The Quiet Revolution: Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 52 with Anicolor inking unit technology creates competitive advantages

The Anicolor short inking unit enables users to cut startup paper waste by up to 90 percent and makeready times by up to 40 percent, improving press productivity by up to 25%. Heidelberg has already sold more than 60 Speedmaster SM 52 presses with Anicolor technology.

As a result, print shops around the world are able to build their own valuable competitive advantages. Demand is particularly high in the U.S., Germany, Switzerland and the U.K, and the first Anicolor press sold in Australia is installed and producing at Eastern Press in Melbourne.

Anicolor was introduced to the global market at IPEX in 2006 and in Australia at Printex in Sydney last year. It is the world's first inking unit with no ink zones. This makes it possible to produce even the shortest of runs using a standard offset workflow but with significantly higher margins.

The Anicolor system uses Anilox roller technology. This results in very rapid inking, and as a result very few startup sheets are required.

Frank Hilliard, Managing Director of Eastern Press, took delivery of the first Anicolor press to be installed in Australia, in January this year. Frank had high expectations of his new press' performance and he's not been disappointed.

"In just the first few days we have achieved some amazing things we'd never have been able to achieve before. Such as the A5 job that had somehow become lost in the system. We put the plates on the press at 9.30am, ran 10,000 sheets, took the job straight off the press in 500 sheet lots, had them trimmed and then dispatched, arriving at the customer site by 10.30am. It was a four colour job with high ink coverage. I was amazed with how quickly the job dried - with less water and superior drying, we turned this job around in record time."

Hilliard goes on to describe his other experiences. "We had a customer come in to see our new press. I showed him a make ready. We ran the first few sheets and pulled 20. They were already at saleable quality. And the colour consistency; it's fantastic. Once we get it right in prepress, I know that I can run a job of 2,000 sheets or 20,000 sheets and the colour will be 100% perfect through the entire run. Colour consistency is critical for the short run, high quality work we produce. Our press operator doesn't have to check and adjust all the time - he can spend the running time getting the next job ready for the press."

He describes the Anicolor technology as much easier to operate, and more user-friendly, than similar technology offered by other suppliers. And the ability to use conventional inks and plates was an important feature in his purchase decision.

Hilliard summarises his early experiences as 'better than ever anticipated.' "It takes a little while to trial and test the press. Fingerprinting proofing to the press and getting our processes right for the new workflows can be a challenge, but the results so far have been so good.

Further Information:
Lindsay Barnes - Product Manager, Sheetfed
Tel. +61 3 9263 3381
Email: Lindsay.Barnes@heidelberg.com