its offset litho-graphic processes in accord-ance with part 2 of ISO 12647,a graphic technology standardrelating to process control forthe manufacture of half-tone

Four print locations + one file = one result

colour separations, proof andproduction prints.

The web stock selected bythe group for certification at allfour production locations wasone whose properties most

closely resemble those of stockclass II (matt coated forsheetfed offset). The test fileswere processed and prepared atthe main plant in Limburg,which is where standardised

data processing for everydayproduction takes place. The fin-ished files were subsequentlysent to the individual locationsfor output on CTP devices.

The spectrophotometricvalues of the digital proofs andthe quality of the offset printsdelivered was astounding. Al-though the production printswere run on web offset presses,the print characteristics corre-sponded to those for sheetfedoffset. Compelling evidence ofthe outstanding print quality atthe four locations, which all op-erate Compacta presses.

So on 19 July group propri-etor Kurt Schmelzle becamethe first web offset printer inGermany to be awarded an ISO12647-2 certificate for the off-set lithographic processes at allhis production facilities.

Michael Hüffner (l), chairman of the Baden-Württemberg branch of theBVDM, congratulates Kurt Schmelzle on being the first web offset printer toreceive the coveted ISO 12647-2 certificate for offset lithographic processes

Report 24 | 2004 57

PROSA, a subsidiary ofChilean media enterprise

COPESA, is expanding theprinting capacity at its San-

First Double Circumference Commercial Web Press for Chile

From the left: KBA sales director Christoph Müller and executive vice president Walter Schumacher,COPESA operations manager Mario Troncoso Lagos, KBA marketing manager Erik Rehmann, PROSA operationsmanager Pedro Moral Lopez, IKB Deutsche Industriebank director Karl-Heinz Passlick and KBA sales managerKai Trapp lining up for a photo after sealing the deal at Drupa

tiago plant with a 48pp Com-pacta 618 from Koenig &Bauer. It will be the first doublecircumference commercial web

offset press in the country andillustrates COPESA’S confi-dence in growth in this marketsector. At the same time it

places the Chilean printing sec-tor in a key position in SouthAmerica.

The deal – the biggest fora decade and a milestone inthe history of Chile’s printingindustry – encompasses newpre-press equipment and infra-structure. The technology andcapacity boost delivered bythe new KBA press will dra-matically reduce the cost ofprinting magazines and bro-chures.

At present PROSA, whichhas 145 employees and ad-dresses both regional and inter-national markets, prints books,magazines, catalogues and sup-plements on four 16pp pressesand a sheetfed press. Taking onboard the most advanced pre-press and press technology inthe market will enable PROSAto offer its customers enhancedquality, a more diverse spreadof products and faster turna-round.

Fast, efficient and able toprint 75,000 copies an

hour, a new Colora is now op-erational at Canadian enterpriseMetroland Printing, Publish-ing & Distributing in To-ronto, Canada. Comprisingfour towers, six two-armreelstands, two folder super-structures with four formersand two jaw folders, the presswas installed at Metroland’snewly-designed facility inNorth York.

Pressroom manager BobCole, who has been workingwith presses for more than 30years, says the new KBAColora is the best he has everseen. “The quality is definitelyvisible,” he adds. “There havebeen no shortcomings.”

Plant manager Ian Ducksays KBA was chosen for itsdesign of a variable web widthpress that would improve on

Colora heralds new era at Metrolandthe division’s five previousvariable web width presses.“Metroland has the ability toprint on many variable websizes and stock basis weights,combinations of tabloids andbroadsheets, a large assortmentof colour configurations and avariety of commercial prod-ucts, and now includes a 96-page stitching capacity. Thisability allows us to offer abroader range of products forour customers.”

A tabloid must have a widthof 289mm (113/8”), but mayhave a variable length from279.5mm to 406.5mm (11” -16”). The Colora can print inthat entire range, in 25mm (1”)increments. A broadsheet publi-cation has a fixed length of578mm (223/4”) and a variablewidth of 279.5mm to 406.5mm.These could also be printed bythe Colora, as could advertising

flyers and other commercialwork of a higher basis weight.

