Baldwin Systems Help Italian Printer Boost Quality

Four MAN Lithoman IV presses at Datamill in Italy have been equipped with Baldwin blanket and chill roll cleaning facilities, web severs and Webcatcher systems.

Baldwin Italy, which was established last year as a service and sales arm of Baldwin Technology, has worked closely with Datamill to help the printer improve the printing quality of its web offset presses.

The R400 blanket cleaning system utilises a dry cloth and an automatic supply of cleaning agent and water.

Depending on the paper grade and the specified quality requirements, press operators activate production wash-ups and simultaneously clean all blankets every 50,000 - 80,000 copies.

Baldwin's washcloth technology also ensures cleanliness of the chill roll stands.

The residue of evaporated mineral oil from inks, which are extracted from the heatset dryer by the printed web with the surrounding air flow, condense on the chill rolls.

A build-up of oil, often in inaccessible areas, can quickly reach a level that leads to smears or spots on the printed products and even to web breaks, said Baldwin.

The company added that such problems are pre-empted by its chill roll cleaners, which are active until the press run has finished.

The chill roll cleaner uses an inflatable rubber membrane that presses dry washcloth continuously against the first chill roll.

After a programmable clean-up time, the cloth is moved forward by a narrow strip and the precipitated condensation is absorbed by fresh cloth.

That cuts down waste and helps to ensure consistent printing quality.

Productivity is improved even further on the three 72-page and one 48-page Lithoman presses by the elimination of wrap-ups after web breaks in the dryer area, it is claimed.

Baldwin said that its Webcatcher system monitors the web via detectors that are mounted between the last printing unit and the hot air dryer.

If a web break occurs in one of the high-speed presses, which operate at up to 14.2 metres per second, the sensors report it to the press control system in a fraction of a second.

The system initiates an emergency stop and activates the web severer, which severs the web in the infeed and prevents paper tails from being caught up in the printing units.

At the same time, the Webcatcher pushes the web on to a catching roller, which guides the web out of the machine and on to the floor.

As a result, the paper scrap no longer has to be unwrapped again but can be gathered up once production has been resumed.

Datamill's chief executive officer, Danilo Resnati, also stressed the importance of the environmental benefits offered by the Baldwin equipment.

He explained: "The affordable investment in Baldwin press accessories and controls is worth every cent, because it fits our goal of realising a reliable printing process that is economically and ecologically efficient.

Baldwin Italy has brought us nothing but benefits.

Our experience with the new partnership has been positive right from the word go." Datamill, which is part of Gruppo Pozzoni, operates six web offset presses between its premises at Pozzo Adda near Bergamo and another facility in nearby Madone.

The presses are run 24 hours a day from Monday to Saturday.

Each site processes around 5,000 tons of paper a month in a variety of grades and qualities, from matt or glossy coated paper through enhanced newsprint to recycled paper and uncoated stock.

Seventy per cent of Datamill's annual EUR26 million sales come from weekly and monthly magazines and catalogues printed on behalf of publishers.

The remaining 30 per cent is mainly composed of advertising inserts for retail and supermarket chains.

Amongst the magazines regularly produced are Gente, Di Piu, Diva Donna, Eva, Gioia and the Italian edition of Vanity Fair.

Back to top