The cylinders are turning

We have the press powered up, and the cylinders actually turn! Progress has been rapid over the past two weeks as the control consoles were installed and our press came to life. Our expectation is that we will start to pull sheets of paper through the press in the next 5-7 days. This is an important milestone for us, and a big step towards print testing the press.

As you might expect, the control console and sheet scanner for this press are quite large. The scanner is a very helpful tool for managing the efficiency of the press and the consistency of the final product. The scanner measures both ink film density and ink color.

Moving along!

It has been about three weeks since my last post about the big press installation. The biggest change you will notice is the location of many large white cabinets along one side of the press and the appearance of some of the cat walk platform.



The cabinets hold a variety of electronic controls and pumps for the air system on the press. Air pressure and air flow are very important in today's presses. Moving air is used to cushion the paper as it travels through the press at high speed, giving us the ability to produce printed sheets without scratches in the paper or smearing of the ink.

The technicians have also been running the various cables and flexible hoses the connect the press. I have not been able to get an accurate estimate of how many feet of wire are used on our big press, but it seems like it would be enough to stretch from Chicago to Milwaukee.