The Colora can print 128full-colour tabloid pages. Themaximum page count of 192pages with 64 full-colour pagescan also be achieved in onepass. Right from the start thenew press could print 1.5 mil-lion copies a week.

A wholly owned subsidiaryof Torstar Corporation, a mediacompany whose businessesinclude The Toronto Star,Metroland publishes 65 news-papers with a total of 110 edi-tions, centred around Torontoand southern Ontario. Com-bined distribution of Metro-land’s community titles isaround 4.5 million copies perweek.

Bob Cole, pressroom managerwith more than 30 years of industryexperience, is delighted with thenew Colora

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On 10 July our assemblyplant in Trennfeld, a 20-

minute drive from our mainplant in Würzburg, celebratedits 40th jubilee. Speaking atthe commemorative ceremony,KBA president Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann recalled some ofhis personal memories of thecompany’s evolution from itsorigins on a greenfield site in1964 to its present dimensions.“Over the past 40 years thefactory has seen continuousgrowth. Today it employs 400people and occupies a key posi-tion within the 7,000-strongKBA group as an ‘extendedworkbench’ for our web press-es. KBA customers all over theworld value the high quality ofthe presses assembled here and,above all, the reliability anddiligence of our Trennfeld-based fitters.”

Five years ago, the Trenn-feld plant was converted into aspecialist assembly line andsubstantially extended in orderto support strong growth insales of KBA web presses.Since then it has assembled vir-tually all the printing units fornewspaper and commercialweb presses, all the superstruc-tures for newspaper presses and

KBA Trennfeld celebrates 40th jubilee

The high spot of the open day at ourTrennfeld assembly plant was a printdemonstration on a Coloranewspaper press destined for Dover,Delaware. The start-up button waspressed by Matthias and MarcBolza-Schünemann, who representthe 7th generation in KBA’s foundingfamily

systems for reel logistics. Ear-lier this year it installed anonline facility for the remotemaintenance of KBA web off-set presses worldwide.

More than 4,000 visitorsthronged the factory on theopen day commemorating its40th jubilee. The high spot ofthe event was a print demo on a

At the beginning of Decem-ber 2002 the Kansas City

Star, a title owned by US mediagroup Knight Ridder, placed anorder for a multi-unit Com-mander press line with a total of36 four-high towers. The press-es will soon be ready for ship-ping. At the end of June, as abig thank-you for the support ofall the KBA staff engaged inthis project, the Kansas CityStar threw an “AppreciationParty” in Würzburg.

Celebrating the casting ofthe final side frame in the foun-dry, Randy Waters, vice presi-dent production, flew over spe-

Kansas City Star issues invites to Appreciation Partycially from the States with pro-duction director Dave Brol-horst and his wife Sue to organ-ise the event. To the accompa-niment of the KBA works band

an entertaining afternoon wasspent engrossed in shoptalkwhile consuming quantities ofBavarian beer, Franconian sau-sages and steaks.

In the present day and agean invitation such as this, froma major customer to the staff ofan equipment supplier, is some-thing of a rarity.

Randy Waters (l) and Dave Brol-horst inspecting the side-frames

Randy Waters tapping the obligatorybeer barrel in the hospitality tent

Claus Bolza-Schünemann thankingthe Kansas City Star

Colora newspaper press des-tined for an American customerin Dover, Delaware, with Marcand Matthias Bolza-Schüne-mann pressing the button.

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Spanish directory giantEinsa Ediciones Informa-

tizadas is boosting its heatsetcapabilities with a 64pp Com-pacta 818. The move underpinsthe Madrid-based company’spole position on the Iberian Pe-ninsula and enables it to expandin the European market.

The choice of press was in-fluenced by the company’s sat-isfaction with six existing 48ppCompacta 618 presses, whichare configured as three double-deckers.

