MLP U.S.A. will return to the quadrennial drupa exposition in May as a member of the new Corrugating and Printing Machinery Division of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc. (MHIA). MLP U.S.A. representatives will join their international colleagues in Düsseldorf, Germany, showcasing some of Mitsubishi’s newest, most game-changing systems.

Among the innovations to be demonstrated in the Mitsubishi exhibit area (Hall 6, Stand B79) will be the ecoUV drying system and DIAMOND EYE-S inline quality control system. These new systems will run on a five-color Diamond V3000LS sheetfed press.

“Drupa attendees can always count on Mitsubishi to make their visit worthwhile,” said Marke Baker, senior vice president, printing machinery. “Mitsubishi is committed to helping print service providers improve the quality and profitability of their work while reducing the environmental impact of printing. We are pleased to be promoting groundbreaking systems for sustainable sheetfed production.”

The Diamond V3000LS is the essential press for high-quality commercial printing. The press features a maximum sheet size of 29 1/2 x 41 11/32 inches. It prints at a speed of 16,200 sheets per hour and features all-unit simultaneous automatic plate changing using SimulChanger.

Mitsubishi’s energy-saving ecoUV system trims capital and operating costs for commercial printers who want to shift to ultraviolet printing. Employing high-sensitivity inks and only one ozone-less UV lamp, ecoUV delivers drying performance equivalent to conventional systems that utilize multiple lamps.

Existing presses can be easily fitted with the ecoUV system. ecoUV utilizes a single 120 watt UV lamp instead of the usual three to four 100 watt to 200 watt lamps. Specially formulated energy-saving inks and overprint varnishes dry instantly and exhibit the high gloss and surface protection that users expect from UV printing.

DIAMOND EYE-S is the world’s first inline quality control system for sheetfed presses to measure both color density and dot variations. DIAMOND EYE-S scans printed sheets and matches the print to the target values of each CMYK color. This automatic capability produces uniform color printing at all times, improves printing quality and saves energy.

DIAMOND EYE-S has a printing defect check function and a function to control colors through real-time density measurement. Line sensors located near the sheet read color bars or entire printed images. Based on the printing characteristics of the press, DIAMOND EYE-S compares prepress image data with the actual image data read by the sensor and automatically adjusts color density to reach the target. A lock-on function tracks target density from the beginning to the end of printing. Automatic controls are tracked in real time on the operator console touch screen. Operators are freed from having to pull samples during print runs or manually perform ink key adjustments. 

Press demonstrations, conducted in English five to six times a day, will focus on the environmental and economic benefits of the ecoUV system and the productivity- and quality-enhancing advantages afforded by DIAMOND EYE-S. Mitsubishi will highlight the application of these systems to other Mitsubishi sheetfed press models, including the Diamond V3000LX and Diamond V3000TP. Information on Mitsubishi’s newspaper presses, commercial web presses and corrugating machines will be provided in panel displays.

MLP U.S.A. relocated to the MHIA Corrugating Machinery Division in Hunt Valley, Md., in 2011. Initially, the two divisions operated separately. To better serve its growing North American business, MHIA combined the operations to form the new Corrugating and Printing Machinery Division, effective January 1.