Web Cleaning System Makes Impact In Germany

The need to maintain print quality, especially when handling short runs, has led to German web offset house Sattler Media Press buying a Baldwin Impact blanket cleaning system.

The need to maintain print quality, especially when handling short runs, has led to German web offset house Sattler Media Press equipping a 32-page Lithoman III with a Baldwin Impact blanket cleaning system.

The cost savings are already proving to be so significant that the company expects to pay for the Baldwin system within the first year of its operation, said Baldwin.

Sattler's owner, Udo Sattler, explained: "Our high quality standards can only be maintained if our offset blankets are clean.

That's why we were happy to invest in the new offset blanket washing system.

Based on a cost-effectiveness analysis we found that we can make considerable savings on spoilage with the Impact system and the investment costs will be written off within a year." The company, based in Hornburg, Lower Saxony, specialises in the highly competitive business of printing supplements.

Work produced at the site includes newspaper supplements for retail chains, plus more complex advertising flyers for well-known branded goods manufacturers, the automobile industry and the financial and cosmetics sectors.

That accounts for around 70 per cent of production, with the remainder consisting of work for the magazine sector.

In addition to its Lithoman, Sattler Media Press operates a 24-page Zirkon press and three connectable eight-page Zirkon machines.

Another of its sites, at Magdeburg, operates two further MAN Lithoman III presses.

Paper handled at Hornburg includes a wide variety of newsprint, SC and other uncoated papers.

When poorer quality stock is used the offset blankets have to be washed more frequently to remove paper dust and fibre particles from the blanket in order to preserve print quality.

The Lithoman III has four double printing units and Baldwin installed its Impact system, with eight cleaning bars, in just three days.

As the Impact does not require feed and return pipes or drip trays for solvents, conversion of the press was not only quick but carried out at a relatively low cost, said Baldwin.

Careful record keeping at Sattler has shown that the Impact system cleans the blankets on the Lithoman III every two to three hours, which equates to wash intervals of 90,000 copies.

For each interim wash, for which the speed is briefly reduced, only around 1,000 spoiled copies occur between 'good' to 'good' print, which is equivalent to a wash spoilage quota of around 250 units per roll, which Baldwin considers to be an excellent result for a double capacity machine.

Compared to Sattler's previous system, the Impact is on target to save Sattler at least 80,000 Euros a year, said the company.

Impact uses Baldwin Pprepac blanket rolls, which are pre-soaked in precisely defined quantities of an extremely low-VOC cleaning agent.

Compared to other blanket cleaning systems on the market, Impact is said to use much lower quantities of detergent.

During the cleaning process the Prepac blanket is pressed against the offset blanket cylinder using a clamping element and picks up loosened printing ink, paper fibres and other dirt without increasing wear and tear of the offset blanket.

The process is automatic, with the dirt-laden Prepac roll replaced by a fresh blanket, which means that apart from replacing a totally used Prepac roll, continuing maintenance is required, claimed Baldwin.

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