Tags: DailyLiner / JetStream / Just Ask! / LithoSpray Maxima / ProTech 2 NP / TowerClean / WebCatcher / WebSiliconer / WebTack

Baldwin Technology is using IFRA Expo 09 to announce its latest alliances with other leading manufacturers, which have resulted in the company being able to provide an unrivalled range for the newspaper and semi commercial markets. Baldwin is also using the exhibition to unroll its Just Ask! global campaign, which emphasizes the fact that all a printer has to do to improve the performance of his press is…Just Ask Baldwin!

Just Ask!

‘Just ask Baldwin’ is all a printer needs to do if they want to significantly improve the productivity and profitability of their presses. Combining Baldwin’s core products and solutions with those from its Alliance Partners enables the company to provide printers with proven solutions that deliver improved print quality and increased productivity with lower waste and pressroom VOCs for virtually any print application. Just ask! It’s that simple.

Alliance Partners Network

The Baldwin Alliance Partner Network provides a level of ‘added value’ opportunities to customers that are unmatched. Agreements with several new partners have been reached on a regional and worldwide basis. The expanded partnership network means that there is virtually no area of process automation in which Baldwin cannot supply a solution to improve press productivity and quality, while reducing waste and environmental impact.

New Solutions

Visitors to Baldwin’s stand will be able to hear about a range of new high performance products, including the ProTech 2 NP automatic brush blanket cleaning system and the new ImpactFusion blanket cleaning equipment for wide-web, high-speed printing applications.

Baldwin has developed several automatic blanket cleaning technologies for the heatset semi-commercial and high-performance newspaper sectors. ImpactFusion-F NP offers the flexibility of being used with PREPAC or DryPac. This system offers the substantial advantages of the established ImpactFusion-F technology for the commercial market, including highly effective cleaning of blankets, with low waste, plus ease of operation, cloth changeover and maintenance. In addition to compact, single cleaning units, the ImpactFusion-F NP system also has dual and multiple units that can clean several cylinders simultaneously.

ProTech2 NP is Baldwin’s new brush cleaning system for the newspaper and semi-commercial print sector. Operation and performance features have been upgraded to meet the latest newspaper and semi-commercial print requirements. A pivoted doctor blade in the cleaning units cleans the brush rollers, greatly reducing wash-up times and washing agent consumption. Intervals between maintenance sessions are also significantly increased because the wash unit has the benefit of a standard inbuilt self-cleaning function.

TowerClean

TowerClean is an inexpensive automatic blanket cleaning system for single width presses that automates cleaning, increases press productivity and improves print quality. TowerClean enables the blanket to be cleaned by contact with the moving web once the small profile applicator has applied a low VOC solvent to the paper.

TowerClean automatic blanket cleaning system

As the web reaches the blanket the brush unit, which is frequently installed only on the first-down blanket, is activated. This removes the lint and ink from the blanket surface. In addition, the TowerClean process has a positive cleaning effect on the guide rollers. TowerClean can easily be retrofitted to existing presses where newspapers are looking to eliminate manual blanket cleaning. Waste copies are low with this system. Depending upon the build-up on the blankets and press running speed, waste copies are normally from 80 to 250.

JetStream

Technology that enables debris to be removed from the web before it enters the press is rapidly being taken up by the newspaper and semi-commercial industry. Baldwin’s JetStream system is a revolutionary approach to this challenge and results in improved print quality, productivity and profitability. Some newspaper printers operating JetStream report being able to print millions of impressions before a blanket clean is required on the press. In addition to improved print quality, removing dust from the atmosphere results in a much better working environment for staff.

JetStream removes dust and debris prior to the first printing unit

Combining JetStream with one of Baldwin’s blanket cleaning technologies allows the printer to produce long runs with high quality from the first to the last print. Baldwin offers, on all of its cleaning systems, a full or partial integration into the central control console, as well as stand-alone solutions for both new installations and retrofits, guaranteeing easy operation.

Press consumables

In line with its manufacturing strategy, Baldwin offers a unique range of cleaning cloths with high absorbency and durability for its cloth cleaning systems. Baldwin supplies dry cloths as either custom-made, ready-to-use DryPac rolls or, for users who prefer to wind their own rolls, as JumboDry rolls. The cost effective DryPac Plus and JumboDry Plus options are designed for normal cleaning requirements, while DryPac X-treme and JumboDry X-treme are suitable for the most demanding jobs.

The special PREPAC products are ready-to-use, vacuum-packed, cleaning cloths containing a precise amount of low-VOC cleaning agent. Baldwin offers two versions of PREPAC, each designed for different performance requirements and budgets. The range extends from PREPAC Plus to the premium quality PREPAC X-treme, designed for extremely high performance. All PREPAC options are approved by Fogra.

LithoSpray Maxima and World Spray Dampening

Baldwin’s LithoSpray Maxima unit is the first spray dampening system that has been designed for both heatset commercial and high performance newspaper printing applications. Maxima incorporates as standard Baldwin’s maintenance-friendly Constant C air curtain technology and has a range of control and valve speed options. The Maxima and World systems offer proprietary control algorithms, which makes them an ideal partner technology for faster pre-setting of ink and water, resulting in faster press start-up and low waste. The valves and nozzles within a spray dampening system have to provide consistent dampening at all times and both LithoSpray Maxima and World ensure high spray frequency with precise water volumes and uniform dampening. The systems are easy to install and maintain.

Constant C

Baldwin’s unique Constant C technology eliminates the problem of plugged or blocked nozzles on spray dampening systems by providing an air curtain around the nozzle tips, which keeps ink mist and debris away. With this feature, nozzles perform at the same high quality level at all times. Constant C technology can also be supplied with or retrofitted to existing World or Optima spray bars.

