ARCHIVEXEMPLAR ZURUCK AN DOKUMENTATIONI `

ARCHIVEXEMPLAR 67
ZURUCK
ANDOKUMENTATIONI
'
ANPA/TEC 1989
GENERAL(6)
Display Ad Systems - As exciting as computer games
Keyless Offset and Tower Configurations - Still the order of the day
Mailroom Equipment - Always good for a surprise
This year’s ANPA/TEC,
the 61st ANPA
exhibition,
took place from June 10th to 14th in
the city of jazz and Missis: Gppi River steamboats.
New Orleans,
More than 300 manufac-
turers showed their systems, machines
and equipment
dustry
for the newspaper
on a floor
in-
space of more than
30,000 square meters. The show filled
two separate halls linked
bus service,
while
by a shuttle
the accompanying
congress had to be held in the nearby
Hilton
Hotel.
This three-way
division
of the event may have prevented
feeling of overcrowding
any
but it was easi-
er to meet someone in the evening
in
the French Quarter than during the day
in the exhibition
halls.
As usual, the organisation
tation
of the event
Although
and documen-
was impeccable.
at times it was stiflingly
outside the halls, the temperature
was pleasantly
cool. Howeveg,
places the air conditioning
within
in some
creqted such a
draught that demonstrations
kept to a minimum.
hot
bad to be
Indeed, one could
not help but admire
the resilience
of
some of the stand personnel in the face of
such climatic conditions.
As far as exhibits
concerned,
and exhibitors
ANPA/TEC
are
89 showed the
FOR IFRA
IFRA
(INCA-FIEJ
Research Association)
Washingtonplatz
D-6100 Darmstadt
Met in New Orleans: Mr. MC Intosh, Systems Manager
for the progressive St. Petersburg Times. A sign of the
times!
MEMBERS
ONLY
(F. R. Germany)
.,Tel.
(6151) 7005-O
TX. 4 19273 (ifra d)
Fax (6151) 784542
PRE-PRESS
Pre-press systems
In the pre-press sector, there were naturally once again
numerous exhibitors showing all system variations ranging
from a “trumped-up”
DTP system up to every manner of
large-scale system. The fact that first struck the experienced exhibit visitor was that there were no really new
names in the area of text processing systems. Apparently,
all newcomers this year had directed their efforts towards
the development of digital image processing systems.
The trend towards use of only so-called standard hardware is becoming increasingly obvious. Apple Macintosh,
MS-DOS and OS/2 PC workstations, or, for more demanding applications, Sun or DEC VAX workstations
form the basis of nearly all pre-press systems. Depending
on how they are equipped, these products can be configured as workstations or as file servers in networks. The
fact that in some cases Tandem or larger-sized IBM
computers were shown as fde servers does not alter the
accuracy of this statement.
“Proprietary”
terminals from Atex, Crosfield or SII,
which continue to be offered in addition to PCs, appeared
almost as “freaks” alongside the PC workstations, most of
which are equipped with colour monitors. (N.B. This
remark is not intended to detract from the efficiency of
these terminals.)
As a rule today, most systems are configured as network systems with fde servers. Ethernet and Novell network software were the names that cropped up most
frequently when enquiries were made about the individual
system components. Decentralised databank software is
not expected to become available before next year at the
earliest; when this happens, the performance capacity of a
network will become even more important. Undoubtedly,
Token Ring networks will take their place alongside Ethernet LANs. A good, musical demonstration of the benefits of a Token Ring network was given on the IBM stand.
Besides the aforementioned
colour monitors, there
were no obvious new developments in editorial and advertising systems, testifying to the fact that the systems in this
field can be generally considered mature. Most manufacturers seemed to have concentrated on presenting ad
layout software, since the conversations on all the stands
seemed to center on it. Full-page make-up solutions could
be seen also, but did not hold the same attraction for the
normal visitor as the ad layout terminals did.
For some years now, it has been apparent that it is
easier to develop a system than to market one successfully. Although many American system specialists are potentially interested in the European market, in many cases
they are put off by the confusion of languages and adaptations they require. That is certainly also the reason why
the systems from CText and Dewar Information Systems
(Disc), which are highly popular in the U.S.A., are
distributed only in the U.S.A. and Canada. Although
other system specialists, such as Camex, Cybergraphic,
Information International
Inc. (III) and Mikro-Tek,
are
represented in other countries, their systems cannot be
classified as being distributed worldwide.
In addition,
there are many companies that are of interest only to the
American market.
Therefore, only a few companies are of “universal”
significance. We shall report briefly about these in the
following.
Atex: Demonstrated on the Atex stand were the individual steps in newspaper production with an Atex system,
with special emphasis on ad production as well as the
make-up of text and advertising pages. Of much greater
interest, however, was the news that the <<Los Angeles
Times, has placed an order with the Atex Corporation for
the development of an advertising system with 500 terminals. Though few details of the order were available, it
appears that IBM 3090 computers will bet used as files
servers, and most likely the software will be developed
around AIX, IBM’s Unix. After the major 4 der from the
<<New York Times), this is the second order based on
IBM hardware.
If everything is realised as planned, the Publication
Production Node (PPN) software would be available not
only for the DEC VAX, and therefore for the VM
operating system, but also for IBM operating systems.
Since software is obtainable today for MS DOS, OS/2 and
Sun workstations, it would then become possible to use
standard hardware platforms for a wide range of applications .
Another Atex press release said closer cooperation
with Archetype is planned, aimed especially at promoting
the development of ad layout software.
Camex: Although this company unfortunately is not
represented in all countries, its development work must
be mentioned. A system is being configured for the
c<Houston Chronicle>> that will employ Sun, workstations
exclusively. It is planned to use one such workstation even
for classifed ad recording; on display in New Orleans was
a Sun 3180. Displayed in four active windows is the data
from the commercial databank (access on the IBM host),
the ad management data, the text of the ad itself, and its
typographical design. Camex decided in favour of Sibas
databank software, running on Unix, because it can carry
out more transactions than other programs can.
Making its first appearance was a Macintosh workstation called AdStylist. This is intended mainly for graphic artists wishing to use it to draft ad layouts. An ad
created at such a workstation can be printed out or
exposed, and subsequently presented to the customer for
approval. For finishing, the ad can be sent to a Breeze
0 IFRA,
Darmstadt
3
PRE-PRESS
This ad was laid out from prepared components during a
demonstration of a Camex Breeze terminal, and output on a
laser printer in seven different colour separations, with register
marks.
terminal. The only thing the Breeze terminal has in
common with its predecessors is its name. Today, it is
based on a Sun workstation and offers all functions for
the production of complex ads, including the processing
of continuous tone images, logos, graphics, texts and
ornamental borders. The output of colour separations
for as many spot colours as desired, including register
marks, is possible. The Bitprinter III permits the output
of entire broadsheet pages with a resolution of 800 dpi
d
(31.5 lines/cm) on normal paper.
Crosfiefd: It seems every supplier nee ds a major project to inspire creativity. In the case of ‘Crosfield, the
project is called <(Baltimore Sun>>. Crosfield has been
commissioned to connect AdWizards to the existing SII
system for ad layout, NewsWizards for full-page make-up,
as well as image processing systems. The special aspect of
this order, however, is that Crosfield has promised a
genuine integration of both systems. What that means is
the style formats input by SII users are interpreted exactly
by Crosfield, and that it is possible also to feed data from
Crosfield to the SII system.
4
Highlighted in the demonstrations were the AdWizard
for ad layout, NewsWizard for full-page make-up, Newsline for receiving and processing agency pictures, the
Lineart and Logo workstation and the 2750 Monochrome
Image Subsystem for processing b/w pictures.
