Digital at the Finish Line
Nilpeter President John Little sees time/money loss in the die configuration of many digital presses. "The real problem is: How do you change a die with short-run work? If you're running 1,000 small, ten-up labels, it takes you longer to change the die than to run the material."
Unfortunately, the cost issue can run deep even with add-on, off-line converting machinery. Ken Daming, director of product management for Mark Andy, insists the major challenge to converting with existing equipment is its add-on nature. Because the press has its own web tension system, and the printer material must conform to another tension system for finishing, the need for a zero-tension loop in the web in between the two systems arises. The finishing line must then be capable of sensing an eye-mark on the pre-printed web to re-register.