Quantum Color Graphics Gives Credit to New Special Blanket Cleaning Service from Heidelberg
06/28/2006
KENNESAW, Ga., - Quantum Color Graphics recently discovered the
time and labor-saving advantages of Heidelberg's Special Cleaning
Service for Modular Blanket Wash Systems on its eight-color
Speedmaster CD 102 press. The new cleaning service is a system
service program designed to relieve customers of the
time-consuming burden of manual cleaning while ensuring
consistently high productivity and print quality.
Quantum uses its Speedmaster CD 102 press to print a wide
variety of complex commercial print jobs for a national clientele.
In the past, the shop had to pull out its modular blanket wash
units approximately every four weeks to perform a thorough manual
cleaning. Over time, ink build-up and clogging of the spray nozzles
made manual cleaning increasingly difficult and time-consuming.
Quantum needed a solution that would enable it to continue
producing the high quality printing its customers had come to
expect - without adding unnecessary time and labor for regularly
scheduled maintenance. Heidelberg USA's system
service provided the answer to Quantum's needs with its new
special cleaning service.
Heidelberg's Special Cleaning Service enables
"all-at-once" cleaning, which ensures uninterrupted
production by using temporary replacement modules. Ultrasonic waves
automatically dissolve encrusted color, algae slime and dirt
residues at all positions, even inside the spray bars. In addition,
the connected pneumatic pump enables complete rinsing of all spray
bars and spray nozzles.
Since 1999, Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102 presses have been
equipped with automatic Modular Blanket Wash Systems that must be
cleaned three times a year to deliver optimum cleaning results.
Richard Mack, Director of system
service business development, Heidelberg USA noted,
"Manual cleaning with solvents, brushes, compressed air or
even high pressure cleaners is difficult and time consuming. If
spray bars are not cleaned correctly, wash performance will be
reduced. It also takes skill to remove sediments composed of algae
and dirt particles that collect in the nozzle apertures." Not
cleaning the modular blanket washers on a regular basis increases
the need for maintenance and repair, including replacement of spray
bars and other wearing parts at a cost of $2,700 per unit.
With the new solution in place, Quantum Color's Pressroom
Manager Ted Cnota said, "We could not believe how clean the
units were when we got them back after the Heidelberg Cleaning
Service was performed. They basically looked brand new. We could
not have done this manually," he added.
Heidelberg calculates that regular cleaning of the spray bars
and brush can shorten the washing cycle by 20 percent. Assuming an
annual consumption of 300 gallons per unit, customers stand to save
60 gallons of washing agent per year with the new Special Cleaning
Service. Regular cleaning also extends the life of brush rollers
and reduces the expense of exchange.
Based on the successful implementation of the new Special
Cleaning Service for Modular Blanket Wash Systems and other system
service solutions, Mack says, "Heidelberg will continue
to expand its system
service offerings to help our customers reach higher
productivity with their equipment. We are committed to empowering
our customers to focus on serving their customers while relying on
Heidelberg's products and services to ensure a stable
production environment."
Based in Morton Grove, Ill., Quantum Color Graphics has been
a satisfied Heidelberg customer since the company opened its doors
in 1992. In addition to the eight-color Speedmaster CD 102, the
shop's Heidelberg-intensive pressroom also hosts one Speedmaster CD
102 six-color LYL with inline UV and aqueous coating and extended
delivery, a second Speedmaster CD 102 six-color with inline aqueous
coating and extended delivery, and one Speedmaster SM 102
five-color Classic Perfector with in-line aqueous coating and
extended delivery. In the company's full-service, on-site bindery,
a pair of POLAR EMC paper cutters, three 26x40 inch Stahlfolder and
a Stahl six-pocket stitcher lend finishing support.
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