Dave Lewis, sheeted director at KBA Australasia says, “The new press enhancements are designed to facilitate fast makeready and profitable short run printing, and there is no doubt that Australia is a short run country, so these new innovations will be warmly welcomed.”
According to Lewis, makeready times on the new generation of presses are typically just five minutes for a multicolour job changeover, he says, “In fact, one innovation, flying plate change slashes that to a minute or two, but that is only really applicable to printing a perfecting black and white job on a four colour press.”
Alongside optional extras for enhancing speed to 16,000sph and the stock range to 0.8mm (30pt), KBA says the new E model of the Rapida 75 has a new, noise-insulated KBA feeder, automated format setting, sheet grippers adapted from large-format Rapidas, shell-free transfer drums, air-blast sheet guides plus new sheet brake in the delivery, semi-automatic coating-form change and remote maintenance via the internet, which the company says slash makeready times by more than 30 per cent.
The five-colour coater version showing in Birmingham has an extended delivery, automatic plate changing, inking-unit temperature control, roller and blanket washing and a KBA ErgoTronic console.
Other improvements to KBA presses include the the Rapida 106 with a no-sidelay infeed, a high-speed washing system with a DriveTronic SPC dedicated cylinder drives plus enabling software. In large format KBA offers a new energy-efficient dryer with heat recovery, and simultaneous, dual-beam washing which slashes makeready times. For both formats KBA has developed an online quality documentation and control system, where a scanner compares the printed sheet with a PDF of the original.
Other products making their debuts at Ipex include a quality-enhancing closed-loop colour measurement and control system, a system for simultaneously washing blanket and impression cylinders during plate change, and a new high-performance delivery, AirTronic, that can handle lightweight stock at high speeds, even during perfecting, according to KBA.
Apart from organising trips to nearby production plants, KBA is also highlighting its Rapida 105, 75C and 66 presses along with the Genius 52UV, and its commitment to green printing and workflow optimisation.
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