PCMC hoping to make an ‘Impact’ on label world

PCMC’s open house on August 3, called Impact 2016, introduced companies to the Fusion Compact, or Fusion C, a high-speed press that is designed for a smaller footprint and to target short runs.

The Fusion C was introduced as a concept in October 2015, and production began in January. From Green Bay, the press was being sent to Walle in Kentucky. Standing at only 14 feet high, PCMC is calling the Fusion C the ‘lowest height on any 10-color CI press in the industry,’ making the high-speed machinery attractive to converters with limited floor space, the company says.

‘This is ideal for converters looking to go wider without sacrificing floor space,’ PCMC’s sales director Rich Rogals said. ‘A large segment of the growth we see is from the label market.’ The Fusion C is 44 feet in length, 19 feet wide with a web width of 42 inches. The CI flexo press can print in eight or 10 colors and has a 12 to 30 inch repeat range.

The Fusion C has a maximum speed of up to 1,000 ft/min. PCMC sales executive Dominic Barnes said: ‘Ultimately the Fusion C helps the goal of every printer out there: to move customer jobs to the marketplace faster. This is designed for today’s short-run environment.’

PCMC demonstrated the Fusion C’s accessibility for quick changeovers with two press operators seeming to handle the task with ease. The gearless sleeved press is fully accessible from its upper deck, removing the need for lifts or ladders, as well as accessible to its lower deck, which is situated behind a moveable three-step platform.

Much like its predecessors the Fusion and FusionMax – which it was modeled after – the Fusion C also features low power consumption components to reduce energy requirements, using electric heat versus gas heat and built-in after coolers for lower energy consumption and ease of maintenance.

‘The design of our Flextreme dryer system requires limited maintenance – it’s the equivalent of an annual oil change,’ Barnes said, explaining the machinery’s maintenance.

Automation features include automatic drum cleaning and impression setting, which PCMC calls Intelliprint.

‘A game changer’

PCMC is hoping the Fusion C will take some market share from digital print. ‘Digital technology is addressing short run, but cost can still be prohibitive for some converters to use on a regular basis,’ Rogals said. ‘This type of machine will help them compete with digital and maintain digital quality at a lower cost platform.’ The machinery on display in August was the first Fusion C press built and sold. After the show, it went to Walle, a Winchester, Kentucky- based label converter.

‘We believe the Fusion C is going to be a game changer in the way our customers do business,’ said PCMC’s regional sales manager Jason Beauleau, who sold the first Fusion C to Walle. Beauleau reported that a sore spot for Walle was frequent change-overs; often 20 to 30 a day. So they found the accessible upper and lower decks particularly attractive, Beauleau said. Walle has four existing PCMC machines and will use its latest purchase to print labels.

‘In the label world, it’s a natural fit because of the quick change overs,’ Beauleau said. In addition to being modeled after PCMC’s existing high-speed CI flexo presses, the design for the Fusion C came in large part from customer feedback.

PCMC president Steve Kemp said: ‘We listened to our customers and talked to them about what their unique challenges are; because the challenges of today are not the same as five years ago. We listened to our vendor suppliers. We listened to the industry. The level of input from the marketplace to the engineers to our supplier partners, this makes me proud.’ The event featured table-top exhibits from more than two dozen industry partners.