Tight Tolerances

With all the wonderful computer technology on our equipment, we could overlook the physical precision that is part of building a world class printing press. This picture is an attempt to convey some of the manufacturing and assembly skills at work.

What you see here is the joint between two of the six impression cylinder units that make up our new 81" press. Each unit weighs over 36,000 lbs, yet they must fit together exactly.

The picture below shows the start of placing the next unit in sequence. Using a gantry, big wrenches and some elbow grease, the technicians nudge and adjust the pieces until there is an exact fit. As you can tell from the size of the cylinder, moving these pieces around is a little more difficult than moving the sofa in the living room!