A highly-automated manroland Lithoman heatset web will anchor a new facility for Freeport Press in Ohio, USA.

The four -unit, 64-page press - with a web width of 1905mm (75 inches) and two folders - will be the centrepiece of Freeport's new publications plant located in New Philadelphia.

The order follows a visit to the manroland web systems factory in Germany, and owner David Pilcher says time was also spent with other Lithoman users: "They left us thoroughly convinced that our choice of the press would take us to an even higher level of productivity," he says.

Established in 1880 as a weekly newspaper publisher, Freeport Press now produces high-quality magazine, catalogue and commercial products, and has a reputation as a progressive and innovative business. Great success and profitability has come from focusing on using the best workflow systems and the most productive manufacturing processes and equipment.

"Our current pressroom has beaten all industry standards in low make-ready waste and high quality production on our short to medium run magazine and catalogue presses equipped with extremely high levels of automation," says Pilcher, "No option has ever been left off a piece of new equipment that we have purchased, if it would save time or eliminate waste in the manufacturing process."

A custom autoprint package for Freeport - including dynamic cutoff control, register control with colour balance, fanout and density control, automatic job change and waste-gate controls - facilitates the most efficient operation of the press.

The new Lithoman will also be equipped with 'new generation' control console hardware and software, with the system viewed and controlled from a touchscreen control pad and a slide-pad, and tiltable ink key positioning system. A wireless control console is also included.

"This Lithoman will be the most automated and most efficient high-performance 64-page press in North America when the installation is completed," manroland web systems sales vice president Roland Ortbach says. "It will be equipped with the latest make-ready and waste reducing technology available today.

"This press will be a game-changer for the North American offset magazine and catalogue printing industry."

Equipment also includes temperature controlled blanket cylinders, a requirement when running constantly at 960 metres/minute. The press produces up to 50,000 64-page signatures or 100,000 32-page signatures per hour, and also has the ability to produce 80-page signatures with a fifth ribbon deck for specialty products. The second folder, a cutting module, produces up to 120,000 signatures per hour, three sides open, and up to 20 pages.

The press will work with a highly automated Rima System post press system, the two communicating through an intelligent interface, including speed synchronisation, waste control and good copy count. Central are two RS 610 HS log stackers with automated log palletising and pallet handling.

a manroland sales vice president Timothy Ruth, James Pilcher (Freeport manufacturing vice president), manroland managing director Joern Gossé, David Pilcher, Roland Ortbach and Roman Herold (manroland sales deputy vice president).

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