Offset Printing
Mover and shaker in sheetfed and web
Friday 30. May 2008 - KBA at Drupa: a compelling show with new products and processes
At KBA’s international press conference on the first day of Drupa, president and CEO Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann, who is also Drupa president for the third time, spelled out the message loud and clear: “Technological advances are crucial for the survival of the print media industry. We must regain our self-confidence and redefine our role, actively address new issues such as print ecology, and boost cost efficiency while enhancing print’s visual and haptic appeal. We must all direct our energies towards communicating print’s strengths, without which no modern industrialised society can survive.”
The courage to “go against the flow”
The world’s oldest press manufacturer, KBA has the broadest product palette in the industry. According to Bolza-Schünemann, much of KBA’s success is due to its willingness to challenge established processes and structures and to “go against the flow” when launching new concepts, while always remaining true to its banner “People & Print: driving advances – together”. Very often such concepts have later become part of the mainstream. Examples include anilox inking, which has since been adopted by others; KBA’s unparalleled focus on climate-friendly waterless offset; the automation and standardisation of newspaper production with the Cortina; and intelligent finishing capabilities based on hybrid processes. Says Bolza-Schünemann: “While KBA is a leading player in mainstream markets, we bring the passionate devotion of a family-run enterprise to niche markets such as security printing, metal decorating or UV printing on electronic data media. We shall continue to pursue this strategy and are constantly on the watch for suitable opportunities, because niche markets entail less risk than high-volume sectors dominated by serial manufacturers and deliver value-added in the form of superior technical know-how.”
A raft of new features in the networked printshop
The digitally networked printing plant on KBA’s 3,400m² (36,600ft²) stand in hall 16 certainly had a lot to offer: new or upgraded litho presses from B3 to size 7 (20½ – 63¾in); the ultra-compact Cortina and Commander CT newspaper presses, whose level of automation and ease of handling are unmatched in the global market; spectacular software for closed-loop quality management and RFID-controlled pile logistics; four over four in large format (a Drupa first); alcohol-free print production on all the wet offset presses exhibited, or waterless in the green printing centre; premium-quality UV and hybrid packaging printing on challenging substrates; and climate-neutral web-to-print scenarios with Hiflex software and ClimatePartner on a 74 Karat DI offset press. The JDF and MIS demos given by a new consultancy, KBA Complete, with Hiflex MIS, Kodak pre-press and Perfecta and MBO finishing kit were another big attraction.
Best value in their class: Rapida 75 and Rapida 105
Most of KBA’s exhibits were described in more or less detail following the highly successful pre-Drupa open house at KBA’s Radebeul facility in April (see press release of 9 April). Members of the industry were pleased to see that alongside its high-end medium- and large-format presses (Rapida 106, Rapida 130 to 205) KBA has brought out two models – the Rapida 75 and the Rapida 105 (successor to the Rapida 105 universal) – that are suitable for printers on tight budgets who require flexibility coupled with value for money and an adequate level of automation. Developed jointly by KBA Radebeul and KBA-Grafitec, the 530 x 750mm (20¾ x 29½in) Rapida 75 can have two to eight colours and sports many features from the bigger Rapidas. It will soon be available with automatically convertible perfecting for 4 over 4. The compact 15,000sph five-colour coater version shown has the optional larger format of 605 x 750mm (23¾ x 29½in).
Reliability and the flexibility to print commercials, books, labels and cartons at speeds of up to 15,000sph (16,500sph with high-speed package) are the Rapida 105’s claim to fame. The standard sheet size is 720 x1050mm (28¼ x 41½in), but the five-colour coater press displayed had the optional 740 x 1050mm (29 x 41½in) format and UV capability. The new Rapida 105 is available as a straight press with a maximum of seven printing units plus a choice of coaters. As with all medium- and large-format Rapidas, a DriveTronic shaftless feeder is a standard item. Others include automatic or semi- automatic plate changing and automatic washing. The controls have been converted to a Windows operating system to ensure future availability. ACR control (video register), DensiTronic or DensiTronic Professional densitometry and control systems and a DensiTronic PDF scanner are among the many extras offered.
The two presses, which have been given a sleek new design, spearhead KBA’s move into more price-sensitive markets, where they are touted as “the best value in their class”.
SRA2 for the price of SRA3: KBA Performa 66
Another budget-priced press that has had a face lift and a technology upgrade is the Performa 66, which KBA-Grafitec claims offers the outstanding value for money of an SRA2 (26in) press for the price of an SRA3 (18in). Engineered for a maximum output of 10,000sph, plus perfecting and inline coating, the Performa 66 can be configured with an optional ErgoTronic console complete with CIP4 interface, cost- and space-saving ErgoTronic InkControl, and a touch-screen display at the delivery for the remote adjustment of ink profiles.
Makeready champion: KBA Rapida 106
Laying claim to be the benchmark by which other medium-format presses are defined, the 740 x 1060mm (29 x 41¾in) KBA Rapida 106 has an output of 18,000sph (15,000sph in perfecting) and DriveTronic dedicated drives that make it the makeready champion in its class. The shaftless DriveTronic Feeder boasts an array of presetting capabilities and can handle even lighter stock. Sidelay-free DriveTronic SIS infeed, which is exclusive to KBA and now fitted in over 60% of all high-performance Rapidas, supports changes of substrate with no manual intervention and perceptibly improves sheet travel compared with mechanical or pneumatic systems. DriveTronic SPC dedicated plate-cylinder drives allow plates to be changed simultaneously in less than 60 seconds and in conjunction with simultaneous washing and other processes dramatically reduces makeready times. DriveTronic Plate Ident uses an imaged data matrix code to check whether the plates are in the correct position on the cylinder, and ensures precise pre-registration prior to print start. The Rapida 106 eight-colour perfector press exhibited printed three challenging jobs of 500 sheets apiece in less than 15 minutes. DriveTronic SPC has been fitted on or ordered for around 50 medium-format Rapidas in various configurations, delivering enormous productivity gains.
