The reverse osmosis system, which was installed in July, will remove some of the minerals before re-hardening the water to the required level.
It will be used to supply the dampening solution units on three of the firm’s presses; a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 75-5+L, which the firm bought last year, an SM 52 Anicolor and a Sakurai Oliver 66. The company also runs two Heidelberg GTO presses and a range of digital and finishing kit.
“We wanted to increase the efficiency and stability of our new press so it made sense to add an RO unit,” said print manager Steve Mattey. “We have printed here for 30 years and our water supply is consistent and predictable but too soft for the very high speed production attainable with the latest generation presses.”
The company runs with low alcohol at around 4%, meaning that having control of processes and chemistry is more critical. The firm’s Speedmaster XL 75-5+L was specified with FilterStar, a Technotrans unit produced for Heidelberg under an OEM arrangement.
“Filtration and reverse osmosis together reduces our maintenance and chemistry. It means more consistent quality, less downtime and optimum running speeds. We can run the presses flat out knowing that the chemistry will remain stable in production,” said Mattey.
The firm, which has 34 staff and a turnover of £3m, produces catalogues, brochures, stationery, book covers and other high quality commercial work for designers, publishers and blue chip clients in the UK and abroad.