SII: Systems Integrators was present this year once
again on a large stand that it shared with Digital Technology International
(DTI). The announcement shortly
before the start of the exhibition lhat System Integrators
had acquired Ffrom DTI exclusive distribution
rights to
DTI programs for ad layout, full-page make-up, colour
image processing and several other products caused quite
a stir. According to the information available, SII will sell
DTI programs exclusively in the U.S.A. to newspapers
with circulations of more than 30,000 copies, to all newspapers in the F.R.G. and Austiia, as well as to French
newspapers with circulations in excess of 30,000 copies. In
other countries, DTI products will continue to be distributed by its existing agents, e.g. Expograph in the
Netherlands and Tele-Ekonomie
in the Scandinavian
countries.
The AdSpeed program for ad layout is the best-known
and most popular DTI program. It runs on Macintosh
hardware and output is usually on laser printers. Important, however, is the PostScript output, so that a
number of imagesetters can be connected as a standard
feature.
But the agreement did not prevent SII from presenting
a further-developed
version of its INL interactive News
Layout program. INL permits both layout-controlled
and
text-controlled make-up. As the name indicates, there is a
very high level of interaction between the editorial and
make-up systems. A demonstration was given also of
classified-ad make-up.
It is too early to say just how quickly the DTI products
can be integrated into the SII system, and which programs
will be sold in the future. The first practical advances
should be ready in time for presentation at the IFRA
Expo, to be held from 16 to 19 October 1989 in Amsterdam.
Harris: As far as is known, Harris ha; sold a large
system to Falun in Sweden. The familiar and proven 8300
and 8900 systems will also process colour ads in the
future. As with all other ad layout systems, colour separations from spot colours today are a matter of course. Also
new from Harris was the demonstration of an image
processing system.
Information
International
Inc. (III): Despite the introduction of layout-oriented
full-page make-up for the
TECY2 editorial system (the former Morris system), the
focus here was on the demonstration of the AMS Ad
Makeup Station. It is probably the first system of its kind
that can process four-colour continuous-tone images and
supply corresponding colour separations.
0 IFRA,
Darmstadt
PRE-PRESS
GB Techniques: The Mentor system was the only
European system on show in New Orleans intended for
marketing in the U.S.A. In view of the fact that earlier
attempts to launch European systems in North America
frequently came to a sticky end, it remains to be seen just
how much success GBT will have. We wish them all the
best!
example “three texts in full-text form, two newspaper
clippings and four photos.” The clippings can be displayed
on a high-resolution monitor and printed out, as can texts
and photos, though additionally the latter can be transferred to a frontend system. Thus the Infosel system not
only provides the storage of full-text data, it also manages
all material that is to be archived. This is one solution we
shall continue to observe with interest.
Summary
Reviewing the presentations in the systems field, it can
be stated that the demonstrations of the ad layout terminals were the most impressive, no matter whether they
involved
PC workstations
or larger
“professional
systems. ” The larger systems from Crosfield, Camex,
Harris and triple-I offer very efficient user guidance as
well as high speeds. The PC workstation systems also
offer amazing performance, though in our opinion the fact
that they are entirely menu-controlled makes them somewhat more complicated to operate. However, the factor
determining the efficiency of all devices is just how well
the operator is trained. Another benefit of this wideranging offer is that it should be possible today for every
newspaper to acquire a system to suit its particular
requirements.
Electronic archives
The well-known suppliers of full-text archive systems,
such as DataTimes and Vu/Text, showed nothing new.
DataTimes and Vu/Text are databanks that store and sell
the text of many newspapers. However, the current trend
is for newspapers to install their own full-text archives,
largely because the prices for such systems are affordable
today and their operation extremely simple. The texts are
stored from the in-house editorial system. There were no
market-mature photo databanks to be seen.
Infosel showed a comprehensive archiving of text,
newspaper clippings, graphics and photos. The Infosel
developed
by the Mexican
system was originally
newspaper <<El Norte>> in Monterrey for its own use.
Today, there are offices for distributing $he system in
Monterrey, Mexico; Madrid; and McAller$ Texas. The
Infosel system is an indexing system. Text goming from
the editorial system is indexed automaticall$ with up to
40 words. Newspaper clippings can be scanned-in after a
mask has been filled in with indexing terms at a PC. The
same practice is used for photos, for which keywords must
also be input. Colour photos are compressed to 40 Kilobytes, therefore enabling the storage of large quantities of
data.
For information retrieval, either one or several search
terms can be input. The system indicates the texts, documents or photos are available under the search terms, for
0 IFRA,
Darmstadt
Output devices
All well-known manufacturers of image recorders, such
as Autologic, Bidco, Chelgraph, Compugraphic, ECRM,
Linotype, Monotype, Ultre and Varityper/Tegra,
were
represented at the exhibition.
The common catchword
among nearly all those present was “PostScript.” There is
practically no manufacturer today whose products cannot
be addressed via a PostScript RIP. In addition, most
manufacturers have entered into agreements with Adobe
in order to offer their customers the original PostScript
typefaces.
ECRM exhibited the Pelbox 3000. This machine provides
a resolution of 3048 dpi with the ability to produce screens
of up to 255 lines per inch. The speed depends on the
resolution and varies from 3.3 inches/min. at the highest
resolution to 10 inches/min. at a resolution of 1016 dpi.
Laser printers with A2-sized output were shown on
three stands, namely Camex, Graphic Enterprises and
Varityper/Tegra.
These printers can output full broadsheet pages at a resolution of 800 dpi. The range of
smaller-sized laser printers is now so vast that it is impossible to obtain an overview. Everything was on show,
from 300 dpi to 800 dpi printers, and in some cases the
quality of the printouts was amazing.
Newsphoto recording,
transmission, reception
Conveying the picture from the site of the event to the
editorial desks is an area in which technology must still do
a lot to better serve the news agencies and newspapers.
What is the situation at the time of ANPA/TEC?
One
exhibitor was offering several different input modes to an
image processing system, not including the reception of
photo agency services. When we expressed our amazement at this omission, he replied: “Video frame-grabbing
covers the need for hot photos”. Such a reply is not
satisfactory. Besides problems of quality and copyright,
the practice of systematic video frame-grabbing relegates
the printed press to a secondary role, dependent on
television.
Obtaining a photo of something that happens shortly
before press start-up is possible, but still suggests pulling
5
PRE-PRESS
Kodak is not officially active in this sector, but its
laboratories have developed a CCD sensor with four
million pixels. Although this does not reach the standards
of 35 mm high-speed photographic film (30 megapixels), a
four-megapixel sensor will produce a definition that is
more than sufficient for a newsphoto. At present, no one
is integrating this sensor into a marketable device.
Reporter scanners
L
The Nikon Still Video Camera System.
off an amazing feat. Let us take a look at the different
possibilities presented in New Orleans.
The magnetic photo
Great hopes are attached to this technique. The
current image definition (380,000 pixels) is acceptable,
especially when time pressure calls for the use of such a
fully electronic process. Nikon highlighted a magnetic
photo taken at the inauguration of George Bush and
transmitted right away via the Associated Press network.
On its stand and in its brochures, Nikon offered the
magnetic photo in black and white only. In colour, the
current definition is insufficient, as tests carried out by
several newspapers in Europe demonstrated (See ccnewspaper techniques>, June 1989, for coverage of the IFRA
Symposium on Reproduction Electronics).
HDTV
(high-definition
television)
Sony applies
techniques to the magnetic photo. A camera with
1280x1050 pixel CCD sensor is scheduled to become available on the market within one year. But the prototype
shown in New Orleans certainly was heavy!
