The promise of complete autonomy in offset plate processing is one step closer for Heidelberg. The German manufacturer is launching two modules designed to enhance prepress automation: the Compact Pallet Loader (CPL) for automatic plate feeding, and the Compact Bender, for bending at the engraving output. Together, they make the offset plate production process, from CTP loading to bending, virtually autonomous.
Automated loading of offset plates into Suprasetter 106s
Both modules are designed for integration into a Suprasetter 106 or A106 CTP system, and are fully controlled via the Prinect workflow.
The Compact Pallet Loader automatically loads offset plates on full pallets, up to 1,200 plates continuously, without human handling.
The CPL is designed to fit all Suprasetter models in this range, up to the version capable of processing 55 plates per hour. Accepted formats range from 650 x 750Â mm to 1âeuros050 x 1âeuros200Â mm.
This bridges the gap between the two solutions already available: the Dual Cassette Loader, limited to 200 plates (2 x 100), and the Auto Pallet Loader, which handles 1,500 single-format plates.
Heidelberg says the module can be installed on existing equipment manufactured from 2017 onwards.
The Compact Bender for automated bending in line with the CPL
At the end of the line, the Compact Bender takes over for automated bending. As an option, a barcode recognition module can identify plates according to their printing machine, sequence and set, for automatic sorting. All this is done without manual intervention, including inbound logistics.
Significant time savings for printer Druckstudio
The system is currently being tested at Druckstudio, a Düsseldorf-based German printer specializing in high-end commercial and packaging printing.
The company, which is equipped with a Speedmaster XL 106-8-P, a Speedmaster XL 106-5+L and a new Suprasetter 106 CTP, uses a high number of plates daily. " The manual loading of cassettes and the manual bending of plates represented a significant loss of time" explains Werner Drechsler, founder and managing partner of Druckstudio, in a press release. Druckstudio has "increase considerably" productivity, since the system was launched.
For Heidelberg, this advance is part of a wider industrial logic: to make prepress a fully autonomous stage, as David Schmedding, Head of Technology and Sales, points out. Beyond automation, the challenge is also to respond to the shortage of skilled labor in the workshops.
