3/26/07 - Westmont, Illinois — MAN Roland is launching two distinct versions of the next generation of its popular ROLAND 700 mid-size press. Both offer innovative technology that sets new benchmarks for sheetfed performance. The new ROLAND 700 HiPrint is the mainstream choice for the majority of printing facilities, while the new ROLAND 700 DirectDrive is designed for printers who require advanced makeready performance and long perfecting capabilities. Higher Quality Results The “Hi” in HiPrint stands for high quality, and the new press line can be equipped with MAN Roland’s exclusive array of inline quality control enhancements. It can also be configured with any of the company’s unique inline advancements that integrate the application of special effects into the printing process, providing added value without adding press time. “The ROLAND 700 HiPrint is aimed at printing companies that mainly focus on innovative enhancement of their print products, meaning industrial-scale inline finishing such as coating, double coating, UV, embossing, cold foil transfer, and the like,” says Dr. Markus Rall, the MAN Roland board member in charge of sheetfed presses. “It is also the right press for all printers who want a higher level of performance from their pressrooms.” To increase its performance, the ROLAND 700 HiPrint can be equipped with MAN Roland’s QuickChange bundle of makeready enhancements. The option offers a series of automation modules that work together to accelerate change-over from job to job. Direct Advantages As its name indicates, the new ROLAND 700 DirectDrive features MAN Roland’s DirectDrive system, which was introduced as a prototype at drupa 2004. The innovation uses computer-controlled servo-motors to power the plate cylinders in its printing units. Isolating the plate cylinder from the press’ main drive allows a number of time-consuming makeready chores to be completed simultaneously. Example: all of the plates can be changed on the ROLAND 700 DirectDrive at the same time, while wash-up takes place, effectively resulting in zero plate-changing time. One segment of the printing industry that the ROLAND 700 DirectDrive is aimed at consists of short-run high-performance printers,” Rall says. “These are facilities that have to makeready and print over ten jobs per shift, with average run lengths below 5,000 sheets per job. To be competitive, they have to drive costs out of their workflows. DirectDrive will let them achieve major savings by essentially taking the time it takes to plate the press out of the production process.” Rall points to a second application sector as prime territory for the ROLAND 700 DirectDrive. “It is also ideal for users of long perfectors with 8, 10 and 12 printing units, who produce a high volume of perfecting work,” he says. “It can reduce their makeready time by as much as 60 percent, and even more if they have the QuickChange modules such as closed loop inking.” A select bundle of QuickChange modules are standard equipment on DirectDrive models and are available as options on HiPrint presses. Similarly, Automatic Plate Loading (APL) and 13,000 sph perfecting are standard on ROLAND 700 DirectDrive presses and optional on HiPrint models. The Inline Line-up However, only the ROLAND 700 HiPrint can be ordered with one or more of MAN Roland’s line-up of inline options that include: - InlineFoiler PRINDOR, which won a 2006 PIA/GATF InterTech Award for integrating foiling into the printing process to make that special effect more accessible and timely. - InlineInspector can detect even the smallest flaw on a printed sheet, while the press operates at top speed. - InlineSorter sends the defective sheets spotted by InlineInspector to a reject bin without slowing the press. That results in unprecedented inline quality control. - InlineObserver deploys a series of cameras inside the press so operators can monitor sheet flow and make adjustments on the fly. That saves set-up time and reduces waste. - InlineSheeter enables MAN Roland sheetfed machines to print directly from web reels. That increases the press’ versatility while reducing paper and substrate costs. - InlineCoater Smart is an intelligent press unit that can be used to apply either ink or coating, depending upon the specific requirements of the job at hand. Thus expanding the versatility of the HiPrint model. More HiPrint Exclusives Other options that are available only with the ROLAND 700 HiPrint press line include Ultima configurations with special placement of multiple coating units and 700-plus presses that expand the printable image area of the machine. That last exclusive is a new special edition ROLAND 700 that handles the largest sheet size in its class. The new system delivers almost nine percent more image area than a conventional 40-inch press — a potentially profitable bonus for packaging printers, label producers, and facilities that print applications ranging from unique direct mail pieces to POS material. Evolving Enhancements The launch of the HiPrint and DirectDrive lines is the latest advancement in the evolution of the ROLAND 700. The press was introduced in 1990, and along with the launch of the ROLAND 700 came the debut of PECOM. The productivity continued through the years with such enhancements as multiple coating technology; Automatic Plate Loading; the printnet control, networking and automation system; and, most recently, InlineFoiler PRINDOR and QuickChange options. “A productive mid-size press has to provide maximum versatility to equip printers to capitalize on the widest variety of opportunities,” says Vince Lapinski, CEO of MAN Roland Inc. “On the other hand, it needs to offer specialized functionality to enable printers to add value to their projects. By offering two distinct ROLAND 700 press lines, MAN Roland makes it easier for printers to choose a model that maximizes the added value they can provide to optimize their profitability.”