Ryobi  appointments  product launch  printing - sheetfed 
Japanese press manufacturer Ryobi is entering the A1 market for the first time, with the launch of its first 40” machine, the 920 series. Known for its success in the small offset market Ryobi will now manufacture the 920 Series, initially available as the four-colour 924 or five-colour 925 versions. Ryobi says the press builds on the printing features of the well established A2+ 680 and B2 750 machines.

The press comes with a running speed of 16,000iph, has a maximum paper size of 920x625mm with a maximum printing area of 900x615mm, which the company says will enable the printing of A1 posters and eight up A4 size.

The press is being shown for the first time at the China Print exhibition taking place in Beijing this month.

It comes with suction feed board, a registration section which decelerates the speed of the board tape allowing the front lay to stop sheets in the correct position for more reliable and accurate registration. The feeder also employs an underswing and drop away front lay infeed system for consistent registration accuracy. The press also employs a mechanism in which the delivery drum raises the printed sheets to the height of the chain delivery. On the chain delivery section the sheets are transferred horizontally, which Ryobi says means they can be delivered steadily even during high running speeds.

There is also an ultrasonic type double sheet detector system, which is designed to work with the thickest of stocks. The motor driven ink and water fountain rollers are programmable to automatically operate in synchronisation with the printing speed, which according to Ryobi results in a stable innk and dampening supply.

The printing unit itself consists of double diameter impression cylinder and a double diameter transfer drum. Ryobi says that the cylinders have a large curvature ratio providing stable paper transport even on heavy stocks.

The press is controlled through the Ryobi PCS-G touch panel display, with impression pressure, pull side guide and delivery section guides able to be preset. The impression pressure preset system includes a program controlled impression cylinder cleaning function. The 920 series has optional automated blanket and roller cleaning devices, comes with semi automated plate changing, has remote plate register control and a Program Inking software that determines optimum ink volume for images from prepress data, and automatically sets the ink ducts.

The Ryobi 920 Series will enter a highly competitive arena, with Heidelberg, MAN Roland, KBA, Komori and Mitsubishi all keenly operating in the 40” sector, the most highly prized of all for press manufacturers. Ryobi is the first of the smaller manufacturers to enter this arena, although they have all been moving up sizes for the past decade, with much of the A3 and below market increasingly taken up with digital printing systems.