A reporter scanner.
6
In cases where a photo reporter has to transmit highly
topical pictures quickly to his agency or newspaper, he
can use a scanner/transmitter for 35 mm film. Two such
devices are offered in portable cases: the Hasselblad
Dixel 2000 and the Leafax 35 from Leaf Systems. Both of
these were highlighted in New Orleans. Dixel is used by
European agencies and distributed in the U.S.A. by Sinclair Communications.
Leafax is used and marketed by
Associated Press.
Digital
photo transmission
There were two good pieces of news in this sector.
First, the AP PhotoStream service is starting to serve
newspapers on a test basis. Using a 1.5 Mbit/s satellite
link, PhotoStream permits the transmission of a b/w photo
in 40 seconds, or ten times faster than standard analog
transmission. Second, the International
Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) and ANPA have definitively
adopted a joint format for the digital transmission of
agency photos. AP currently uses its own format, but told
us that it intends to adopt the joint format as soon as it is
published.
Electronic
picture desks
AFP, AP and Reuters.presented their photo receiving
and processing systems. AFP showed the Dixel, the Image
Terminal, and a Mat II colour station connected to the
Impact system. The AP Electronic Picture System is now
obtainable in two versions, one running on a PC-386, the
other on a VAXstation 3100 from DEC. Reuters offered
TIFF-format output as well as a new digital printer.
The Monotype Picture Post is marketed in the U.S.A.
by Sinclair Communications under the name of PIPS. The
Crosfield Newsline and the Tecnavia PSF/Modular also
are attempting to become established in the U.S.A..
In another context,
many partial solutions
(for
example, reception of a single agency, thus of a single
format) seem to have been developed on PCs or Macintoshes at the request of user newspapers. Thus TeleEkonomi, distributor in Sweden and partner of DTI, has
already supplied telephoto reception modems and software to two DTI locations, using Macintoshes. At these
0 IFRA,
Darmstadt
PRE-PRESS
side a high-definition
recorder (at least 1000 laser dots per
inch), it is possible to have an image processing system for
newspaper requirements. There is no lack of suppliers
offering solutions based on some or all of these components. For b/w, applications were featured especially in
the Macintosh range, comprising scanners (Barneyscan,
Microtek, Truvel, etc.), software programs (Digital Darkroom, Image Studio, etc.) and output devices.
For colour, the interested visitor had the opportunity
to witness demonstrations given by Howtek, Pre-Press
Technologies, SeeColor, and others. It is up to each
individual
user to estimate whether these “table-top”
systems are able to meet his particular requirements.
Full-page RIPS
Electronic picture desks are starting to gain a foothold
torial departments.
in edi-
locations, the image processing software is supplied
DPS-Typecraft, a partner of DTI in the U.K.
by
.
ANPA/TEC
was buzzing with excitement over the
performances of RIPS, PIPS, RIGS (the same thing with
different
names, in each case supplying the output
recorder with a bit-map of the page). In the production of
a daily newspaper, the RIP can represent a bottleneck.
Scanners
The word “scanner” is used to describe many different
types of equipment. Let us start by taking a look at
devices that do everything: They scan originals, separate
colours where applicable, do printing corrections, and
finally output screened reproductions.
Among the b/w
scanners, the ECRM Autokon
is the winner. New
features: a device that permits scanning of pre-screened
documents and their reproduction without any moire (this
can be retrofitted to existing installations);
and a new,
high-definition
“PelBox”.
Our traditional suppliers of colour scanners offer a
wider selection at the lower end of the scale undoubtedly insufficient for high-quality reproduction but
suitable for printing on newsprint. Examples here are the
Magnascan 616 from Crosfield, the SG-2020 from Dainippon Screen, and the RZ 210-L from Royal Zenith (in
Europe, Itek). For the colour assembly table, Royal
Zenith presented the Diadem Carat 500, while Scitex gave
the name “Publisher” to a configuration co sisting of the
Smart Scanner, an Assembler console and $,, olev output
\
device.
The “table-top scanners” differ greatly from the aforementioned devices. Their sole function is to analyse and
digitise images. When they provide 300 scandots per inch
and, more importantly, 256 grey levels, they give a digital
picture suitable for an 80-line-per-inch
printing screen
(assuming here that the original document is not significantly enlarged). With a table-top scanner, an “upgraded”
PC or Mat II, image processing software, electronic
screening (possibly included in a RIP), and on the output
0 IFRA,
Darmstadt
Rock-bottom
%llm
from Storehouse
Four minutes elapse from giving the “print”
Macintosh to the composed output.
command
on the
7
ROTARY
PRESS
Rotary presses and auxiliaries
No new trends or major innovations were to be seen at
this year’s ANPA/TEC.
The topics were very much the
same as last year: flexo, conventional offset, offset with
keyless inkers, and tower configurations. Another continued trend is the growing concern for environmental protection in North America. At the show this trend had
been turned to business in such areas as new types of raw
materials for newsprint,
vegetable-oil-based
inks and
material recycling technologies. No automation or robot
equipment, except automated guided vehicles (AGVs),
was shown at the exhibition floor. The platelines displayed were very much the same as those shown at last
year’s IFRA and ANPA/TEC
shows.
Anticipated
developments,
such as laser imaging
directly to the plate cylinder - bypassing the platemaking
process - single-fluid lithography,
and voice-activated
press control systems, were discussed at the parallel
ANPA
technical
conference.
However,
seeing that
current research and development in press technology
concentrates on inking methods and press configurations,
we do not expect to see any of them reaching the market
in the next few years, at least not at ANPA/TEC
90.
Flex0
In the U.S.A., flexo typically is used when older
letterpress installations need more colour capacity. The
advantages of flexo printing are no rub-off, consistent
colour quality, ease of control (“set it and forget it” as the
Americans say), low waste and environmentally
friendly
materials. During the last few years we have seen a
number of completely new flexo press installations, most
of them in the U.S.A., but also in Italy and the muchtalked about U.K. installation at the Daily Mail. However, since ANPA/TEC last year, only one U.S. order has
been placed for a new flexo press. Some of the challenges
to overcome for flexo printers still include plugging, mottling, losses in highlights, changing ink transfer behaviour
under doctor blade wear, and inconsistent print quality of
black and white halftones.
Rockwell
International
Corp.,
Gosq Newspaper
Products, Graphic Systems Division, showe its modular
Flexoliner for the first time on an exhibiti ii,n floor. The
unit was configured with the maximum ‘six printing
couples and a easily manageable control system which
includes diagnostic and maintenance information
feedback. The Flexoliner comes with automatic ink wash-up
and an ink management system designed according to the
customer’s needs. Two Flexoliners are currently in operation. In 1991 five different publishers will be printing with
Goss Flexoliners.
Donald Fordham, Production Manager at the Herald
in Monterey, Calif., the very first Flexoliner installation,
0 IFRA,
Darmstadt
An overview of one of the three exhibition halls in New Orleans.
In the foreground
is the Rockwell International
stand with
the new keyless Goss Community unit, the Goss CT50 RTP
and tower units of the Goss Colorliner
and Goss Flexoliner.
described the “trials and tribulations”
during the first six
months since startup in November 1988. He reported
reader satisfaction with the clean inks and encouraging
process colour printing on the positive side, and problems
with the ink system and paper dust on the negative side.
MAN Roland U.S.A. Inc. claims to have 41% of the
North American newspaper flexo market with 443 Flexoman couples sold to 15 newspaper publishers. In MAN
statistics of flexo press sales, Publishers Equipment Corp.
