Trafford Press Group, a UK-based printing company, has doubled its multi-colour print capacity in Doncaster by installing a new Komori Lithrone 528C press for multi-colour carton printing. The five-colour press is equipped with a coater and a CTP system. The Trafford Press Group spent £750,000 on the new printing machinery. The installation work, which started in the early 2005, was completed in February 2005. Japan-based Komori Group was the contractor for the press project.
The Trafford Press Group caters to the printing needs of several companies in the UK and operates finishing facilities that include handling of packaging and folder works. With the installation of the new Lithrone 528C press, Trafford Press Group can now expand its carton printing services with four-colour and five-colour jobs.
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TECHNICAL DETAILS
Komori America Group is the contractor for the Lithrone 528C project. The Trafford Press Group opted for Lithrone 528C – a fully automated press – to make the printing process faster and cost-effective.
With the installation of new Lithrone 528C, Trafford Press Group is now able to meet the maximum printing speed capacity of 15,000 sheets per hour at the rate of 60 million impressions. Lithrone 528C is equipped with automation systems, including Automatic Plate Changing (APC). The press comes with the Komori KHS system for one-shot colour matching and one-shot colour register adjustment.
Komori Lithrone 528C offers Trafford two- to eight-colour configurations. Trafford aims to make Lithrone 26/28 a right platform for applications that require special and non-process colours.
The Lithrone 528C features Semi-Automatic Plate Changers (SAPC), Automated Ink Roller Cleaners (AIRC), Automated Blanket Washers (ABW) and Komorimatic “Delta” dampening system. Trafford can also modernise its printing process with features that include in-line tower coater with extended delivery PQC remote ink and register console, Komori Management System (KMS), refrigerated recirculator, dry spray unit and aqueous drying system. There is also a facility that automates a host of functions on the press such as feeder, side lays and delivery settings.
With the installation of Lithrone 528C, Trafford now aims to eliminate a large number of variables that come in the way of its daily production. This is done through Lithrone’s ink temporising units, which maintain ink temperatures constantly during the printing.
Ink profiles can be set on the press for every job using the data from the Screen Taiga Digital workflow pre-press system. Lithrone 528C maintains colour consistency with the help of closed loop spectrophotometer, which automatically matches the printed colours to a pass sheet. Lithrone 528C also controls colour trapping as well as grey balance during the run.
Trafford Press Group will also benefit from Lithrone’s Computer-To-Plate (CTP) that aims to eliminate the necessity of traditional films.
ADVANTAGES
Lithrone 528C offers water-based coater that improves turn-around times and allows Trafford to print multi-colour work and then seal and varnish them fast. Lithrone 528C is capable of handling 800 micron board without marking. This made Trafford Group choose Lithrone 528C for printing purposes, mostly involving cartons and other packaging segments.
Trafford Press Group achieved the difference in output in the early stages of Lithrone’s use. In a few weeks, a high rate of output speeds across a wide range of jobs was noticed. The company is also able to maintain continuous run of the press on a double-shift basis.