Applying security know-how to quality management
At this year’s Drupa KBA also reaffirmed its pole position in press-related technology with an inline quality management system incorporating its unparalleled expertise as the global market leader in security presses. Closed-loop operation was the focus of the expanded QualiTronic system for 100% quality control at maximum production speed (optional for both sides of the sheet). Faulty sheets in the Rapida 106 and Rapida 142 were inkjet tagged by QualiTronic Mark and subsequently ejected by the MBO folding machine. QualiTronic Professional, an inline densitometry and control system with 100% inspection (on both sides of the sheets as an option), is another new module which adjusts density to the specified standard after just over 50 sheets, with no operator intervention. Demonstrated on the Rapida 106 and the two large-format presses, QualiTronic Professional substantially reduces waste levels and job changeover times. Another new feature unique to KBA in the field of quality control and documentation is DensiTronic PDF. A scanner mounted on the measuring arm of the DensiTronic Professional closed-loop colour control system in a Rapida 162 compared each sheet with the original PDF at an unprecedented resolution of 330dpi. Even minute deviations were detected after just 10 minutes and documented automatically. Visual controls take three times as long.
New features from the market leader for packaging printers
KBA reaffirmed its position as the market leader in sheetfed offset packaging presses with a plinth-mounted Rapida 162 six-colour coater press with extended delivery, UV capability and a full array of QualiTronic modules. Running alcohol-free, the press printed a luxury brochure for Harley Davidson followed by some highly sophisticated packaging, eg on foil-laminated cartonboard and with Metal FX inks to create some stunning metallic effects.
In tandem with the Rapida 142 eight-colour perfector the Rapida 162 rounded off the live show by demonstrating the enormous efficiency gains possible a 14,000sph with PileTronic automated pile logistics in conjunction with radio frequency identification transponders and a pile turner controlled from the console. PileTronic Ident read/write modules embedded in the pile turner, feeder and delivery identified the pallets and the number of sheets stacked on them by means of RFID tags. The system also logged pallet location and the volume of materials consumed. During each pile change in the delivery PileTronic PDF wrote the number of printed sheets on the RFID tag. A LogoTronic Docu module in the console of the Rapida 162 automatically printed out a pallet docket.
Drupa first: four over four in large format
Also the market leader in large format, KBA demonstrated the productivity gains possible with a bigger sheet size, clocking up another Drupa first by showing a Rapida 142 eight-colour perfector in action. Large-format KBA perfectors have been on the market for years, and are particularly popular among book printers. Now KBA is targeting high-volume sheetfed commercial printers, and to this end has not only improved register accuracy, perfecting and sheet travel but has also developed a new commercial delivery and reduced the number of print-free corridors to no more than five, delivering a huge productivity boost comparable to that in the commercial web sector in recent years. The maximum perfecting print length on the Rapida 162a has been increased to 1170mm, so it is now possible to use the full sheet size of 1200 x 1620mm when perfecting.
Pioneer in green printing and anilox inking
While the anilox inking technology KBA started pioneering twenty years ago has since been adopted by other press manufacturers, the group continues to set the pace, and in its green printing centre at Drupa exhibited three sheetfed presses and one newspaper web press with climate-friendly waterless, keyless inking: a Genius 52 UV, a UV version of the Rapida 74G (Gravuflow), a 74 Karat and a Cortina. Information on carbon-neutral printing options and on a new non-hazardous, biologically decomposable dampening additive for conventional presses was provided by representatives from ClimatePartner and Wesso respectively. KBA’s intensive commitment to conservation, which includes regular emission controls and environmental accreditation by the BG Druck- und Papiertechnik for all Rapida presses since 2000, was documented on a roll of eco-certified paper.
Innovative compact platform from the inventor of the printing press
Although KBA, like other German press manufacturers, dispensed with demonstrations of web presses at Drupa, there was still plenty for web printers to enjoy. A four-high tower of a 6/2 waterless Cortina, ranged alongside a tower of its conventional counterpart, the Commander CT, underscored once again KBA’s innovative genius and its willingness to depart from the mainstream. To date fourteen newspaper publishers have ordered Cortina press lines, with four opting for the triple-wide version, while the Daily News in New York recently signed up for a Commander CT. KBA demonstrated the huge gains in terms of operation, maintenance, production flexibility, cost efficiency and environmental protection delivered by the compact presses’ high level of automation, which embraces PlateTronic automatic plate changing, NipTronic bearing units for the remote adjustment of printing pressure, RollerTronic automatic roller setting, Plate-Ident plate recognition and FanoTronic fan-out compensation.
RollerTronic now available for KBA Compactas
Commercial printers were no doubt delighted to hear that KBA’s high-volume Compacta presses now enjoy all the benefits RollerTronic roller locks deliver in terms of print quality, energy efficiency and maintenance. They also had the chance to see this new feature in action on a Compacta press line at major KBA customer de Jong in the Netherlands, or to log on at a console with an online link to webcams at a number of new Compactas.