Bright Future Large-format Sheet-fed Double-sided Printing Machine

The creator's credo is: Time is money, and use it for a living. If the printing and binding process can reduce some steps, more profits can be realized. Large-format printers (40-inch or larger) print on both sides at one time, ensuring faster printing speeds. Some printers connect two machines to complete the function of a double-sided sheet-fed press.

“The trend of large-format sheetfed presses is largely motivated by the need to reduce the number of printing steps.” Doug Schardt, Production Manager of Komori (USA) explained: “In other words, why do you have two steps? What can be accomplished once?

Schardt admits that this is an obvious problem, but it is not easy to achieve, or all printers may turn to double-sided printing a few years ago. In fact, the past two-sided printing press brought a lot of problems, and it was more efficient in two steps.

Today's double-sided printing presses have solved many problems, but the efficiency and quality have also been significantly improved, so for some printers to complete printing in one step is a more ideal workflow. Its key components are automatic plate change, automatic adjustment of paper, automatic page turning, and automatic cleaning technology.

In addition, the double-sided printing press must have the ability to print large-format prints. The more marks added during printing, the longer the preparation time will be. Only by continuously increasing the production efficiency of the printing press can this problem be solved.

Jerome Group Inc. (Maryland, Missouri) believes Komori's Lithrone S40 is the ideal way to increase printing efficiency. The Lithrone S40 they recently installed is a sheet-fed, double-sided press that includes gloss and extended delivery.

Jerome Group is mainly engaged in direct mail business as well as personalized prints of double-sided four-color printing. Now they print with the LS40 first, and then use a digital press for personalized printing. The company believes that these two kinds of printing technologies are used together to complement each other. Now the company has two Indigo digital presses and six single-sheet black-and-white digital presses for personalized printing.

The beneficial addition to the printing process opens the door to the short version of living

It may be difficult to try to define a traditional large-format, double-sided printing customer. John Dowey, deputy manager of sheetfed production at Heidelberg, believes that typical features of customers who purchase 40-inch perfectors include commercial sheetfed printing, as well as a combination of sheetfed and web printing. Most of them are looking for solutions to solve the following problems: increase competitiveness; shorten preparation time; lower prices; increase production capacity and increase output ratio.

Printers often need to buy two or three 40-inch single-sided printers to achieve or close to their production. If they are replaced by a single-sided printer, they can increase their production capacity without the need for more investment. Greater economic efficiency. Heidelberg customers often need to buy machines in eight-color or more color groups, which are now possible using a 4/4 (double-sided, four-color) machine.

Upgrading to a ten-color unit can print PMS inks on both sides, providing more competitive opportunities if the press has a high degree of automation and the ability to cut webs into sheet-fed prints, allowing users to save paper costs more. .

The Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 102 is an example of high-quality double-sided printing, which minimizes the preconditioning function setting time. The combination of digital workflow within the company can further reduce preparation time and increase production capacity.

Vancouver-based printer Rhino Print Solutions recently purchased a Heidelberg eight-color Speedmaster SM 102 double-sided press. The machine's ability to print on both sides at the same time, and has a wide range of automatic functions, can provide Rhino with the ability to quickly turn around and handle larger businesses.

“Our annual sales growth exceeds 25%, which has prompted us to provide our existing and future customers with new capabilities so that they can print high-quality prints.” David Allan, president of Rhino Print Solutions, said: “We We feel that we have chosen the best and most efficient technology available."

Problems caused

Christian Cerfontain, marketing manager at Manroland, recalls that the use of a perfecting press was once limited by technical factors, such as the need for large ink coverage on the print. Next, it is limited to many printers intending to use full-face printers for full-sheet printing. But he said that the press manufacturer has improved the perfection of the perfecting press technology.

“This means that the scope of the work that can be done on a perfecting press has been greatly expanded,” Cerfontaine said excitedly. “The result is that anyone who plans to buy a full-page press will seriously consider the double-sided press.”

Cerfontaine felt that multiple sets of double-sided printing units would make the decision to use a sheet-fed press or web press between the boundaries blurred. "That means that a double-sided press that is a force on the sheet-fed press will be able to do the job of a web press in the past."

Roland 700, Manroland's 41-inch printing line, is fully CIM-based, relying on its PECOM control and automation systems. PECOM JobPilot system can complete all prepress preparation. With Roland 700's automatic version system (APL), productivity can be greatly improved.

