Speedmaster XL 145 and XL 162: Heidelberg Adds Large-Format Platforms to Its Portfolio
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Target group: packaging and publishing printers
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Productivity increase of up to 20 percent
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End-to-end solution for value-added chain in packaging
sector
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) will be unveiling two
new large-format presses at drupa 2008. The Speedmaster XL 145 and
the Speedmaster XL 162 are the ideal complement to the upper end of
the Heidelberg sheetfed offset portfolio. The presses have been
designed primarily for use in the packaging printing and industrial
publishing sectors. This new generation of presses offers customers
outstanding advantages in terms of user-friendliness, makeready
times, high plate throughput, and synchronous washup processes.
This enables productivity increases of up to 20 percent over
similar presses. The 102 x 142 centimeter (40.16 x 55.91 inch) and
120 x 162 centimeter (47.24 x 63.78 inch) formats being offered
cover more than 75 percent of the entire large-format market. Due
to growing levels of industrialization and the pressure this puts
on companies to streamline operations, this segment has become a
key sector. This has made the large-format press a particularly
attractive product for Heidelberg.
The introduction of a range of innovative components, such as
CtP, has provided the stimulus for the continued development of the
large-format press segment. These components are now fully
developed. The designs of these Heidelberg presses take full
advantage of the company's extensive experience in the sheetfed
offset sector, which includes key features such as the extensive
automation and fast print speeds boasted by the new generation of
Speedmaster XL 105 presses. Short makeready times and high
production speeds are all part of the package. The impressive
levels of automation built into the presses mean that fewer
operating personnel are needed. This new product family also boasts
digital control systems and integration into Prinect.
High plate throughput in the prepress phase, optimized
finishing processes, such as folding, cutting, and die cutting, and
efficient material logistics all combine to ensure enhanced
functionality.
The required substrates, inks, coatings, blankets, and washup
and cleaning agents are now all available in the right quality.
The new large-format presses have been designed to meet the
specific requirements of the packaging printing sector. The new
portfolio extends the Heidelberg one-stop supplier concept for
folding carton production - with prepress, press, and postpress
solutions all being supplied from a single source. The 102 x 142
centimter format of the Speedmaster XL 145 press is currently the
most popular format in the packaging printing sector. Analyses
carried out by Heidelberg show that the three-centimeter (1.18
inch) larger print sheet of the Speedmaster XL 145 (106 x 145
centimeters or 41.73 x 57.09 inches) delivers ten percent more
space for nesting individual repeats on the sheet. The packaging
printing sector is also making increasing use of the 120 x 162
centimeter format - the format of the new Speedmaster XL 162. The
120 x 162 centimeter format already dominates the publishing
sector. Both presses are manufactured on a standardized platform.
Heidelberg has been operating successfully in the packaging sector
for many years. For example, almost 50 percent of all the 70 x 100
centimeter (27.56 x 39.37 inch) format presses used by packaging
printers in Germany come from Heidelberg.
The workmanship, durability, and print quality of the new
presses match the Heidelberg standards that customers have come to
expect. Several configurations will be available for processing
substrates ranging from 0.06 to 1.6 millimeters (0.0024 to 0.063
inch). Both presses will be capable of operating at a production
speed of up to 15,000 sheets per hour. As with all presses, this
maximum print speed is determined by a range of parameters. The
most important of these include the quality of the materials,
substrates, inks, and coatings used, as well as the temperature and
humidity.
End-to-end solution for the entire value-added chain in the
packaging sector available immediately upon launch
drupa will also see Heidelberg launch new prepress equipment
in the form of the Suprasetter 145 and 162 CtP units. Heidelberg
will also be offering a Suprasetter 190 - a solution designed for
customers who work with other makes of press in formats larger than
120 x 162 centimeters. Data from the prepress systems of other
manufacturers can be transferred to the Suprasetter via the Prinect
MetaShooter. As with all other products in the Suprasetter series,
the Suprasetter 145, 162, and 190 have been developed entirely
in-house by Heidelberg. The units will be available as manual and
automated multi-cassette systems.
The postpress product portfolio includes a Dymatrix 145 die
cutter, POLAR 155/176 and 185 cutters, and Stahlfolder
TD 142 folder, as well as saddlestitchers and perfect
binders.
There are currently some 3,000 presses installed with 102 x
142 centimeter and 120 x 162 centimeter formats, a number swelled
by an additional 1,000 or so new printing units every year. The key
regions are currently central Europe and the Middle East (50
percent), North America (30 percent) and Asia Pacific (20 percent),
particularly Japan and China. Italy leads the way on the European
market for large-format printing with more than 20 percent. This
relates primarily to letterpress printing, which has traditionally
enjoyed a high share of the print industry in Italy. Heidelberg
plans to achieve a market share of approximately 25 percent in each
of the two format classes.
Packaging accounts for a large share of the print jobs
(around 50 percent), followed by letterpress (20 percent) and
commercial printing (also 20 percent). The remaining ten percent is
made up of various smaller-scale applications.
Image 1:
The new Speedmaster XL 162 in the assembly plant of the
Heidelberg factory in Wiesloch-Walldorf, Germany
Image 2:
Assembly of the new Very-Large-Format generation in hall 11
of the Wiesloch-Walldorf Heidelberg plant
Further information for journalists:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Communications
Hans-Dieter Siegfried
Tel.: +49 (0)6221 92 50 63
Fax: +49 (0)6221 92 50 69
E-mail:
hans-dieter.siegfried@heidelberg.com