Ya just gotta trust it...

The AI (artificial intelligence) behind Komori’s new Lithrone SX40 press is so smart and so fast and does so much of the work, you just have to trust it and see the results for yourself.

Yesterday, me and about three dozen commercial and package printers attended the North American debut of the SX40 sheetfed-offset press (a six-color plus coater) at Komori’s Rolling Meadows, IL, facility. The press, first launched at drupa 2008, is centered on a union of the company’s Kando concept and customer input–"exceed expectations" in products. And that it did.

Let me describe the demonstration: 

1. Job #1 was 500 sheets of 60-lb paper label stock, printed CMYK at 18,000 sph. About midway through that job, the press starts its internal makeready for the next job. As soon as Job #1 is complete, a 40-sheet de-inking cycle takes place. 
2. Plates are automatically changed over in about 2 mins, and the press cranks up to a 12,000-sph speed before running 20 test sheets. Job #2 was 20-pt folding-carton paperboard, also CMYK.
3. The SX40’s Smart Feedback system then takes 90 secs to check color before allowing the operator to make manual adjustments. Another 20 test sheets are run at 12,000 sph before the press shifts back into high gear at 18,000 sph again. Total time between jobs: Less than 5 mins.

Some of the prime benefits of the Lithrone SX40:

1. Its Smart Sequencer takes an average shift’s 10 jobs, analyzes them in terms of stock, colors, quantities and other traits, putting them in the most-efficient order of production. That saves time, material and manpower.
2. Up to a 50% reduction in makeready waste is possible because rather than going through about 100 sheets per makeready, we saw how a job changeover can be done in only 40 sheets. How?
3. The SX40’s better ink/water balance is achieved by starting out the test runs at that 12,000-sph speed…much closer to realistic high speeds when running the approved job.
4. And that AI again makes the press "self-learning from job to job," remembering the idiosyncracies of each for the next time…not just the basic recipes that might be called up.

They say technology is taking all the "art" out of printing. That may be true in some ways, but after getting a look at the SX40 in operation, you certainly can’t help but marvel at that technology.

_________________________________________________
Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CnvCurmudgeon.
Sign up for a Twitter account so I can follow you.