At the recently concluded virtual.drupa 2021, Komori Corporation talked about Connected Automation and how the company is developing technologies that will help customers in building smart factories. Connected Automation improves productivity through implementation in the Manufacturing Execution System (MES)-based KP-Connect Pro solution, the heart of the Connected Automation concept, as well as in the new advanced series of cutting-edge presses.
“Connected Automation is Komori’s concept of creating smart factories by promoting the use of internet of things, developing labor and work saving designs, strengthening standardization and inspection mechanisms,” the company said during the virtual.drupa presentation. “Through products such as KP Connect, digital press, and PESP postpress, Connected Automation helps enhance productivity.”
KP-Connect Pro
Talking more about its technologies, Komori highlighted the KP-Connect Pro, which improves printing processes, increases productivity, and optimizes production output. By integrating all press data with both prepress and postpress as well as the existing MIS system, KP-Connect Pro manages each process with its Scheduler function, enables visualization for identifying any bottlenecks, and offers end-to-end Automation.
The integration of KP-Connect Pro into a production workflow provides a streamlined process: fewer touchpoints and easier operation, thus eliminating errors and increasing throughput. In addition, KP-Connect Pro addresses the problems of the limited labor force and the requirement to increase production and thus profitability.
Komori new press technologies
Komori also presented the latest developments that have taken place in its press technologies and focused on the advance series. The new advance series ROI printing presses also took the virtual stage. In the advance series, the Lithrone G40 advance presses deliver high productivity and print quality with easy operation.
Based on the Connected Automation concept, strengthened collaboration and optimization between processes and high-level Automation with presets based on information from high-end systems are realized, thus contributing to productivity improvement throughout the entire printing process.
The company also talked about the Komori Impremia NS40 40-inch Sheetfed Nanographic Printing System, a unique solution that does not require any plate changing or color changes. The demo featured a seven-color machine with an onboard in-line coater and double-pile delivery.
virtual.drupa in two sessions
The Komori show at virtual.drupa was produced in two sessions: packaging and commercial. For the packaging session, Komori’s flagship machine, the six-color Lithrone GX40 advance with coater, demonstrated the power of these technological innovations by running three jobs on 350 g/m2 stock. The key advances shown were ultra-short makeready times enabled by parallel makeready and the creative possibilities to be had with Komori’s Smart Color wide gamut process color printing system, which adds orange, green, and violet to CMYK colors to cover 80% of Pantone colors in a six-color system and 85% in a seven-color system.
The Apressia lineup of postpress finishing solutions highlighted the Apressia DC105 and the first platen-type die-cutting machine focused on packaging solutions. It was shown with Komori’s Apressia MB100E high-performance blanking system.
