A digital press prototype and a new closed-loop colour quality system were among the goodies shared with guests to Mitsubishi’s 50^th aniversary open house.

The event at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Printing & Packaging Machinery’s headquarters in Mihara City, Hiroshima, was attended by 300 guests, including 70 from overseas.

While the majority of presentations concerned the company’s sheetfed offerings – UV printing on G-flute using ozone-less UV, perfecting with Mitsubishi’s LED-UV drying system, and the unveiling of the DiamondEye-S quality control system – there was plenty to interest visitors.

President Masami Shimizu thanked attendees for their continued support and cooperation, making it possible for Mitsubishi to reach its 50-year milestone. He pledged to continue efforts for improvements based on a tradition in printing machinery which dates back to 1961.

A large contingent of visitors from China included members of the Printing Technology Association of China.

Mitsubishi highlighted improvements in productivity from its quick-drying LED-UV system, and real-time automatic ink key adjustments by the DiamnondEye-S system, which has a printing defect check function in addition to controlling colour through 100 per cent real-time density measurement. The system uses line sensors located near the sheet to read colour bars or the entire printed image.

As an example of continuous research and development in new printing technologies, visitors witnessed the unveiling of a new prototype digital printing press, being developed for on-demand printing, which continues to attract interest in various industries.

Future visions for printing to address quality, economic efficiency and environmental friendliness were also shown. Visitors saw how production innovation was promoted, aiming for enhancement of technologies and operational skills as well as adopting these in the machining plant.

In the sheetfed press assembly plant, Mitsubishi demonstrated the "e-Quality system" for realising a ‘cyber factory’ where all possible means have been implemented to achieve quality by ‘visualising’ information at every corner of the workshop through a wireless LAN.

After the demonstrations, a collaboration corner provided an opportunity for suppliers to show their own innovations. Contributors included inks from Toyo, DIC Graphics and T&K Toka, an LED-UV system from Panasonic SUNX, and blankets from Gadelius.

There was also information on such Mitsubishi products as engines, air conditioning systems, forklifts, sewage treatment facilities, lithium-ion batteries and organic EL lights. From Mitsubishi Motors, the i-MiEV electric car was also on show.