The press has coaters after the fifth and tenth units which print and coat both sides of the sheet at once using UV inks, and has been installed at Bolger Vision Beyond Print, a 220-employee, $30 million printer based in Minneapolis.
Bolger’s KBA Rapida 105 can apply five colours plus coating over five colours plus coating. The press has two individual coaters with interdeck UV dryers between printing units, and it will run hybrid inks.
A video camera follows the sheet’s path through the press to ensure speed and accuracy.
The press is also configured with automatic plate changing, sidelay-free infeed, single-suction belt tables, and adjustment-free gripper bars. Operational information is fed into Bolger’s MIS for later data analysis.
CEO Dik Bolger says it is the company’s first KBA press.
“We have two existing perfectors from different press manufacturers: a 2/4 used for matt paper and a 1/1 generally used for uncoated paper. With those two presses we’d have marking if we didn’t allow for gutters.
“The Rapida 105’s special smooth cylinders after the perfectors, as well as its UV drying on both sides of the sheet, eliminate these issues.
“There’s no marking with the Rapida 105 and there is no difference in the dot structure from one side to the other. The UV curing gives us better trapping and no dot gain. Our printed sheets are dry in the delivery of the press and ready for the bindery.”
He says in an intensely competitive industry it’s critical to differentiate ourselves from the competition.
“This press surely does differentiate us and pushes the technology envelope.”
