July 18, 2002, Rolling Meadows, IL -- Komori America today announced the availability of the new Lithrone S40, Komori’s newest offering to the sheetfed printing market. The LS40 made its world debut at IPEX in March of 2002, and is an evolution of the successful Lithrone 40 platform. Stephan Carter, President and COO of Komori America Corporation says "We’re looking forward to introducing this new press to printers in the US and Canada. Komori has worked to develop a 40" press that exceeds printers’ expectations. We’re confident that the LS will do just that." Komori Product Manager Doug Schardt states "The new LS builds on the already world class Lithrone platform. The Lithrone S40 includes all the revolutionary Komori technology like console driven makeready, the KHS hi-performance inking system that controls all aspects of inking and provides consistency between operators, and standard press features like double diameter cylinder configuration. When you take these classic Lithrone features and add all the new technology of the LS, you’ve got a press that can’t be beat for productivity, versatililty and printability." NEW FEATURES DRIVE PRODUCTIVITY The Lithrone S40 features a number of new enhancements that increase flexibility and productivity to ultimately help printers improve profitability. - Advanced automated makeready features allow press operators to program makeready, washup and the next makeready from the press console, without any unproductive press time between jobs. - New automatic plate changers can change six plates in three minutes—50% faster than other plate changing systems. - The new LS automatically ramps up to 7000 sph before sheets start to feed. This new hi-start feature ensures the press is already at a stable print speed before ink hits paper, dramatically reducing makeready waste. - The LS is equipped with skeleton type transfer cylinders with venturi air pans that reduce marking and maintain perfect sheet control through the press. - Top printing speed on the new LS is 16000 sph, and the press can print on substrates from onionskin to 40 pt. board for packaging and point of purchase display applications. - The inking system on the Lithrone LS comes with oscillating form rollers in each printing unit to maximize print quality on tough ghosting jobs. All four form rollers can be quickly and easily activated in approximately two minutes. - Mist guards are installed on both sides of the inker to protect roller mechanisms from dirt, debris and misting ink. - Eccentric roller cups improve roller setting consistency and speed roller changes. No tools are required to change out rollers, reducing roller changing time by 50%. - Another new feature is remote oscillation timing from the console. Now operators can adjust the charge of ink anywhere on the sheet for each unit in 10 mm increments even when the press is operating at top speed. - The LS can also stop oscillation in any unit to preserve ink profiles during press idles. This feature is especially valuable when running expensive substrates or where absolute print quality must be maintained through a run with frequent stops. - Inking and dampening declutch mechanisms come standard on the first and last units of the LS40, for use when these units are left open. This ensures that no rollers turn in the unused units, prolonging roller life and eliminating contamination from roller lube. COLOR CONNECTION SOFTWARE SUITE The Lithrone LS comes equipped with Komori’s Color Connection software suite, the breakthrough productivity tool designed to streamline the workflow from design through production. Bladesetter, Komori’s ink key tool, converts digital CIP3/4 data, or PPF files, to Komori ink key profiles. The Hi-Performance inking system, KHS, uses Bladesetter data to pre-ink the press. KHS ensures every printing run gets off to a faster start by setting a standard ink film thickness and applying the ink key profile completely unattended. This results in radically shorter makeready times. K-ColorProfiler is the ultimate tool for pressroom color management. By simply incorporating a series of supplied color targets, then scanning them with PDC-S, Komori’s scanning spectrodensitometer, K-ColorProfiler quickly determines the color gamut of the press to ensure that the digital proof will match the press sheet. Komori’s K-Station is the ultimate link between the LS40 and print production management systems, such as PrintCafe, and moves digital data to the press as well as providing real-time data for production management. Together the Color Connection tools provide consistent, repeatable color, faster makeready, improved productivity and less waste, which improve profitability. LITHRONE S40D: THE WORLD’S ONLY 40" DIGITAL OFFSET PRESS The Lithrone S40D is the world’s first digital offset press capable of printing in 40-inch format. With Creo SQUAREspot thermal imaging technology, processless plates, and open connectivity to the world’s leading workflows, the S40D offers the process control, workflow efficiency, and lightning fast makereadies required to satisfy print buyers’ demands for shorter run jobs, fast turnaround and higher quality. Perfectly engineered and thoroughly field tested, the S40D offers unmatched versatility, quality and throughput for shorter run printing. KOMORI TRIPLE-DOUBLE PERFECTING MECHANISM The new Lithrone LS is also available as a convertible perfecting press. A smooth sheet path is ensured by the Komori double-triple perfecting mechanism, allowing smooth performance at maximum print speeds, and features the same cylinder configuration in the printing and perfecting units. The 40P comes equipped with a cylinder and air cushion system rather than a conventional chain mechanism for sheet transfer in the delivery unit. A drying unit can also be added above the perfecting unit to facilitate the use of hybrid and UV inks for even more printing versatility. OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR UNIQUE PRINTING APPLICATIONS The versatile LS40 can be purchased with a wide variety of special options to increase the flexibility of the press and meet the demanding requirements of the printing marketplace. Some of the available options include: - Automated Non-Stop Feeding Unit: Provides non-stop feeding for packaging applications - Drying Unit: Can be equipped with three dryers for more efficient results than single interdeck dryers, and can be located to meet specific printer needs. - Double Coating Unit: Ideal for demanding packaging applications and for metallic spot coating - Double Pile Delivery: Allows for non-stop printing, especially important for thick stock Komori Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a premier manufacturer and worldwide distributor of offset printing equipment. The Company has manufacturing facilities in Toride, Sekiyado and Yamagata, Japan, and subsidiaries in Europe, the UK and the United States. Komori America Corporation is based in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and manages a distribution and service network throughout the United States.