U-59 Seal Technology

Baldwin’s valve and nozzle assemblies now incorporate as standard the use of U-59, a stable sealing material that withstands ink and blanket wash chemistry, thus making it possible to operate the spray dampening system in a closed loop environment with dampening solution recovery. This allows a precision never seen before in spray dampening systems, resulting in more effective dampening and less environmental impact.

Filtration solutions

Long-term use of dampening solution is only possible if paper fibres, coating elements, ink particles, dust and other impurities are continually removed. Effective filtration stabilizes the dampening solution process parameter, increases its useful life and reduces costs. Baldwin provides dampening solution conservation, cleaning and solutions for a huge range of press needs, with versions suitable for a variety of budgets. All Baldwin filtration systems work using bypass flow filters: they draw their supply from the dampening water system reservoir, clean the dampening solution and carry it back into the reservoir. Where a change of filter is necessary, for some cycles with certain types of Baldwin systems, press minders can do this while the press is running.

Baldwin’s LongLife C system, developed from a strategic partnership with FALK GmbH, achieves the maximum increase of the active life of the dampening solution in newspaper and semi- commercial printing. This system employs cross-flow filtration technology, using special low-maintenance ceramic filters. A bi-product of optimal dampening solution cleaning is a concentrated form of residue, which is collected in a tank. Because residues are so low, less effort and cost are involved in waste disposal.

DailyLiner

With the DailyLiner series Baldwin has created a highly efficient series of premixing, circulating and cooling fountain solution units, which have been specifically developed for newspaper and semi-commercial spray dampening systems. The high precision stainless steel piston metering pumps incorporated into the system allow additives to be transported up to 15 meters in distance and to a height of six meters (distance can be as far as 80 meters if required). Premixing is carried out automatically with a highly accurate digital measuring system, ensuring exact proportions.

The DailyLiner units can be supplied in either air-cooled or water-cooled versions and operate at ambient temperatures of up to 42 deg C. Where a dampening circulation system is used to supply the dampening units, the DailyLiner filtration unit offers longer production periods before filters need to be changed. The DailyLiner system is very easy to operate and straightforward to maintain.

WebCatcher S14 and S18

The need to prevent press damage caused by web breaks has become increasingly relevant within the newspaper and semi-commercial markets and Baldwin’s systems have been installed at a variety of customer sites, many in high-performance, demanding situations. In the area of web protection, Baldwin offers reliable web separation and clamping devices under the product name ProTect and these include the new WebCatcher S14 and the WebCatcher S18 for use in the commercial web, newspaper and semi-commercial area. The WebCatcher S14 will prevent press damage from a web break at speeds of up to 13 m/s and the WebCatcher S18 for web speeds of up to 18 m/s.

WebCatcher prevents web breaks from causing damage to the printing press

These Baldwin innovations were developed to meet a growing demand in the international newspaper and semi-commercial markets. WebCatcher S14- and WebCatcher S18 systems are operating successfully in several countries, with further orders in the pipeline.

Several extras are available for the WebCatchers: DSWP (Dynamic Side Wrap Protection) affords active protection against edge and stripe wrap-ups by detecting web breaks parallel to the edge as soon as they occur. Triple A, the automatically adjustable Airknife, makes sure that the air nozzle – which always raises the web edge slightly – is correctly positioned without manual intervention if the paper width changes, so that the web break sensor continues to function optimally. There is no need for the Airknife to be readjusted manually by press operators.

With its web stabiliser, Baldwin now offers a completely new option for the WebCatchers – and an altogether attractive one in view of the trend towards newspaper and semi-commercial printing on ever wider web widths. This special accessory, which is installed directly on the WebCatcher, creates an air cushion above and below the web over the complete width. Paper movements are kept on an even keel, especially at high speeds, and ‘flaring’ is effectively prevented. At the same time, the web stabiliser counteracts ink smudging on the WebCatcher’s catching roller as well as the loss of registration marks owing to the register control system cameras.

WebSiliconer

Baldwin’s in-line finishing systems for semi-commercial web applications include the newly developed WebSiliconer, which leads the industry in terms of silicon application technology for web offset presses. Baldwin’s WebSiliconer applies an even amount of silicon across both sides of the web, up to web widths of 2,860 mm and at speeds of up to 18 m/s. The silicon/water mix can be adjusted extremely accurately in 0.5 per cent steps. Pneumatic cylinders engage and disengage the rollers with the web and a web scraper prevents accidental contact with the paper when the rollers are disengaged. The unit is highly efficient and ensures the minimum amount of silicon is used. It provides excellent access and requires little maintenance.

WebSiliconer applies a precisely controlled amount of silicon

WebTack

Baldwin’s WebTack system has been developed by the Swiss gluing technology specialist Robatech AG, for the application of dispersion glue and softening of the paper web. WebTack, marketed globally by Baldwin exclusively for the printing industry, applies fluids via special carbide ducts in contact with the web. The applicator heads are seated on cross beams, either singly or in pairs. Predefined and individually programmable glue patterns enable a fast, waste-saving make-ready and give the option of remote motorized adjustment of the applicator heads both horizontally (laterally) and vertically (towards the web). These settings can be made via corresponding links to either the press control station or the touch screen panel on the WebTack console.

In addition to straightforward newspaper applications, WebTack can be utilized in a huge range of semi-commercial applications in order to produce a variety of products such as magazine supplements, advertising inserts or special publications, including work that is usually stitched on the press. The system is quick to make-ready, requires very little maintenance and is extremely efficient in use, providing a highly accurate edge glue line with clean gaps. The ‘bag in box’ glue supply is environmentally friendly and helps to ensure low adhesive consumption.