Page 17 - PWM2025_JUNE EBOOK

AI

The future of print: Robotics and

Automation from Heidelberg

I chance. Material is always in the right place at the right
n the Smart Printshop of tomorrow, nothing is left to

time. At the same time, the flow of information is com-
pletely digitised, and the production facilities process orders
in the most efficient way possible. Business processes mesh
as smoothly as the cogs in a Swiss watch.
Everything is perfectly coordinated. Such a production system is
susceptible to unpredictable disruptions caused by human error and
influence. Each person works a little differently, and people may make
mistakes - as a result, the clockwork gains a creak or even a crack.
Despite rapid technological progress, we are still some way from
completely operator-less production. People are still necessary in pro-
duction, and finishing is particularly labour-intensive. All automation
efforts already pursue a common goal: To minimise the human influ-
ence on smooth production processes. The priority is no longer on
increasing the gross output of the machines. Instead, the aim is to
achieve an appropriately high net productivity - but more importantly,
continuous production. After all, if you can drive your car at 300 km/h
on the racetrack but are constantly stuck in traffic jams under everyday
conditions, you won’t reach your destination any faster!
This is the thrust of Heidelberg’s Push-to-Stop philosophy. The matic delivery to the folding machine can save a lot of unproductive downtime
operator should only have to intervene when the process has to be when changing the fold type, for example from a 16-page signature to a
stopped, no matter the variations in customer orders. This eliminates 32-page signature. With the Flex delivery system, the Palamides Alpha HD
multiple points where human error could creep in, and ensures con- delivery is placed on a rail system, and can be moved quickly and easily
sistently high system performance. The Speedmaster presses have between the cross-fold deliveries or the folding stations of the folding machine.
been demonstrating the benefits for some time now and Heidelberg Instead of guiding the delivery to the folded sheets, the folded sheets are
has been applying the concept to the Heidelberg Stahlfolder folding guided to the delivery.
machines for several years now, with great success, and is constantly Print shops who can plan and influence their job structure a little better - for
expanding it. Automation is essential to success. example because they produce for their own publishing house or because they
This is just as true for specialised industrial operations as it is for small have a wider range of machinery that offers corresponding possibilities for
and medium-sized businesses, which are characterised by their versatility alternative production, face other challenges. Here it makes sense to work
and flexibility. It is not always necessary to implement the full automation with highly productive, relatively standardised folders such as the . In this
package - it is much more important to automate in the right places, case, the makeready times are somewhat less of an issue, but there is often a
according to unique requirements. lack of staff to unload the folded products from the delivery - especially since
The reasons for automation can be just as varied as the automation the speed of the folding machine is too fast for any human operator to keep up,
options themselves. For example, a company that must react flexibly and in the long run. The automated stacking of signature packages, using robot-
quickly to a wide variety of customer orders, and has few folding machines based stacking systems like the relieves the operators of physical strain and
to fall back on, ideally relies on a folding machine with a high degree of allows them to always call on the full performance of the folding machine. In
automation in the folding units, in the parallel and, in the case of combina- addition, small breaks for personnel, such as shift changes, can be carried out
tion folding machines, also in the cross-fold unit. A suitable folding while the machine is still running. All this has a positive effect on the net pro-
machine for this example would be the Stahlfolder KH 82 - Ease of Use. ductivity of the folding machine.
Thanks to its wide range of applications and substrates, this folding When selecting a stacking system, it is important to ensure that it is robust
machine fits into almost any print shop. The degree of automation on offer enough to have a long service life and high technical availability, even in an
means that the machine works with the shortest possible machine set-up industrial environment. Otherwise, the increase in productivity is quickly
times, and the precise accuracy of repeat jobs that comes from the machine overcompensated by technical failures. The safety of the employees in the
memory makes handling short-term job interruptions a cinch. immediate vicinity of the robot also plays an important role. The early users of
Additionally, the reduced sales price of the promotional model makes it a the new stacking system from Germany and Austria have reported more than
very attractive investment, especially for smaller companies. Combining 20% increase in the already highly productivity offered by the folding
the folding machine with an industrial connection concept of the auto- machines due to the Stahlfolder P-Stacker.

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