Arab Printing Press modernises its printing options

Arab Printing Press modernises its printing options

March 5, 2019 Off By Sebastian Reisig

Arab Printing Press in the industrial city of Sid El Bauchrieh near Beirut has been using Koenig & Bauer technology for decades. At the beginning of 2019, another press joined the growing list – a Rapida 106 with four printing units, inline coater, extended delivery and a perfecting unit for 2/2 production. Given the positive experience with the predecessor press, an eight-colour Rapida 106 for 4-over-4 perfecting installed in 2014, and in particular the extremely efficient and cost-effective production enjoyed ever since, it was only logical that the company chose this high-performance medium-format press again.

Arab Printing Press was founded in 1968 and today counts 110 employees. The product portfolio covers books (e.g. text books), labels, packaging and commercial work of all kinds. The demands placed on the company’s machinery base are correspondingly diverse. Alongside the aforementioned eight-colour Rapida 106, the press hall also accommodates a two-colour Rapida 104 and a five-colour Rapida 105. The new Rapida 106 is thus the fourth medium-format press. Its enormous productivity enables the replacement of two older presses.

Fast job changeover with DriveTronic SPC

The Rapida 106 is designed to handle substrates from 0.04 to 1.2 mm at production speeds up to 18,000 sheets/hr. As was already the case with the previous eight-colour model, the new press is able to change all the plates simultaneously thanks to DriveTronic SPC. Further outstanding automation features are DriveTronic Plate Ident and CleanTronic washing systems for the blankets, impression cylinders and rollers. Mention must also be made of EES (Emission Extraction System) and energy-saving VariDryBlue IR/hot-air dryers in the delivery and extended delivery. To manage print quality, the Rapida 106 is equipped with ErgoTronic ColorControl, where the use of narrow colour bars with a height of just 3 mm enables optimum utilisation of the sheet format. Register control is realised with ErgoTronic ICR.