WebCatcher S18 Results In Significant Cost Savings At Stibo Graphic

12/7/2005

December 7, 2005 - Danish web offset house Stibo Graphic reports significant improvements to productivity, wastage and downtime following the installation of a Baldwin WebCatcher S18 on its new MAN Lithoman IV 72-page press. The installation, one of the first in Europe of this latest WebCatcher system from Baldwin, has been so successful that Stibo Graphic is considering fitting WebCatcher S18 systems to two of its four other web offset presses.

“Baldwin’s WebCatcher S18 was recommended to us by MAN because it is the only system on the market capable of handling web breaks on a press running at more than 17 metres per second, the speed of our new Lithoman IV,” says technical project manager Jan Kristensen. “The Baldwin equipment was fitted at the time of installation and since the start up of the press in May 2005 it has proved its value many times.

“We print stock as light as 34 gsm, so web breaks are not uncommon at such high running speeds and the potential damage to the press when a web of paper breaks is considerable. Even if there is no damage it generally takes at least an hour to remove paper debris from the ink rollers, clean the rollers and blankets and reweb the press. It can add up to a huge amount of lost production and then you incur further paper waste when you restart the press.”

The WebCatcher S18 is designed for web speeds up to 18 metres per second, and can be retrofitted to web offset presses up to 2,500 mm wide. The system uses laser diode sensors to continuously monitor the web between the dryer and the last printing unit, which results in a much shorter response time compared to photo reflection based systems.

Baldwin is a world leader in the design and manufacture of equipment that prevents a paper web break causing long production delays or damage to the press. The recently developed WebCatcher S18 is the latest model in the series and pushes this technology to new levels. Most of the functions are highly automated, including the ability of the system to adjust to the width of paper being used and react to movement of the web edge during printing.

If a web break occurs the WebCatcher S18 initiates an emergency stop of the press and a Baldwin web-server immediately cuts the paper prior to the first printing unit. Inside the WebCatcher S18 a trolley cross bar pushes the full width of the paper web to the spinning catching roller, guiding it to the ground in front of the dryer, thereby preventing the web from wrapping itself around the blanket or inking rollers. From detecting a tear in the web to catching the web takes only 28 milliseconds. Unlike other web catch equipment, the WebCatcher S18 does not require the secured paper to be taken from the catcher roller before the press can be restarted.

“We operate our web offset presses 24 hours a day and we obviously try to prevent any potential loss to production,” says Mr Kristensen. “The Webcatcher S18 on our Lithoman IV has proved to be extremely reliable and efficient. The Baldwin system requires virtually no maintenance and the high level of automation ensures that the sensors move quickly to the correct position when there is a change of reel widths. We’ve also been impressed by the technical support and help from Baldwin.”

Stibo Graphic specialises in the production of long run catalogue and telephone directories, which are sent to customers throughout Europe. The Lithoman IV fitted with the Baldwin equipment is a 72-page, 1,980 mm wide press and the company is now looking at the option of retrofitting a WebCatcher S18 to a 96-page, 1,460 mm wide Lithoman that is also in operation at the Horsens factory.

---