(PEC) comes in second with 31%, Goss third with 17%,
and Motter fourth with 11%. On display at the MAN
stand was the 100th Flexoman unit, in a four-colour
configuration,
sold to the, Miami Herald and a single-
MAN
Roland Flexoman
unit.
9
ROTARY
PRESS
Windmoeller
& Hoelsher (W&H)
in Lengerich and
Koenig & Bauer (K&B) in Wtirzburg, both in the Federal
Republic of Germany. Last summer Koenig & Bauer
acquired 21% of PEC. However, no K&B presses were to
be seen in the PEC booth and no sales of K&B machines
were acknowledged. During the show Crabtree Vickers
announced the signing of a distribution agreement with
PEC covering the marketing and support of PECs doublewidth presses in the U.K. and the Republic of Ireland.
North American Cerutti Corp. showed up with an
information booth at ANPA/TEC for the fourth year in a
row. After some success in the commercial U.S. flexo
market Cerutti is still trying hard to get into the U.S.
newspaper market.
Offset
Single-width Flexoman
printing couples.
212 unit from
MAN
Roland
with three
width Flexoman SW three-colour unit meant for smaller
newspapers and commercial printers.
Recently MAN got an order for 66 Flexoman couples
from the Fresno Bee in California. This order includes the
new three-armed HUR 50 running belt reel-tension-paster
(RTP) which was also exhibited. In fact, the Fresno Bee
order is the first complete flexo press order on the world
market since spring 1988. It is also the second biggest
flexo order ever, after the Daily Mail order for its Koenig
& Bauer press.
Motter Printing Press Co. showed a new 50 inchdiameter three-arm reelstand, similar to MAN’s new
HUR 50, together with a Motterflex
FX-4 two-colour
printing unit. The Motter exhibit also included newly
created technologies in ink management systems with its
new corrosion-resistant polymer ink fount ns and plastic
9
doctor blades. At ANPA/TEC
in New Oxleans, Motter
was the first manufacturer to present a ‘press control
system based on the industry standard Intel 80386 microprocessor, which collects signals from the press through
fibre optic cables.
Publishers Equipment Corp. (PEC) concentrates mainly on the conversion of existing letter-presses to flexo. PEC
dominates the slip-in and conversion sales of flexo units in
the U.S.A. In New Orleans PEC exhibited a mono flexo
unit and a four colour flexo add-on unit that contains
flexo technology from the press manufacturing companies
10
A publisher who sets the highest priority on good print
quality, that is, smooth solids, low losses in highlights, and
high ink gloss, today probably chooses the proven offset
printing method. If he is an North American publisher the
possibility that he will choose a tower configuration
is
foreseeable. According to persuasive tower contenders,
towered units offer maximum colour capacity with minimum space requirements, flexibility in colour positioning,
good registration and no set-off because of a straight web
path, and expansion flexibility due to modular design.
Rockwell International
showed a base unit of its modular Colorliner, which was introduced at ANPA/TEC
in
1986 and now is “the most successful new press in the
company’s history.” More than 750 units for 52 presses
are currently on order or in operation. The first two
installations, at the Times Journal in Springfield, Va., and
the News/Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., are in
operation and on edition.
Michael Bella, who is responsible for production at the
Times Journal, summarised his experience of the first six
months in production by saying that they “may have been
disappointed
at times but never discouraged”.
He
described the initial problems, such as spray bars that did
not clean up, control system software not working and
paster problems, but also emphasised that the press “now
produces extremely good print quality with good registration.” Waste was high, mostly due to start-up problems.
However, now they are starting up USA Today, which
they also print every night, with good copies after 250-400
waste copies. A main advantage of going with the Colorliner, according to Bella, is that it handles daily newspaper products as well as commercial printings “with
equal ease.” Colorliner installations are also under way at
the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Sacramento Bee, France Soir, Vestmanlands Lans Tidningar and
several other North American and European newspapers.
A Colorliner comes with advanced production control
and information systems with touch-screen input work0 IFRA,
Darmstadt
ROTARY
Goss Colorliner
Advanced Press Control System
with touch-screen input, at the NewslSun-Sentinel
Lauderdale, Fla.
(APCS),
in Fort
stations. A Layout Assistant Program (LAP) assists with
impositioning and Page Area Readers (PARS) can establish
ink settings by scanning negatives. The Colorliner can be
equipped with either injector or open fountain inkers and
water-down-first, direct-to-plate spray bar 0” spiral brush
dampeners. More details on the Goss Co1 liner can be
found in <newspaper techniques), December 41 88, page 72.
Also exhibited in the Rockwell International
booth
were the Goss CT50 reel-tension-paster
(RTP) and the
Goss 3:2 double-width 160-page Sovereign folder. They
also showed three horizontal web press units for insert
production: a Hantscho Mark 10 unit, a Goss C500 unit
and a Goss C700 unit. The 70,000 iph C700 is a press
designed for high-volume production of heatset and nonheatset inserts, catalogs and direct-mail flyers.
MAN Roland U.S.A. Inc. exhibited a Uniman 412
tower unit, consisting of six printing couples. MAN claims
0 IFRA,
Darmstadt
PRESS
that this press is the “world’s fastest selling double-width
offset press” with more than 200 presses sold since its
introduction in 1980. There are approximately 100 units in
about 15 Uniman 4/2 installations in the U.S.A. Also,
about 200 presses of the larger, high-capacity Colorman
type, which was not on display in New Orleans, have been
sold worldwide. The Asleville Citizen Times in Asleville,
Nebraska is the only Colorman in the U.S.A. to date.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries displayed an offset press
unit with two monochrome keyless printing couples and
one conventional printing couple for spot colour. This
press is discussed under the Keyless Offset subhead in this
report. Mitsubishi has finally made its breakthrough into
the U.S. press market. Orders for two double-width conventional offset installations were placed early last fall
(see <newspaper techniques>, October 1988, page 150).
The Richmond newspaper group in Virginia has ordered
three presses, each configured with six half-decks, four
satellites, 2 splice preparation
robots (SPRs) and a
number of automated guided vehicles (AGVs). The second U.S. Mitsubishi customer, the Macromedia group in
New Jersey, publisher of the Bergen Record, has ordered
nine half-decks and three satellites. The Macromedia installation also includes advanced web-leading technology,
because the satellites and the half-decks stand in a 90degree angle. Both installations will start production in
1991.
Also on display at the Mitsubishi stand was a production management system providing centralised control
through a touch-screen command master workstation,
similar to Rockwell International,
MAN Roland and
several “third-party”
developers. However, Mitsubishi
also has a colour thermal transfer colour printer connected to the master workstation, which provides statistical data in the form of nice business graphics aimed at the
management. The Printing Quality Monitoring
system
The master workstation for Mitsubishi’s
toring System (PQMS).
Printing
Quality Moni-
11
ROTARY
PRESS
MITSUBISHI
PRINTING QUALITY
MONITORING
SYSTEM (PQMS)
MHl’s latest innovation
in printing quality:
a system that catches errors and rejects
misprints, automatically!
OPERATING PRINCIPLE
Sensor & light source
/“-_ _
--wii
Web
1’
Rotary encoder
:
I
I:’
i
American markets. It is being made at a new manufacturing and assembly plant in Motala, Sweden. Suitably
the Circulator
can produce newspapers,
equipped,
brochures, books and inserts on uncoated paper. The
Circulator units are the standard Solna l+ 1 perfecting
units or 2+1 colour units. The reelstands are integrated
into each printing unit. Solna especially hopes this press
will become popular in the South American market.
