Finishing & Screen Printing

Loop scoops up a new folder from Heidelberg

Thursday 17. January 2013 - Five years on from a flood that forced a Sheffield company to re-equip and spurred it to re-brand in readiness for expansion, it is making its first replacement purchase since.

Loop Print (formerly South Yorkshire Printers) has ordered a Stahlfolder KH 56 automatic folder which will be delivered at the end of the month.
The general commercial operation runs two B2 and two B3 Speedmaster SM presses, a five- and a two-colour in each format, and full cut-fold-stitch facilities. Since the flood it has added other machines, including two digital presses, but the folder will be the first machine upgrade. The company is replacing a Horizon folder.
“We wanted a fully automated, quick bit of kit with better options, including a wide range of configurations,” says Chris Gray, managing director. “We looked at a number of options but came down in favour of Heidelberg because of the build quality and reputation of the Stahlfolder.”
Automation has transformed folding technology, increasing throughput and the accuracy of folding. Once the length, width and thickness of a sheet is measured all the rollers in the folder are set, allowing for the fold configuration and resulting product thickness at each stage of production. It means very fast set up, much higher uptime.
The staff at Loop who will run the folder on double day shifts will receive training over the three day installation period. They are looking forward to having problem-free production with no bottlenecks.
The combination machine was deemed the best choice to handle the work Loop handles which includes a high volume of four page sections that then transfer to the stitch line.