Finishing - Material Handling

by chris bauer Managing Editor Productivity equals time and time equals money. Obviously, sheetfed and web offset printers want to get the most out of their expensive equipment. And, just as obvious, is the fact that printers want to be as profitable as possible. The opportunities to become more productive in the lithographic pressroom are numerous. "The trend in pressrooms across the country is toward more and more automation, both in material handling at both ends of the press, as well as more closed-loop control processes on the press itself," notes Edmond Kelley, executive director for the National Council for Skill Standards in Graphic

Call it paper kinesiology 101. The science of moving materials around the bindery is getting ever more digitized and automated, if not complicated. It is taking its cue from current automation trends up the production stream—although it can be difficult to automate the entire finishing process. “Printers have picked the low-hanging fruit available to them by automating the prepress and pressroom areas,” explains Dennis Mason, president of Western Springs, IL-based Mason Consulting. “In many operations, the bindery remains a veritable beehive of activity, with people performing a wide variety of tasks. But it is this same incredible variety of tasks that makes it difficult for printers

By Erik Cagle Senior Editor The recent, unfortunate death of a worker making repairs to a stacking machine brought to light the recurring theme of 'safety above all else.' We are fortunate to live in an age where automation has made life a lot easier in the printing plant. Much of the grunt work has been eradicated and, in some cases, the need for human intervention has been erased. Manufacturers have made great strides to enhance performance and ensure optimal operator safety. The pressroom is a much safer place than it was 20, 10, even five years ago. But safety doesn't end with the

The Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) are contained in 49 CFR parts 171 through 180. Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) amended the HMR in conformance with amendments to the Federal Hazardous Materials Transportation Law that required the DOT to regulate the training of all hazardous materials (hazmat) employees. Training to meet these requirements will increase a hazmat employee's safety awareness and be an essential element in reducing hazmat incidents. Hazmat employee refers to an employee that directly affects hazmat transportation safety, including: * Loads, unloads or handles hazmat; * Tests, reconditions, repairs, modifies, marks or otherwise represents packagings as qualified for use in the

A Strong Finish Optimism was sky-high throughout the exhibit halls during GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO, held in Chicago this past September. Why? A sizeable segment of the vendors noted that there appeared to be more printers and trade finishers touting checkbooks—and fewer tire kickers at McCormick Place. Whether it is the first signs of economic recovery and prosperity in this country remains to be seen, but big crowds on the show floor was certainly a good sign. And it wasn't just the prepress and press vendors that reported brisk activity—those pitching finishing products found the latest GRAPH EXPO to their liking. "We did

By Erik Cagle A dozen manufacturers were asked to list the primary differentiators that set apart multiple brands of collating equipment. It may come as no surprise to learn that virtually no one mentioned the price factor. It seems there are numerous attributes that factor into choosing a collator that is the right fit for a particular printer or trade finisher. The depth of choices on the market only underscores the importance of looking past the price tag, as there is a collator for every need. Versatility is a key ingredient for serving the evolving needs of clients, according to Tony Cockerham of Buhrs

By Erik Cagle The workflow process of a commercial printer is a lot like a 4x400 relay team in track and field: all the components of the team must be equally strong in order to be successful, and the final step is as important, even more so, than any other. After all, you don't want the anchor leg dropping the baton. The world of stackers and palletizers is the equivalent of the anchor leg, as it prepares finished product for delivery. Thus while not as ballyhooed as the sexier prepress parts of printing operations, its customers demand the ultimate in reliability, durability and

BY CHRIS BAUER In an industry where time is money, web offset printers want the fastest, easiest-to-use equipment they can find. When looking for palletizing and stacking machines, they won't accept second-rate gear. "Our customers expect reliable, durable and easy-to-maintain machines with simple and intuitive makeready adjustments," asserts Terry Bradford, product manager for Heidelberg, which represents Rima-System in North America. "The huge volume of paper produced by today's high-speed presses makes robotic palletizing much more cost-effective, and the consistently high quality of robotically palletized loads translates to more efficient operation of bindery equipment further downstream." Similarly, according to Lee Terry, sales manager for Roskam Automatic Machinery, the emergence of high-speed

BY ERIK CAGLE When you have the need for speed (press speed, that is) the last thing you want is some clunky drying/curing system that is not able to keep pace. Systems that generate high UV output to cure difficult colors and the heavy laydown of inks and coatings at high press speeds are highly sought, according to Dave McDowell, UV product manager for UVTechnology. Minimizing the temperatures of the web allow for printing on films and thermal-sensitive substrates. "As print quality improves, demand has grown for greater image quality and impact from non-traditional substrates," McDowell states. "In many cases, printers are seeking

BY CHRIS BAUER The anticipation is over. PRINT 01 has come and gone. Printers from around the U.S. have headed home—although, for many, actually getting home after the terrorist attacks wound up being even more eventful than the show—with a full plate of information to digest after spending several days on the show floor in Chicago. But distributors of collating equipment are banking on the PRINT show as being the appetizer that whet the appetite of printers hungry for collating gear. The equipment offered today includes a full menu of features and options to satisfy all of the industry's yearnings. "The hot buttons