The dry toner digital press dedicated to commercial printing was introduced during the pandemic. It combines economical and cost-effective printing with high quality, state-of-the-art technology and automation to produce unique print products. But what is so special about the SIRIUS SX30000? A conversation with Dimitri Van Gaever, Market Segment Director, Flint Group Digital.
Q: The SIRIUS SX30000 was launched in June 2020. What is different about it compared to previous digital presses?
Dimitri Van Gaever: With the SIRIUS SX30000 we have introduced a new platform which realises double-sided print products in one print pass (single pass) in B2 format. The roll-to-roll or roll-to-sheet digital press is based on a robust foundation that is designed for durability and heavy-duty performance. In addition, it has outstanding new features that facilitate the work of the press operators, improve connectivity and at the same time establish new benchmarks in terms of productivity, efficiency and quality. We are looking forward to presenting this comprehensive press to visitors, many of whom have not yet seen the SIRIUS SX30000 in action. Highest print quality paired with efficiency, speed and an incomparable colour reproduction and user-friendliness are unparalleled.
Q: What features stand out in particular?
Dimitri Van Gaever: The SIRIUS SX30000 platform incorporates a newly designed print media conditioning (PMC) system that enables the press to run at consistently high speeds. A wide range of substrates, including silk- or gloss-coated as well as uncoated offset papers with low and high grammages and an imaging width of up to 508 millimetres, can be printed with uniform print quality across the entire roll.
The high resolution, water-cooled LED imaging heads ensure maximum operation at 30 metres per minute or, in other words, 404 A4 pages per minute. This means that the equivalent of up to 2545 B2 sheets per hour can be printed in single pass duplex with full rotation. It makes the SIRIUS SX30000 one of the fastest B2 presses in its class. There is no fixed frame or sheet size and variable cut-off lengths can be easily achieved
A new developer unit guarantees the highest colour consistency and density even at high coverage levels. This is ensured by the new SIRIUS toner, which combines special charging properties for high-speed printing with improved melting properties. The prints are fully recyclable and deinkable while the new dry toner emits no VOCs, is odourless and the process uses no imaging oil. Likewise, no pre-treatment (priming or coating) of the substrates is required. The toner is currently available in CMYK, white and a range of spot colours.
The new SIRIUS EkoFuse ensures efficient energy consumption, ultra-fast start-up for waste reduction and targeted and uniform fusing even at high speeds. The new cooling drum based on cross-flow cools the substrates evenly across the entire width, which translates into outstanding print quality.
Our QMM (Quality Measurement Module) is used for quality assurance during printing. It ensures output consistency and reproducibility by employing a closed-loop system with built-in spectrophotometers and registration cameras.
Q: At the Hunkeler Innovation Days, the SIRIUS SX30000 will be presented with different postprocessing machines...
Dimitri Van Gaever: Yes, we will be showcasing both Hunkeler finishing machines as well as Muller Martinis to produce different printed products such as book blocks and others. Visitors will experience an extremely efficient as well as high-performance production of different full-colour printing projects. The workflow will be presented as it would happen in a print shop with inline and offline options.
The SIRIUS SX30000 on the show floor will be equipped with PMS, a high-capacity reel unwinder, the digital press itself and a downstream web finishing module (WFM).
This is followed inline by the Hunkeler WB8-S web buffer module, which is intended as a mechanical interface between the printer and the finishing department with a web width of up to 22.5 inches. The internal buffer is used to buffer the web during short temporary stops in the finishing line to avoid printer stoppages.
This is followed by the VU8 decoupling module from Hunkeler. A vacuum box that is used to decouple processing operations within the inline cutting system and for targeted decoupling from the printer.
The CS8-I single sheeter cuts the web into sheets. The CS8 sheeter uses a rotating shear cutting system and, in combination with the register system, ensures high cutting accuracy. An integrated diverter separates waste and test files from the production output.
In the LS8 stacking module, all signatures or sheets are collected and continuously stacked to the desired height. The LS8 can be optionally equipped with staggered stacking as well as double, triple or quadruple stacking. The module presented at the Hunkeler Innovation Days can handle up to 30 inch sheets.
The book blocks are then further processed offline into finished book products using a Muller Martini Vareo with Infinitrim.
www.xeikon.com
