Offset Printing
KBA Genius 52 UV Press Optimizes Printing on New Substrates
Friday 31. October 2008 - Printers take advantage of new uses including plastic, lenticular and board
KBA North America, a global press manufacturer based in Williston, Vermont, and Dallas, Texas, announces that its KBA Genius 52 UV press customers are broadening their client base by adding a variety of substrates to their product mix. The Genius 52 UV, which received the prestigious GATF InterTech award in 2006, is the worlds first waterless UV sheetfed offset press. It is designed to print on a variety of paper, board, and plastics, including lenticular surfaces, PVC, styrene, polyethylene, static-cling vinyl, low-tack vinyl, and others. It is also now available with a new dedicated coating unit.
For example, two KBA customers, Accurate Plastic Printers, a custom plastic printer in Clifton, New Jersey, and Plastic Resource, Inc., a Cottage Grove, Minnesota, plastic printing company specializing in gift card printing and high-speed data application, are taking advantage of the KBA Genius 52 UV press.
Plastic Resource, Inc. is enhancing its services with its new KBA Genius by providing more capacity along with using additional substrates and techniques. “Our company is a recognized industry leader in the small- to medium-run UV printing and gift card market thanks to our high quality, great customer service, and fast turnaround,” says John Brier, president and founder of Plastic Resource, Inc. “Until now, weve been printing on a standard offset litho sheetfed press with UV. But the Genius 52 UV from KBA sets us apart and allows us to enhance our services for our customers. There is no other press on the market like the Genius that can take sheets of plastic with one set of grippers and produce a perfectly printed sheet completely in register with the color held during the entire run. We also like the fact that the Genius is up to color in less than 15 sheets since efficiency and waste reduction are key components of our business.”
One of the key features of the Genius 52 UV that attracted Brier is its ability to produce 3-D and lenticular printing. Lenticular printing is a special technique that involves printing an image on the back side of lenticular plastic, allowing the eye to simultaneously view alternating sections of multiple images to give the impression of 3-D, flip, or motion. Brier has added lenticular printing to his gift card services with the installation of the Genius 52 UV press.
“Currently, were able to run different types of plastic substrates, like PVC, polyethylene, and polypropylene,” says Brier. “But now were able to offer lenticular as well as produce soft vinyl covers for the short-run marketa market that other printers dont want to touch due to low volumes. The Genius also gives us an edge over using our conventional sheetfed press in that we no longer experience sheet stretching, and were seeing an even higher quality on our line screens.”
At Accurate Plastic Printers in New Jersey, the KBA Genius has provided the firm with much faster speeds, quicker turnaround, and higher quality since the installation in June 2008. The Genius joins Accurates digital offset six-color press and screen printing capabilities, allowing the firm to expand its customer base and continue to produce a wide range of unique products.
“Our main goal is to service our nationwide customers,” says Carlos Agudelo, founder and president of Accurate Plastic Printers. “Since weve been printing on our KBA Genius 52, weve been better able to keep to that mandate. The Genius provides us with 10 times faster speeds, much higher resolution, and a larger print area. Eighty to 90 percent of our jobs are now assigned to the Genius. The installation is producing a great result for us, and our customers appreciate the work being produced.”
The maximum sheet size of the Genius 52 UV press is 14 3/16″ x 20″, and it can operate at 8,000 sph. The unique press features keyless inking, waterless technology, extended delivery, and integrated dryers. It features an automatic plate-changing device that guarantees short setup times, reliable reproducibility, and brilliant offset quality. The Genius 52 control console features a touch-screen display that can slide from one end of the press to the other for easy press operator access. The press prints in five colors with UV curing inks that rapidly and completely harden through an efficient integrated drying system, which allows further processing, such as laminating or punching, immediately afterward.
“We had been using a digital offset six-color press,” says Agudelo. “But there were a number of limitations. We found that we needed to treat substrates before using them to print. We also received a large job order from the U.S. government that required a bigger print area, and the digital press didnt accommodate it. Rather than send the job to an outside source where we would lose control over print production and security, we decided to install the KBA Genius to fulfill this order and many others like it. The Genius is now working hand in hand with the digital offset six-color press, which can be used for variable data jobs while the Genius provides the high speed to lower the manufacturing costs.”
Today, reports Agudelo, the company can produce an array of work with a faster turnaround (thus allowing the company to increase the number of print jobs on the Genius) and higher quality and four-color resolution. In fact, the increased output on the Genius is creating a bottleneck in the bindery department, where Agudelo is now considering more finishing equipment. The company president feels that his customer base will only continue to grow as job orders flow in from Internet sales and contracted business in these new markets.