Martin and Nilpeter combine in unique engineering partnership

Graficas Varias, located in Spain’s Catalonia region, produces more than 650 million labels a year for the liquor trade, with a particular specialty in the region’s Cava industry (see L&L3 p 67). 

In order to move into longer run work, the company invested in two 8-color Nilpeter FA4 lines to work alongside its battery of letterpress and offset machines. Both Nilpeter presses are 420mm wide and include two-position hot and cold foil capability, rotary embossing, a moveable screen printing capacity, die-cutting, and the facility to over-laminate.

‘The Nilpeter presses immediately attracted longer run work, taking us for the first time into millions of labels, but they also posed a problem – that of waste management, which on the type of substrate we use can be very costly,’ explains managing director Josep Varias. 

In addition, over-laminating was a new technique for the company, with further potential for expensive waste. ‘We knew we had to run non-stop to maximize the productivity of the presses, but needed a system that would cope with laminating and foiling,’ he adds. 

After investigating the options, the company made its choice based on the experience of an existing user, and signed a purchase order with Martin Automatic at Labelexpo Europe 2009 in Brussels. The package of equipment consisted of an MBSF (F for Film) automatic unwind/butt splicer, an MLS automatic lap splicer and an LRD automatic turret rewinder. However, the choosing and ordering of the Martin equipment proved to be the easy part. 

The installation was pioneering in that an MLS unit had never before been mounted on the Nilpeter overhead rail system, and it took careful negotiation and close cooperation by the two engineering departments to ensure that all machine tolerances were not exceeded. To prove the integrity of the calculations, the Martin MLS unit was installed in sections. At each stage, print tests were carried out and measurements taken of any press deflection caused by overloading of the rails. There were none, not even when the roll loading took place, with the spindles extended to overhang the rails. 

The result was a triumph for the Martin engineers, whose calculations that the MLS would not de-stabilize the Nilpeter proved well founded. ‘Even when using full rolls at maximum leverage, there is no drop in press speed nor print quality, and crucially, the Martin system has reduced wastage by 25-50 meters per roll on substrate costing one euro per sqm,’ comments Varias. Non-stop operation gives more consistent quality labels, and with lower wastage, more labels of saleable quality on the production floor.

Run lengths at Graficas Varias range from 5,000 to 5 million, with 50,000 as a typical job size on the Nilpeter FA4s. According to the company, a one million run would require around 30 roll changes, so on an investment close to 300,000 euros, Josep Varias sees a pay-back period of three to four years on double shift working. ‘I base this calculation purely on the reduced material wastage on-press – it excludes saved production time and the downstream savings enjoyed on processes like inspection and rewinding, which would add significantly to the benefits, and improve the ROI still further,’ he adds. 

The Martin MLS at Graficas Varias is only the second to be installed in Europe. On complex jobs it runs at 30-40 m/min, so roll changes are infrequent, but the substrate being used is very expensive, according to Varias. ‘We shall continue to focus on the wine and liquor business as our plant is purposely equipped to produce the high quality, value added labels that this market demands. We installed an HP-Indigo line in 2007, and we see narrow web as the future,’ he concludes. 

Graficas Varias has placed an order with Martin Automatic for an identical three-unit package of equipment for its second Nilpeter press. 

Pictured: The Martin Automatic MLS fitted to the overhead rail system of a Nilpeter FA4 at Graficas Varias was the first installation of its type. It has no effect on print speed of accuracy and saves 25-50 meters of substrate per roll change 

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