Czech firm adds to KBA line-up with unique Rapida

- Press to focus on production of coated and finished packaging with a high value added

 

- First press in Czech Republic to feature in-line cold foil stamping module

 

Czech packaging manufacturer Model Obaly has installed a KBA Rapida 106 press to handle out-of-the-ordinary luxury cartonboard packaging work, and expand its production capacity.

 

Model Obaly, which is part of the Swiss Model group and operates out of Opava in the Czech Republic, has installed a Rapida 106 with eight printing units, a coater, two dryers and a further printing unit.

 

The press also features a Vinfoil Infigo cold foil stamping unit, making it one of the first presses in the Czech Republic to incorporate a module for in-line cold foil stamping.

 

The new medium format press is mainly used for out-of-the-ordinary luxury carton board packaging, because standard press configurations are unable to handle this.

 

Model Obaly also does foil printing, so the Rapida 106 installed has been engineered to print flexible packaging.

 

The company already works with five KBA sheet-fed offset presses, in B0, B1 and B2 formats. The contract with KBA for the Rapida 106 press was signed in summer 2011 and it was installed at the end of the year.

 

The press operates with a DriveTronic Sensoric In-feed System sidelay-free in-feed.

 

If necessary the plates can be changed simultaneously in all nine printing units via DriveTronic SPC.

 

DriveTronic Plate Ident checks that the plates are allocated to the specified inking units for the job concerned, and automatically ensures correct pre-registration with the aid of register marks on the plates.

 

The CX board handling capability enables the Rapida to handle sheets up to 1.2mm (48pt) thick at high speeds. The 2.4m (7ft1in) delivery extension guarantees that the freshly printed sheets are dried right through.

 

To accommodate the thicker substrates – and thus higher piles – used in packaging production the press is mounted on a 675mm (26.57in) plinth.

 

The Rapida 106 at Model Obaly was one of the first presses in the Czech Republic to incorporate a module for in-line cold foil stamping.

 

It is positioned above the second printing unit and differs substantially both in design and function from other known systems.

 

Vinfoil’s Infigo SF 110GF system with multiple foil use (MFU) features automatic foil change, two turner bars for separating the foil and, with the MFU capability, a device for feeding the foil in as a double loop, reducing foil consumption by as much as 88 percent.

 

Optimizing foil consumption for every job was one of the company’s key specifications when searching for a vendor. The cost efficiency of the system installed by KBA has been well proven in practice. With MFU, the foil does not need to be unwound across its full width nor around its full circumference. Depending on the image, it can be used several times over.

 

The press run is monitored by a camera-based QualiTronic Professional in-line sheet inspection system, which compares the scanned image with the original and, in the event of deviations in color, automatically adjusts the ink application.

 

The investment package also includes an automated logistics system for substrate transport at the feeder and the delivery. The feeder and delivery both have automated non-stop facilities for pile change.

 

Despite the Rapida’s length and complex configuration, its maximum production speed is 15,000 sheets per hour, with and without cold foil stamping.

 

The foil adhesive is applied in the first printing unit, the foil itself is applied in the second unit and the image printed in the subsequent six units.

 

In the coater, the sheets can be finished with either an aqueous or a UV coating. Once the sheets have been dried or cured in the two dryers they can have an overprint varnish added.

 

End-of-press drying follows in the delivery extension where there are hot air, IR and UV drying units. This hybrid configuration enables the press to handle both conventional and UV inks.

 

An interdeck UV radiation unit can be inserted after every printing unit. The drying/curing system is thus exceptionally versatile. Depending on the job in hand, the UV lamps can be inserted at different positions for intermediate curing.

 

Jiří Matýsek, technical manager for folding carton production at Model Obaly, said: ‘Management had been contemplating installing a B1 press with this unusual configuration for quite some time.'

 

He added: ‘The focus of production with our new Rapida 106 is on coated and finished packaging with a correspondingly high value added.

 

‘Thanks to its new technology we can offer our customers premium-grade products, which is a major advantage in such a competitive market.

 

‘In addition to investing in new presses we also enhance our service portfolio on a permanent basis. For example, at present we are in the process of building a new innovation centre for packaging design.

 

‘Once it is up and running it will collaborate closely with universities and top designers.’

 

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