There are situations in which printing companies opt to rewind certain printed jobs instead of finishing them inline. Several factors contribute to this decision. One such factor is when the finishing process is outsourced to an external company. In these cases, rewinding the printed reel proves to be a practical choice. By sending the reel to an external finishing provider, better coordination and control can be achieved over the finishing process. This approach ensures that the external company receives a neatly wound reel, facilitating their handling and enabling them to perform specific finishing tasks with ease.

Another reason for choosing to rewind printed jobs is workflow optimization. At times, the finishing line may be occupied with other ongoing jobs or require specific setup configurations. By rewinding the printed reels, they can be temporarily stored and queued for finishing at a more opportune time. This flexibility in the workflow significantly enhances overall productivity, reduces bottlenecks, and ensures a seamless production process.

When utilizing a Contiweb CR-N non-stop rewinder in combination with a Contiweb CD-N non-stop unwinder, printers gain several additional benefits, including the capability of executing a coordinated splice. This refers to the process of making a splice at the exact same location when the paper reel is wound by the CR-N non-stop rewinder as the splice made at the beginning of the process by the CD-N non-stop unwinder. These splices align perfectly on top of each other. This synchronization is made possible due to the zero speed technology and paper buffer of the CR-N non-stop rewinder, which provides enhanced control over the splicing moment. The advantages of a coordinated splice include reduced waste and the assurance of having a printed roll of paper that matches the unprinted roll precisely.

The CR-N non-stop rewinder offers the option to be equipped with either shear or crush slitters for cutting purposes.

Shear slitting involves the use of sharp circular knives that move against the paper and cut through it. Shear slitting is known for producing clean and precise cuts, making it suitable for paper up to 350 g/m².

Crush slitting employs a sharp cut knives that press against a hardened roller. The cuts may be slightly less precise compared to shear slitting. However, crush slitting offers certain advantages. It allows for more frequent cuts, with a minimum distance between cuts. Additionally, during production, the position of the cuts can be manually adjusted, and the cut can be combined with perforation if desired.

The operator must insert a core into the CR-N non-stop rewinder to which a small piece of paper is attached, sufficient to reach the splice head. There, the adhesive tape should be stuck so that the CR-N non-stop rewinder can connect the empty reel to the printed paper coming out of the printing press.

The Contiweb CR-N non-stop auto splicer has lift arms that can move up and down. This operation is ergonomic, and requires no lifting crane. Also no reel shafts are required (when slitting is not selected).

The Contiweb CR-N non-stop auto splicer allows you to splice over to papers of different web widths, coatings and weights. This is very useful for short, fast-changing jobs.

The Contiweb CR-N non-stop auto splicer makes an overlap splice when joining two reels of paper.

The Contiweb CR-N non-stop auto splicer can handle paper reels with a diameter of up to 1,520 mm (60 inches) and a maximum weight of 1,600 kg.

Spare parts for Contiweb non-stop auto splicers are conveniently available in the Contiweb Parts Webshop. Sign up for an account and gain free access to Contiweb machine manuals and parts books, saving you valuable time by filtering your search for specific machine parts.

Plus, explore our Uptime Kits, specially curated with essential components to minimize downtime in the event of breakdowns, ensuring you have the necessary parts readily available in your own facility. Streamline your maintenance and keep your operations running smoothly with Contiweb.

Due to the use of water-based inks in roll-fed inkjet presses and the high printing speeds they can achieve, there is a need to dry prints quickly and at high temperatures. However, this fast and hot drying process can give rise to several problems.

The printed material may become wavy, making it difficult for signatures to lie flat. Another problem that can occur is the curling of paper edges. Both problems can create challenges in the finishing line. They may lead to congestion and downtime. Also, the overall appearance and quality of the final product may be impacted. In the worst case scenario, the customer may reject the products.

To gain more insight into these problems, you can refer to this blog post, which provides further details on these issues and their potential impact on printed materials.

With inline finishing configurations increasing in popularity in web inkjet, the DFA's option to add silicone is gaining importance. Many finishing systems use a lot of moving parts like rollers and wheels which, in time, can leave unwanted scratches and scuffs. These can cause image damage, reducing the value of the printed product.

