Printers Superstore/ Hans Gronhi at Ipex 2010
Hans Gronhi and Printers Superstore attended IPEX 2010 with a 396m2 stand – larger than many of the ‘big names’ in offset presses.
Hans Gronhi machines were one of the most talked-about products at the show, representing the forefront of Chinese technology as it mounts a challenge to the established European and Japanese manufacturers.
The European press market is waking up to the reality that Hans Gronhi is offering modern press technology for a substantially lower investment than the established European and Japanese manufacturers – on price, there is simply no competition. The question which is being asked by printers in the West is, can these machines compete in terms of engineering quality, operating technology, productivity, output quality and ultimately, profitability?
The Printers Superstore/Hans Gronhi stand at Ipex answered all these questions in the affirmative. Once visitors saw these machines up close and in action, they were left with little doubt that Hans Gronhi equipment represents a sea change in offset printing.
If you missed IPEX, don't worry - you can still contact Printers Superstore for a demonstration of these remarkable machines – because SEEING IS BELIEVING
The Hans-Gronhi GH series consists of full-featured B3 offset presses, from one to six colours. Three machines from the series were shown on the Printers Superstore/Hans Gronhi stand at Ipex 2010 – a five colour, a four colour and a two colour plus numbering and perforating.
The GH52 series offers a highly stable machine structure to ensure consistent print at high speeds, and is among the heaviest and most substantial offset presses on the market. For instance, the GH525 five colour weighs in at 10,500kg.
When it comes to features the GH series four and five colour machines have many strengths. These include a CIP3 off-press control system with MIS compatibility. They have an advanced semi automatic plate changing system, operated by one of three on-screen buttons; plate on, plate off or plate changeover - a faster and simpler system than most alternatives. Changeover is automated, the plate cylinder comes round for lead edge clamping, then revolves to access the tail edge, with no more buttons to press. It takes between 3 and 4 minutes for a full 5-colour plate change. Plates can be polyester or metal. All controls are pneumatic and either push-button or touch-screen.
There’s plenty of scope for on-the run adjustment via a remote register control which operates in all directions including diagonal, while the press is running.
The power rating of the five colour GH525 is extremely efficient at 15KW. Power saving is of course a strong environmental feature, but also impacts on the machine’s running cost, which is even further reduced by the relatively low price of replacement parts and consumables. Not only is purchasing a Hans-Gronhi machine going to save printers a considerable amount of money but the running costs are also significantly reduced.
The cylinder configuration is the “7 o’clock” arrangement favoured by many manufacturers. It has a back-feeding sheet feeder, with vacuum feed board requiring minimal adjustment. One of its latest features is an ultrasonic sheet detector, enabling better detection on a wider stock range. Side lays are pneumatically controlled for stability. The press also boasts a big 900mm delivery pile height.
It has an auto ink sweep feature, with a motor controlled duct roller. Ink and water balance is set as a percentage from the touch screen control on the delivery, so the ink/water ratio is constantly on display and fully adjustable.
The dampening system is also state of the art, it is metered, with the rotation of the damping rollers driven by a servo motor for precise control independent of press speed. The dampening system also features an oscillating bridging roller and a choice of an integrated or non-integrated configuration. It is also available alcohol-free.
The company has also introduced a full-sheet spectrometer, improving upon other systems which read colour bars only. It will scan the full image and adjust accordingly.
Hans Gronhi GH52-L Series (Sanxin YK series)
On show at Ipex 2010: GH524-L (YK524) four colour
The GH524-L (YK524) has been manufactured by Hans Gronhi since Sanxin was acquired in 2008. This successful 52cm four colour, and its two colour variant, were first introduced to the UK at Ipex 2006. Since then, they have received plenty of attention in the trade press and made their mark with a number of successful UK installations.
The GH52-L (YK) series may have fewer features than the flagship Gronhi GH series and require a lower capital investment, but that does not mean these machines lack sophistication, in fact far from it. They have an impressive list of features for high quality and productivity which compare favourably to the majority of presses in their class, whatever their origin.
Features such as semi-automatic plate changing, a CIP-ready off-press control unit and various automated functions are considered necessities for most offset printers in today’s competitive global print marketplace. Sanxin presses offer all these features and more, for instance, they include a suite of touch-screen control systems which offer the very latest in automated press management.
Other features include vacuum feed and delivery, remote on-the-run cylinder adjustment, plate register remoter control, chiller recirculation and metered dampening.
GH-L (YK) models differ from the GH series machines in several ways, the most notable being the cylinder arrangement; GH presses have a “seven o’clock’ configuration, while the GH-L (YK) models employ a V-shape 5-cylinder configuration with a double diameter impression cylinder. The GH machines also have a higher delivery pile height.
EUROPEAN LAUNCH
Computer to Plate: The Speedy 56
Hans Gronhi demonstrated its ability to offer a proprietory press-CTP solution at Ipex with the launch of the Speedy 56 B3 CTP system. The Speedy 56 will be demonstrated along with the flagship GH and GH-L series presses in a workflow showing image capture, RIP, platemaking, press set-up, plate change and print.
The Speedy 56 is a B3 thermal CTP system employing an external drum design, with an online processor. It is capable of outputting a plate imaged at 2540dpi in approximately 3 minutes. Plates are then punched using a precision camera punch device.
The Speedy 56 system is fully equipped with CIP3 and easy-to-use workflow software.
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