Rochester Institute of Technology and Heidelberg will strengthen
their partnership through a major initiative to enhance web offset
education and research opportunities
In an agreement announced at Print '01, Heidelberg will
install its most advanced commercial web press, a gapless Sunday
2000, at RIT's School of Printing Management and Sciences. The
school will break ground for a new building on its Rochester, N.
Y., campus to house the press this fall. The installation will be
completed in the fall of 2002.
"This is much more than a press consignment,"
according to Dr. Albert J. Simone, President of RIT. "This
reflects a long-term partnership with Heidelberg that continues to
bring the most advanced technology to our campus and the most
advanced education and applied research capabilities to the
industry."
Heidelberg chairman Bernhard Schreier said his company is
proud to support RIT. He noted that the school plays a vital role
in the print media industry worldwide with thousands of graduates
holding leadership positions with printers and suppliers.
"The success of print media depends heavily on the three
factors that define RIT's mission and our partnership with this
world-renowned institute - state-of-the-art technology, outstanding
training and advanced process knowledge," Schreier explained.
The Sunday 2000 at RIT will replace an M-1000B web press
donated by Heidelberg predecessor, Harris Graphics, in 1986. The
new web press will join a long list of advanced Heidelberg
prepress, press and postpress technology at RIT, including a Topaz
scanner, Speedmaster 74 and Quickmaster DI sheetfed presses, a
POLAR cutter and a Stahl folder.
Heidelberg introduced the Sunday 2000 in 1999. The press is
designed for the highest quality commercial and publication
applications. Make-ready and waste reduction features make the
Sunday 2000 especially adept at shorter run lengths and frequent
changeovers. "It's important to realize that this is a new,
state-of-the-art web press system that will provide the best
possible platform for advanced research and training," Dr. Simone
explained.
Heidelberg will install a Contiweb CS splicer, PCF-1 pinless
combination folder and the new GATF InterTech award winning Ecocool
dryer as part of an integrated Sunday 2000 system at RIT. The
six-unit, single-web press will feature a 24-page 2x6 plate
cylinder configuration and will print at up to 2,000 feet per
minute. It will be equipped with semi-automatic plate changing
capabilities and Heidelberg's Omnicon controls. RIT will seek
additional partners to supply consumables and some auxiliary
components.
In addition to educational opportunities for students and for
the industry, RIT conducts extensive applied research for web
offset printers and suppliers. "By scientifically studying topics
like press performance, print quality and the interaction of
consumables in web offset production, RIT has provided extremely
valuable data for Heidelberg, for other suppliers and for our
customers," Schreier explained. "This new web press system will
allow them to modernize and expand these important research
capabilities."
Heidelberg and its Print Media Academy will use the new
Sunday 2000 for training and research projects, including
collaborative efforts with RIT. Heidelberg and RIT will also
utilize the RIT press for demonstrations and as a benchmark to help
web printers evaluate Sunday 2000 performance.
About Rochester Institute of Technology
Internationally recognized as a leader in imaging,
technology, fine and applied arts, and education of the deaf,
Rochester Institute of Technology enrolls 15,000 full- and
part-time students in more than 250 career-oriented and
professional programs. RIT's School of Printing Management and
Sciences, considered among the best of its kind in the world,
offers programs in graphic media, printing systems, and traditional
and electronic publishing. Among its lead programs, RIT just
launched the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and
Information Sciences, enrolling more than 3,000 undergraduate and
graduate students in information technology, computer science, and
software engineering.
For the past decade, U.S. News and World Report has ranked
RIT as one of the nation's leading comprehensive universities. RIT
is also included in Yahoo Internet Life's Top 100 Wired
Universities, Fisk's Guide to America's Best Colleges, as well as
Barron's Best Buys in Education.
For further information:
Heidelberg Web Systems
Greg Norris
Tel.: +1 603 740-5907
Fax: +1 603 749-3301
E-mail:
greg.norris@heidelberg.com
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Communications
Hans-Dieter Siegfried
Tel.: +49 (0)6221 92 50 63
Fax: +49 (0)6221 92 50 46
E-mail:
hans-dieter.siegfried@heidelberg.com