December 9, 2003-- At drupa 2004, Heidelberg is to unveil its flag-ship Speedmaster SM 102 and CD 102 with a number of new developments. These include the completely redesigned Preset Plus feeder for both series and – also completely remodeled – the new Preset Plus delivery for the Speedmaster CD 102. For the CD 102, there are two new developments to the coating units. A new coating system allows the last printing unit of the press to be converted for working with dispersion coatings. This entry-level solution means printshops will in future be able to offer their customers print products with a protective coating. The coating units themselves have been enhanced and are specially adapted for rapid setup. These innovations open new doors for Speedmaster users, putting them in a stronger position on today's highly competitive market. The Preset Plus feeder and delivery dramatically reduce makeready times, at the same time boosting sheet travel efficiency. Depending on the job spectrum, these components can enhance the productivity of the press by between eight and ten percent. The safety features of the SM 102 and CD 102 have also been fundamentally redes-igned. They now already comply with future safety standards of the European Union and Employment Accident Insurance Funds. The global market launch will take place following extensive field tests at drupa 2004, where Heidelberg is to present even more innovations, in particular new developments to the eight- to twelve-color perfecting presses in the Speedmaster SM 102 ranges, providing a further boost to quality and productivity. "With the new Speedmaster 102, we are offering our customers the latest state-of-the-art technology," says Heidelberg Management Board Member Dr. Klaus Spiegel. "Productivity is enhanced by a synthesis of increased automation and simplified operation. In the field of application technology too, customers can look forward to some completely new ideas at drupa," he adds. Heidelberg is set to continue forging ahead with its customized ranges concept for straight and perfecting printing. Its highly flexible range of printing stock and inline production options makes the CD 102 the highest-selling 3B-format straight printing press. The SM 102 dominates the eight- to twelve-color perfecting press market. The Speedmaster 102 portfolio is augmented by special machines such as the Speedmaster Duo which combines flexographic and offset printing, offline coating and other finishing machines or the CutStar sheeter. Machines with UV configurations for processing UV and hybrid ink systems are also available. These machines are helping to shape the current market trend for increased spe-cialization. It is already the case that every second straight printing press in 70 x 100 cm format comes from Heidelberg. For eight- and twelve-color perfecting presses, the market share is over two thirds. The new feeder – higher productivity and minimum makeready times The Preset Plus feeder is the first feeder in 70x100 cm format to use a central suction tape without guide rollers. As well as allowing shorter makeready times, it also makes the feed process far more stable. The Preset Plus feeder provides a whole raft of innovative solutions, not least the high-performance suction head and a completely new suction-tape control and sheet-alignment system. The sheet-alignment system features an automatic sheet-arrival control system, 65% sheet slowdown and a pneumatic pull lay even at top speed with perfect feed registration. Air and format settings on the Preset Plus feeder are automatically preset using the preset function. The control system receives the required printing stock pa-rameters from the electronic job ticket which is based on the industry standard PPF/JDF (Print Production Format / Job Definition Format). This saves precious setup time and enhances reliability in production. Combining the Preset Plus feeder with the CutStar sheeter also allows users to process low-cost reel stock from Bible paper and foil to 300-gsm light cardboard. Other add-ons provide access to extended special applications that make plastic and foil easier to process. The new delivery – perfect sheet travel and precise pile stacking The sheet travel, sheet drying and sheet deposition systems on the new Preset Plus delivery have been completely redesigned. Sheet travel in future will be per-formed using gripper bars whose aerodynamics have been perfected in wind tun-nel tests and computer simulations. The combination of these optimized gripper bars and the Venturi guide plate will mean sheets can be transported extremely smoothly. The development of the new generation of DryStar 3000 dryers also forms part of Heidelberg's comprehensive approach to developing the new sheet-travel system. It is finely tuned to the air guidance system of the delivery and with 30 to 50 percent more power can reliably dry even the most demanding disper-sion coating. The dryers and all the other peripheral units such as powder spray devices are centrally controlled from the CP2000 control console. Additional con-trol panels on the sheet guide plates also allow fine-tuning of the air guidance and direct visual control of sheet travel. The eddy-free delivery air system and new sheet joggers precisely align the edges of the pile which saves a great deal of work at the finishing stage. As with the feeder, all air and format settings are performed automatically via the preset function on the CP 2000 Center. This includes the sheet brakes which are adapted automatically to the selected format and can be used both for card and thin paper. As with the new feeder, changes to preset values can be saved for repeat jobs. High levels of flexibility in the final printing unit - printing or coating The Heidelberg solution for the CD 102 is a modular coating system which en-ables the final printing unit of the press to be converted for full-area protective coatings. The dispersion coating is applied directly to the blanket via a screen roller system. The modular coating system thus offers an attractive entry-level solution for proc-essing dispersion coatings on five-color and six-color presses. Companies only wanting to apply protective coating to around twenty percent of their jobs can therefore choose whether to set the final printing unit to print or to coat. This flexibility increases the range of services they can offer their customers. Innovations for coating units - faster register and short makeready times Heidelberg has also further enhanced its coating units proper for professional inline coating. Innovations include the remotely adjustable diagonal register and the modified screen roller system. The diagonal register on the CD 102 is controlled via the CP 2000 Center and is the only available system enabling register corrections of +/- 2 mm in circumfer-ential and lateral directions and +/- 1 mm on the diagonal. Coating jobs with spot coating or fine fonts can thus be set up much faster. Makeready times are also cut by the modified roller system which enables the screen roller to be changed within as little as three to four minutes.