Einsa started specialising inprint production on lightweightstock soon after it was estab-lished in 1971, and has pursueda policy of ongoing investmentto corner this lucrative nichemarket. Initially focusing onhotel guides and various otherdirectories, it was quick to real-ise that telephone directories

Technology upgrade for European directory giant

Madrid-based Einsa startedspecialising in print production onlightweight stock soon after beingestablished in 1971

Einsa is well pleased with the performance of its six Compacta 618s.Now it is adding a Compacta 818

offered the greatest potentialfor growth. Einsa currently em-ploys around 500 people andruns 11 web offset presses plustwo sheetfed presses for print-ing covers. It consumes100,000 tonnes of paper peryear.

The new 64pp press will beconfigured with two PastomatRC reelstands, four printingunits, a dryer for twin-web op-eration, an enlarged chill-rollerstand, a superstructure and a P5folder. This unusual configura-tion is customised specifically

for Einsa’s two main products –classic 4/4 commercials with amaximum page count of 64 A4pages and 2/2 directories withup to 128 pages per section –and ensures that press capacitycan be exploited to the full, de-livering cost and efficiencygains.

German printing houseTiefdruck Schwann-Ba-

gel (TSB) has ordered a newTR10B rotogravure press forits facility in Mönchen-Glad-

TSB orders XXL gravure press

Sorting out the final details of the press contract in Frankenthal: (seated, l-r) TSB’s deputy head of gravure FrankAckermann and gravure plant manager Volker Schünhoff with KBA’s deputy head of gravure Thomas Potzkai;(standing) KBA sales manager Gunter Rettinger, TSB administrative board member Ekkehard Stier and head ofproduction technology Jean Haeffs, KBA sales director Christoph Müller, TSB managing director Pasquale Iuliano,KBA deputy president Claus Bolza-Schünemann and KBA project managers Bernd Bickel and Johannes Boppel

bach. This latest contract reaf-firms the longstanding and suc-cessful business relationshipbetween our two companiesand underlines our technologi-

cal dominance in the market forlarge-scale rotogravure presses.

The new floor-mountedpress will be engineered for aweb width of 3.68 metres

(145”), enabling it to output upto 14 ribbons. Features includededicated drives, which are fastbecoming a standard in rotogra-vure. With just a couple of printruns the TR10B can producehigh-circulation, high-pagina-tion consumer magazines andcatalogues cost-efficiently andfast. Its automatic presettingsystem minimises makereadiesand waste levels during jobchanges.

One of the largest non-pub-lishing printing houses in Eu-rope, TSB is a member of theBagel group which has beenfamily owned since 1801. Itsbusiness operations focus ongravure and offset printing plusrelated customer services. Itemploys around 1,500 peopleand runs 13 rotogravure andfive web offset presses thatconsume over 300,000 tonnes(330,000 US tons) of paper peryear.

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KBA sheetfed offset cus-tomer Gerber GmbH

Druck + Medien in Kirch-heim near Munich hasachieved recognition for thequality and competence of itsoffset lithographic processes inthe form of ISO 12647-2 certi-fication. The audit was con-ducted by the Bavarian branchof the BVDM (BundesverbandDruck und Medien = Printingand Media Industries Federa-tion). In 1997 Gerber wasamong the first print operationsin Bavaria to be awarded ISO9000 (quality) and ISO 14000(environmental) accreditationalong with the EU’s environ-mental certificate.

Says managing directorHelmut Gerber: “We are thefirst production plant in Ba-varia and one of the first in Ger-many to achieve independentand impartial certification forthe quality of our print and me-dia products. This gives our

Gerber achieves ISO12647-2 accreditation

reputation as quality printers anenormous boost. Compliancealso delivers higher productiv-ity and reliability in day-to-dayproduction, as well as a fasterturnaround, since colours aredefined unambiguously andreproducibly.”

Established in Munich in1927, Gerber moved to a newprinting plant in Kirchheim-Heimstetten in 1990. In 1998the company initiated the tran-sition to KBA presses, install-ing a Rapida 72 five-colour anda Rapida 105 six-colour withperfecting after the secondprinting unit. These were fol-lowed in May this year by twomore of our presses, a Rapida74 and Rapida 105, both con-figured as six colours withautomatically convertible per-fecting after the first unit. Allthe printing units feature colourcontrol with data presetting. Inaddition the Rapida 74 is con-figured with a numbering unit.

