IPEX 2010: Heidelberg Solution Boosts the Productivity of Industrial Commercial Printing

• New imposition layouts with Prinect SignaStation increase productivity by 12 percent
• Oblong sheet feeding improves folding performance by 30 to 40 percent

At its IPEX stand, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) will be demonstrating how industrial commercial print customers can now significantly boost their productivity throughout the process chain - from prepress and press to postpress. The new imposition layouts make better use of the full print format, resulting in a productivity increase of up to 12 percent, while oblong feeding boosts productivity in the folding process by another 30 to 40 percent. "This is a further example of the advantages of a solution provider: A new technology in postpress, which optimizes the potential throughout the whole production chain," states Stephan Plenz, member of the Heidelberg Management Board responsible for Equipment.

A demonstration on the Suprasetter 105 MCS, Speedmaster XL 105, TD 94 buckle plate folder, and ST 450 saddlestitcher awaits visitors to IPEX 2010 in the area Industrial Commercial B1.

Prinect SignaStation now enables 36 pages to be imposed for an end product in A5 format instead of the standard 32 pages. In the TD 94 folder, these sheets are rotated 90 degrees for feeding and can be processed using just two buckle folding units. In addition to boosting productivity, this results in significant benefits in terms of the space required, setup time, energy consumption, and - above all - folding quality. For example, there is much less creasing than with conventional cross-fold units. Title bars and objects/images running across two pages fit much better because there is much less angular displacement in the second folding unit when working with parallel folds. The folded sheets lie much flatter, enabling better stacking and smoother, more reliable insertion into the feeder of the Stitchmaster ST 450. The new imposition layouts are also suitable for adhesive binding.

New pneumatic twin lay system for correct rotation
Two steps significantly improve the productivity of the buckle plate folders in the Stahlfolder TH and TD series. The sheet to be folded is simply rotated 90 degrees at the feeder and a new pneumatic twin lay system is located before the second folding unit. As a result of the sheet's shorter feed length at the same press speed, the performance is increased by around 30 to 40 percent depending on the sheet format (Graphic 1).

Before the new pneumatic twin lay system was introduced, the problem of the extra speed generated by oblong feeding impacted on the second unit. Although the reduced feed length had a positive effect on the feeder and first parallel folding unit, the full feed length still had to be transported at the second unit, which was rotated by 90 degrees. This concept demanded very high speeds at the second unit, which sometimes led to problems with folding and overall quality (Graphic 2).

The pneumatic twin lay system now makes it possible on the second folding unit to align and transport folded sheets in parallel using two side lays. This means that twice as many folded sheets can be transported as before, enabling customers to halve the speed of the second unit. Oblong sheet feeding into the first parallel folding unit at the same machine speed increases productivity significantly and, thanks to the low speed of the second unit, also improves the folding quality, which makes the folding process even more reliable (Graphic 3).

Graphic 1: Oblong sheet feed
Productivity can be increased by 30 to 40 percent simply by rotating the sheet to be folded at the feeder.

Graphic 2: Oblong feed on folders without a pneumatic system
In the past, oblong feeding led to speed-related problems between the first parallel folding unit with reduced feed length and the second folding unit, which had to transport the full sheet length due to the requisite 90 degree rotation.

Graphic 3: The twin lay system ahead of the second folding unit is the key
The pneumatic twin lay system makes it possible at the second folding unit to align and transport folded sheets in parallel using two side lays. This halves the speed of the second unit without impacting on the sheet rate.



For further information, please contact:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Public Relations
Hilde Weisser
Phone: +49 (6221) 92 5066
Fax: +49 (6221) 92 5069
E-mail: Hilde.Weisser@heidelberg.com


Heidelberg at IPEX 2010:
The terms HEI Performance and HEI Value reflect the extensive portfolio of state-of-the-art technologies and services from Heidelberg for the economical and environmentally friendly production of print products. At the trade show, the company will be providing practical demonstrations to highlight how media service providers, print shops, and postpress specialists can act on current market trends and adapt their portfolios accordingly. Heidelberg will be demonstrating how to optimize business and production processes across the entire value added chain of sheetfed offset printing, while also minimizing their environmental impact.

The numerous practical demonstrations will enable visitors to the event to find out how they can achieve economic success with short-run high-end print applications, stand out from the crowd with creative print applications, and make the Internet an integral part of their business strategy.