colordruck Baiersbronn (colordruck), one of Europe's technology leaders in folding carton packaging, has ordered three Speedmaster XL 105 presses from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). One of these is the 1000th press in this series to come off the production line. colordruck was one of the first companies to install the Speedmaster XL 105 after it was premiered at drupa 2004. Soon proving successful in practice, the new Speedmaster XL 105 boosted net productivity by up to 30 percent compared to its predecessors, prompting colordruck to order two more of the same presses in quick succession. The new package ordered will gradually replace the original three presses, bringing colordruck's pressroom fully up to date with the latest technology. It includes the latest innovations for the Speedmaster XL 105, such as the AutoPlate XL fully automatic and simultaneous plate changer, the Prinect Inpress Control inline color measuring and control system, and a comprehensive logistics workflow with the new fully automatic non-stop system. Heidelberg premiered the fully automatic non-stop delivery at Ipex 2010 in the U.K., winning colordruck as one of the field testers. All three new machines are Speedmaster XL 105 presses elevated by 875 millimeters, each equipped with a coating unit. The first machine has been up and running since last year, and the 1000th press is scheduled for installation in spring 2011. Both are six-color presses. The third machine will be replaced with a four-color press in 2012.

"Using three presses of the same design offers maximum flexibility," explains Herbert Klumpp, Managing Director of colordruck. "The new automatic non-stop delivery raises the level of productivity and automation further still and the pile quality is outstanding.". The non-stop pile change eliminates the need for user intervention, thus freeing up the operator for other tasks.

At present, a new Suprasetter 105 Multi Cassette Loader platesetter is being installed for the prepress stage. For postpress, colordruck uses a Diana folder gluer from Heidelberg that is designed for traditional longitudinal seam gluing.

Carbon-offset production

More than 170 staff work at colordruck, producing high-quality folding cartons for foodstuffs, confectionery, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, toys, textiles, and chemicals. Its customers include well-known manufacturers of branded goods and industrial companies. Challenging inline coating concepts are accounting for an ever bigger share of colordruck's sales. The company is committed to carbon-offset production and takes an integrated approach to environmental protection. All three new presses are carbon-offset, with colordruck offsetting 263 metric tons of CO2 per press through a climate protection project in Vietnam. "We are always interested in increasing our commitment to climate protection, and the Speedmaster XL 105 offers us the perfect opportunity to do just that. Prinect Inpress Control cuts both makeready times and paper waste by measuring and controlling color and register on the fly, while the new dryers cut the press's energy consumption by up to 45 percent. Water-soluble dispersion coatings also make a contribution towards environmentally friendly production," says production manager Martin Bruttel. All in all, the press exhibits very fast and stable production, which is also maintained at the maximum speed of 18,000 sheets per hour. "We have enjoyed a long working relationship with Heidelberg, with both companies attaching the utmost importance to environmental protection. Fast and efficient service is also key to a successful partnership," says Klumpp.

Milestones in the success story of the Speedmaster XL 105:

2004 Speedmaster XL 105 is unveiled at drupa 2004 and sets new standards for highly industrialized offset printing in commercial and packaging printing

2006 UV version and dual coating 1,000th printing unit supplied to an Italian customer Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany

2007 PIA/GATF Intertech Award for Innovations

2008 Speedmaster XL 105, the first climate-neutral printing press, is supplied to a Swiss print shop Autoplate XL available as an option Perfecting press presented at drupa 2008

2009 Speedmaster XL 105 enables double-sided printing and coating in a single pass

2010 Automatic non-stop delivery unveiled at Ipex Speedmaster XL 105-D for rotary die cutting in the press for label production

2011 1,000th press supplied to a German packaging printer