Intelligent Heidelberg Automation Boosts Capacity, Performance and Productivity
02/02/2012
Kennesaw, Ga. - Heidelberg has announced the following new
product installations:
L to R, Dennis, Devin, Doug and Donald Shenberg
Details
Mercersburg Printing Opts for Peak Performance with Speedmaster
XL 75
Mercersburg Printing in Mercersburg, PA has taken delivery
of a Speedmaster XL 75 5-color press with Inpress Control,
integrated Wallscreen application, and Peak Performance Package to
improve its flexibility and increase its pressroom capacity.
Because the 29" XL 75 replaces not one but two smaller-format
presses, said General Manager Doug Shenberger, the company will be
able to handle a greater variety of large jobs. The single-shift
operation also expects to see a substantial increase in overall
throughput, thanks largely to the 18,000 sph running speed, coupled
with Prinect Inpress Control's ability to measure and correct color
on-the-fly. The new Speedmaster XL 75 takes its place alongside the
company's remaining small-format Speedmaster SM 52 with Axis
Control.
Second-generation, family run Mercersburg Printing serves a
regional clientele with a staff of 23. Services include commercial
offset printing, digital black-and-white and color printing, and
direct mail services, along with Web site design and hosting.
Additional Heidelberg equipment includes two POLAR cutters, a POLAR
jogger, and a pair of Stahlfolders, one of which is fully
automated. The company also has a quick print location in
Waynesboro, PA.
Jerry Bonin. Bindery manager (left), with Matt Glynn, pressroom supervisor/operator
Details
Bye-Bye Bindery Bottleneck: Ledgeview Printing Installs USA B20
Stahlfolder
Ledgeview Printing in Westford, MA reports the installation
of a USA B20 Stahlfolder with right-angle folding unit from
Heidelberg. The new, two-station, pile-fed folder joins the
company's existing TF 56 Stahlfolder in handling an increasing
volume of Ledgeview's commercially printed work. "As our folder
capacity has increased, our bindery bottleneck has vanished," said
company owner Rich Maggio. "Thanks to the B20's faster speed and
quicker makereadies, we've been able to significantly improve our
customer service."
Available in pile or continuous-feed models, the USA B20
offers commercial-grade, high-quality folding and high productivity
for small formats and short runs. Combination buckle plates with
micro-adjustments are standard in all plate positions.
Ledgeview Printing serves a clientele made up primarily of
local associations and non-profits, Fortune 500 companies,
universities, and healthcare organizations. Solutions include
offset and web printing, color digital printing with full variable
imaging, print on demand, graphic design, composition, CD/DVD,
Internet, and mailing services. The company also operates a
Heidelberg Prosetter 74 platesetter with Signa Station and
MetaDimension PDF-based RIP and workflow, used to image Heidelberg
Saphira violet plates; a 29" Heidelberg Printmaster 74; a 5-color
MO press; as well as a POLAR 72 ED cutter. The company employs a
staff of 11.
HardingPoorman Installs POLAR Cutting System with Advanced
Robotics
HardingPoorman Group has installed a POLAR P.A.C.E. 137XT
fully automated cutting system with robotic loading and stacking
and automatic presetting via Compucut in its recently expanded
Indianapolis, IN facility.
"The new system has taken over the lion's share of our
cutting work, which includes anything and everything from finished
trim to posters, signatures, and diecut sheets," said Steve
Anzalone, COO. "It's also our first piece of postpress equipment
with connectivity. We can take the cutting file directly from
layout with virtually no makeready time. "
The new POLAR system replaces two existing standalone POLAR
machines. It now operates alongside the company's remaining POLAR
115 EMC programmable cutter, which the company reserves for smaller
jobs. Even minus two cutters, Anzalone said, "We're much more
productive and have no problems keeping up with the workload."
The time-saving automated setup, preparation of the cutting
material via stacklift and jogger, and unloading via Transomat mean
that HPG's cutter operators are spared the wear and tear of
repetitive bending and lifting. POLAR Autotrim automatic waste
removal further improves performance by removing cutting waste
during the cutting process, eliminating the arduous manual picking
of waste strips.
Frankly, Anzalone concluded, "We weren't looking at this
level of automation, but we're really glad we went ahead with it.
The ROI is in line with expectations and the benefits have been
outstanding."
HardingPoorman Group's (www.hardingpoorman.com) broad
portfolio of services includes computer-to-plate offset printing,
UV printing, digital printing, variable data services, CD/DVD
replication and automated packaging, mailing, comprehensive
bindery, wide format signage, and fulfillment. The company, which
serves the area within a 150-mile radius of Indianapolis, has 155
employees, and records annual sales of $34 million.
Binderyonics Adds Stitchmaster ST 350 to Equipment Lineup
Binderyonics, Inc., a trade bindery located in Elk Grove
Village, IL, recently took delivery of its third Heidelberg
saddlestitcher, this one a Stitchmaster ST 350 with 4th and 5th
knife options and counter stacker. According to company president
Dan Griffin, Binderyonics specializes in the binding and finishing
of high-volume direct mail catalogs for a variety of Fortune 500
companies doing business across the Midwest and nationwide. Given
its history with multiple Stitchmaster models, including the ST 350
and ST 270 it still operates, Binderyonics selected Heidelberg once
again, based on the equipment's exceptional operator friendliness,
quality, and reliability. "We love it," Griffin said. Elsewhere in
the shop, the company operates no fewer than six POLAR cutting
systems and 22 Stahlfolders.
With annual sales in the $10 million range and 150
employees, Binderyonics, Inc. is a high-volume cutting, folding,
saddlestitching, inkjet imaging, shrink wrap and mailing service
facility specializing in large production runs at competitive
prices. Additional information and a video tour are available at
www.binderyonics.com.
Lew A. Cummings Gains Greater Sheetfed Offset Firepower with
Speedmaster XL 75
Lew A. Cummings Co., Inc., a full-service publication printer
based in Hooksett, NH, recently supercharged its pressroom with the
addition of a Speedmaster XL 75 with Prinect Inpress Control,
AutoPlate XL simultaneous plate-changing, extended delivery, and
integrated Wallscreen. In addition, Heidelberg's JDF-based, Prinect
Pressroom Manager workflow communicates preset data intelligently
from prepress so that print jobs are automatically available to the
press at the right time.
According to Pressroom Manager Dan Trudel, the new press
will enable the company to supplement its web offset publication
printing with a larger volume of commercial sheetfed offset work.
The new XL 75 joins Cummings's 1997 Speedmaster SM 102 in the
production of sheetfed offset-printed components for web runs from
2,000-100,000. Cummings selected Heidelberg again, based on its
trouble-free history with the SM 102, and because of the many time-
and labor-saving features of the XL 75. The company's bindery hosts
assorted POLAR cutters and Stahlfolders.
Donnie Allison, prepress operator
Details
Richardson Independent School District Adopts CtP with
Suprasetter A52 from Heidelberg.
The print shop serving the Richardson Independent School
District in Richardson, Texas reports the recent installation of a
Suprasetter A52 platesetter with MetaDimension RIP. The new
platesetter is used to image Saphira Chemfree plates for two offset
presses. The installation marks the shop's transition from a
film-based to a computer-to-plate workflow, as well as its first
foray into 4-color process printing, which it previously
outsourced. In addition, said Print Service Manager Daniel Najera,
"It has sped up our process tremendously and given us an
opportunity to cross-train our people on the new technology." The
print shop, which employs a staff of seven, provides all manner of
printed materials for the 52 schools and associated parent-teacher
organizations that comprise the Richardson Independent School
District.
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