24-Hour Fount Control First On Glasgow Speedmaster

The 10-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster SM102 in operation at commercial printer M and M Press is the first Speedmaster in the UK to be fitted with a Baldwin Combiliner system.

The 10-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster SM102 in operation at commercial printer M and M Press is the first Speedmaster in the UK to be fitted with a Baldwin Combiliner system.

The Glasgow printer, which is part of the Montgomery Litho Group, runs the press 24-hours a day and said the Combiliner has performed without fault from the day of commissioning.

Baldwin's Combiliner is claimed to accurately control the mixing and temperature of the fount solution as well as the temperature of the ink rollers.

The unit provides a constant indication of the volume of alcohol, fount solution and water, using independent measuring techniques rather than the traditional doser method.

M and M engineer Brian McAllister said: "This is our first 10-colour press so we are still learning, but it has been producing a wide variety of top quality work around the clock.

Baldwin provided us with some sound training, although the Combiliner unit has proved to be easy to operate and certainly does not require much maintenance.

The system gives the operators comprehensive data on levels and temperatures and allows precise control of the temperature of the fount solution and inking rollers." The modular Combiliner system can be retrofitted to conventional or waterless sheet-fed presses.

It incorporates ink roller and fount solution temporising within one unit, which results in cost savings and greater efficiency for the printer.

There is a high level of automation for accurately metering and measuring the fountain solution, which results in reduced consumption of two-propanol, said Baldwin.

The Combiliner has the facility to heat the ink rollers, as well as cool them, so at the start of the first shift in the week it is possible to raise the temperature to a level that results in the highest productivity, said Baldwin.

The system will start to cool the ink rollers once the press and the surrounding air has heated up.

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