The firm said that development on its Flexible Printing System had started 18 months ago with a blank sheet of paper, and urged visitors to "imagine a world where current restraints are eliminated, press halls are the size of a supermarket and cut-off limits are removed".
"It's a future-proof investment that removes the constraints of existing technology," Goss claimed.
The press comprises four-high compact towers that will fit in standard height industrial buildings. The press units themselves slide apart, allowing easy access to the inker assemblies and for cleaning and maintenance. It takes less than a minute for the inker assemblies to slide away from the printing tower.
It's also possible for the print cylinders themselves to slide away too, allowing the newspaper format to be changed. The cylinder assemblies can be swapped over using precision automation, a process Goss has dubbed VersaChange. Goss envisages this as either a one-time upgrade during the lifetime of the installation, or, more radically, a regular automated swap over process "for publishers who require daily or weekly format changes".
An optional auto platechanger slides down the printing unit and Goss said it would change all plates in parallel in 12-15 minutes. Senior vice president Shane Lancaster said the firm was working towards a fully automatic plate workflow from plate bender to press.
The reelstands are positioned in line and rotated by 90 degrees "in order to simplify paper delivery and logistics". Tower top slitters and single turner bars allow each ribbon to take the most direct route possible to the folder.
"We're applying factory automation to it to industrialise newspaper production. We had discussions with several customers to ensure our thinking was going in the right direction a sanity check if you like, It's designed for the publisher rather than just the printer. We're very excited about it," Lancaster added.
Chief executive Bob Brown said he was confident the press would make it from the concept stage into the real world: "Most of the technology is proven and running in a lot of our existing platforms, and the other technology [used to move the units] is used in other industrial applications too." Brown quipped that the first order would "depend on how the next few days go". He anticipated that the first installation would be made within 24 months.
The cost of the system was described as being "comparable to a Colorliner press today".
At Drupa the firm is showing a prototype unit of the new press complete with slideaway inking units during special presentations in the technology theatre on its stand.
- Goss and Heidelberg are still "working through a number of issues" regarding Goss' takeover of Heidelberg's web division. Brown said: "There's no big announcement yet. We're working co-operatively with Heidelberg to complete the deal. We see it as a great fit for Goss and complementary to where we sit today."
Story by Jo Francis at Drupa
