In terms of technology and for a B1 format KBAs have been on the top for many, many years. Some of the tech advantages of KBA over the other guys are:
-Universal grippers (forget about adjusting grippers whenever you change stock.... + they have a self cleaning effect whenever they open and close)
-Ability to disconnect the rollers from the cylinders through a clutch mechanism. Say you have a 6 color press but will only be printing 4 colors, you can disconnect the rollers so they stop rolling. No need to apply lubricants, no need to clean them afterward, simply connect when you need that unit and disconnect when you don't.
-Large double circumference printing and transfer cylinders. No need to chose between SM or CD cylinder configurations. All KBA B1s have double size cylinders. Easy to print thick stock.
- Automatic non stop at the delivery with no need to slow down the machine when you are using it. This little device is great, a rollaway type of non stop secondary pile simply comes out from the rear end of the delivery and holds the paper pile temporarily while you simply lower and exchange the main pile. Genius.
-Non wear, non contact ink keys. The ink keys in the KBAs never, ever touch the surface of the ductor roller, so no need to place expensive ink liners, and no wear whatsoever. If you have repetitive jobs, you can use the same profiles over and over without adjusting for key wear.
I could go on and on. The machine is great. Of course, it is not the cheapest machine out there.
However, what bothers me is that for some reason the Germans have never quite get the electronics the way the Japanese have. All German machines always have more electronic issues than the Japanese. IMHO, they should just dump all the Siemens electronic in favor of Omron.
I agree, we demo'd a kba 106 rapida, very nice machine for all the above reasons. If I was buying a press with no regard to cost, service, past experience etc, just buying a press based on mechanical features the kba would be the one I would get. The 106 impressed me- the gripper system, servo drive, ability to declutch the unit, the perfecting system, roller train, the design, all of it was an engineering marvel. But it does come at a high price, and I mean high.
I’m partial to Heidelberg, I’ve ran them all my life. The new XL’s are impressive. They are still a true “pressman’s” press meaning a good pressman can and will get the most out of it. Heidelberg service has always been good to us.
The last Komori I ran was years ago, a Lithron 628. Good press and did what you wanted it to do. Lately we’ve researched Komori’s and found the Komori LS is different beast completely with a fully automated make ready. A Komori rep told me Komori’s ultimate goal is to make the M/R “touch less”, no operator Involvement. Notice I said operator, with the Komori
supposedly you do not need to be a pressman to get the most out of it. Yes it helps but Komori’s says it is not needed (and company owners like this). This, I was told is Komori’s philosophy. Heidelberg gives you an infinite amount of adjustment so you can get any job to print. Komori completely automates and sets
everything using their make-ready software so the press will run any job. Hit the green button and go. Both are very different and both work very well. I was impressed seeing the Komori m/r in 50 sheets in an actual production environment, no staging, completely automated.
The last Man Roland I ran was a Miehle Roland 640 with the CCI console….wow. Press actually printed pretty well though.
Mike