Single-width offset presses were also shown by TKS,
PEC-King, Web Press Corp., L&M and DEV Industries
Inc. DEV showed a 4-high tower configuration
of its
Horizon series, which consists of modular arch-type units
very similar to the Goss Community.
‘1’
/,
16,
8,
Current values
memory
Sensor
signal
*
li
Reierence
values
Judgement
crrcuit
t
FEATURES
(1) Conducts 3 kinds of check,
covering 4 dtfferent fault
types
(2) Checktng can also be
The principle
of Mitsubishi’s
Error dfspley
CAPABILIYY
PQMS system.
(PQMS) was shown for the first time. It catches unacceptable print quality information from light sensors in the
press and rejects misprints automatically or warns with
buzzers and warning lights. The faults the system can
detect are black spots on white parts of thq web or white
spots on black printed areas, colour variatio s in spot and
process colour, and all-black and all-white $ aste.
Last year, at ANPA/TEC
88, Mitsubishj emphasised
robotics and automation at its exhibit. This year no robotics were shown. As a matter of fact, robotics or automation equipment could not be seen anywhere at this year’s
show. Why? The general view seems to be that U.S.
publishers do not consider robotics cost-effective enough,
and that - perhaps the real reason - current trade union
contracts resist this kind of labour-saving automation.
Solna Web AB introduced its new single-width Circulator non-heatset web offset press to the North and South
12
The DEV Industries single-width
offset I-high tower unit.
Horizon
2000 conventional
Keyless Offset
Much development work is being done by several press
manufacturers in the U.S.A., Germany and Japan on
keyless inkers for offset. About 500 keyless inking units
will run in daily production at the end of this year, most
0 IFRA,
Darmstadt
ROTARY
of them in Japan but a few also in Europe. The first
keyless offset press in the U.S.A. will be a TKS C-21,
scheduled for delivery in the last quarter of 1989. Keyless
offset represents - at least in the glossy brochures - the
perfect marriage between the ease of use of keyless anilox
rollers and the print quality of offset. Keyless offset in 4high tower configurations could be a very attractive combination for publishers and printers who have to handle
large amounts of spot and process colour. A comprehensive summary of the development of keyless offset can be
found in ccnewspaper techniques>, April 1989, page 68.
Rockwell International
showed a Goss Community
press unit featuring keyless offset inking. It is the first
product resulting from a special keyless development pro-
The single-width
offset version.
Goss Community
Darmstadt
quality on the print. Black inks handle water better
without loss of print quality.
TKS U.S.A. Inc. is the new name of the company
marketing TKS products in the U.S.A., formerly TAFT
Equipment sales. It is now a direct subsidary of Tokyo
Kikai Seisakusho Ltd. in Japan. TKS was the first Japanese manufacturer to do process colour printing with
keyless offset inkers. On its stand TKS showed its keyless
C-21 arch-type offset unit in a new 4-high tower configuration. However, the upper two units were only a mock-up.
Next to the highlighted press tower in the centre of the
TKS booth, another four-couple C-21 unit was in operation every second hour, printing a three-colour four-page
broadsheet paper. Also displayed at the TKS stand was a
new production control system developed by Comar Inc.,
which from now on belongs to the TKS group. This
system controls and monitors multiple production facilities, reel storage, press totalising and mailroom.
in its new keylesslanilox
gram at Rockwell’s Graphic Systems Division. The singlewidth monochrome ink unit is aimed for small newspapers, shoppers and book printing. The new keyless
inking technology is based on testing and experimentation
at the St. Petersburg Times and The New York Times and
experiences from the Japanese joint venture with IKEGAI
in Japan. The new keyless unit, which according to Rockwell representatives will also occasionally be fitted to the
Colorliner, has a completely enclosed inking system. An
ink chamber is used rather than a pan roll r and open
e
fountain. The ink chamber fits against the patanted metering AS roller and is connected to the ink :ecirculation
system. The keyless Community press uses special inks
produced according to recommendations from Rockwell
International.
Mitsubishi has more than 180 keyless inking units in
operation in Japan, mainly for -printing black. They displayed an offset press with a monochrome blanket-toblanket unit with a stacked spot colour unit. Mitsubishi is
of the opinion that the colour inks in keyless systems take
up too much damping water, which leads to a loss in tone
0 IFRA,
PRESS
The I-high
mockup.
keyless
TKS
C-21 tower.
The upper part
is a
13
ROTARY PRESS
Operating side
Drive side
driveQearsfor blanketcy
motorfor lateralregister
anddrivesideplatecyl
/
/ I\drive Qears
for operating’side
platecyl
‘piatecyl
platecyl
Circumferental
registerdevice
lateralregisterdevi&
motorfor circumferentialregister
TKS offers optional shell cylinder registration for every printing
couple of the keyless C-21 press type. This gives the printer fine
control of colour registration.
The TKS C-21 tower unit with
its keyless-anilox offset inkers.
Height measures are in millimeters and inches.
TKS points out that the C-21 4-high tower unit measures
only 5.24 meters in height. That compares with other
designs of keyless offset presses, which reach over 7 meters
in stacked arch-type configurations. The TKS C-21 press
includes adjustable position plate register pins, which assure
control over registration and enable the operator to compensate fan-out of the web. TKS claims the press uses
standard off-the-shelf offset plates and standard offset inks.
The TKS C-21 blanket-toblanket unit with half deck.
Notice that the upper half-deck
unit is reversable because of’
two ink doctor blades. The
numbered iters are 1. Impression cylinder;U. Blanket cylinder; 3. Plate Lylinder; 4. Ink
roll&;
5. Anilox
transfer
roller; 6. Fountain roller; 7.
Ink form roller; 8. Refresh
chromium roller; 9. Refresh
rubber roller; 10. Ink doctor
blade; 11. Refresh blade; 12.
Ink fountain;
13. Damping
roller; 14. Chromium roller;
15. Anti-set-off rubber roller;
16. Spray bar.
14
The Star Ledger in Newark, N.J., will be the first
completely new keyless offset installation in the U.S.A.
TKS is currently installing a C-21 press, consisting of 18
blanket-to-blanket units and two satellites. Andy Harleveld,
Production Manager at the Star Ledger, believes that the
new press will, compared to their existing offset press,
improve print quality due to consistent inking across the
page, reduce press staffing due to the elimination of more
than 500 ink keys, reduce printed waste by 2%) and reduce
maintenance with 520 machinist/electrician shifts per year
due to the simplicity of the keyless units. Besides the Star
Ledger order, TKS has 32 conventional offset press installations in the U.S.A., including 110 blanket-to-blanket units
at 11 Dow Jones printing plants.
Crubtree Vickers Inc., the British letterpress retrofit
specialist, showed a prototype of its new keyless offset
5ff3
1
j
1
Crabtree Vickers’ new Civilox keyless offset inking system, on
the right, compared to a conventional offset inking system, left.
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PRESS
retrofit unit. One such prototype is currently in production testing at an unnamed American publishing house.
Two more test sites are scheduled, one in the U.S.A. and
one in Europe. These tests are made only on monochrome inking units. Colour units will follow later,
according to the Vickers spokesman.
Environmental
protection
At last year’s ANPA show there was much talk about
the kenaf newsprint and soy newsink projects. Canadian
Pacific Forest Products Ltd. (CPSF) is the main pusher
for using the fast-growing kenaf tree as raw material for
newsprint. CPSF has acquired land for a kenaf mill site,
suppliers to grow kenaf have been secured, and research
is now under way on developing harvesting equipment.