The Roland 700 can be arbitrarily combined between the two units to the twelve units, typically printing at 16,000 impressions/hour and fine prints at 12,000 impressions/hour. Roland 700 can also print 1 mm thick substrates, providing a complete package printing function.

Rapid Impressions, Broadview, IL recently installed their second Roland 700: a nine-color, double-sided printing press and received double orders for advertising. “The preparation time is short and effective,” said Jim Kosowski, vice president of the company, to evaluate the new machine: “With the PECOM system and CCI (Computer Ink Control), we can minimize costs and time when printing long prints. For the short version, we profit from the preparation time (short preparation time)."

Product consumption is another advantage of Roland 700. Kosowski said: “Because of the second press of the same specification, when there is a miracle problem, we have a reserve of production capacity, not only that, but also savings. Spare equipment inventory costs, maintenance costs, and the cost of purchasing consumables."

Economic decision

The two-sided, four-color (4/4) or two-sided, five-color (5/5) printing opportunity has enabled many forward-thinking printers to explore the most economical large-format duplexer. Douglas Parker (KBA (North America) production manager) stated that the sheet-fed printing press reflects the strength of the national economy and has an important influence on the decision of the printer.

“The market is divided into two categories,” Parker added. “In the first category, economic pressures have forced printers to spend carefully for each item of expenditure, especially for technological innovation. The very dyeing response is still a conservative wait-and-see.” In the second category, the new economic situation is considered to be a good opportunity for hard competition. They know that many competitors will take a wait-and-see attitude, and rational printers will then conduct cost-effective capital operations. That is, 'competitively wipe out'".

As a major manufacturer of greeting cards, most of Concord Litho's printing products require the function of monochrome surface printing. Concord (based in New Hampshire) also needed large-format printing capabilities to significantly reduce lead times. The company purchased a seven-color KBA Rapida 162 with a glossing function, which can also be converted into a 6+1 color flip-printing double-sided printing press.

This machine replaced a 77-inch press from MAN Miehle, a 64-inch manroland 806, and a 40-inch manroland 608.

“This is an alternative plan for many machines, which has significantly transformed our printing shop,” said Peter Cook, CEO of Concord. “We made such a major adjustment because we purchased 77 years ago. Inch presses have shortened the length of the printing route. A few years ago, most of our production was a long version of the greeting card business. Today, our business has undergone great changes, including high-quality on-demand printing (POP). Business and packaging printing business as well as our traditional greeting card business."

Robert Treadwell, Akiyama Oriental Sales and Marketing Manager, believes that all prints that require double-sided printing should be printed at once. He gives two examples of the use of double-sided printing presses are high-end commercial printing and catalog printing. "This is the only way to achieve high profits in today's market competition," Treadwell stressed.

Akiyama's Jprint is a fully automatic double-sided press. Configurations include CIP3 data exchange and closed-loop scanning. The standard configuration of the CIP3 data exchange printing press is optional for X-ray closed-loop scanning.

Manufacturer Awareness

“Market differentiation is due to three factors: price, service, and quality,” Mike Grego (Market Manager of Sakurai (USA)) asserts: “Printers must realize that they are manufacturers and the key to becoming a successful manufacturer is for you. Our customers provide the quality they expect and satisfy - at a reasonable price."

To achieve this goal without sacrificing margins, Grego believes that printers must invest in new equipment to increase production capacity and reduce costs. In most cases, the cost of the machine can be compared between the current manufacturing costs and the production costs of new, automated machines.

Sakurai focuses on the market for 3/4 format and smaller format equipment. Their only truly large-format machine is the 2102EPII, a two-color, 40-inch convertible double-sided printing. The target market for this machine is double-sided printing.

At drupa, Sakurai introduced its 75 series printers. This model was developed to help increase the production capacity of those who need to brush away and to reduce costs for 40-inch printers. The six open format market is expanding. The Sakurai 75 series models can be configured between two units to six units and can be turned and glazing. At the Graph Expo in the United States in October, they will exhibit the 575SD.

There are also Mitsubishi's Diamond 3000TP tandem duplex presses in the same field. The machine uses the same type of gripper and can connect up to 12 units. The model features a three-roll transfer design called the Translink unit. When the back of the printing is printed, the paper does not have to be turned over, and as a result, the tail has become a new mouthwash. The model is now equipped with a single-sided light function. In early 2005, the double-sided polishing machine exhibited at Drupa will be available for sale in the United States.