Goss International Will Demonstrate New ‘Sheetfed Alternative’ Press at Drupa

BOLINGBROOK, IL—March 25th 2008—Goss International will demonstrate an all-new printing concept at drupa 2008, unleashing significant productivity and economic advantages for the production of high-quality, B1-format sheeted products.

The Goss web press system with M-600 printing units and innovative new sheeter technology will operate at up to 30,000 sheets per hour at drupa. The new sheeter, developed exclusively in partnership with VITS, will allow web printing on coated stocks with standard sheetfed inks, but without a dryer.

“The potential to produce equivalent products at much higher speeds than with a sheetfed press, with a competitive investment cost and labor requirement, presents a strong alternative for many applications,” according to Goss International CEO Bob Brown. “This press is another indication of our focus on innovations that enable printers to differentiate themselves and achieve competitive advantages.”

The M-600 ‘perfecting’ press will be in live production at drupa alongside other Goss International innovations. Demonstrations will emphasize high print quality, fast makereadies, low waste and agility at extremely short run lengths. To deliver these capabilities, the press will include a system of integrated and automated features for paper handling, presetting, plate changing and continuous sheet stacking.

Engineers from VITS and Goss International developed the new sheeter technology to cut and handle sheets at high speeds without the requirement of a dryer and to provide advanced control of anti set-off applications.

“In developing this unique press, we started with the objective of making it faster, easier and less costly to print high-quality sheeted products,” explains Jean-Claude Pautrat, product management director for Goss International. “We analyzed sheetfed and web offset workflows and integrated advantages from both, from paper supply, impression mechanisms, automated functions and auxiliaries to the creation of precisely aligned stacks of perfected sheets.”

Blanket-to-blanket printing with the M-600 units allows the entire sheet format of up to 700 x 1020 mm (27.5 x 40 inches) to be utilized, eliminating the non-print gutters required in the sheetfed perfecting process.

Without the requirement of a dryer, the length of the new press is equal to that of an 8-unit long perfector. Additional M-600 units can be added for special colors and varnishes.

M-600 press options include Goss Autoplate automatic plate changing and DigiRail digital inking technologies, comprehensive closed-loop controls, and the Goss Web Center system for automated presetting, waste reduction and workflow management.

“M-600 presses are renowned for print quality, low waste and high-performance features,” according to Brown. “This innovative new configuration brings these proven advantages to an expanded application range.”

The Goss M-600 is the world’s best selling 16-page commercial web press, with more than 2,200 units in operation worldwide.