Re: Advantages of a press with a console
Hi Ernie,
As mentioned, it can make a great impact with faster makeready and higher accuracy. Just with a console, the ink zone are controlled digitally, the press operator can move all colors or selected color right from the console, he does not have go to each unit and turn the keys, This can easily be expanded by interfacing to prepress.
From prepress, a file would be sent that will be used to preset the ink zones. In addition, within the CP2000 console, you can have multiple printing characteristic curves for the press based on ink/paper combinations that are used for automatic presetting of the ink zones. The more accurate you can make the presetting, the faster the make ready. Typical response from customers using presetting are they are down to a couple pulls and makeready can be done in a few hundred sheets. As mention, a makeready may be down to 20 minutes or so.
Once the ink keys are digitally preset, if the operator needs to tweak color, they do so right from the console for any or all colors. They do not have to go turn the keys at each unit.. We do have an option called Color Assistant, that allows the operator to tweak printing characteristics curves and save them into the data base. This allows fine tuning to the files, making them more accurate. How long is your typical makeready today and how many sheets does it take?
In addition, if you have a Heidelberg press with the Preset Feeder Plus, you can have job information come over from our Prinance MIS or Printready prepress workflow system into the data base. The press operator just chooses the job he wants from the CP 2000 console monitor. Beside the name of the job, paper size, automatically loading the proper print characteristic curve from the data base, you also are automatically setting the feed head set, side joggers for the paper, gripper height at in-feed, side guide, air setting on feeder, printing pressure, rear and side delivery guides and spray powder length. Once the run is done, all setups can be saved. So if you printed a partial or a reprint, all of these setting would be restored to the press to finish the new run.
So by having the console, you can integrate with prepress to reduce makeready on the press, saving time, ink, and paper. You not that far from us, we are located just outside of Atlanta. I welcome you to come visit and we can demonstrate the advantages of the integration. Just e-mail me if you are interested and I can have a representative arrange this with you. Good luck.
Regards,
Mark Tonkovich
Heidelberg USA
Product Manager, CtP & Proofing
[email protected]
