Ecological print production with the Rapida 145 and Rapida 164 – Technical features to save resources and reduce waste

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In 2000, sheetfed offset presses from Koenig & Bauer were the first in the world to be awarded the “Emission tested” eco-certificate. A great deal more has happened in the meantime, and ecological awareness remains firmly anchored in the DNA of Koenig & Bauer today.?

The new large format generation of the Rapida 145 and Rapida 164 press models, for example, incorporates a whole host of technical features to?

• promote a sustainable print process
• minimise waste
• spare resources and the environment

This is the common thread that runs through all modules of the new large-format presses. DriveTronic components at the feeder and infeed contribute to significant waste reductions. Four servo motors on the feeder ensure smooth sheet separation and transport. The preset capabilities cover practically all format-related settings and air settings, meaning that most jobs can be started without time-consuming adjustments and multiple test sheets.?

The sidelay-free infeed DriveTronic SIS has also established itself as an extremely important tool for reducing start-up waste by ensuring reliable and marking-free handling of all substrate thicknesses. Elimination of the side lays leaves more time for alignment of the sheets at the front lays. The stability and precision of the sheet infeed process is improved – especially at high production speeds of up to 18,000?sheets/h.

Fast-reacting inking units with ecological potential?

The inking units of the Rapida 145 and Rapida 164 make a further contribution to significant waste savings and reduced resource consumption. They are optimised in terms of the number of rollers and therefore react particularly quickly. Speed-compensated dynamic inking control enhances the effect.?

Rapida ink ducts are characterised by their distinctive ink keys, which ensure bleed-free ink metering. As the pressure of the ink duct against the duct roller remains constant at all times, and is not affected by the adjustments made by an individual operator, the optimal repeatability of all settings is guaranteed. That reduces the number of waste sheets for each makeready process. There are no ink duct foils to be replaced and disposed of – another contribution to sustainability. EasyClean, a special Teflon coating for the ink ducts, simplifies ink changes enormously.?

The disengaging of inking units that are not needed for a particular print job reduces roller wear and energy consumption. The roller paste that must otherwise be applied to prevent the rollers running dry is rendered superfluous, just like the washing process to remove the paste when the unit is to be used once more.?

Many other features and functions are equally instrumental in reducing waste, energy consumption and solvent use. Here is an overview:

• FastInkUp: accelerates makeready and reduces start-up waste when changing from a job with high ink coverage to one with low coverage
• Inking unit temperature control: provides for consistent printing conditions and ensures constantly high print quality – even for long runs?
• PrintClean: stripping of the remaining ink from the blankets and plates using a preselected number of sheets at the end of a job – this shortens makeready and washing times, requires fewer washing cycles and reduces the consumption of both washing cloth and solvent
• CleanTronic washing systems: offer absolute flexibility in terms of ink systems and washing programs, and provide for outstanding washing results while minimising resource use
• CleanTronic RollerWash: automatic roller washing with customisable washing programs for optimised solvent use and high efficiency
• DriveTronic SRW (Simultaneous Roller Wash): roller washing parallel to production in disengaged inking units for significant makeready savings, e.g. when changing between different spot colours
• CleanTronic Synchro: cost- and resource-saving parallel washing of the blankets and impression cylinders using environment-friendly cloth-based washing systems

Energy-saving VariDry dryer systems

Koenig & Bauer’s state-of-the-art, highly efficient dryer systems reduce energy consumption for the drying process to an absolute minimum. The dryer output can be tailored precisely to the individual application. This achieves optimum drying results, and with it the highest print quality, despite its minimal energy consumption. This doesn't just apply for conventional processes, e.g. in low-migration packaging printing, commercial printing, web-to-print applications or label production, but also for the UV or LED-UV process that is used for sophisticated print products with a wide range of visual and haptic effects.?

The VariDryBlue dryer systems are exceptionally efficient, as the recirculation of still unsaturated hot air between multiple dryer modules achieves another dramatic reduction in energy consumption.?

Fast quality control prevents waste

The quality measurement and control systems on Rapida sheetfed offset presses have a similarly high impact when it comes to resource savings and ecology. As with the dryer systems, the user can choose from a wide range of features that allow perfect tailoring to individual requirements – right up to variants for the exacting levels of precision required in the production of pharmaceuticals packaging. Mention is to be made here of the QualiTronic ColorControl system – the most frequently used inline measuring system for quality monitoring and control on the printed sheets, even at maximum production speed. Every single sheet is scanned, and correction commands are issued after every tenth sheet. This allows any printing flaws to be detected quickly and waste to be reduced to an absolute minimum.

It is sometimes large sub-assemblies and sometimes only tiny details that help to save resources, reduce the consumption of energy and process materials, and thereby make print production more ecological. This is precisely what the new large-format Rapida 145 and Rapida 164 presses offer the ideal prerequisites for.

Learn more?

Visit koenig-bauer.com/newdimension for more exciting information about the new Rapida large format generation. Also, don't miss the recordings of the webinar series Technology Deep Dive - The New Dimension in Large Format.