21st Century Web Press

Although, web offset printing presses today are more efficient and more productive than previous web offset printing presses. In the coming years, many exciting technologies will have an important impact on the production and service of web offset printing presses.
Today, manufacturing companies use digitally-adjusted parallel AC servo motors to drive the press through optical fiber technology, a highly sophisticated automation technology that also includes a closed-loop color control system that is becoming a standard device. Due to the extraordinary and efficient thermal energy distribution control system, the thermosetting dryer achieves almost perfect energy efficiency on the current printing press. The electronic system of the press can be remotely diagnosed, operated and maintained around the world, reducing costs.
Many promising technologies in R&D will likely be used in the future, including electronic assisted drying and new inks. High-end commercial web offset presses with little training time, short preparation time, and automated features are starting to be manufactured. These technologies include automatic plate change, automatic register, automatic blanket cleaning, automatic Web-ups, and automatic folding conversion being implemented on web printing presses. Some of the technologies on the front sheet printing press are on the market Web presses compose the competition.
Rising Automation Over the years, while automatic register and blanket cleaning have become commonplace in web presses, standard automatic and semi-automatic plate changing devices are being installed on all levels of commercial web presses. In addition to the automatic version change, there is an automated “Web-up” technology patented by Heidelberg, which is a new technology. Fully automatic and semi-automatic button folding conversions have also become more common, and closed-loop color automation is also rapidly spreading in web printing companies. It is worth noting that web printing companies are buying large quantities of this technology.
These systems use a CCD camera-based in-line densitometry or a small camera/spectrophotometer system. Each moving reel has scan and color mark capabilities, continuously sending data to the ink console to make ink Film thickness compensation. Today, printers using these systems have found not only to maintain stable color quality, but also to collect timely data as an effective means for process control and customer quality assurance. Many manufacturing companies provide closed loop color technology for the roll market.
Axis-free technology The traditional web offset printing press that mounts gears, belts, and pulleys on the side of the machine will disappear, and the German company Reroth Indramat will develop synchronously with the AC servo motor technology. Driveshaftless presses are quickly becoming the standard.
Shaftless technology is not a new technology. It appeared 20 years ago that the online folding machines work independently to solve the synchronization problem. Until recently servo motor technology became popular to this extent.
Shaftless presses have many advantages over conventional linear axis presses. The wear caused by gear turbulence absolutely affects the registration between the units. The shaftless technology does not have the problem of gear clearance. Due to the independent control of the speed of each unit, the shaftless printer also has the problem of maintaining full spool tension control. The motor driving each unit can operate at a fixed percentage regardless of the speed of printing.
Another advantage of the shaftless printing technology is that each printing unit can work independently and can be expanded, which is very suitable for many production options of printing companies.
Heat Dissipation Control The new heat dissipation control technology is enabling web printing presses to have higher fuel efficiency and environmental protection. At the Drupa exposition in 2000, MEGTEC introduced a dual drying Omega system that combines the dryer and the hot oxygen with the potential to burn without cost. It is said that the system's thermal control technology achieves 95% thermal recovery, and conventional thermal oxygen technology is about 65% thermal recovery. Allows the system to reduce the release of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
Due to its high efficiency, this technology surprisingly reduces combustion compared to conventional dryers/oxidizers that are combined together. This technology can accurately achieve a complete closed-loop emission control. The ink solvent release during oxidation is sufficient to provide all the heat needed to eliminate VOCS and dry webs. There is no need to add fuel to the system. This kind of technical operation is low in cost and print distribution is low.
Remote Diagnostics Today's presses can be connected to a global network and can monitor presses around the world. Due to the adoption of high-level digital technologies in the printing press, many printing companies use printed software solutions for their prints. If the software fails, including improvements and troubleshooting can be very expensive. The maintenance system performs remote diagnostics in a way that uses a dial-up modem, which allows technical experts around the world to diagnose and resolve software and other problems.
With the development of remote diagnostic application technology, QTIs color control system has arrived, and remote monitoring allows engineers to timely check and operate comprehensive CCS, including hardware monitoring. Web printing companies will see more selective remote diagnostics, and as the cost of services decreases and downtime decreases, the use of these systems in the coming years will see significant growth.
Print imaging was popular on the print plate in the sheet-fed offset printing market a few years ago. Currently, this technology is being seen on web presses. At the Drupa exposition in 2000, Manroland exhibited a DICO web press. These presses have features that allow for erasing and re-imaging directly into the platen cylinder. The company calls the "Form" drum technology. The technology includes the CreoScitex thermal imaging head used on the press, imaging is a heat transfer. The heat transfer imaging produces the durability of the ink-philic paper, which dictates the water acceptance of the plate on the surface of the plate cylinder. The imaging process takes only 10 minutes. After the printer runs, the ink and heat transfer material are wiped off, allowing the plate cylinder to be ready for the next step.
Future technologies In the coming years, many technologies researched and developed may impact the web offset press. ELtex GmbH is investigating the use of constant energy and improving the thermal energy of the thermosetting dryer of the web offset press. This technique called "E-FIELD" is dry. The study focused on the use of fixed energy and ended up with solvent laminating bubbles. The ink solvent of the web is released in the dryer. As the technology continues to evolve, new dryers will be simple, low-temperature work and reduced diffuse, with higher performance than current dryers.
Another technology that emerged in the ink field was that Flink Ink had developed SFI technology seven years ago, but this technology was first confirmed at the Drupa Expo in 2000. The ink technology eliminates the need for a drying system because the special ink is a solvent that combines both ink and wetting. Flink Ink reports that this standard ink is used in lithographic and unmodified ink systems. Although SFI was successfully tested, it has been run in the black ink of the web thermoset type. Vendors still require more research and development for products sold to the market.
SFI technology has a potentially huge impact on web presses. Without ink/water balance, print job preparation may be faster, and it is easier to ensure quality stability and less waste of paper.
Going forward Web presses will continue to evolve in many ways, with higher energy efficiency and productivity. In order to adapt to the short and medium version of color printing, automated, consistent print quality, low-cost preparation time has been competing between sheetfed and web.