Suppliers focus on applications at Ipex

Ipex II Ipex 2006 presented itself as a
a trade fair characterized by technology and business models. Spectacular
However, there were no new products.
From April 4 to 11, Birmingham
Ipex, the most important trade fair for the print and media industry
of the year. According to our own impressions and initial reports, the
The event was a great success in terms of visitor numbers. A
trade fair theme was not to be found at Ipex 2006. When a
would have to be named, then probably the "focusing
to new business models". Because "business" and the resulting
"Opportunities" were the most frequently used catchphrases that were
countless trade press conferences held during Ipex and
were regularly sought by company managers. 

In search of trends in offset printing
The emerging trends in offset printing, alongside the
Process integration (networking of machines with order processing systems)
and pre-stage systems) also the use of inline measuring devices
for quality control, especially for industrial manufacturing companies.
businesses. For this customer group, the three
Suppliers Heidelberg, MAN Roland and KBA as a further recognizable trend
sheeter on offer. Offset machines equipped with this
are thus transformed into reel-to-sheet machines. These
development makes perfect sense, as roll paper is much cheaper than
sheet material and the feeding of paper is significantly simplified.
It was also noticeable that the manufacturers in the smaller
increasingly longer or with more and more inking units
equipped or even long turning machines. On the trend
for higher-quality printed matter and packaging are parried by the
Printing press manufacturers with new solutions. Both MAN Roland (with
InlineFoiler) as well as Heidelberg (Coldfoil) both presented
machine superstructures, with which inline - i.e. during the printing process - the
foils can be applied for metallic effects. These
Integration is certainly justified, because thanks to
Inline production significantly improves the added value of print shops
lets.

Below are a few selected trade fair highlights, in alphabetical order
manufacturers: At Heidelberg, in addition to the
process integration, the innovations already announced in advance in the
Center. Particular attention was paid to the new Anicolor inking unit
equipped Speedmaster SM 52 printing press and new
Finishing systems (saddle stitcher Stitchmaster ST 450,
Eurobind 4000 perfect binder, Diana X 115/135 folder gluer).
The company also presented its medium format machine
Speedmaster CD 74 (50 ¥ 70 cm) in a 18,000 sheets/hour high-speed press
version. The manufacturer promises this speed via a
wide range of substrates, from thin printing paper through to
cardboard packaging. Heidelberg was the first supplier to present more
with the Speedmaster SM 52-10-P, a ten-color press in 35 ¥ format.
50 cm. In doing so, the company is responding to what it says is an increased
Demand for even longer perfectors in this sheet format
react. The name Speedmaster CD 74-5+LY-P-5+L stands for
a machine that reduces the production time of printed materials.
can be shortened overall: The paint shops before and after the
The perfecting unit enables the printed sheet to be turned significantly faster.
can be processed further than before. Even if the trade fair appearance
was at least visually oriented towards machines and technology, the
At the press conference, CEO Bernhard Schreier emphasized the focus on
customer needs to the fore: "New developments such as the
The machines shown are no longer created exclusively in the minds of
by product developers, but are increasingly the result of
customer requirements."
 
KBA presented a press equipped with a reel feeder
Ten-color medium-format Rapida 105 press for 5/5-color straight printing
and relief printing at the center of its trade fair presence. The up to 18000
sheet/hour printing machine in B1 format was equipped with a
automatically convertible perfecting device. This series is available from
classic five-color machines via five- or
Six-color hybrid machines, double-coating machines and even
15-unit machines with perfecting device and coating finishing on both sides of the
sheet available.

At MAN Roland, machines ranging from small to medium format
demonstrated. The Roland 200 was equipped with a device for the
printing on cardboard, which makes the machine very easy to use.
can be used flexibly. As a ten-color machine with
The Roland 500 with a speed of 15,000 sheets per hour could be seen in the second sheet turning.
The star of the stand, however, was the Roland 700 in the six-color version
with coating unit and extension. The company promises shorter
set-up times thanks to the QuickChange system. To
cost savings and an improvement in quality, the
InlineInspector inspection system in combination with the ejection station
InlineSorter. MAN now offers the 700 series in the 3B+ format
as a straight printing press. It can be used to print substrates up to
780 ¥ 1040 mm format. Compared to the standard
machine, provided the enlarged format is relevant,
Productivity increases of up to 50 percent possible. MAN believes
This makes this machine ideal for packaging and label printers.
be.