Managing directors Helmut (r) and Stephan Gerber proudly display their ISO12647-2 certificate

Gerber’s customer base spansthe cosmetics and optics indus-tries, fashion and advertising,

where high quality standardsare de rigeur. It employs a staffof 42.

The Guangzhou DailyGroup has inaugurated a

second 16pp Compacta 215commercial web press inGuangzhou, a flourishing in-dustrial metropolis with sevenmillion inhabitants some180km (112 miles) north-westof Hong Kong.

The company’s staff ofaround 5,800 outputs 137,000tonnes (150,700 US tons) ofprinted matter per year. Its flag-ship title, The GuangzhouDaily, has a circulation of ap-proximately 1.65 million cop-ies per day. The volume of ad-vertisements is the largest in thewhole of China, with double-digit increases every year overthe past decade.

KBA is the market leaderfor large-format sheetfed press-

After signing up for a Compacta 215 for Guangzhou Daily (l-r):Alex Gao (deputy general manager, Guangzhou Daily), Christoph Müller(KBA sales director), Liang Hanhui (president, Qingyuan Jianbei ofGuangzhou Daily), Stefan Segger (general manager, KBA Asia-Pacific,Singapore), Li Xiangnan (financial director, Guangzhou Daily) and Zhao Lin(sales manager, KBA China)

Compacta 215 for Guangzhou Dailyes in China and is also a majorplayer in the newspaper andsemi-commercial markets, as isevidenced by the large numbersof Comet and Colora pressescurrently in operation there.This most recent investment inour commercial web offsetpress technology by anotherChinese printing house under-scores the solid reputation thatKBA enjoys. The Compacta215, which features dedicateddrives, minigaps and an auto-matically adjustable gripperfolder, is one of the most ad-vanced presses in the globalmarketplace. It has a maximumrated speed of 55,000cyl.rph,a cylinder circumference of620mm (241/2”) and a maxi-mum web width of 1,000mm(391/2”). Thanks to the high

level of automation and shortmakereadies, this is a highly ef-

ficient press for short and me-dium production runs alike.

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At Drupa we unveiled anew SRA3 (18”) digital

offset press, the 46 KaratPlus, in-corporating Presstek’s ProFireExcel imaging system. Thisenables the press to image FM(frequency-modulated) screensand thus deliver a much betterprint quality.

ProFire Excel uses a 16µm(630µin) laser spot at 2540 dpi,supports both frequency- andconventional amplitude-modu-lated (AM) screening up to 120l/cm (300lpi) and is optimisedto work with Presstek’s ProFireDigital Media. This combina-

tion of press, laser and platetechnology has raised thebenchmark in digital offsetquality.

In addition to delivering anenhanced imaging quality thenew 46 KaratPlus also features• upgraded software for theinking system that automati-cally controls ink settings overthe complete run, ensuring con-sistent colour densities andminimised paper waste;• a pre-stacking device thatsupports uninterrupted opera-tion during long print runs oradvance preparation of stock

for the next print job, makingfor greater efficiency and ahigher output;• a new, high-performanceWEKO AP110 powder spraysystem, which consumes lesspowder per application bymetering it more uniformly andprecisely across the entire sheetwidth.

Alongside the 46 KaratPlus

we shall continue to offer ourexisting 46 Karat model, thusproviding customers with a va-riety of pricing options and theability to choose a press thatbest fits their needs.

New 46 KaratPlus

delivers new level of quality

Our new 46 KaratPlus, featuringPresstek’s ProFire Excel imagingtechnology, was a focus of interestamong visitors to the short-runfactory on our stand at Drupa,where we sold a number of presses

At the beginning of July anew Commander press

line sailed into action at theSeoul production plant of TheDong-A Ilbo Daily (OrientalDaily News), one of the ten big-gest dailies worldwide. An ex-tension to a 1997-vintage KBAExpress machine, to expand itscolour capabilities, came onedition at the same time.