Kenaf plants grow in very warm and humid climates close
to the equator. At the earliest, kenaf newsprint will be
available on a large scale from CPSF in 1992.
According to the American Soybean Association, more
than 1000 U.S. newspapers have tried or switched to soy
ink. That represents about 60% of the total number of
newspapers in the U.S.A. The ANPA and several U.S.
ink manufacturers, such as Flint Ink Corp. and the Ink
Company, claim that soy inks, in addition to being environmentally friendly, produce bright four-colour and less
rub-off than mineral-oil-based inks do.
Several smaller stands exhibited different kinds of
equipment and solutions for recycling materials such as
ink, water and oil. Separation Technologies Inc., Eclectic
Cnmnanv
Inc.. and Alternative
Resource Technologies
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Darmstadt
Large Offset/
eysk
This year’s winner in Kodak’s “Run for the Money” contest,
Berita Harian of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the third time in
the eight-year history of the contest that the “World’s Best” prize
has been awarded to a newspaper in the Singapore Press Holdings group.
(Artech), all showed their in-house ink reclamation
systems. United States Petrolon Industrial
displayed an
oil filtration system that takes used dirty press oil and
cleans it while the oil is still in the press.
15
MAILROOM
Mailroom
equipment:
always good for a surprise
To those who can no longer be impressed with the
boundless wizardry of prepress systems or do not want to
participate in the religious wars of the printing processes,
the manufacturers of mailroom equipment have continuously offered, over the past decade, a flow of refreshing
innovations. As ANPATEC 89 again proved, they are not
tired of it yet. The motors of creativity in this domain are,
of course, the ever-swelling insert business and, to a lesser
degree, the increased pagecounts of their customers.
The main endeavour remains the same: to economically handle more bulk under critical time constraints. Automation has become the name of the game. Mainly for this
reason, gripper systems, which with a few exceptions were
ignored by U.S. manufacturers until two years ago, are
now offered by all of them, in a variety of designs. But
quality concerns also have begun to emerge. Newspaper
bundles no longer need to look like footballs! Individual
copies, bulging with inserts as they are, neither. Manufacturers of stackers, of wrappers and of conveyors now show
concern for the delivery of aesthetically acceptable newspapers to the readers.
These new considerations tend to make more comparable with one another the offer of American and European
suppliers who, until recently, gave the impression of
operating according to two completely different philoso-
phies. This, logically, should bring even more liveliness to
the marketplace in the near future. Already, the number
of U.S. manufacturers displaying interest in overseas,
specifically European markets, at ANPATEC 89 was up
notably from two years ago. But the degree of increased
competition resulting from this development and bound to
benefit the user in the foreseeable future will also depend
on the company size and the financial resources of the
suppliers. Both these aspects seem to need some strengthening, on the American side at least.
Maybe because they are now thoroughly convinced of
their engineering creativity (the application by QUIPP of
linear motors is but one example), some U.S. manufacturers of mailroom equipment are seriously considering
diversification into new areas. IDAB and NOLAN, for
instance, are currently entering ‘the Automated Guided
Vehicle System market. Is the grass greener there? The
only certain thing is that no friendly reception committee
awaits them, while so much remains to be done still to
turn newspapers’ mailrooms into money-making propositions. It is system optimisation and system control that
should now be on the mind of the “traditional”
mailroom
equipment suppliers who possess the state of the art in
mailroom hardware. Otherwise the upcoming thirst for
software will have to be quenched by newcomers again.
Buldwin, Stamford, Corm., showed its Compensating
Overstacker Model 166 running at speeds up to 55,000
copies per hour. Maximum product size is 12.50 x 17.50 inches (31.8 x 44.50 cm). Minimum product size is
8 x 5.50 inches (20.30 x 14 cm). The stacker is equipped
with a Denex Laser Copy Counter.
Dynaric Inc., Hackensack, N.J., showed mainly imported new equipment such as the NP-1 newspaper/insert
strapping system of SMB, Hamburg; and the VA3612
plastic wrapper (30 bundles per minute) and VA3605
plastic wrapper (28 bundles per minute), both from
Schule, Germany.
Ferag Inc., Bristol, Penn., which has equipped many of
the larger US papers with complete mailroom systems
“from folder to truck,” showed for the first time in the
USA a Variodisc storage system with a new buffer system
at the delivery.
Giimmerler US Corp., Elkgrove Village, Ill., showed
its known trimming machines and its transport system FS,
which, Gammerler claims, should make nicks and markings on the signature things of the past, as well as reduce
wear to an absolute minimum. The Gammerler transport
system FS now features a single copy removal unit that
can be used to monitor the print quality on the product
itself. This removal module consists of a removal station,
a conveyor and a delivery device.
G.M.A. (Graphic Management Associates Inc.), Southborough, Mass., unveiled its Total Integrated Inserting
Systems (TIIS), highlighting on-line features such as the
News-Grip single gripper conveyor, two on-line highspeed SLS-1000 inserting press-to-pocket systems and the
mockup of a new buffer and storage system. A video
presentation
showed the first line-storage production
system, which was recently installed at the Gavle Dagblad
newspaper in Sweden. In this system, inserts are transported at full press speed away from the folder by the
Ferags innovative buffer between its Variodisc and the transfer
to its inserting machine.
16
0 IFRA,
Darmstadt
MAILROOM
gripper conveyor. A pre-determined number of copies are
dropped onto the belt conveyor at pre-set intervals and
conveyed to an upright line-storage module. In the
module, inserts are stored horizontally
in overlapped
streams on metal plates. The shingle stream presents the
same length as the metal storage plates and moves like a
continuous belt within the module by means of motordriven chains and worm gears. The number of modules
depends upon the newspaper’s needs, but at least two are
required, each with its own drop point from the gripper
conveyor. Depending on publishing requirements and
mailroom layouts, modules can be arranged in-line or as
two or more storage lines with divided split-level conveying streams. Inserts flow through their respective storage
modules in a straight line, in one end and out the other,
and are conveyed to the inserters. The storage modules
are also used for overflow storage. At the Gavle Dagblad,
each module has 100 storage plates with a capacity of
10,000 broadsheet copies with a 35 mm spacing. It could
take 5,000 copies of a 64-page broadsheet issue with
17 mm spacing or 10,000 copies, also broadsheet, with 32
pages.
GMA’s high-speed SLS-1000 inserter is the foundation
of the integrated inserting system, which features straightline conveyor design. Its modularity allows for a number
of hoppers varying from two to over 30. It also features
the microprocessor-based
Package Monitoring
System
(PMS) with zone control for 1,000 zones and Missed
Insert Repair System (MIRS) guaranteeing 100% product
integrity.
GMA’s Package Monitoring System with Zone Control
and Missed Insert Repair System features missed insert
repair, reject of doubles, zone control up to 1,000 zones,
complete package integrity, pocket silencing, management
reports and diagnostics.
GMA claims 300 of the SLS-1000 and SLS-40 (40,000
copies per hour) inserting systems have been installed
worldwide. Internationally,
GMA installations are now
concentrated in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia and
Spain.
GMA’s AF-100 compact hopper loader can be positioned at any or all hopper positions on the jnserter line.
Its speed is adjustable, the cycle rate being d$ermined the
size of the product fed, either newspaper or msert. Available as a low-profile and high-profile
unit, it is also
compatible with Harris 72P and 48P inserting systems.
Hall Processing Systems, Westlake, Ohio, exhibited its
known Monitor HT stacker in which the stacking motor
has been equipped with a servo drive for better bundle
quality control. Belts have replaced the wires on the infeed section. The Monitor HT handled up to 75,000
copies per hour. A control system can supply four stackers
and each stacker can feed two trucks on the right and on
the left side. Hall showed also its new AccuGrip Single
0 IFRA,
Darmstadt
H. T. Halls
control.
