In-house coating pays off for Presstek

Seeking a lower cost-to-market for its value-added imaging products led the New Hampshire converter to build its own state-of-the-art coating line-with the help of some discreet and dedicated machine suppliers.

By Managing Editor Melissa Larson -- Converting Magazine, 3/1/2001

One of our manufacturing strategies is to do as many of the processes in-house as possible, so that we can learn by doing, add real value to our products, and control our own success," says Steve Degon, director, consumables manufacturing and engineering, for Presstek, Inc., Hudson, N.H. "The new coating line was acquired to enable additional manufacturing processes to be done in-house."

For Presstek, it's all about control. Founded in 1987, the company is a leading developer and international marketer of nonphotographic, digital-imaging (DI) and printing-plate technologies for the printing and graphics-arts industries. Presstek's plates and imaging technology are used in a number of popular commercial-printing systems, for customers such as Heidelberg USA and Xerox (see "End product profile, pp. 114). Managers wanted control over the coating process for these high-value products. A previous, outsourced coating arrangement made process improvements difficult, and curtailed attempts to lower the cost-to-market for the coated products.

Commitment to bringing this process in-house meant setting up a world-class "from scratch" coating line through a competitive bidding process, according to demanding performance specifications for not only the coating process itself, but also flotation-drying and emission-control systems.

Natural selection

"We originally placed Black Clawson on our bidder's list because of previous experience with their equipment," says Degon. The eventual winner of the bidding process for the coater, Black Clawson supplied a machine customized to Presstek's exact needs, in a development process so confidential that Black Clawson engineers referred to the project by an undisclosed code name. "Most of our own people didn't know who the machine was being built for until it was installed," said Bill Ditzer, Black Clawson's product manager for installations.

Black Clawson also acted as general contractor for the rest of Presstek's new line (see "Machine builder as general contractor," above), which included MEGTEC dryers and a thermal oxidizer, web guides from Accuweb, an Enercon treater, and environmental sensors from Control Instruments.

In addition to production line drying and VOC control, Presstek wanted a small dryer for pilot line development. Of MEGTEC's selection, Degon says, "We selected them based on their ability to meet our specifications, in conjuction with price, delivery, and the features they offered."

A project team including representatives from both Black Clawson and MEGTEC worked with Presstek's engineers, and, according to Degon, "brought expertise in all areas of equipment design. When coupled with our process expertise," he says, "their efforts resulted in a state-of-the-art capability for the new line."

"The new coating line is performing splendidly after six months," he comments, adding that the dryer and oxidizer are integrated seamlessly into the line. "The state environmental regulating authority was so impressed with the installation that they have asked if we would allow them to show our equipment to other companies applying for an air permit."

The new line, which coats a thin oleophobic layer over a metallic imaging layer for the PEARLdry product, is hardly scratching the surface of its eventual capacity, so there is plenty of room for future growth.

"We're benefiting from reduced manufacturing cycle time and decreased time to market for new products," concludes Degon. "Our customers benefit by having a greater dependability of product supply and a higher quality standard, since we now have complete control of the process."

Accuweb, Inc., 608/223-0625, fax: 608/223-0074, www.accuweb.com

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Allen-Bradley, 414/382-2000, fax: 414/382-4444, www. ab.com

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Black Clawson Converting Machinery LLC, 315/598-7121, fax: 315/593-0396, www.blkclawson-cm.com

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Control Instruments Corp., 973/575-9114, fax: 973/575-0013, www. controlinstruments.com

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Enercon Industries Corp., 262/255-6070, fax: 262/255-7784, www.enerconind.com

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Eurotherm Drives Inc., 704/588-3246, fax: 704/588-3249, www. eurothermdrives.com

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