Contiweb has extensive knowledge of moisture and silicone application in web printing. The experience we've gained in the heat set web offset industry has been successfully applied to inkjet. Contiweb has an installed base of more than 600 remoistening and silicone applicators at top quality printers around the world.

The purpose of silicone application is to minimize marking or scuffing during post-processing equipment handling. The protective effect of the silicone oil is temporary. Within a day, the silicone oil is completely absorbed by the paper. Once absorbed, the silicone oil no longer serves its protective function and has no impact on the appearance of the final product. The application of silicone oil by the Contiweb Digital Fluid Applicator does not affect the remoistening.

The Contiweb Digital Fluid Applicator utilizes fabric sleeves for several advantageous reasons. Fabric sleeves are carefully crafted with a distinctive engraved pattern on their surface. These engravings consist of precisely sized and spaced cells, forming a meticulously controlled system for storing and releasing moisture. The result is an exceptional distribution of fluids across the paper web, ensuring uniform coverage.

Moreover, textile sleeves possess inherent resilience and compression properties. When pressure is applied due to unevenness of the printed paper, the sleeve undergoes a slight deformation. This adaptability helps maintain a consistent contact surface between the sleeve and the paper, enabling reliable fluid transfer. By accommodating variations in the paper surface, textile sleeves contribute to consistent and accurate application of fluid, ultimately improving overall printing performance.

The durability of fabric sleeves in the Contiweb Fluid Applicator can vary depending on the specific printing application. While fabric sleeves offer excellent and uniform fluid coverage on paper, they are not immune to wear. The lifespan of fabric sleeves is highly dependent on the operating conditions and printing practices employed.

Different printers experience varying durations of sleeve usage. Some printers may utilize the same fabric sleeve for several months without requiring replacement, while others may find it necessary to replace sleeves after only a few weeks of use. The longevity of fabric sleeves is influenced by factors such as print volume, print speed, substrate characteristics and ink fluid formulations.

Replacing the fabric sleeves is a straightforward procedure. The roller containing the worn sleeve is detached from the Digital Fluid Applicator, the worn sleeve is cut open and removed from the roller. The new fabric sleeve is then shrunk tightly around the roller with hot water and the roller is reinstalled into the machine. As the roller rotates through the pan and becomes moistened, it is ready to resume its function. Printers who do not want to lose any production time, prepare an extra set of rolls with new sleeves.

Contiweb provides convenient access to replacement sleeves through the Contiweb Parts Webshop.

Surfactant and silicone oil are not provided as standard with the purchase of a Digital Fluid Applicator. They can be sourced from various suppliers of printing consumables and are also available from our subsidiary WS print.

Spare parts for Contiweb Digital Fluid Applicators are conveniently available in the Contiweb Parts Webshop. Sign up for an account and gain free access to Contiweb machine manuals and parts books, saving you valuable time by filtering your search for specific machine parts.

Plus, explore our Uptime Kits, specially curated with essential components to minimize downtime in the event of breakdowns, ensuring you have the necessary parts readily available in your own facility. Streamline your maintenance and keep your operations running smoothly with Contiweb.

Post-coating can boost quality by adding a gloss or matt coating to the printed items, enhancing the look and feel. It also protects items like postcard mailers that could otherwise be damaged during mail handling. For self-mailers, the addresses are printed on the items themselves, so post-coating prevents them for becoming unreadable.

The Contiweb Variable Coater is a closed-loop controlled system designed to revolutionize coating application. Powered by our patented automated metering technology, this advanced system ensures the precise and optimal amount of coating is applied to the web, eliminating the risks of overcoating or undercoating.

Flexibility is at the core of the Contiweb Variable Coater. Adjusting to changing web widths or coating layers is now a seamless process. Thanks to its innovative design, you can seamlessly transition between different web widths and coating requirements without any machine standstill. This means you can effortlessly queue small print jobs with varying coating layers and web widths, eliminating costly interruptions for replacing machine parts.

