Other unexpected developments included the launch of SupraSetter, a thermal external drum CTP system entirely developed by Heidelberg, the launch of a perfecting version of the Speedmaster CD 74, the launch of a new double sided coating system for long presses, and the refinement of Prinect.
The Speedmaster XL 105 is a new series of printing presses for highly industrialised offset printing capable of attaining speeds of 18,000 sheets per hour. Aimed squarely at the big boys of folding carton, labels and commercial printing, Heidelberg says the XL 105 is first press in an entirely new peak performance class, and claims the XL 105 sets new standards in terms of productivity, quality and cost-effectiveness.
The new press operates at 18,000sph, has according to Heidelberg lightening fast makeready, possible in part through digitised control and archiving, and comes with in-line coating as an option.
The XL 105 has a system for contact-free sheet transport, and together with innovations in the field of coating application and press pre-setting delivers increased productivity of 30 per cent and more, claims Heidelberg. Innovative solutions such as Autoplate Advanced are designed for simple and register-accurate plate changing.
The new press has Hycolor (Hy for hydro) integrated inking/dampening system, which the company claims means that every print job can be printed in the best possible quality. Adjustable oscillator strokes, the opportunity to switch between the standard and short inking units, and remotely adjustable lateral distribution of the inking form rollers are a few of the many possibilities that Hycolor offers
Also new from Heidelberg and aimed at the new long perfecting presses is the Perfecting Coating Solution, which enables double-sided inline dispersion coating on the long perfecting presses in the Speedmaster SM 102 range.
On a ten-colour press, the fifth and tenth printing units can be used for either printing or dispersion coating. This option is also possible for twelve-color presses, where the sixth and twelfth printing units are used. This gives commercial printers with short delivery times and a vast range of jobs a clear productive advantage in inline production.
Speedmaster CD 74-P now with sheet reversing system
Heidelberg has also launched the Speedmaster CD 74-P with sheet reversing system, which it says enables high-quality perfecting with short changeover times between paper and board and between straight and perfecting modes. According to the company depending on the job mix, an increase in productivity of between 15 and 25 percent over traditional midsize perfecting presses can be achieved. The target groups for the Speedmaster CD 74 sheet reversing models are commercial printers handling a wide range of printing stocks, packaging and label printers, and printshops that mainly produce greetings cards or book jackets in perfecting mode.
Heidelberg says presses fitted with perfecting technology can make a significant contribution to increasing productivity, particularly in the packaging sector and especially as more and more applications are being printed on the reverse side in this sector, for instance boxes for cosmetics or blister cards.
The three-drum system newly developed for the CD 74 enables printing stocks up to a maximum thickness of 0.8mm to be processed reliably in perfecting mode. In many cases, with a maximum paper format of 605x740mm, users can achieve extra productivity when printing multiple-ups or jobs involving special formats . The maximum print speed both in straight and perfecting mode is 15,000 sheets per hour. The CD 74 with a convertible sheet reversing device will be available in four- to six-color models, with or without a coating system.
The tried-and-tested three-drum principle has been complemented on the CD 74 with sheet reversing device by a raft of new innovations. An ingenious double-sized transfer cylinder has been fitted directly in front of the storage drum. This takes the sheet from the impression cylinder of the printing unit located before the sheet reversing device and guides it towards a double-sized storage drum.
In straight printing mode, the CD 74 perfecting press behaves like its sister model without perfecting system and with the AirTransfer system fitted as standard between the printing units. Heidelberg introduced the new Speedmaster CD 74 with double-sized impression cylinders and AirTransfer system between the printing units at the end of 2000 for printing rigid materials up to 0.8 mm thick. The variable AirTransfer system was developed specifically for perfecting printing and it is in this mode that it shows its full flexibility – segments are operated fully automatically and support sheet travel between printing units. What’s more, the new generation of high-finish impression cylinder jackets PerfectJacket Plus ensures that the best possible perfecting quality is achieved.
Suprasetter CTP aimed at high quality
Heidelberg has a new range of CTP systems, the Suprasetter series is a new generation of thermal external drum imagesetters. All parts of this product have been developed by Heidelberg and it supports virtually all standard Heidelberg plate formats for sheetfed and web offset. The Suprasetter is supplied with a new developed laser system.
Heidelberg says with its modular design, the Suprasetter offers exceptional security of investment. Users have an extensive choice of modules at their disposal to increase the level of automation and speed of the system and thereby match it to their actual requirements, while still remaining flexible for subsequent adaptations.
The Suprasetter is available in 4-page and 8-page formats and is equipped with a new Heidelberg laser imaging system. It comes with five different speeds, various automation settings from manual to fully automatic and a high-performance system with Multi Cassette Loader (MCL). Users have access to a wide variety of add-on options which meet all their needs while at the same time remaining flexible for subsequent adaptations.
Prinect split into three
From now on Heidelberg is dividing the Prinect Workflow into three application-specific solution packages: Prinect Management, Prinect Production and Prinect Color Solutions.
Networking the individual solutions using the industry standard JDF plays a key role in this context. Heidelberg will also be demonstrating how, for example, digital printing can be integrated into an overall workflow using Prinect. The company is presenting a whole raft of developments and innovations in the following sectors: management, preprint, press and postpress
The new Prinect Prinance 4.4.2 version will deal with all printshop management tasks from preliminary costing and order processing to billing and post-costing. JDF functionality has been added to the printshop planning tool Prinect Data Control 6.0 (JDF) for drupa.
With a whole array of new features in the Prinect Printready System 2.0, the Prinect Meta Dimension 5.0 output system and the completely new Prinect Signa Station 1.0 software for planning, creating and managing print sheets, Heidelberg has expanded the Prinect Preprint Workflow on the basis of JDF to produce a fully integrated and open prepress workflow.
In the press sector, Heidelberg is exhibiting the new version of its high-end colour measuring system Prinect Image Control 3.0 with an extended range of functions and improved integration into the overall workflow. The company says the many new functions of the Prinect CP 2000 make operation and integration of the Speedmaster presses into the Prinect Workflow even more efficient.
The Prinect FCS 100 for postpress, presented in version 3.0, now has an extended range of functions. The operation of job management has been further simplified. In addition to other functional expansions, the range of functions has been extended to freely definable fold types for calculating the preset values for folders.
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter