March 2, 2004 -- At Drupa 2004, KBA and its partners, will be presenting the latest state-of-the-art hybrid technology. One such introduction will be the further development of hybrid inks with low-odor and odorless properties, which opens up additional fields of application in packaging printing. To date, KBA has delivered over 100 presses with hybrid equipment to customers around the world, besides retrofitting a host of existing presses for hybrid production. KBA has invested a great deal of time and money in the further development of hybrid technology and in rolling it out into the printing industry. Numerous KBA patents are pending and are in part already protected by patent rights in the USA. One essential objective was to offer users of KBA offset presses opportunities to stand out above their competitors. In the meantime, however, other manufacturers and their users have also begun to augment their marketing with hybrid technology capabilities. The print technology specialists at Koenig &Bauer AG in Radebeul (Germany) have been working since the late 90s on process solutions to optimize the use of hybrid inks in sheetfed offset. Numerous advantages The use of hybrid inks, with subsequent all-over UV coating, achieves higher gloss values than are possible from a double-coating process. The gloss attained is in fact on a par with that of most offline alternatives. Evaluations of long-term hybrid tests, furthermore, have also indicated significantly reduced drawback effects after 72 hours compared to the current technologies. KBA and its partners have worked intensively and successfully on means to minimize drawback over the past five years. Even though other inline coating possibilities are today able to offer similar gloss results, the high production speeds of a hybrid press still represent an important advantage. The process stability of hybrid technology is not an issue provided the inks and auxiliary media recommended by KBA and its partners are used, as demonstrated by countless examples of practical application throughout the industry. The typical hybrid press A typical standard hybrid configuration is a six-color press with coating tower, UV interdeck dryer, a delivery extension accommodating infrared and hot-air dryers, and UV final drying. For certain applications, a second UV interdeck dryer may used.  KBA supplies hybrid presses across the whole product range from the half-format RAPIDA 74 to the super-large-format RAPIDA 205. Unlimited effects At the same time, the deliberate combination of two differing ink systems, i.e. hybrid and oil-based inks, permits spot finishes with interesting matt-gloss effects, but without requiring the otherwise indispensable photopolymer plates. With this technology, it is possible to control such matt-gloss effects and to produce spot finishes with extremely fine structures in offset-quality register. Even gentle gloss gradations can be produced with ultimate process reliability. Through careful selection of suitable material combinations (hybrid and conventional inks, oil-based varnish and UV varnish),a broad diversity of gloss levels and effects (e.g. matt satin, pearlescent,soft-touch or relief effects) can be achieved. Please see photos at: http://www.kba-print.com/vt/headlines/sheetfed/2004-02-17-00/text2.html