TKS Joins Ranks of the Shaftless
by Frank Balentine
Joining the ranks of virtually every press manufacturer serving the U.S. market, Japanese pressmaker TKS unveiled its version of a shaftless-drive press at the JANPS show held Nov. 24 in Tokyo.
Along with the new drive technology, the double-wide tower press incorporates many other electronic systems. The units, folder and drag rollers are driven individually by Toyo Dinki controls. Featuring a spray-bar dampening system, the press is equipped with TKS' version of keyless inking but can also be configured with digital ink packs or open fountains.
The press can also be equipped with split two-arm reel tension pasters that can be adjusted separately and have the ability to handle different-size rolls simultaneously. These RTPs can make a paster going from a larger- to smaller-size roll at speeds of 25,000 copies per hour. The maximum roll diameter is 50 inches; the maximum web width, 64 inches; and the optimum speed, 7,500-to-75,000 cph. TKS says newspapers can expect a hefty 99.8 paster-make percentage with its automatic RTPs.
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TKS' new Color Top web-offset press can be manufactured as shaftless or with a line shaft. |
The press can be equipped with a 2:5:5 or 2:3:3 jaw folder for better quality on large and small products. Motors and the drive-control cabinet can both be replaced in about 20 minutes in the event of electrical failures; the control unit weighs approximately 30 kilograms.
The printing demonstration was impressive. Clean-ups during starts were fast--less than 20-to-30 papers were needed to achieve salable copy, and most of those were due to the web length from the top of the tower unit. An emergency red-button stop took 20 seconds from 75,000 cph and produced 25 spoiled copies.
Samples were pulled at speeds of 30,000, 40,000, 50,000, 60,000 and 70,000 cph, and quality was excellent at every speed. The fan-out problems evident in most stacked tower units were not seen in the TKS press demonstration. TKS solved the problem with a roller device located before each impression cylinder to assure that each image is placed directly atop the other.
Additionally, TKS has developed a shell-plate cylinder color-control device, which adjusts circumferential and side-lay registration on both the operating and drive-side plate pairs. The shell-plate cylinder itself keeps color register very accurately from press start-up to finish, throughout the range of operating speeds.
Blanket-to-blanket cylinder gaps are timed so the gaps of only two pages are hitting simultaneously on all eight couples. This timing stagger maintains even web tension and promotes accurate registration. This was evident during start-up, the high-speed run, and while stopping the press under a controlled stop. The last paper out of the folder was a salable copy and in excellent register.
In addition to the double-wide press, TKS also unveiled its new single-wide tower unit press, the Color Top 3000. A two-page wide, one-page around press, it operates at speeds of 50,000 cph. Its inking device features open fountains with 16 segmented keys, an individual drive for the ink-fountain roller, and continuous ink feed by ink pick-up roller. Digital ink pumps are also available. Equipped with a spray-bar dampening system, this press can be manufactured as shaftless or with a line shaft.
The press produces high quality products, and holds extremely close register at very high speeds. Print quality is excellent, and the press is ideal for newspapers that are contemplating producing commercial products.
Frank Balentine is NAA's press manager. E-mail, balef@naa.org; phone, (703) 902-1849; fax, (703) 902-1842.