KBA North America, a leading sheetfed offset press manufacturer based in Williston, Vt., is announcing that Huston Patterson Printers, a full-service packaging printer located in Decatur, IL, has installed its second KBA Rapida 162A 64-inch sheetfed press with inline aqueous coating tower. The new press, installed in December 2004, is a six-color; its sister press, installed in October 2001, is a seven-color with UV and aqueous coating ability. “For over 110 years, we’ve earned our reputation as a leader in the packaging industry by providing services that exceed our customers’ expectations,” says Thomas W. Kowa, president of Huston Patterson Printers. “By 2001, our workload was tremendous. We couldn’t do all the work we had without a new press. The installation of the KBA Rapida 162A seven-color press solved our problem. Although we had room for another press we didn’t think we would need another one so soon but we did! Within three years, we added a second KBA Rapida 162A press. Now both of our KBA presses are filled to capacity 24/7 producing work for our nationwide clientele of high-end corrugated companies in North America.” Custom designed facility built for KBA’s presses Both KBA Rapida 162A sheetfed presses are installed in Huston Patterson’s new 18,000 sq ft pressroom, which was built in October 2001 when the first KBA press arrived. The facility was custom-designed and built for the KBA presses with an. Both presses feature the ability to print six- or seven- colors and coat in one pass, giving its customers unmatched versatility and speed for even the most complex jobs. Huston Patterson Printers has equipped both KBA Rapida 162A presses with KBA’s Densitronic S closed loop color control system, KBA’s Logotronic Management system, and ACR Control. The KBA Densitronic S is a combined density and color measuring system for quality control both during and after printing. Unlike other systems, Densitronic S also permits direct measurements within the image. Deviations from defined target densities, color values and other quality parameters (dot gain, trapping, etc.) are recognized and displayed not only reliably, but also very quickly in comparison to hand-held measuring devices. With integration for online control, the density and spectral deviations are converted into corrective adjustments for the individual ink keys. The Densitronic S controls the density and spectral parameters of each sheet by measuring along control strips or directly on the image. “The Densitronic S helps us to meet our customer’s high expectations of optimum and constant print quality,” says Kowa. “It scans the job and helps the press to maintain the same critical color throughout the press run.” Next generation CIM system – Logotronic The KBA Logotronic system guarantees multi-system digital data communication. The company-wide data exchange between the printing company management system, Logotronic professional, MIS or trade software and prepress is carried out by means of a JDF interface. Once the plates have been made the CIP3 data are automatically assigned to the job via the hot folder. The CIP3 files are also converted into preset data for the press. When a job is rescheduled to another press the preset data are automatically recalculated for that press. This ensures that the latest job data, including preset data, is always available at the control console. The Logotronic Management system’s advantages include: Totally automated workflow Transfer of order data from the trade software to the control console of the press Automatic determination of press presetting data from the prepress data Access to Logotronic professional from all workstations connected to the network Shorter makeready times thanks to presetting data or repetition data More effective printing time and therefore more saleable products per shift Less waste Greater efficiency, since data only need to be entered once and mistakes due to multiple data input can be avoided Improved accounting since exact press and production data can be used to calculate actual costs Greater overview since all job-related, presetting and pressrelated data can be looked at Comprehensive and transparent information for the printshop management “We were very excited to install the KBA Logotronic system,” says Don Ellis, Huston Patterson’s vice president of manufacturing. “We’re now able to send all of our CIP3 data to both KBA Rapida presses where they can share files on such data as ink fountain settings. The PressWatch system, part of the Logotronic system, allows management to see what jobs are on press and show the status and history of the press’s previous job production. From my office I can see the exact status of the presses. Now I can call the data up on my computer and see exactly what is running on press and what is scheduled.” Exact register through camera ability Both Rapida 162A presses are equipped with ACR Control to provide exact register. ACR Control uses a camera to determine any register differences and transmits the necessary correction values for the lateral, circumferential and diagonal register systems to the individual printing units. To be able to make proper use of the automatic function, it is necessary to overlay a special measuring patch when exposing the plates. In view of the required precision, the measuring patch can only be incorporated effectively using a CTF or CTP system. With its 50x magnification, the camera can also be used to inspect freely selected areas of the image. Huston Patterson is also equipped with an on-site sheeter in a 20,000 sq ft facility. “We were analyzing the amount of money we paid to the paper mills to sheet our paper,” says Kowa. “We realized that by installing our own sheeter we could reduce our turnaround time and reduce our waste and reduce our costs.” The facility is equipped to handle 500,000 lbs of roll inventory. The addition of new technology has also bolstered the firm’s relationship with its customers. Its computer-to-plate system, installed in 1999, has eliminated film for cost savings and better quality, produce more accurate plates for crisper dots and better registration, and reduce makeready times for cost savings. At the same time, Huston Patterson hired a local contractor to design a unique web-based Customer Service Portal to access their jobs online for up-to-the-minute status, request pricing, and see their invoices. This past year, the firm added a new internal electronic job scheduling system, which helps with more timely scheduling on the two Rapida presses. At the end of April 2005, the firm installed a new Screen Ultima automatic two-up platesetter to produce plates up to 49.6 x 93.7-inches, replacing a manual system. “The new platesetter will be faster and will not require intervention by employees,” explains Ellis. “It will image the plates for our two Rapida presses much faster and increase our production.” Exceeding its customers’ expectations “We are a very fortunate printing company,” says Kowa. “We have a very experienced team of operators, technicians, customer service, and sales staff who are extremely loyal to our company. Our employees continue to work very hard to produce jobs that meet and exceed our customers’ expectations. Recently, we even added a brand new customer courtesy lounge to further make our customers feel at home in our facility.” “We are pleased that Huston Patterson has installed a second KBA Rapida 162A sheetfed press,” says Ralf Sammeck, president and CEO of KBA North America. “Our presses are a key reason that Huston Patterson has been able to continually grow in a very competitive field.”