(May 15, 2008) Danish web offset house Stibo Graphic has ordered its third Baldwin ProTech HS blanket cleaning system, which will be fitted to a new 80-page MAN Lithoman press, following the success of two other similar systems at theHorsens site.  ProTech HS equipment has been in use on a 72-page MAN Lithoman IV press since 2005, while a recently commissioned 16-page MAN Rotoman is also fitted with Baldwin’s automatic brush cleaning technology.
 
Baldwin’s brush cleaning technology is one of the most established automatic blanket cleaning technologies in the world and offers huge advantages over manual cleaning, including reductions in blanket wash solution usage, paper waste and makeready times, in additional to ensuring a thorough, even clean of the blanket, plus important health and safety improvements.
 
ProTech HS is Baldwin’s most recent blanket brush cleaning model and incorporates an innovative injection system that ensures constant, uniform application of the washing agent on to the brush roller.  This results in several benefits including significantly shorter wash cycle times and a reduction in blanket wash solution consumption of up to 25 per cent.  The new spraying technology incorporated into the system eliminates the risk of blocked nozzles and one of the many key advantages of this is that the new system requires very little maintenance.
 
“The ProTech HS system has performed very well, providing a thorough clean of the blankets in a very short time,” says Jan Kristensen, technical manager at Stibo Graphic.  “There are several cleaning programmes, with some taking as little as thirty seconds.  The ability to clean the blankets at web-up-speed, results in extremely low paper waste and we normally carry out this function at the start and end of every job.
 
“In addition, when the press has completed one and a half hours of production we will reduce it to half speed and use the ProTech HS to conduct an ‘impression-off’ blanket clean.  Even then, the amount of wastage is low.  The ProTech HS system offers good access and requires little maintenance.  We generally clean the equipment itself every two months and once a year it is serviced by Baldwin.  Apart from this it operates around the clock without problem.”
 
Stibo Graphic specialises in the production of catalogues and magazines, which are sent to customers throughoutEurope.  The new 80-page MAN Lithoman will be commissioned at the site during the summer and will be equipped with Baldwin’s WebCatcher S18 system, which is capable of handling web breaks on presses running at more than 17 metres per second.  A WebCatcher S18 has been in operation on the company’s 72-page Lithoman IV for the last three years.
 
“As we operate our web offset presses constantly we try to prevent any potential loss to production,” says Mr Kristensen.  “The WebCatcher S18 has proved to be extremely reliable and efficient.  The Baldwin system requires virtually no maintenance and the high level of automation ensures that the sensors move quickly to the correct position when there is a change of reel widths.
 
“The potential damage to a press from a web break is considerable and even if there is no damage it generally takes at least half an hour to remove paper debris from the ink rollers, clean the rollers and blankets and reweb the press.  This can add up to a huge amount of lost production and then there is further paper waste when the press is restarted.  Throughout our dealings with Baldwin we’ve been very impressed by the company’s service and support.”