The new installation com-prises three four-high towers

KBA Commander sails into action

for 4:4 production, three five-couple towers for 4:1, sixreelstands, six turner bars withbay-windows and balloonformers, a KF 5/KF 3 doublefolder, automation modules forreel logistics, ink pumping, col-our-register control, blanketwashing, guide roller cleaningand dust extraction, three EAEconsoles and a PRINT produc-tion planning and presettingsystem.

Around 100 guests attended theinauguration of the KBACommander, among them themanagement team and staff ofDong-A Ilbo and representativesfrom other companies engaged in theproject

The press is engineered fora maximum rated output of85,000 48pp copies per hour instraight-run production, with36 full-colour and 12 monopages.

The Dong-A Ilbo mediahouse was established in 1920and is still controlled by thefounding family. Its flagshiptitle, The Dong-A Ilbo Daily,which has a circulation of morethan two million copies a day, isone of the biggest in South Ko-rea, with subscriptions deliv-ered door-to-door constitutingapproximately 98% of sales.Dong-A Ilbo maintains some1,500 remote editorial officesthroughout the country plus afurther 20 abroad. In addition tothe morning daily the companyprints monthly magazines,books and special-interest ti-tles. The Dong-A Ilbo Daily isprinted simultaneously at mul-tiple locations in and aroundSeoul, the capital city with tenmillion inhabitants, and inother cities nationwide.

Company president KimHakjoon says, “Dong-A IlboDaily’s company policy is

Satisfied faces after checking the print quality at the console: Lee Yong-Sung,CEO of Dong-A Printing; Kim Hakjoon, president and publisher of The Dong-A Ilbo Daily; Jochen Schwab, KBA sales director; and Jeremy B.K. Kang,president of KBA’s Korean agency KBA-VISIONTECH Trading

based on top quality and per-formance in both our publish-ing and printing divisions. Thisis why we chose KBA presstechnology again.”

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Auser meeting for ourSpanish customers took

place in March at the Heraldode Aragon in Zaragoza (Sara-gossa). Following the premierein October last year atCanarias7 on Gran Canaria itwas the second meeting of thistype to be held on Spanish soil.The meeting was co-sponsoredby our alliance partners EAEand Megtec (Amal) and organ-ised by our agency KBA-Lauvic.

KBA user meetings in Spain and Denmark

The central theme of the pa-pers and discussions was thecurrent state of the art and re-cent advances in newspaperprinting technology. And, ofcourse, the event would nothave been complete without atour of the Comet installation inZaragoza. The day concludedwith a banquet dinner whichgave the participants a fine op-portunity to talk shop.

Just a few days laterScandinavian newspaper pro-

KBA user meetings like the one in Odense, Denmark, offer a valuable platformfor swapping notes on shopfloor practices

The tour of the Heraldo de Aragon in Zaragoza to see a Comet in action wasthe high spot of the user meeting in Spain

fessionals gathered in Odense,Denmark, for a user meetingorganised by KBA-Nordic. Theprogramme included a trip totwo local newspaper printingplants, Fyens Trykkeri in Od-ense and Politiken in Erritsö-Fredericia, for production runson Colora and Commanderpress lines. On the second dayKBA-Nordic staff gave an up-date on the technological ad-vances KBA has made and the

full-scale after-sales serviceprovided by KBA-Nordic. Thetechnological advances weresubsequently demonstrated ona Colora press line.

The programme met withthe unanimous approval of allthe participants, many of whomdescribed the user meeting asan enrichment for their day-today work in a newspaper pro-duction environment.

More than 400 industryplayers and luminaries

accepted an invitation to St.Sulpice in southern France atthe beginning of June to attendthe official dedication of a new24-page Compacta 318 com-mercial press at Sud GraphieRotatives. The company pulledout all the stops to make it anunforgettable event. The guestswere welcomed by an actorplaying the part of JohannesGutenberg, who accompaniedproceedings, together with hiscolourful colleagues, for therest of the day.

But the star of the show wasthe high-tech Compacta 318.

