Offset Printing
Länggass Druck fully convinced by their new compact half-format press
Tuesday 04. August 2009 - Successful debut for the KBA Rapida 75 in Switzerland
Over the years, KBA has built up a reputation as the manufacturer of choice for innovative high-tech printing technology incorporating ultimate levels of automation. Although the KBA Rapida 75 takes over many technically refined solutions from the 3B format class, KBA pursues a slightly different strategy on the half-format market. The extremely compact press has been engineered above all for those print companies looking for a high-performance, all-round means of production with a small footprint and low energy consumption at an affordable price.
Länggass Druck, with its premises in the centre of the Swiss capital Berne, is a traditional printshop whose roots can be traced back to 1873. At the end of last year, the company became the first user in Switzerland to opt for the new B2 press which KBA unveiled to the trade public at drupa 2008. Länggass Druck chose the five-colour version of the Rapida 75 in a coater configuration. Managing director Michael Wasescha: “We were planning a press replacement and wanted a modern half-format press with inline coating capabilities. Besides the usual issues which play a role during a product evaluation, the question of space was a great challenge. The compact dimensions of the Rapida 75 proved the ideal answer to our needs. We have now been producing with the press since December 2008. Our operators have had no problems whatsoever, and that despite the fact that the press is a new development – the first drupa 2008 model in Switzerland, in fact. Our expectations have been met in every respect!”
Top-class training on the new press
If you are looking for proof that the new KBA Rapida 75 also stands on a par with its established competitors when it comes to ease of operation and print quality, then you just need to speak to printer Marc Zürcher, who completed the last phase of his vocational training on the previously unfamiliar press and nevertheless received the dream grade 5.8 on his certificate in June. This achievement also earned him the annual Cicero Prize which the employers’ association Viscom awards to the trainee with the best final examination results in the Canton of Berne. A trainee from Länggass Druck already clinched a prize from the Association of the Swiss Printing Industry (VSD) last year. The company is proud that its trainees are so often among the best of their year. “The four-year training programme is taken very seriously. The aim, after all, is to develop a strong new generation of printers capable of holding their own in the trade,” says production manager Hans Rudolf Roth.
The KBA Rapida 75 includes many technical features which are otherwise only to be found on larger presses: Pile plates at both feeder and delivery, a universal gripper system, and a feed table with a stainless and antistatic structured surface, two suction belts and a multi-chamber vacuum system. Another key benefit is the ingenious geometry of the double-size impression and transfer cylinders: The substrate runs with an absolute minimum of curvature from the first to last unit, guaranteeing a very smooth sheet travel.
The KBA Rapida 75 is available in both straight and perfector versions, with up to eight colours to allow even 4-over-4 perfecting. The standard maximum print format is 510 x 735 mm, though the press can also be ordered with an optional extended format of 585 x 735 mm. The maximum production speed is 15,000 sph. The Rapida 75 may not have been conceived as an absolutely high-tech press, but its users still benefit from a whole range of meaningful automation features, for example ErgoTronic console with touchscreen monitor, digital register adjustment, programmed automatic washing and semi-automatic plate changing.
Länggass Druck a leader in many fields
High-quality printed products with sophisticated finishing effects are the speciality of Länggass Druck. The combination of the Sublima XM screening technology and highly pigmented inks achieves photorealistic results. At the same time, the company is very active in the fields of environment protection and sustainability. FSC certification was obtained in 2004, and exclusively VOC- and alcohol-free consumables are used in the print process. The energy required to run the Rapida 75 is generated by hydro-power within the region. Thanks to these and many other activities, Länggass Druck has been acknowledged as a model print company with a place on an industry positive list for the Canton of Berne.