Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) will exhibit enhanced web press technology and a unique ability to providing integrated and customised solutions at Ipex in Birmingham from April 9-17. Heidelberg’s Solution Center Web will show the technologies of the latest additions to the Sunday range of gapless commercial presses: the Sunday 2000 and the new, 64-page version of the Sunday 4000. Both presses are designed to excel in short- and medium-run applications and both can be equipped with Heidelberg's exclusive Autoplate automatic plate changing system. "Web printers worldwide are being called on to increase productivity and to deliver higher print quality," explains Heidelberg Solution Center Web president Werner Albrecht. "Faster makereadies, production consistency and lower waste are essential characteristics of high-performance presses. Our Sunday presses offer unique features that give printers a competitive advantage in all of these areas." At Ipex, Heidelberg will demonstrate gapless blanket changes and fully automated plate changes live on Sunday 2000 and Sunday 4000 printing units. With Autoplate, plates for the upcoming job are placed into cassettes on the printing units. At the end of the run, a single operator simply pushes a button, and the plates are automatically changed in less than two minutes. "Autoplate significantly speeds up job changeovers while also providing more precise plate registration and freeing operators for other makeready tasks," Albrecht notes. Heidelberg Sunday presses utilize tubular blankets which eliminate the gap related vibrations that occur when blanket gaps meet in web presses. The resulting increase in dynamic stability allows higher print quality at faster speeds on wider webs. Gapless blankets also have a smaller non-print area, resulting in significant paper savings, and they can be changed in less than a minute without breaking the web. Heidelberg will also demonstrate a new pinless folder module featuring two new breakthrough folding technologies at Ipex. The PFM-2 module uses a unique "double-cut" technique for positive signature control and a patented "Decel Drum" to slow signatures down for smooth control and damage-free delivery. The PFM-2 complements the PCF-1 combination folder in Sunday 2000 systems. It is designed for printers that primarily use a combination folder but occasionally require former folder capabilities to produce magazine, tabloïd and slim jim signatures that are opened on three sides. A Heidelberg Contiweb CS splicer will supply paper for the PFM-2 demonstration at Ipex. Further information is available from www.heidelberg.com.