In preparation for drupa 2020, the world’s largest printing equipment exhibition, RMGT — now in its 7th year — has been combining the two founding companies’ strengths of “energy-saving designs that incorporate new ideas” with “high-precision manufacturing technology and highly durable construction for long-term use.”

The new RMGT 970 has many advanced features based on the 920/940 presses, known for their superior quality and productivity. The new 970 model incorporates the latest technologies in addition to many features found on the flagship RMGT 10 series with the maximum sheet size being 650 x 965 mm which is 25.59 X 38 inches. In the face of rising paper and printing supply costs, the RMGT 970 is positioned to meet the needs of the times by handling the most popular A1-plus paper sizes used around the world.

With a maximum paper size of 650 x 965 mm, the RMGT 970 can handle the 640 x 900, 650 x 920, and 650 x 950 paper sizes popular in Europe and Australia; the 635 x 965 mm (25 x 38 inches) paper size popular in North America; and the 636 x 939 mm paper size popular in Japan and Korea. The maximum printing area of 640 x 930 mm (630 x 930 mm for perfecting) provides ample margin space for printing the color bar and PQS-D register adjustment marks.

Compared to B1-size (40-inch) format presses, the 970 model has significantly lower plate costs and markedly lower power consumption. The compact space-saving design results in a more comfortable work environment and enables efficient utilization of valuable printshop space. (Plate costs are reduced about 20%, power consumption by about 34%, and installation space by about 30%.*)

Equipped with a double, double- and single-diameter cylinder perfecting device, convertible perfectors enable perfecting at up to 15,000 S.P.H. for higher productivity. Running straight the press speed is 16,000 sheets an hour. Plus, installing LED-UV curing units at interdeck and the perfecting and delivery sections makes instant-drying perfecting possible, eliminating the need to wait before proceeding to post-press processes and satisfying the demand for shorter lead times.

The RMGT 970 model lineup includes straight printing presses and convertible perfectors ranging from 2 to 10 colors. Coating units can also be installed. Large-capacity feeder and delivery piles as well as the newly designed larger cylinder diameters enhance printing capability on heavy stock.

Smart Assist Print keeps running the press for similar jobs

With the newly developed Smart Assist Printing functions, the operator just touches the operation panel and the whole printing process — from ink presets, blanket cleaning, and plate changing to test printing, register alignment, density adjustment, and production printing — is performed fully automatically. The result is a much higher press operating rate for continuous short-run printing requiring frequent job changeover. For similar jobs in the same sheet size, subsequent sets of plates are automatically loaded and the job can be run automatically without human intervention.

A CCD camera installed on the press captures images of the printed sheets during printing for inline inspection of printing quality, eliminating the need to take out printed sheets for off-line checking. In addition to reducing paper waste and enhancing quality assurance, the PQS-D also facilitates the automation of printing tasks.

Three systems are available for automatic plate changing: the SPC semiautomatic plate changer (standard equipment), the FPC fully automatic plate changer (optional), and the Smart-FPC fully automatic simultaneous plate changer (optional). All three plate-changing systems feature a bender-less plate clamp that eliminates the need to bend the plates.

Various feeder section operations, settings, and checks can be performed via a touchscreen panel, including starting a print run, the counter settings, feeder air presetting (optional), and the timing checker. Delivery section settings such as adjustment of the back guide and side guide as well as adjustment of the delivery fun volume are also performed using a touchscreen panel, greatly simplifying delivery section tasks. Both operation panels are equipped with error description displays and other monitoring functions to assist the press operator.

RMGT 970 interesting for monocartons

In our view, RMGT and its distributor in India Provin Technos, has had some difficulty in breaking through to the B1 monocarton customers in the country. This is partly because of the high automation of the RMGT 10 series which makes it somewhat expensive for the competitive Indian market. However, the new 970 model does give an opportunity for commercial printers looking at shifting to monocartons a great opportunity to buy a press that they are familiar with and with since it is slightly smaller and runs at 16,000 sheets an hour makes it an extremely competitive packaging press.

Vinay Kaushal of Provin Technos in Delhi says, “The biggest advantage is that the extra two inches on this new 970 model increase the number of packaging jobs that can be printed on it. Advantage number two is the extremely competitive capital cost when compared to a similarly automated 40-inch press from any other manufacturer. Lastly, the press offers the lowest cost of operation in comparison to its peers in a similar size range by consuming much less electricity, and the reduction in the plate, blanket and roller sizes. In comparison to the slightly bigger 40-inch presses, the operating cost is 30% less. We think that this is an interesting press to look at when printers are thinking of monocartons.”