September 26, 2002 -- A LITHOMAN by MAN Roland, specially configured to meet the needs of insert producers, is giving insert specialists a competitive edge: particularly important in the USA, for example, where the pressures of competitive pricing mean that the insert market is primarily served by specialist companies. The process is heatset, and papers similar to newsprint are the choice of substrate. Production can vary from 10,000 copies all the way to extremely long runs for regional or national campaigns. The main customers of insert specialists are North America's large retail chains, including those in the food industry.   LITHOMAN "Insert" – task-optimized design As a manufacturer of a high-end series of commercial and newspaper presses, MAN Roland is able to satisfy the needs of insert producers by providing outstanding quality systems. The specific requirements in the field of inserts meant creating specifically tailored solutions: insert producers wanted high print quality at low substrate cost, low waste, high performance for quick production of up-to-the minute inserts, as well as the highest production run numbers at the lowest possible investment costs for competitive hourly production work. The LITHOMAN "Insert" ideally satisfies all these requirements with its outstanding performance and reliability. High performance The LITHOMAN "Insert" prints at 43,000 cylinder revolutions per hour. With a web width of up to 66 inches (1676 mm) and a cylinder circumference of 42 inches (1066 mm), production is possible on up to four parallel tracks. This means up to 64 pages per cylinder rotation can be produced for the normal insert market format. The most common configuration in this market segment consists of four printing units, a dryer, chill unit, and double folding groups in T-configuration. The shaftless drive concept with AC motors, PPL automatic plate change, the PECOM system for operating, controlling, presetting, and evaluating data, and the integration of the press into digital workflows all create the prerequisite that guarantees the highest degree of operating economy, the lowest possible waste, and the shortest change-overs. Comprehensive know-how for specific solutions Given the needs of the market, MAN Roland created a combination of reliable and technically superior modules taken from its original product line. The insert configuration in combination with the no-shaft LITHOMAN printing technology with AC drive and folder systems, also with no-shaft drive, gives companies extremely versatile production capabilities and format variability. The turner bar modules and former structure, for example, are taken from MAN Roland's time-tested series of commercial presslines. A no-contact spray dampening system is used to create the best conditions possible for the substrates that are used, which are mostly uncoated paper, and similar to newsprint. Quality folding technology for reliable production The LITHOMAN "Insert" is equipped with the world-renowned MAN Roland pin-type folder unit in a 2:5:5 cylinder configuration. The large cylinder circumference guarantees the product is handled gently. In the standard configuration, the 2:5:5 folder has a folding group for the first crossfold, the most common type of production in the insert market. A second folder is available for multiple output (maximum hourly production of 172,000 copies with 8 pages). For other formats, the folders can be equipped to make the quarter fold. The systems of both folders are easily accessible in the T-configuration, and almost all adjustment and setting work can be done from the control console. Presetting, operation, and process data analysis in the PECOM system All presetting and control tasks for the entire system, including the folders and turner bar nest, are performed quickly, efficiently and conveniently from the PECOM control console. Register control systems ensure consistently high print quality throughout the entire run. The PECOM ProductionManagerTM takes care of presetting and evaluation of production data. Not only can data be taken from prepress for precise inking presetting, for example, but the PECOM system, equipped with a LINUX operating system, Ethernet (TCP/IP) bus system, and data evaluation links in browser technology mean press operators can benefit from remote diagnostics run by MAN Roland experts at the TeleCupportCenter via the TeleLink 1 interface. This guarantees that any problems are quickly corrected. Also, MAN Roland offers a service pack with TeleLink 2 that evaluates and makes statistical analyses of saved operating data at regular intervals, giving the customer solid facts and figures that allow him to optimize the production process, and even with the support of MAN Roland if required.