Finishing & Screen Printing

Rotomec MW 60 gravure press strengthens the link between BOBST and academia

Wednesday 19. June 2013 - The best of the German academic printing world and the gravure printing industry gathered at the Hochschule der Medien (HdM) - Stuttgart Media University - on 8th March 2013 for the inaugural print run of the university's brand new BOBST Rotomec MW 60 gravure printing press.

Over 200 participants attended the event at HdM, a prestigious institute which educates and trains specialists across all fields of print and media technologies and is the only university in Europe with a dedicated Chair for gravure printing studies.
HdM’s new BOBST Rotomec MW 60 – which replaces a 57 year old press – is a 4-colour machine fully equipped to carry out fully-fledged production runs. Hence, the press is fitted with an insetting system enabling production of 8-colour jobs, 2m long dryers, and BOBST Registron register control. The machine is also equipped with latest generation ESA electrostatic print assist system from Enulec (3 units with Top loading and 1 unit with direct charge) and a 100% web inspection system from BST.
The inauguration event started with a social breakfast in the University lobby before guests were jointly welcomed by Prof. Armin Weichmann and Prof. Ulrich Reiser, Head and former Head of HdM gravure printing dept.
Thomas Reckert, BOBST Area Sales Manager, presented a technical overview of the MW 60 press and its efficiency in very short run printing. This was followed by other technical presentations providing an overview of the state-of-the-art in the gravure printing industry. An emotional moment was provided by the honouring of the work of retiring Prof. Ulrich Reiser for 27 years of commitment and dedication to the development of education at HdM.
The actual print demonstration on the Rotomec MW 60 press was divided into two parts. Firstly the machine printed the front page of a special magazine, aptly called “The First Print”; then following a lunch break, printing resumed using new gravure cylinders which had been etched in-house. Using the remaining pages, photographs of the event shot earlier that morning were reproduced.
The Rotomec MW 60 gravure press is not only an extraordinary educational tool for students & researchers but as a technology focused university, HdM now offers state-of-the-art technical facilities that businesses can access for a range of activities, such as trial runs for testing substrates, inks, ESA test for direct-indirect current, choice of the most suitable cylinder type, etc.
The excellence of BOBST technology is one reason why BOBST machines can be found in educational institutions around the world. In Stuttgart, the Technology Centre of the DFTA (the German Flexotechnical Association), which cooperates closely with HdM, houses a BOBST F&K CI flexo press. Equally important is the technical partnership that BOBST establishes with the academic world on projects that create a bridge between university and industry. This fosters the transfer of knowledge and generates technological innovation for all.