Monitor
H. T. Stacker is equipped
with computer
The delivery on H. T. Hall’s “Onserter”. Supplements and inserts
are no longer “stuffed” into the copy but “topped” and wrapped,
which reportedly pleases advertisers but slows down the output.
17
MAILROOM
H. T. Hall’s own gripper solution: AccuGrip.
Harris Graphics’
Copy Conveying System, which, Hall claims, is capable of
handling the complete range of production requirements
- daily, Sunday and “everything in between.” AccuGrip
accepts either broadsheet or tabloid newspapers in a lapstream configuration. Each newspaper is gripped by the
cut edge and is conveyed to the distribution area. Gripper
release is accomplished through the use of a grippermounted magnet, which releases the gripper when it
passes beneath an electromagnet, which is energized by a
programmable power supply. AccuGrip has been designed
to be compatible with existing mailroom equipment. Grippers are mounted to the conveyor chain by two bolts.
They can be removed at any point along the conveyor
route and disassembled for repair. Computer control provides system diagnostic capability to facilitate quick and
easy system maintenance.
Another new product on the Hall booth was the Onserter I Collating and Packaging System. This system can
collate up to 40 different pre-printed products, placing
them on a paper or creating individual pre-print packages.
The Onserter I then plastic-wraps each assembled set at
speeds up to 14,000 papers per hour. The Onserter I
handles a variety of product sizes and thicknesses ranging
from a minimum size of 3 x 5 inches (7.60 x 12.70 cm)
to a maximum of 12 x 14 inches (30.5 x+5.5 cm). Products ranging from single-sheet to 128-p ge broadsheet
can be collated, be they stitched, unstitc be d or perfectbound. The Onserter I can collate packages up to 350
broadsheet pages, maximum thickness 2 inches (5.10 cm)
loose bulk.
Harrk Graphics Bindev and Forms Press Division,
Dayton, Ohio, exhibited its NP2299 inserter for operation
at press speeds (with five or fewer inserts) along with a
new delivery gripper conveyor (moving the product at up
to 20,000 cph) for inserted products. Also shown were the
new Inserter Control System (ICON), a zone-control and
performance monitoring system for inserters; a dual-feed
hopper to serve the NP1472A, NP1372 or NP848 inserters; the BOSS 60 packaging machine; the RS30 stacker
and NP212 hopper loaders. The NP2299 inserts up to 21
inserts into a jacket at 20,000 cycles per hour through a
single delivery. It can also work in dual, triple and
quadruple delivery configurations at 40,000, 60,000 and
80,000 cph respectively. ICON, like the preceding models,
not only repairs missed inserts, but selects feeding for
zoned distribution of inserts up to 1,000 zones. It also
features self-diagnostic functions at start-up. Planned installations in Europe include Fyns Tidende in Odense,
Denmark, which has purchased NP1472 and NP848 inserters with Quipp feeder grippers and Harris delivery grippers.
Idab, Hialeah, Fla., showed its known line of mailroom equipment, including high-speed stackers, but the
highlight of its booth was a new press delivery vehicle
“PDV” and automatic guided vehicle for picking up,
transporting and delivering newsprint rolls from laydown
and/or roll preparation areas to reelstands for automatic
chucking. Idab’s PDV has a low profile, is quad-directional and powered by German-made Hoppecke batteries
(nickel-cadmium)
ensuring a quick charge, and therefore
reducing the number of vehicles and the amount of labour
needed. The water level is checked once a year. Idab
expects the PDV to evolve into a complete system for
trucking the reels. Among other customers, the New York
Times has bought 23 of these PDVs.
Ideal Equipment Ltd, Montreal, Canada, showed its
automatic sleeve wrapper, model 505-30N, for polyethylene, featuring a speed of up to 30 variable-height bundles
per minute. Also exhibited was a speed-compensating
conveyor that accepts the wrapped packages at whatever
speed they are delivered by the wrapper, yet feeds the
shrink tunnel at a constant, pre-determined
rate. The
height detection system compensates for different package
heights and insures uniform wrap tightness. Ideal claims
18
new delivery grippers.
0 IFRA,
Darmstadt
MAILROOM
that its sealing system requires no maintenance or downtime. The new 505-40N plastic wrapper equipped with the
side sealer model SSlOO runs at 40 bundles per minute.
IEC System Solutions, Lincoln Park, N.J., presented
on the Digital Equipment Corporation booth its post-press
integration products, from the pressroom to the loading
dock, including the Mailroom Modelling System and the
Management Automation System, both on DEC VAXstation 3100’s. The Modelling System allows formulation of
the most efficient mailroom possible with any given parameter. Icons are used to simulate a current or future
production facility in the modeling editor. The icons are
retrieved from a database provided by the ANPA and can
be placed in any position on the screen. The user assigns
display attributes and interactive attributes to the icon
images and develops a menu based on the icons. The
graphic screens displayed on the VAXstation 3100 can be
patterned to any mailroom floor plan. The resulting
model provides the user with performance values based
on the equipment selected. All icons are to scale and can
be assigned to sized locations, measured in feet and inches
Once the model of the mailroom has been established on the
VAXstation 3100, the actual production can be checked at any
moment.
0 IFRA,
Darmstadt
to the exact scale of the mailroom. IEC sells the Mailroom Modelling System for $16,7pO, including the icon
libraries for conveyors, stackers, etc. Its Insert Management System costs $38,500 and features zone set-up,
edition set-up, back-up selection and database storage and
retrieval.
Kunsa Corp., Emporia, Kan., showed, among other
products, its 480 inserter with main control panel featuring constant digital readout for speed and insert count,
positive feeding by vacuum suckers and nip rollers, fingertip adjustable side guides, on-the-run feeder timing adjustment for each station. The 480 runs at up to 12,500 cycles
per hour. Jacket dimensions go from 7 x 10 inches
(17.80 x 25.40 cm) to 14 x 19 inches (35.55 x 48.25 cm).
The 480 inserter accommodates four to 128 pages half-fold
broadsheet or two to 64 pages standard quarter-fold.
Insert dimensions are 4 x 6 inches (10.15 x 15.25 cm) to
14 x 19 inches (35.55 x 48.25 cm). The delivered paper
can have up to 250 pages half-fold broadsheet and the
number of insert stations is one to seven.
Kirk-Rudy,
Kennesaw, Ga., showed its 512 inserting/
labeling system for small dailies. The 512 can be equipped
with up to six feeders and features a tank tread track to
carry and support the product at every point along the
entire machine. The inclined tabletop lets gravity help
assemble every item.
McCain Manufacturing
Corp., Chicago, Ill,, showed its
known 660 newspaper stuffer, equipped this time with a
new “re-feed station” installed at the end of the insert
line. Re-feed stations are used to pre-stuff and re-feed on
days when inserts outnumber the insert stations. They are
similar to the jacket feeders and can handle a l/2-inch
thick package. The 660 newspaper stuffer can insert cards
as small as 3.5 x 5.5 inches (8.90 cm x 12.70 cm).
