Kennesaw, Ga. - In what it described as a customer-driven decision propelled by the need for increased speed and quality, Prystup Packaging Products has installed a 57” 6-color Speedmaster XL 145 with aqueous coater and extended delivery in its Livingston, Ala. facility. Chosen for its overall performance and efficiency, it is the first large-format offset press for the former 40” enterprise.

“The new Heidelberg press has opened up new markets and potential new revenue streams for us,” said Vice President of Manufacturing Jason Guin. “Although we are a small, independent packaging company, the large-format XL 145 puts us in a better position to compete with much larger firms.” While acknowledging his company still needs to develop the business needed to “max out” the XL 145, he said, “It will be exciting to see the true extent of its capabilities as we continue to grow.” According to Guin, the company has reserved a portion of its training time with Heidelberg for the future “as we wait to see what our weaknesses will be.”

Eye-Opener

The company began running its XL 145 during a 40-hour, 4-day shift, later adding a second 40-hour shift to accommodate growing volume. Initially four people were used to man the press across a single shift to take advantage of the training.  The company now mans the press with a crew of three per shift. Benefits include fast makereadies, and what Guin termed “eye-opening” productivity. “The XL 145 just eats up folding carton work,” he said. At present, the company handles both short- and long-run jobs ranging from 500 sheets, up to more than 100,000 sheets. Top quality is a given, thanks to Prinect Inpress Control for inline color and register control, which Guin said “works beautifully. The press achieves on-color sheets very quickly, and maintains specified Delta E readings throughout the entire run.”

Prystup’s new large-format press is located in 90,000 square feet of manufacturing facility, which was added to the company’s Livingston campus in April 2014. Heidelberg helped specify a new slab for the Speedmaster XL 145, consulted on its construction and approved everything prior to installation, Guin said. He also noted that the installation of the press was extremely smooth. “Everything happened right on cue. We’re totally satisfied with the overall experience.”

 Simplify, Accelerate, Enhance

Heidelberg’s VLF series of XL presses are designed for ultimate ease of use, profitable uptime and maximum availability. From feeder to delivery, Heidelberg’s 57” Speedmaster XL 145 and its larger counterpart, the 64” Speedmaster XL 162, offer outstanding productivity and cost efficiency. Available in a wide range of configurations, these presses bristle with sophisticated solutions that simplify operation, speed up processes, and enhance print quality. As run lengths get shorter, Heidelberg’s VLF series presses offer systematic savings by eliminating makeready steps, automating manual processes, and by synchronizing key functions. The resulting gains in productivity are key to success in the folding carton market. Examples include a single-suction belt feeder, which ensures reliable sheet feeding by an inline sheet and stream control; simultaneous wash-up of the blanket and impression cylinders; and AutoPlate XL, for fully automatic plate changes in all units in less than 2.5 minutes. Additional features and options include:

• User-friendly control of all functions at the Prinect Press Center with Wallscreen
• Fully automated adjustment of the entire Preset Plus Feeder.
• Prinect Inpress Control inline color and register control system.
• InterTech award-recognized twin gripper system for sheet transport at the front and the rear edges of the sheet.
• Transfer of all preset values from the Prinect Press Center to the delivery, and automatic positioning of all sheet guidance elements.
• Logistics system with fully automated pile changes in the feeder and delivery.

Heidelberg VLF presses are the most environmentally friendly machines in their class. An Energy Meter device can be used to measure the presses' energy efficiency per 1,000 sheets during production and displays this information on the Wallscreen of the Prinect Press Center. This allows the operator to run the machines with outstanding energy-efficiency values. The Star System peripherals are perfectly coordinated with the presses, highly efficient and designed to save energy and resources. Reducing or completely eliminating the use of alcohol by equipping the presses with special packages makes another important contribution to ensuring environmentally friendly print production. This results in a print process that delivers eco-friendly operation at low costs.