Heidelberg is committed to the goal of fully automating the print production value chain so that printing becomes an autonomous process. Even though digitalization more or less started with prepress, further potential to make efficiency gains still exists.

Heidelberg is taking the automation of computer-to-plate (CtP) processing to the next level by launching the Compact Pallet Loader (CPL) and the Compact Bender, and by integrating them into a single CtP line.

In conjunction with the Suprasetter 106/A106 platesetter models, the CPL enables fully automatic loading of printing plates into the systems. It also has a small footprint. The CPL covers all Suprasetter performance classes right up to the top-of-the-line model, which operates at a speed of 55 plates per hour. Integration into the Prinect workflow means the CPL supplies the CtP system with printing plates fully autonomously, in line with the job structure.

At the end of the process, the new Compact Bender plate bending system concludes the fully automated processing of the offset plates. When combined with an optional barcode recognition function, the system makes it possible to supply the plates required for the printing process – presorted according to printing press, job, and plate set – without any manual intervention whatsoever.

“By systematically pushing ahead with the goal of achieving end-to-end automation in prepress production, Heidelberg is emphasizing its credentials as a full-range supplier for the entire packaging, commercial, and label production process. Print shops can use the Compact Pallet Loader and the Compact Bender to cut operating and personnel costs and counter the skills shortage,” says Dr. David Schmedding, chief technology & sales officer at Heidelberg.

Autonomous and contact-free printing plate handling

The Compact Pallet Loader is integrated into the CtP system and takes up hardly any additional space. This system can image 1,200 printing plates in the size range 650 x 750 to 1,050 x 1,200 millimeters in non-stop operation, pallet by pallet. In conjunction with the Compact Bender, the entire plate production process – from platesetter loading to plate bending – becomes largely autonomous. What’s more, Suprasetter 106/A106 models manufactured from 2017 onward can be retrofitted with a CPL.

With its Compact Pallet Loader, Heidelberg is plugging a gap in computer-to-plate technology. In the basic configuration, the Suprasetter 106/A106 is automatically loaded with plates using the Dual Cassette Loader, which has a capacity of one hundred plates per cassette. At the opposite end of the scale is the Auto Pallet Loader (APL), which has a capacity of 1,500 printing plates with a uniform plate format.

All Heidelberg solutions ensure fully automated, contact-free plate handling with minimal personnel requirements. They also offer excellent flexibility in terms of formats and production volumes. Modules can be scaled to meet the relevant requirements and can also be combined.

Pilot user Druckstudio boosts efficiency with new CPL

One pilot user of the new Compact Pallet Loader from Heidelberg is Druckstudio in Düsseldorf, which produces high-quality commercial and packaging products for well-known customers from the automotive, fashion, cosmetics, energy, advertising, and luxury goods industries. It also focuses on exceptionally sustainable and resource-friendly production. Druckstudio commissioned the CPL a few weeks ago, along with a new Suprasetter 106 and a Speedmaster XL 106-8-P. This eight-color press joins an existing Speedmaster XL 106-5+L. The increased plate processing requirements led to the decision to equip the Suprasetter 106 with the Compact Pallet Loader.

Werner Drechsler, founder and managing partner of Druckstudio, says, “The Compact Pallet Loader from Heidelberg, together with a new bending and sorting line, is ensuring production runs smoothly. Work such as filling plate cassettes by hand and bending imaged printing plates previously took a great deal of time. Thanks to automation, we can now make these processes much more efficient and boost our productivity big time.”

In April 2024, Druckstudio also entrusted Heidelberg with the management of its consumables warehouse, using the company’s Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) system. Heidelberg automatically supplies new consumables as soon as the system detects that a minimum inventory level has been reached for a particular item.