A Guide Down the Narrow Web Press Selection Path

Dynamic Print

“Studies show the motivation of press operators is the No. 1 factor influencing the performance of a press,” reports Kees Nijenhuis, vice president, MPS. “Therefore, ease of operation is key.” He insists, “There are many features to look at when investing in new press equipment.”

Offering specifics, he points to, “Critical factors needed to consistently print high-quality products would be stable register, crisp HD dots and no banding. The result is the ability to print in stable register the most demanding quality labels, mono-films and carton board, as well as shrink sleeve, in-mold, tube laminate and aluminum substrates.”

Kees adds, “In today’s competitive market with increased price pressure, minimal downtime is critical. Pressruns are becoming shorter and shorter, making it necessary for extremely quick changeovers, without the need for tooling or gloves.” Alluding to modern day challenges, he too mentions, “One of the most pressing issues in the industry is finding and retaining skilled press operators. This trend emphasizes the need for companies to invest in automation to secure both productivity and print quality. This day and age, most presses in the market are servo driven, but the real question is whether a press is equipped with servo controlled print pressure settings.”

His ranking of features and options to consider—if not insist on—follows:

• Local service and support—the North American service organization of MPS is focused to help maximize productivity. When it comes to service visits, remote diagnostics, spare parts, maintenance programs, training or consultancy, local technicians and engineers are there to help

  

• Separation between printing and web transport—with “Crisp.Dot” technology, the press is not printing against a web transport roll or chill roll, but against a separate free-running impression roll. This prevents friction in the printing process, resulting in a higher print quality with significantly less banding
• Automated pressure settings—Automated Print Control (“APC”) technology allows you to set up both stored jobs from memory and new jobs faster. It allows the operator to utilize servo technology while giving objective numeric feedback
• Touchscreens and operator interface—MPS introduced the digital “iControl” button, which works together with the screen at every print unit. The iControl button has user friendly reference clicks, a ring with LED lights as machine mode indicator and four register indicator LED lights
• Robust press design—MPS presses are built to run 24/7 and each part is designed in a solid way to make sure your press operator can work reliably day after day
• Quick-change tooling—a few unique features, such as a quick lock doctor blade holder, anilox with handles, and a quick-change ink pan with integrated metering rolls assist here
• Quick-change converting—MPS developed three die-station solutions allowing a quick changeover: a vertical die station that allows you to flip away the bridges, a fully automated die station with servo die pressure control that can be changed over during the run, and a die station that allows for side loading from a cart in less than 30 seconds
• Unique quick-change features—“AutoTeach” is a technology where the press can be taught a new web path by the push of just one button. This eliminates the possibility for any human error. “iStop,” a technology used with UV jobs, allows the operator to stop and start the press without waste
• Matrix rewinding—“iStrip” is a new tension-controlled stripping technology that allows the press to die cut and strip matrix at very high press speeds
• Rail system—The EF standard has a full-length, “Ultraflex Rail System,” where you are able to park away rail units and change the sequence of rail units without using a hoist or forklift

Kees explains, “Integrated dynamic print control allows the press to automatically adjust pressure accordingly, as the press speeds up and slows down to provide consistent print results. Today, it is possible to set up print pressure and other settings automatically, using a closed-loop feedback system, meaning no human intervention is needed.”

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