Red carpet treatment for Compacta 318 at Sud Graphie Rotatives

“Johannes Gutenberg” and his colleagues put in adistinguished appearance in their historical attire

Over 400 guests attended the dedication of a newCompacta 318 at Sud Graphie Rotatives

Configured with a flying im-printer, four printing units, a su-perstructure and F3 gripperfolder for enhanced productionflexibility, the press demon-

strated its high output and qual-ity potential with a commemo-rative production run.

Sud Graphie is part of theLasky group and thus affiliated

with one of our French sheetfedcustomers, MAME, which hasthree Rapida 162 large-formatpresses at its production plantin Tours.

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German print enterpriseB&K Offsetdruck in

Ottersweier has ordered aCompacta 217 high-perform-ance 16-page commercial pressas part of an ambitious move togrow market share.

Since it was established 35years ago B&K has steadilyexpanded by specialising inproduct customisation and aone-stop service from designand development to print con-version. The 250 staff in thisfamily enterprise display a rarelevel of skill and experience inhandling cutting-edge equip-ment.

The company operates sixB1 (40”) sheetfed offset presseswith which it targets the highend of the market. Fluorescentcolour, inline coating and die-cutting are just a few of the fea-tures it can offer. Colour meas-urement and control systemsdirectly at the presses guaranteea consistently high standard ofquality.

Four years ago B&Kmoved its entire web press op-eration to a new production fa-

B&K books Compacta 217

cility. At present the companyruns three 16-page web presses,each with five double printingunits plus sundry folding andinline-finishing devices. Here,too, on-press colorimetry sup-ports high quality standards.

The scale of the company’sfinishing department is unri-valled in southern Germany,furnishing the capacity andflexibility it needs to support afast turnaround, high-volumeoutput and product diversity.There are four cutters, 14 fold-ing machines, four label dis-pensers and some postcardinserters. In the works are twomail folding and gluing ma-chines, gumming and perforat-ing units, two saddle-stitcherswith six and eight feeder sta-tions, a cover feeder, postcardgluing station, one- and two-upprocessing and quire-foldingunit, and folding up to a maxi-mum format of 320 x 480mm(121/2” x 19”).

The new Compacta 217will be configured without afolder but with inline finishingdevices and a heavy-duty

sheeter capable of handling70,000 sheets per hour. The fiveprinting units will all beequipped with automatic platechangers. Sophisticated im-printer facilities at the first twoprinting units support flyingimprint changes even in short-run production. The geometryof the dampening and inkingunits and the Compacta’s abil-ity to handle a wide range ofstock weights up to 220gsm(80lb cover) were key factors inits favour. The press is slatedto come on stream in March2005.

Since it was established 35 yearsago B&K has expanded strongly byspecialising in product customisa-tion. Its 250 staff display a rare levelof skill and experience in handlingcutting-edge equipment

B&K founders Annegret and Jochen Kalbhenn (3rd and 4th left) at the new Compacta 217 flanked by (l-r) WernerStimmler of B&K, KBA president Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann and sales manager Willi Burckhart, B&K managingdirector Jörn Kalbhenn and KBA agent Werner Grunert Report

is a customer magazine issued bythe Koenig & Bauer Group (KBA):

Koenig & Bauer AGWürzburgFriedrich-Koenig-Strasse 4D-97080 WürzburgTelephone: (+49) 931 909-4336Telefax: (+49) 931 909-4101Internet: www.kba-print.comE-mail: kba-wuerzburg@kba-print.de

Koenig & Bauer AGFrankenthalJohann-Klein-Strasse 1D-67227 FrankenthalTelephone: (+49) 6233 873-3371Telefax: (+49) 6233 873-3222Internet: www.kba-print.comE-mail: kba-frankenthal@kba-print.de

Koenig & Bauer AGRadebeul near DresdenFriedrich-List-Strasse 47-49D-01445 RadebeulTelephone: (+49) 351 833-2580Telefax: (+49) 351 833-1001Internet: www.kba-print.comE-mail: office@kba-planeta.de

Publisher:Koenig & Bauer Group

Editor-in-chief:Klaus Schmidt,KBA marketing director, Würzburg

Layout: Pia Vogel, Mannhof Media

Translation: Christina Degens-Kupp

Printed in theFederal Republic of Germany