State of the art economics – environmentally soundReducing CO2 emission: optional today – obligatory tomorrow?Sassenberg/Germany, May 2008The warnings from environmentalists and politicians concerning high emissions as a cause for global warming have had little effect over the last 30 years. Only the increasing number of environmental disasters worldwide, melting glaciers, floods and land slides caused the daily press to compete for the most spectacular headline. In the industry as in the private sector, everyone is now looking to reduce emissions, save resources and reduce energy consumption. technotrans AG, the worldwide leading system supplier for offset printing, at the drupa exhibition presents a whole range of products that specifically enable to reduce the consumption of energy and other resources.
The beta.c eco, a version of the beta.line modular for dampening solution circulation and ink roller temperature control of mid- to large format sheet-fed offset printing, was modified with regards to energy efficiency to enable saving on a mid- to long-term basis. Although the specific components on the outset are slightly more expensive than the standard configuration these will amortize adequately especially with a view to the ever rising costs for energy.
With this unit technotrans has taken a holistic approach. The combination of free cooler with an integrated heat exchanger in the temperature control circuit and power-controlled components ensure the corresponding potential energy savings. The annual requirement for cooling capacity in the temperature control circuit can be covered by to up to 80% by the free-cooling function, without needing to resort to the power-consuming refrigeration unit. The pump and control module beta.ps eco, with speed-controlled pumps, offers the possibility to pass the waste heat also of other consumers, such as e.g. dryers, air supply, etc. via the same free cooler. All waste heat levels of units that exceed 40°C can be carried off to 100% via the free cooler. In many cases a very interesting total waste heat concept can be then implemented for printing presses.
In standard the beta.c eco is equipped with the dampening unit fine filtration unit beta.f. The two-step filtration principle gives this unit a permanently clean dampening solution circuit. The filter life e.g. for a 6-colour press in 3B-format is normally in the range of 8 - 12 months, the exchange of dampening solution is only rarely if at all necessary. The beta.f is not just a further important component in connection with IPA reduce printing, but also offers considerable potential savings for dampening solution additives, water and consumables – and due to the considerable reduction of disposal amounts it also makes an important contribution to protecting the environment. beta.f can also be installed in the bypass of existing dampening solution preparation units and is therefore easy to retrofit. Aside from environmental issues, it offers considerable cost reduction potential. This is doubtlessly one of the reasons why several hundred of the units have already been retrofitted in printing companies.
Apart from the low energy requirement the beta.c eco offers many other innovative features. The unit with its components provides all necessary features for IPA reduced printing. By using the technotrans alcosmart AZR, the automatic, self-calibrating alcohol stabilizer, a precise measurement in the vapour phase and a very exact control of the IPA content within a range of 0–15% is ensured. Dosing is done by the additive mixing unit digidos.p, equipped with a pneumatic piston dosing pump. The digidos.p works reliably with a repeatable accuracy of +/- 0.1 vol.% and furthermore offers monitoring of consumption data for water and additives.
Optionally technotrans offers a high level of operational comfort and information content on the beta.c eco, by the use of the new multicom control unit, including colour touch screen. The easy to understand, self-explanatory menu offers an even better overview of all system functions and parameters, such as efficient error and cause analysis via online help function and recorded error history, function indication for unit components in a schematic system overview as well as operating hour meter and consumption data indication. The integrated trend indication is a very useful tool for evaluating processes; stability and variations in the process are immediately shown. In addition the control unit has remote diagnosis capabilities. The beta.c eco can be directly connected to the control center of the press.
The components described, all play an important part in the concept for IPA reduction, process optimization and process stabilization – and therefore help to generally reduce operational costs noticeably. The real highlight of the beta.c eco is the considerably reduced energy requirement. In total this unit saves at least half of the fixed costs normal for this specific application. A further cost reduction is achieved by higher filter life, less consumables and lower disposal costs. By prolonging the dampening solution life, less completely fresh dampening solution mixes are necessary, which also reduces the need for additives and IPA and therefore correspondingly reduces the amount for disposal. All in all the beta.c eco is helping to put environmentally-friendly printing into practice and to help saving resources.
technotrans at the drupa in Düsseldorf – Hall 16 Stand A 45.Download the Press Release Press ReleaseDownload ttSchemaBetaCEco0521e.jpgDownload ttBetaEcoDiagrammEnglisch.jpg