Automation lies at the core of Contiweb's product strategy and development programs. Drawing on its expertise in heat-set web offset printing, Contiweb recognizes the significance of interconnected equipment that shares process information to achieve high-level automation. In today's world of web inkjet printing, a similar approach is essential.

With regards to the Variable Coater, depending on press requirements and communication capabilities, Contiweb will design an interface that facilitates seamless communication between the press and central control from the press console. This tailored interface ensures smooth integration and optimal performance based on the specific requirements and capabilities of the printing press.

In situations where the Variable Coater is not installed inline with a press, Contiweb takes steps to establish an interface with both the unwinder and rewinder units.

Today only aqueous based coatings can be used in the Contiweb Variable Coater. Aqueous based coatings are generally more affordable compared to UV coatings, making them a cost-effective option for many print projects. Also, they are more environmentally friendly due to their lower VOC content, water-based formulation, reduced energy requirements, easier waste disposal, and better regulatory compliance.

There is a wide range of manufacturers offering aqueous-based coatings and you are free to select the supplier that aligns best with your preferences and requirements.

While UV coatings are still the preferred choice for applications requiring extremely high gloss and reflectivity, advancements in aqueous coating technology have significantly improved their gloss capabilities. Coating manufacturers have developed specialized aqueous coatings that can achieve gloss levels closer to those achieved by UV coatings. These advancements provide more options for achieving desirable gloss rates with aqueous-based coatings.

Spare parts for the Contiweb Variable Coater are conveniently available in the Contiweb Parts Webshop. Sign up for an account and gain free access to Contiweb machine manuals and parts books, saving you valuable time by filtering your search for specific machine parts.

Plus, explore our Uptime Kits, specially curated with essential components to minimize downtime in the event of breakdowns, ensuring you have the necessary parts readily available in your own facility. Streamline your maintenance and keep your operations running smoothly with Contiweb.

Contiweb's Variable Coater lets printers use standard offset paper that they can treat themselves, achieving high-quality print results and giving them access to an unlimited range of paper grades. It also saves them costs by eliminating the need to purchase expensive paper mill treated paper. Additionally, they won't be at the mercy of fluctuating paper availability, providing them with greater control and reliability.

The Contiweb Variable Coater uses the patented automated metering technology to very precisely apply the coating layer on the web, causing no standstill during a web width change or when changing the coating layer thickness. You can queue small print jobs with ever-changing coating layer and web width, without costly interruptions for replacing machine parts.

Case studies show a payback period of less than two years. Depending on the customer, savings can include:

• Paper (affordable offset paper instead of expensive mill treated inkjet paper)
• Ink (reduced consumption)
• Handling (no cleaning costs of anilox and doctor blade, no additional personnel to exchange sleeves and anilox)
• Consumables (no replacements needed for sleeves or anilox)

Please contact us for a payback period calculation for your specific situation.

Paper mills do offer treated paper for web inkjet printing, but there are relatively few variants available and their availability fluctuates. The paper mills normally add a coating that gives the best average result with different kinds of inks, meaning that the coating is not optimized for each job.

The Contiweb Variable Coater lets you prime low-cost offset paper in-house. This improves adhesion while significantly improving printability. It can be optimized for the specific ink that you are using, improving print quality and reducing ink consumption. Dot gain and ink absorbency are lower. That means using less ink, or the same amount of ink but higher density and so more attractive printing.

When the Contiweb Variable Coater is integrated inline with a web inkjet press, Contiweb will design an interface that enables seamless communication between the press and central control from the press console. In the case of standalone installation, Contiweb will establish an interface with both the unwinder and rewinder units.

Spare parts for the Contiweb Variable Coater are conveniently available in the Contiweb Parts Webshop. Sign up for an account and gain free access to Contiweb machine manuals and parts books, saving you valuable time by filtering your search for specific machine parts.

Plus, explore our Uptime Kits, specially curated with essential components to minimize downtime in the event of breakdowns, ensuring you have the necessary parts readily available in your own facility. Streamline your maintenance and keep your operations running smoothly with Contiweb.