November 28, 2007 -- Packaging purchasers increasingly demand UV coatings to top off their printing with increased wear resistance and a high gloss shine. To fill that bill more cost effectively, Marrs Printing in City of Industry, California, has added a six-color ROLAND 700 press with inline UV coating capabilities. The new technology has expanded Marrs' business base and is positioning the company for ongoing productivity gains.
Before the arrival earlier this year of the new ROLAND 700, UV coating was an offline proposition at Marrs, requiring a separate, dedicated coating run. The extra step cost considerably in lost time and missed opportunities.
Thanks to the new 41-inch MAN Roland, UV coating is no longer a postpress operation at Marrs. The integrated UV application and drying capabilities of the ROLAND 700 turn it into a one-pass process, giving Marrs a competitive edge.
"It's been a real positive," says Scott Marrs, Vice President of the family-run business. "The ROLAND 700 helps us speed up our production schedules because the inline coating and drying process is quicker. And UV coating is much more durable than straight aqueous, which expands the variety of packaging jobs we can complete."
Business Development
In fact, Marrs Printing and Packaging has already acquired a new packaging application thanks to its new UV coating capabilities. But it's not just UV alone that is making the marketplace sit up and take notice. The time-saving features on the ROLAND 700 are also turning heads.
"Believe it or not, we haven't taken full advantage of the press' high level of automation yet," Marrs says. "Our press operators will be trained to optimize their use of the 700's printnet operating system in the coming weeks. The press is productive already, and once we finish the printnet training, we expect to get even more out of it."
In their just-in-time world, packaging purchasers demand strict adherence to deadlines. The ROLAND 700 has come through on that count as well, according to Marrs: "The start up went well, and the dependability has been good. It was a typical MAN Roland installation. They solved any issue that came up, and the machine has been reliable since they handed it over to us."
Plastics Profit
One application that wasn't anticipated was use of the press to print on plastic substrates. Unlike paper stock, plastics do not absorb ink. So makeready routines, such as achieving a proper ink/water balance, can become deadline-breaking misadventures. But even here, the ROLAND 700, and its quick-drying UV printing prowess, turned a challenge into an opportunity.
"The UV capabilities of the ROLAND 700 have helped us get into printing on plastics," he says. "We didn't plan to enter that niche, but now it's a source of new business for us. Plastics printing will not be our main focus, but it's another capability we can bring to the marketplace."
The new press also brightens the high volume printing picture at Marrs. It bulks up a pressroom that already included two six-color 41-inch MAN Roland systems, a four-color press and a two-color model, as well as an array of other presses.
So Marrs is accustomed to praising its MAN Roland presses, and it doesn't intend to stop. "We are pleased with the performance of our newest ROLAND 700," Marrs says. "It's doing everything they told us it would do. We have had a very good relationship with MAN Roland through the years, and the performance of this new press strengthens that partnership."