Miiller Martini, Hauppauge, N.Y., showed its inserter
model 375 with 10 to 24 stations and performance of
48,000 copies an hour with two deliveries and 24,000
copies an hour with one delivery. The machine is
equipped with a new copy control system with programming and oversight functions for a fully automatic zoning
control. This system guarantees the output of complete
19
Miiller Martini’s inserter is programmed
panel reminiscent of a machine tools.
and controlled from a
A veteran justly honored. Miiller Martini’s 227 inserting machine
is still exhibited, demonstrated and.. . sold!
copies. The 375 inserter has been sold to the Charlotte
Observer (240,000 circulation) as well as the Chattanooga
Free Press. The old 227 model, which did so much to
foster the expansion of the insert business in the USA
between 1965 and 1970 and was sold in masses to small
and medium-sized American newspaper& was also deservedly displayed on Mtiller Martini’s bobth.
Specifically for the US market, DaveriQghas developed
the Newsveyor conveyor for 160 pages, also called the
ZTU - Zeitungstransporteur
USA. On Muller Martini’s
booth was also a model of the News York Times’ PrintRoll buffer and storage system, with more than 1,000 print
rolls with a maximum diameter of 114 inches (290 cm),
corresponding to more than 7,000 copies with 64 tabloid
pages. This system will handle the production of six Goss
Colorliner presses and will be in full production in early
1991. This fully automatic PrintRoll storage will call upon an
automatic PrintRoll Carrier to move the rolls.
20
Nolan Products Inc., Rome, N.Y., showed its alreadyknown belt stream conveyor (with channel belt) for
broadsheet and tabloid newspapers (new was only a third
belt for quarter-fold capability); its pneumatic stacker EZ-1
for over 72,000 signatures per hour; and a truck loader.
Nolan had, however, more in store, namely its Nolan Smart
Cart automatic guided vehicle, powered either by battery or
contact power. The Smart Cart (not exhibited) will take
rolls from storage to place them on the laydown lane and
will be programmed by forklift operators. Nolan reported
already having a contract for two systems. The Smart Cart is
compatible with the automatic reel loaders of the Japanese
press manufacturer Tokyo Kikai Seisakusho (TKS).
Offset Technology, Sylmar, Calif., showed its StackRite stacker. The new model 5 understacker has been
designed for insert and newspaper printers. It features onthe-run adjustable joggers and infrared counter for exact
copy count. A microprocessor controls lift size stop timing, total count, back-up encoder, and count and calculator functions.
Powerstrap,
Westlake, Ohio, showed its modular
underwrapper for bottom wrap with bottom wrap feeder
for up to 50 bundles per minute and over wrap with over
wrap feeder up to 35 bundles per minute. In Europe,
Powerstrap is represented by Pakseal in Maidenhead,
Berks., U.K.
Quipp Systems Inc., Miami, Fla., introduced a whole
line of innovative products, starting with a new sort
bundle distribution system powered by linear induction
motors, a new application of these motors to the newspaper industry. This system consists of a number of tilt
trays connected in a continuous loop similar to an endless
chain. There are no external chains or sprockets, and the
track system is completely closed. Through the use of a
distributed drive system, linear motors placed at intervals
of 50 feet around the loop provide non-contact, silent
The control panel of Quipps 301 stacker calls on a touch screen
and enables programming as well as reporting.
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Darmstadt
MAILROOM
drive to the system. Excessive force applied to the conveyor at any one point is avoided. Bundles are loaded into
trays by overhead loaders or side loaders, depending on
the application and the layout. Bundles are identified,
placed in trays, transported to the loading docks and
discharged at given locations.
In addition, Quipp showed its new 300 newspaper
compensating stacker with double-bucket
and touchscreen display electronic control panel. The panel enables
the operator to communicate with the stacker by responding to prompts and reading instructions instead of deciphering coded responses. It maintains control of the
papers longer during the batching cycle and eliminates the
papers’ free-falling
into the stacking section. Quipp
showed also the non-compensating SJ302 version of the
stacker.
Quipp showed also its single grip conveyor line, of
which it has sold eight to the Asahi Shimbun for its Osaka
plant. In total, Quipp has sold 24 gripper lines to this
newspaper.
Quipp, a company with a volume of approximately $15
million and 120 employees, now wants to actively market
its products in Europe through dealers. In the U.K., the
The Quipp Sort Conveyor.
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Darmstadt
The cart of Quipps
linear motor driv&
delivery carrousel.
newly-appointed dealer is Web Sales International in Peterborough. Quipp, however, continues to cooperate with
Harris Graphics for the feeding lines.
Shuttleworth, Huntington, Ind., showed its Slip-Torque
conveyor, which provides alternate routes for newspaper
bundles without interruption
or monitoring in case of
MAILROOM
The Slip-Torque
conveyor.
principle
on
Shuttleworth’s
accumulating
upstream stacker jammings. During initial operation
mode, the newspaper stacks exit on the primary track,
making a 90-degree turn. Sensors detect the presence of
product, the Shuttleworth pneumatic diverter is extended
and the newspaper stacks are channeled by the diverter to
the palletizer. When there is an impasse in the stacker
area, absence of product is likewise sensed on the track
and the product is channeled to the alternate route. The
newspapers continue on stream to a Shuttleworth Pacer
and the new T-Switch. The pacer opens, and the diverter
retracts to a closed position. The newspapers then continue to the palletizer. The system continues in this alternate operation mode until the stacker is cleared to allow’
product to flow again on primary track. All components
resume initial operation mode when a pr?duct is sensed.
ntroller operA Shuttleworth-supplied
programmable
Y
ates the system sequence.
The T-Switch brings together the ou\put from two
stackers to a single strapping or packaging machine or
22
diverges loose stacks from a stacker to manual insert,
wrapping, strapping or palletizing. The T-Switch can add
one or more lines without adding stacker stations or
connect parallel lines to increase flow pattern flexibility.
Signode, Glenview, Ill. , unveiled its News 90, newspaper bundling machine, a high-speed plastic strapping
handling
bundles
from
7.5 x 11.5 inches
system
to 13.5 x 17 inches
(19 cm x 29.20 cm) quarter-fold,
(34.30 cm x 43.20 cm) broadsheet, with stacks from 1.5 to
18 inches high (3.80 cm to 45.70 cm). Pneumatic side
compression squares and centers each bundle and a twosided bundle stop contacts both front corners to prevent
skewing. The News 90 can strap up to 45 bundles per
minute and can be operated in tandem installations. In
addition, Signode displayed its MLN-2A high-speed plastic strapping system for 40 bundles per minute with an
optional insert bundle conveyor and side clamps, which
was introduced more than 10 years ago.
The lightweight,
portable Spirit Automatic
Plastic
Strapping System straps up to 32 bundles per minute and
is often used with another strapping system to cross-tie
bundles in-line. It can apply one, two or three straps per
bundle. Signode also displayed its SpiroGrip model MLSSS stretch-wrap system for off-line wrapping of pallet
loads of printed material with prestretch film, at up to 25
loads per hour.
Stepper Inc., Olathe, Kan., this year did not show, but
provided information on, its Stepper SOLO assembling
and packaging machine. SOLO machines are used at the
Chicago Tribune to assemble all the Sunday sections in
one pass without any pre-stuffing for 30,000 weekend
completes on Saturday and Sunday morning, instead of
pre-stuffing many times all week long.
Videojet Systems, Inc., Elkgrove Village, Ill., showed
its new Variable Mailing System (VMS) based on dot
matrix characters and featuring a variety of font styles,
not only to address but also to personalize the product.
The VMS prints at the production speed selected. It
can address 30,000 envelopes per hour. The VMS can
print 500 characters per line. The model; for on-line or
off-line operation (Videojet I) costs $75,000 and can
handle 55,000 papers per hour. The new model for offline operation
(Videojet II) costs $50,000. Videojet
Systems International
is a subsidiary of AB Dick. Its
products equip the Cheshire addressing (Jetstream II)
machines.
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Darmstadt