If your newspaper were to cut its web width to 50 inches, some post-press equipment would need to be modified. Such a change would reduce the width of broadsheet and the depth of tabloid newspapers to 12.5 inches. It would also shift the centerline of the copy stream by up to 0.75 inches on the press-delivery conveyor. Both changes would pose problems.
Unfortunately, most post-press equipment is designed to function with the newspaper at the centerline. For press conveyors, stream-storage devices, inserters and stackers to function properly, the delivery stream would have to be directed to the equipment's centerline. This could be done either by moving the copy stream on the press-delivery conveyor or by moving the affected equipment.
A stream aligner or pacer could be used to move the copy stream on the press conveyor to correct for centerline positioning. An existing stream aligner would need some modifications or re-engineering to accommodate copies from the narrower web.
This method, however, might not be suitable for all situations, since pushing the copies from the side at high speeds could disturb spacing or lap distance and affect the gripper's pick-up efficiency. An alternative would be to use a pivoting belt conveyor to laterally move the stream without pushing the copies.
Some makes and models of gripper conveyors might not be able to accept an aligner. In these cases, the only solution would be to move the gripper pick-up station or forwarding station laterally to align its centerline with that of the copy stream.
This complex task would require vendor technicians. In case of wire and belt conveyors, the wires, belts and rollers might need to be moved. These are simpler changes and could be done by in-house technicians.
Inserters that use vacuum cups to open jackets tend to be sensitive to the jacket's width and location in the pocket. These inserters use a mechanical jogger to push the jacket to one side of the pocket and align it with the cups. For inserter pockets wider than 12.5 inches, the jogger might not be able to access the 12.5-inch-wide jacket's edge to push it, resulting in unreliable operation.
One solution might be to machine a bottom corner from each pocket so that the jogger arm could access the jackets. This would require each pocket to be removed from the inserter---a time-consuming and costly procedure that would need to be done by the vendor or qualified technicians. Vendors are working on developing a simpler solution such as a new jogger arm that could reach inside the pocket to align the jackets.
Other types of inserters are designed to handle different jacket widths, and only minor adjustments to guides and related parts would be required to handle the narrow-width newspapers.
Stackers would also be affected by web-width reduction. Side guides, the pusher/discharge mechanism and the bucket size would change. Fortunately, many stacker vendors have a retrofit kit available so that in-house technicians could do the changeover. Other types of equipment in the post-press area would be affected by web width reduction, but the changes would be minor and could be done by in-house technicians.
Harshad Matalia is NAA's post-press manager. Phone is (703) 648-1185; email is naanetwork!naa!matah@naaatt.attmail.com
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