Heidelberg Reveals New Stahlfolder for Short-Run Digital, Offset Production

HEIDELBERG, GERMANY—March 5, 2015—Following the successful launch of the Stahlfolder BH/CH series one year ago, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is adding a further folding model to its portfolio. The Stahlfolder CH 56 KT auto folding machine will be available worldwide from April 2015. The machine has been specially designed to enable customers to achieve the best possible folding results for flyers in 50x70 format. Its major advantage is the especially easy-to-use, end-to-end intelligent automation. The Stahlfolder CH 56 KT auto uses the same user-friendly touchscreen controls that thousands of customers have become accustomed to over the years.

Its intelligent automation achieves very short makeready times. The automated parallel folding unit with buckle plates and folding rollers is accompanied for the first time in this format by an automated cross-fold unit. The operator only needs to enter the new job on the touchscreen for the front edge stop in the cross-fold unit to automatically move into position. The buckle plate and folding rollers are set to the right format and grammage. This simplifies the operator’s work enormously when setting up small folding jobs in particular, as there is no need for any manual intervention.

Customers will also value the speed with which the folding job is completed and the last sheet stacked on the pallet. In one hour, the new Stahlfolder CH 56 KT auto folding machine could easily complete five repeat folding jobs of 500 to 1,000 copies each. The machine will appeal to customers looking to produce short runs in B2 format cost-effectively and in the shortest possible time, while still ensuring added value and quality control as part of their own offset and/or digital production processes.

The Stahlfolder CH 56 folding machine can be customized with various options and modules to meet the customer’s individual wishes, for example with two feeder types and 4 or 6 buckle plates in the parallel folding unit.

The Stahlfolder CH 56 KT auto uses familiar technology from the Stahlfolder TH/KH series—the world’s most successful industrial folding machines since 2004. Stahlfolder CH 56 KT folding machines incorporate performance enhancing technology such as Extra Grip folding rollers, the proven Tremat sheet separator, and the slip-free gear drive for the folding rollers, features which combine to make this new folding machine simpler to use, ensure high folding quality and make it especially suitable for short-run applications.

The new Stahlfolder CH 56 folding machine also uses the well-established modular control technology (MCT) from Heidelberg, which ensures its compatibility with existing Heidelberg deliveries. It also means customers will enjoy ongoing access to the wide selection of Stahlfolder units and additional functions as their requirements increase. To ensure optimum productivity a workflow connection option allows the CH 56 KT auto to be integrated into a Prinect Postpress Manager system to give real-time performance data.

As with all Heidelberg folding machines, a CO2-neutral version of the new Stahlfolder CH 56 is also available, which will appeal to environmentally-aware print shops and finishing customers.

Heidelberg will be unveiling the new Stahlfolder CH 56 KT auto folding machine at the Xfair digital printing trade show held from April 15 to 17, 2015 in Vienna, and it will also be on display at the Print Media Center in Wiesloch-Walldorf from April onward this year.

Source: Heidelberg.