A holistic solution for 150 percent productivity in newspaper printing

Six broadsheet newspaper pages in the web width and three in the cylinder circumference. All of this at 40,000 cylinder revolutions per hour. That means 1.44 million newspaper pages per web or up to 120,000 copies per hour in straight production. With this concept manroland web systems has achieved new dimensions in productivity and flexibility for newspaper printing. The highlight: when using the special PFN 35 folder up to three different editions can be produced simultaneously, and with deserting even more.

Reader-friendly and economical
manroland web systems has embraced the benefits of the triple circumference for industrial applications even for new machine projects and developed an integral, user-orientated concept. Alongside the higher productivity, cost savings can therefore be achieved for paper, consumables and personnel costs. Both readers and advertising customers love the convenient, layout-friendly format of the newspaper. To date triple circumference machines were primarily sought after as retrofit solutions for coldset newspaper printing following narrowing of the web width. Here printing houses had to accept diverse compromises for example in automation, print quality, settings, and operation, despite the relatively high investment costs. Most were designed using conventional folding systems. These concepts have therefore been rarely realized to date.
With the holistic concept of manroland web system, available for both new machines and retrofit solutions, the possible cost benefits in production, investment, and consumables can now be fully exploited. 

Three newspapers simultaneously per cylinder revolution - 120,000 copies per hour
The core of the concept is the cylinder with three copies in the circumference and six in the width. One lock-up channel receives the printing plate that corresponds to the cylinder circumference, on which three sujets are positioned. An additional cost-attractive option is represented by the 90° position between the printing towers and the folder superstructure. This allows the triple-width unit to be operated like a single-width machine after the printing blanket. The folding system used is the pin folder system PFN 35 with a three-part blade cylinder and a five-part collecting cylinder. The delivery is performed via three copy deliveries with a delivery fan in a continuous shingle-stream. This makes the 50% higher productivity of the concept manageable for the mailroom with existing components. Further production options are provided by the use of an off-set former for the deserting of copies as well as for the collection, if a larger number of pages is to be produced.

Pin-sharp and highly-productive
Production in triple circumference is offered by manroland web systems for the COLORMAN and GEOMAN series. In particular the COLORMAN e:line, although also the GEOMAN, provide new possibilities for the production of advertising inserts due to its high printing quality along with the high flexibility of the triple circumference. Both series have the option of a 11-roller inking unit with three ink vibrator rollers and three ink form rollers, the basis for a uniform print image on full surface ink application. The COLORMAN e:line also shines with a format-sized damper roller for extra low-ghosting printing. Depending on the customer's request advertising mediums can be produced in coldset at high quality, which were previously only possible on commercial heatset printing or newspaper printing units with heatset dryers. Furthermore the high-brilliance printing allows the full advertising effect even for smaller advertising formats, which arise from the altered format.

The golden rule for newspaper layouts
Printing houses all around the world are fighting falling circulations, lower advertising revenue, and higher costs for consumables and personnel. Printers have to be able to systematically implement more economical production concepts of this kind to achieve quick increases in productivity. In addition to the very successful "pressupdate" offer, manroland web systems is also expanding its range of offers to help sustainably improve the profit situation for print companies with another new Business Unit – "print.competence" under the management of the experienced Graham Wickham.
Particularly in North America, companies often use web width reduction on existing machines to lower costs. Usually however, this creates very high, less reader-friendly newspaper formats. With triple circumference production, manroland web systems is now providing the opportunity to create compact, easy to handle newspapers editions which therefore meet the desires of readers and advertising customers, by fully using the efficiency potential of the concept. The proportions of the golden rule are thus returning to newspaper layouts in North America as well.

The folding system with triple delivery saves time and money
The concept has been well thought-out right up to the details. manroland web systems can rely on its know-how from heatset off-set with 96-page systems, and thereby on developments which allow the separation of copies for delivery in three continual shingle streams. The diverter initially separates one copy from the product flow and then splits the two remaining copies into two streams. This permits high productivity in triple circumference printing even with normal print finishing lines at normal speeds. No investment is needed here in expensive high-performance systems. Furthermore the delivery via three shingle streams offers one further additional benefit: at similarly high numbers of copies and pages up to three different newspaper copies can be produced simultaneously using the PFN 35 folding unit. This saves on the one hand investment costs, and on the other hand this method of production saves time. The editorial deadline can be moved back or the delivery can start earlier. Of course for one-up jobs the production is also possible via a shingle stream.