Lithopia
Lithopia Commercial Web Offset Press
Mitsubishi Lithopia
Mitsubishi Variable Size Commercial Web Offset Press, Lithopia Max-V, Recognizing Imagine the Printing Industry. In a commercial sense available offset presses for printing magazines and advertising booklets could be roughly classified through the paper feeding method into sheet-given offset presses using sheet paper already cut and aligned, and aligned and web offset presses utilizing a web, printing on each side continuously, cutting to some specified size, folding and creating prints (commercial web offset press).
In the two cases, a thin aluminum image plate is wound on a plate cylinder and rotated in order to print around the paper. Within the sheet-given offset press which holds just the tip of the sheet paper, printing continues without waste of paper when paper from the proper dimensions are selected according towards the image size. Available web offset press, however, the look from the size comparable to the circumferential entire plate cylinder is frequently and continuously printed on the internet paper. Therefore, so as to prevent lack of paper, it’s important to possess a printing press whose size exactly matches the development print size.
Inside a commercial web offset press, since continuous paper can be used, high-speed operation can be done and it is productivity is much more than three occasions those of the sheetfed press. It’s thus been an aspiration from the printing industry to understand versatility of their print size, conquering all difficulties to satisfy our prime anticipation held for such technology. In response to this dream, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has developed “LITHOPIA MAX-V,” a variable size commercial web offset press, which enables easy alternative of major component parts like the plate cylinder. The very first product was shipped to some domestic printer and began commercial operation in the finish of October 2005.
Mitsubishi Lithopia Max-V Web offset printing machine technology
Three MHI established technology is without anyone’s knowledge which have assisted realize the variable size commercial web offset press the very first time in the market, which is capable of doing responding to the requirements of commercial printing generally.
- Altering technology of printing length: sleeve blanket technology
- Altering technology of cut-off length: shaftless drive technology
- Stable transfer technology of cut-off printed items: pinless technology
Each mechanism is described below.
1. Printing unit
The printing cylinder includes a sleeve installed on the core to ensure that the cylinder’s circumferential length can be transformed by changing the sleeve, enabling the printing size to become transformed. Two of the most-used printing dimensions in Japan, 546 mm and 625 mm, represent the utmost and minimum size, and LITHOPIA MAX-V printing machines is capable of doing accommodating every other dimensions between. When altering the sleeve, the operation side subframe retreats to produce a working space for that exchange. The sleeve inner wall will be dilated by high-pressure air to permit the sleeve to become removed and changed. Time needed for swapping one sleeve is all about about a minute.
2. Folder
The folder includes an speeding up transfer belt tool and the end jaw gripper device which were developed to create the cutoff size change mechanism, the folder cylinder using the tucker edge device according to conventional technology, yet others. Within the situation from the variable size folder, the positioning from the image beginning should coincide with this of cutting to ensure that the printing cylinder and also the folder cutoff cylinder rotate in synchronization. Quite simply, once the sleeve diameter is transformed, the paper speed is transformed, however the cutting timing is unchanged so that the size of the printed product after cutting is always just like the circumferential entire printing unit sleeve. Even when the printing dimensions are less than 625 mm, the machine is controlled in a way the tip from the printed paper is held through the jaw gripper device with correct timing.
Area follow-up data
The very first machine comprised of two models of variable size folders. Its total production until April 2006 was roughly 25 million copies, the entire quantity of jobs being roughly 360.
1. Productivity
Production index (no. of created copies/printing time) is looking after increase. The reason being printing speed is growing with stabilization from the machine function. The truth that loss time (machine troubles etc.) is lowering, though gradually, also proves the machine has become more stable. Note: “Preparation/adjustment time” includes time for curler cleaning, machine cleaning, etc.“
2. Job rate
Monthly cutoff change-over frequency appears to have elevated in December and March. The reason being various jobs were handled in peak seasons, namely twelve months finish and fiscal year finish. A-size printing began in November A-size and Bsize print shares were nearly even just in other several weeks with the exception that the B-size percentage elevated in December. Regarding rate of signature, it may be seen that magazine product
3. Cutoff change-with time
Cutoff change-with time was the following: .Sleeve exchange 4 models/2 males —> 15 min .Plate exchange 4 models/2 males —> 8 min .Folder change-over/1 guy —> 10 min Other work (stacker-bundler change-over, etc.)—> 5 min. The entire time consumed was roughly 38 minutes. At the moment, the printing unit and also the folder are transformed individually and individually to ensure that more time saving might be possible when the printing unit and the folder are transformed in parallel, building success out from the merits from the shaftless method.
Conclusion
One half year has transpired because the area follow-up began. If this machine was introduced, the client, then unskilled with this particular machine, made an appearance to become embarrassed, but together with ongoing commercial operation such anxiety appeared to vanish. The customer has given his assessment that both A-size and B-size printing characteristics are extremely stable. Later on, the consumer expects to focus on high-quality printing of business catalogs and knowledge guides, for which MAX-V is capable of even greater performance. Follow-up continues and also the printing machine is going to be further enhanced to even greater standards to ensure the customer’s satisfaction.