November 4, 2004 -- Approximately 250 interested parties from home and abroad attended the anniversary Open House event, "40 years of Muller Martini Presses GmbH,” in the south German town of Maulburg. Group Chairman, Rudolf Müller, Group Divisional Manager, Dr. Peter Merkli, and Managing Director, Dr. Jürgen Dillmann, took this opportunity to thank all the guests for their long-standing cooperation and to drink to many years of success in the future. Muller Martini then used detailed presentations to demonstrate the prospects for a bright future. Center stage was two new web variable size web presses, the Alprinta and the Concepta. The advantages both presses have to offer and the options they provide for opening up new markets were demonstrated. One of the highlights on display was Muller Martini's new variable size printing insert. Introduced at drupa 2004 in Düsseldorf, this variable size insert concept is an industry first. It maximizes the format flexibility of a standard Alprinta by simply exchanging the plate and blanket cylinders, while the cartridge is still installed in the press. As a result, customers who need several different format sizes for their work mix, such as flexible packaging printers, only need to buy these unique inserts for their existing press as opposed to a complete new machine. This new insert can also be used in combination with conventional printing inserts as needed. The samples produced on the Alprinta at the Open House provided an example of the outstanding print quality that is achieved with this technology. For sheetfed printers looking to step up to a web press with UV technology, Muller Martini presented the new variable cut-off PS74 large sheeter delivery for use on the Alprinta. It provides the functionality of a high pile delivery on a sheetfed press with the efficiencies of a web-fed machine. Another new addition to our variable size web offset press family is Concepta, designed to provide printers with the quickest make-ready and highest print quality in its class. As the successor to the Concept, Concepta's highly modular design can be configured with up to 12 offset printing units, as well as a wide range of in-line options letting you produce even the most complex pieces in a single pass. It utilizes three form rollers to ensure uniform ink coverage over its entire speed range, from make-ready to a maximum production rate of 1200 feet per minute. Visitors to the event were visibly impressed by the print quality, but also appreciated the fact that they can continue using existing Concept inserts on the new Concepta. Both the Alprinta and Concepta come standard with an integrated make-ready system from Muller Martini that is fully JDF/CIP4 compliant. It can preset such essentials as register and ink fountain profiles without prompting. That lets press operators complete other tasks, while the machine’s unique and brand new artificial intelligence takes care of the basics and handles job set-ups automatically. A further highlight of the event was the recently developed QS52 sheeter with integrated batcher stacker, shown in combination with the Concepta in the production of laser cut sheet product. All of this technology is representative of the 40 years of engineering expertise on variable size web press equipment within the Muller Martini organization.