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Blue Star WEB's Rotoman investment ups automation and quality

The highly automated Rotoman DirectDrive heatset press
 

Blue Star WEB, which produces some of Australia’s biggest and best known magazine titles, is investing in the latest Rotoman DirectDrive press from manroland web systems in line with the strategy of its parent company IVE to increase automation, productivity and quality.

The highly automated heatset press will primarily be used for the production of 16-page signatures. However, as it is equipped with plow folds and a pin folder in a 1:3:3 system, the configuration is also designed for high-quality cover printing.

In addition to high printing quality, the five-unit press offers low waste and rapid job changes thanks to the Autoprint system where the printing couple is equipped with automated functions for rapid production changeovers. During finishing, the system detects an impending job change and initiates required actions after the run target has been met, making for minimal waste and shorter makeready times.

Additional features are sophisticated ergonomic control and DynaChange, the superior solution for flying job changes. The Rotoman switches imprints automatically on both sides at high speeds. The web is guided through the printing units without contact or diversions. This sidesteps maintenance costs for web lead elements and reduces the risk of web breaks.

For four-colour products, switching the black forme only requires a configuration with a total of five printing units. If there are no imprint changes in the job, the fifth unit can optionally print a special colour or coating.

Darryl Meyer, general manager Blue Star WEB, sees the $12 million investment as an exciting project that will provide a boost to staff morale as they take on board new skills, as well as allowing the company to remain  highly focused on the needs of its customers.

“We produce product of the highest quality which has enabled us to continuously expand our market offer with new technology to stay at the top of our industry. We are extremely well positioned to provide our customers further benefits with higher quality and extremely flexible production timelines,” he noted.

The press is scheduled to be installed at the Blue Star WEB facility in Silverwater next November.

 
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