Offset Printing
DAuria to expand with new KBA Compacta 818
Tuesday 25. November 2008 - Italian commercial printer takes second KBA web press
Italian commercial printer DAuria in S. Egidio alla Vibrata is planning to move up into the high-volume league with a 64pp Compacta 818 web press from KBA. Like many others in the sector this family business in the province of Teramo already operates a 16pp KBA Compacta 215, which it brought on stream eighteen months ago.
For DAuria, the Compacta 818s big attraction is its 598.5mm (23.5in) cut-off on a cylinder circumference of 1,197mm (47in), and its narrower web width of 1,680mm (66.14in). Normally a 64pp press has a maximum web width for standard A4 of 1,905mm (75in). Company proprietor Dr Cristiano DAuria deliberately opted for the narrower width because 48pp and 56pp products make up a large proportion of his portfolio. Running a web that is 230mm (9in) wider than a standard 48pp long-grain presss 1,450mm (57in) will enable him to print 64pp copies in a slightly smaller (untrimmed) format of 210 x 299mm (8.25 x 11.75in). At a time when printers are being hit by downward pressure on prices, yet spiralling costs, Dr DAuria and his technical director Iolando De Luca believe that this specific configuration, which is unique in Italy, will enable them to raise their company profile by offering high-volume services at a highly competitive price. Says DAuria: “With customer demands becoming ever more sophisticated, we needed to enhance diversity and productivity while keeping a tight rein on costs.”
The new 90,000cph Compacta 818 will be embedded in a KBA Patras A automatic reel-logistics system to which the Compacta 215 is also linked. Alongside a performance-proven P5 pin folder the press will feature KBAs new RollerTronic roller locks for commercial presses. First demonstrated at Drupa 2008, these locks automatically set the precise throw-on pressure for the inking rollers, thus helping to optimise print quality while reducing roller abrasion and maintenance. A software program, KBA EasyTronic, allows the press to be started up, run down and converted in a minimum of time and with a minimum of waste. Automatic plate changing and webbing-up shorten makereadies and facilitate operation.
The Compacta 818 is scheduled to ship in mid-2009 and will allow DAuria to print products that previously could only be printed on wider presses. Other benefits of the special configuration include easier paper handling, reduced energy consumption, and less trim and production waste.
DAuria installed its first KBA machine, a secondhand Varimat four-colour sheetfed press, in 1998. In 2002 there followed a large-format Rapida 162 four-colour, in 2004 a medium-format Rapida 105 universal and in 2008 a new Rapida 162a. The companys expansion into commercial web offset with the KBA Compacta 215 enables it to print much longer print runs, and the recent purchase of a 64pp version is evidence that DAuria made the right choice.