Heidelberg Anicolor Technology Boosts Short-Run Production

Heidelberg will showcase the Speedmaster XL 75 Anicolor 2 at drupa 2016.

What do commercial and packaging printers have in common? Both need to optimize their processes so they can deal with increasingly shorter production runs and frequent order changes involving different materials while still remaining profitable. While the CMYK color model is used for printing advertisements, lots of spot colors are customary when printing packaging and labels. This is where the Anicolor short inking technology from Heidelberg comes in, offering an optimum solution package for the flexible production of short runs. The advantages can be summarized with a formula referred to as 90-50-50: Around 90% less waste thanks to fast and constant inking. It takes just 20 to 30 start-up sheets to reach the correct ink levels for a new order. The result is a 50% reduction in setup times combined with a 50% increase in productivity.

“Our customers have their challenges, and we have the solutions and answers they need in the area of both digital and offset printing,” Stephan Plenz, member of the management board responsible for Heidelberg Equipment, says. “The Anicolor technology is used in both small and medium production runs, and its scope of application will be increased once again with the new Anicolor 2.”

Anicolor 2 – Greater Ink Density at the Push of a Button for Savings of up to 15 Minutes

Heidelberg will be presenting the next generation of Anicolor technology at drupa 2016 with Speedmaster XL 75 Anicolor 2 for greater flexibility, speed and productivity. This is achieved with three innovations. The first of these is the Anicolor Booster. This can be activated at the push of a button on the Prinect Press Center and permits a wider range of inks thanks to an improved setting range for ink density on different printing stocks. In most cases, this does away with the need to change the ink chamber as was previously required with very absorbent printing stocks. This shortens the setup time in commercial printing since both coated and uncoated paper can now be processed with the same ink series. This benefit is even more pronounced in packaging printing, with its ever-changing spot colors. Up to 15 minutes can be saved here by not having to change the screen roller. Changing to a bigger screen roller is mostly only required for orders involving the application of opaque white, gold or silver.

Productivity is further increased by the two other innovations. The first of these is a faster washup program that provides for faster ink changes and therefore shorter setup times thanks to 9,000 revolutions per hour instead of the previous 7,000. As a result, changing color shades can now be achieved up to a minute faster. This enables packaging printers facing two or more ink changes in almost every new order to get through two or three orders more per day.

The second of these innovations is a function allowing the operator to choose between “standard”, “short” or even “none” for the ink shutoff time, depending on the color assignment from one job to the next. The shortened ink shutoff saves another 20 seconds, while eliminating it altogether reduces the setup time by 40 seconds. The option “without” is ideal for successive orders of the same type.

Perfectly Matched Saphira Consumables

All of these benefits are enhanced through the use of tested Saphira consumables. With the Saphira Performance Kit Anicolor, the inks are designed for this special application and deliver constant production conditions and reproducible quality for the most demanding orders.

“We presented the Speedmaster XL 75 Anicolor as prototypes at drupa 2012," Plenz said. “At the next drupa we will be showing how easy it can be to complete short production runs quickly, flexibly and economically using offset printing with the Speedmaster XL 75 Anicolor 2. Another aspect of this is machine and materials coming together in perfect harmony and enabling a standardized and fast overall process together with the Prinect Workflow.”

At drupa 2016, the Speedmaster XL 75 Anicolor 2 will be presented at the IST stand in Hall 2, right in the passage to Heidelberg in Hall 1. The six-color press with coating unit includes full UV functionality. Heidelberg will show how material costs can be significantly reduced since Anicolor 2 enables UV applications to be processed on expensive, non-absorbent printing stock with very few makeready sheets.

Anicolor 2 with a new design, new feeder, and the new Prinect Press Center XL 2 will be available as standard beginning in November. A number of technical functions such as the new Anicolor Booster and the faster washup programs will be available in July.

Source: Heidelberg.