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News DownloadDavid Hutchins, proprietor, BD&H, Norwich
Me and My… KBA Genius 52UV
BD&H was established as two operations – screenprinting and conventional printing - in 1968. They merged 30 years ago and now the £2m turnover firm has 30 staff producing 80% if its work on PVCs and vinyls for a range of end uses including point of sale, wallets and plant labels. The remainder is litho produced brochure work and leaflets.
What does the KBA Genius do?
Developed to cater for the growing demand for plastic films the waterless Genius 52UV has brought a service into the offset print market that was once reserved for screen printing. With the ability to print in four or five colours, ghosting-free with service-proven short inking units, on materials up to 0.8 mm thick, it has carved a market in the lucrative packaging print sector, where quality of the highest standard is the order of the day. It can manufacture many print products inline with high process reliability and good cost-effectiveness. Easy to run, there is no need to adjust the ink zones, damping units and roller inking units, and no more controlling the ink-water equilibrium. There is also process stability and standardised printing, complete plate change within five minutes, only about 10 sheets of run-up waste, and up to 8,000 printed sheets per hour in a size of 360 x 520 mm. The one-man machine with its high degree of automation for ease of operation, including clearly arranged touchscreen menus, is predestined for small and medium print runs with extremely short job changeover times. Another feature is the semi-automatic plate changing function which can be triggered by button on the adjustable display.
Developed to cater for the growing demand for plastic films the waterless Genius 52UV has brought a service into the offset print market that was once reserved for screen printing. With the ability to print in four or five colours, ghosting-free with service-proven short inking units, on materials up to 0.8 mm thick, it has carved a market in the lucrative packaging print sector, where quality of the highest standard is the order of the day. It can manufacture many print products inline with high process reliability and good cost-effectiveness. Easy to run, there is no need to adjust the ink zones, damping units and roller inking units, and no more controlling the ink-water equilibrium. There is also process stability and standardised printing, complete plate change within five minutes, only about 10 sheets of run-up waste, and up to 8,000 printed sheets per hour in a size of 360 x 520 mm. The one-man machine with its high degree of automation for ease of operation, including clearly arranged touchscreen menus, is predestined for small and medium print runs with extremely short job changeover times. Another feature is the semi-automatic plate changing function which can be triggered by button on the adjustable display.
Why did you choose this machine?
We bought it for the link between screen print and litho print because it was able to print up to 800 microns thick. It was also the only machine in this format capable of printing on both plastics and paper. We were unaware of this system until the KBA MD, Christian Knapp, called in when he was in our area on other business. When he explained the concept we were excited by the possibilities and arranged a demo at an exhibition in Paris. From there things moved very very quickly and we ended up buying the first machine exhibited in the UK directly from the KBA stand at North Print. We liked the litho quality that we were able to subsequently print that previously had only been able to achieve via screenprinting. This gave us enormous time-savings allowing us to search for other similar work.
We bought it for the link between screen print and litho print because it was able to print up to 800 microns thick. It was also the only machine in this format capable of printing on both plastics and paper. We were unaware of this system until the KBA MD, Christian Knapp, called in when he was in our area on other business. When he explained the concept we were excited by the possibilities and arranged a demo at an exhibition in Paris. From there things moved very very quickly and we ended up buying the first machine exhibited in the UK directly from the KBA stand at North Print. We liked the litho quality that we were able to subsequently print that previously had only been able to achieve via screenprinting. This gave us enormous time-savings allowing us to search for other similar work.
Did you look at any other similar machines?
There are no other machines of that size and format that we could find that would do a similar thing.
There are no other machines of that size and format that we could find that would do a similar thing.
What features do you particularly like?
The variable stocks we can print enables us to produce work on all sorts of plastics as well as serving some of our existing jobs on papers and boards. We could always print on anything before but the speed of the Genius and the greater definition were all things that were of interest to us.
The variable stocks we can print enables us to produce work on all sorts of plastics as well as serving some of our existing jobs on papers and boards. We could always print on anything before but the speed of the Genius and the greater definition were all things that were of interest to us.
Is there anything that you dislike?
Originally it was proposed as a press to only print plastics but we worked with ink developers to create inks with light-fastness to work on paper which now makes it an extremely versatile piece of kit.
Is there anything that you wish it had that it doesn’t?
The only extras we wish it had are now available, such as a high-quality varnish unit.
The only extras we wish it had are now available, such as a high-quality varnish unit.
How fast is it?
8,000 sheets/hour
8,000 sheets/hour
How reliable is it?
We did experience some teething problems but KBA worked swiftly to overcome them.
We did experience some teething problems but KBA worked swiftly to overcome them.
What’s the quality like?
Excellent!
Excellent!
How easy is it to use?
It is very easy to use and doesn’t necessarily need to be operated by someone from the print trade. In fact, better results can often be had by using someone with a more open mind because of the way it works; printers can be too stuck in rigid training.
It is very easy to use and doesn’t necessarily need to be operated by someone from the print trade. In fact, better results can often be had by using someone with a more open mind because of the way it works; printers can be too stuck in rigid training.
How much time or money has it saved?
This is difficult to say. A print job that would take days to screen print can take as little as an hour printed litho. As a result we have been able to grow our business and it has ensured we remain competitive in a market where we might not have been before. Another thing we have found is that people in the trade who know what the press will do actively search us out.
This is difficult to say. A print job that would take days to screen print can take as little as an hour printed litho. As a result we have been able to grow our business and it has ensured we remain competitive in a market where we might not have been before. Another thing we have found is that people in the trade who know what the press will do actively search us out.
Has it won you any new work?
It has won us lots of new work in this field. Both direct and trade customers. We are still are finding new areas of work we are capable of doing we had not previously thought of. Before there was not a smaller format machine capable of doing this. As it was only available to multi-thousand runs that were very expensive, short runs were not viable,
It has won us lots of new work in this field. Both direct and trade customers. We are still are finding new areas of work we are capable of doing we had not previously thought of. Before there was not a smaller format machine capable of doing this. As it was only available to multi-thousand runs that were very expensive, short runs were not viable,
Would you say that it offers value for money?
Yes.
Yes.
What about the pre-sale and after-sale service?
Excellent.
Excellent.
Who do you think the machine is right for?
For us and no-one else!
For us and no-one else!
Star rating – marks out of five 5
Speed (3) (makeready is excellent but running speed depends on the stock)
Quality (5)
Ease of Use (4)
Value for Money (5)
Speed (3) (makeready is excellent but running speed depends on the stock)
Quality (5)
Ease of Use (4)
Value for Money (5)
Supplier’s comment – KBA (UK) Ltd
The Genius 52UV waterless press is ideal for short-to-medium run lengths on a huge variety of substrates, exactly fitting the requirements of BD&H. Using the patented ‘Gravuflow’ temperature controlled short inking unit the Genius 52UV produces stable colour from sheet 10 for the entire run length. Also, by utilising zoneless inking, the operator no longer has ink keys to adjust the colour across the sheet – this is carried out by adjusting the temperature of the rollers. The quick make ready and colour repeatability can lead to increased capacity or, alternatively, a reduction in shifts/overtime. It is a unique solution with a profile that is ideal for the modern era –small footprint, highly versatile, low waste, with very high quality, vibrant print and perfect for quick-response work and niche applications.
In November 2008 a five-colour plus coating unit was exhibited at CARTES in Paris, an exhibition aimed at the plastic card sector, one of very few growing markets in the UK. The level of interest that was shown from UK printers – both currently in this sector and companies exploring the possibility of producing plastic cards – exceeded our expectations.
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