What's My Line?

State-of-the-art realities

In an exploration of the true advantages of electronic line shaft designs, several suppliers emphasize flexibility and efficiency gains.

"The replacement of mechanical line shafts with individual servo motors allows the decoupling of individual printing units, thus reducing the time necessary to initially phase multiple cylinders of a variable repeat press," explains Bud Lewis, president of CC1. "Another advantage is the capability of running true variable repeat on a flexographic press with the elimination of finite pitch gears." Lewis cautions these advantages must be weighed against the higher cost, complexity, and increased maintenance of sophisticated power electronics.