Trends in digital printing
The manufacturers of digital printing systems presented like never before
applications to the fore. Selected information here too: Agfa offers its :Anapurna printing systems in 160 (L) and 250 (L) widths.
mm (XL). The two inkjet printing systems are capable of printing up to 50 mm
thick substrates, which makes them very well suited for the
production of outdoor advertising materials. In addition to CMYK, the
Large format printers that achieve resolutions of up to 1440 ¥ 1440 dpi, each
a light version of cyan and magenta as well as the color white. In
Depending on the resolution, the printers can print up to 20 m2/h.
Agfa also presented its :Dotrix web-fed digital printing system, which has been available since
the acquisition of Dotrix to the Agfa portfolio. The printer
prints up to 907 m2 of reel material per hour and is recognized by Agfa as a
ideal for the decoration and packaging market. The with a
The machine can be equipped with a flexographic printing unit for
prior application of protective varnish or white paint (as a base).
for transparent substrates) and with a slitting mechanism
The wide roll can be ordered to be cut into narrow rolls before winding.
Rolls for direct further processing in, for example
filling stations. Looking at Agfa's now clearly
extended product range, then the statement by
Agfa President Stefaan Vanhooren, who notes that Agfa has become a
leading provider in inkjet printing.

There was a mass of people at Canon. Finally the
company will present its new color digital printing series of the
to the trade public. The new ImagePress C7000VP was one of the
of the trade fair highlights. It features air-supported
sheet feeder and keeps a supply of up to 10,000 sheets of paper in the
Access. Thanks to a comprehensive range of features, the system can
Stacking, punching and cutting paper, including stapled brochures
inline production. The 70-page machine was then also used by David
Preskett, Canon Professional Solutions Marketing Director, as a
"genuine, uncompromising focus on quality and productivity
color printing system". In the new printing system, new
developed toner and developer as well as a new imaging drum
for use.  

At the center of HP's trade fair appearance was the HP
Indigo press w3250, which was shown to a specialist audience for the first time in Europe.
was. Alon Bar-Shany, General Manager of HP's Indigo Division, is
convinced: "The HP Indigo press w3250 utilizes the possibilities of the
digital printing and combines the speed and quality of digital
of offset printing with the efficiency and intelligence of digital printing."
With up to 8000 A4 pages per hour (four-color, two-up), the
system is also one of the fastest digital printers around. Besides
new printers, HP has also introduced a new ink. The HP Vivera
said liquid promises, according to HP, an even more photorealistic
reproduction than was possible with other methods. Striking
is that HP has discovered photo book printing for itself: Several
Partner companies were on site at the Hewlett-Packard stand and provided information on
about solutions for the production of photo books. 

Kodak introduces its recently launched digital color press
Nexpress 2500 to the European trade public for the first time. The printer
has been designed for even higher productivity and reliability.
By adding a fifth printing unit to the digital printing press
Kodak has informed users that they will be able to purchase additional
unlocking sales potential. The additional printing unit enables the
Application of special colors, watermarks, a transparent
protective coating or a high-gloss finish. Also on display was a
Nexglosser is a high-gloss finisher for finishing
book covers, prints of digital photos, coffee table books, greeting cards and
Brochures.

Following its withdrawal from the camera business, the
Konica Minolta is now increasingly focusing on digital printing. At the
Ipex, the previously announced bizhub Pro 6050 printer
introduced. The new system prints up to 65 pages/minute in color or
black and white and is designed for a volume of up to 200,000 pages/month.
designed. With the launch of the printer, Konica Minolta is introducing a
new polymer toner called Simitri-HD, which can be used to
achieve outstanding printing results. For its bizhub
Pro 1050, the Group has introduced a bookbinding device and can
therefore also offer a complete solution.

With the Truepress Jet520, the Japanese company Screen has introduced a
Roll-fed color printing system suitable for printing variable data
before. The manufacturer promises high print quality with low
Operating costs. The Xeikon company presented itself at Ipex
as a total solution provider for the first time. The focus was on the
four-color transaction printing and a production line for the
Production of brochures with variable content. For printing
the Xeikon 5000 digital printing system. Also of particular interest
Xeikon's commitment to textile printing. A specially coated
The film can be digitally printed and then the
Transfer subjects to textiles using the normal transfer process
be 

The attraction at the Xerox stand was the expansion of the iGen3 series. The
iGen3 90, a new 90-page press, is being launched by Xerox as a
entry-level machine and at the same time fills the gap between the iGen3
110 and the Docucolor printers. As new all-round systems
the company presented the Xerox 4590 and 4110 models. These 90
or 110-page/minute machines can be used for both printing
small print runs of brochures and booklets or for the
transaction printing. Its commitment to the
Xerox is reaffirming its position in large format printing with the new
Xerox Epson systems, marketed jointly with Epson
7400 and 9400 as well as 7800 and 9800. For its digital production system
the Nuvera family, the company has introduced a finishing module,
with which print service providers provide manuals and individual
produce marketing materials.   

Jürgen Franck