This new project involved replacement of the MPU with a PC based system which interfaces to the existing HDLC network, thus controlling the on-unit ink, damp and registration (Z808 & 859) cards. In addition to the MPU upgrade, Harland Simon provided 22” press control touch screens for mounting on each Bargraph quality desk to enable quick adjustments of all press control functions.

The second phase of the upgrade involved the replacement of the Z808 & 859 cards on four towers (see insert), allowing the components from these upgraded towers to be harvested to support the remaining towers. The MPU-S PC based system allows for the communication over both Ethernet (new towers) and HDLC (old towers) simultaneously without affecting user operation, all through a press control touch screen control interface.

To complete the upgrade, Harland Simon installed its Upper Level Management Information System - Prima MS/RIPSet, a comprehensive and user-friendly suite of management information system, which includes: Ink Calibration / Pre-setting, Planning, Impositioning (manual and automatic) and CTP workflow interface.

As with all Harland Simon offerings, the existing system remained operational until the new equipment has been fully tested and commissioned, which eliminated any risk to production.

This method also keeps costs down while ensuring all the vulnerable parts of the system are replaced. The solution was based on techniques that have been successfully developed for the replacement of many systems originally supplied by other press and drives manufacturers over the past 40 years.

John Staiano, Managing Director – Americas, for Harland Simon, commented, “Our press control system, approach and system architecture have been designed in such a way to allow customers to spread out the cost of a full upgrade without sacrificing functionality or benefits.”

The above solution had already been rolled out to a number of sites in Europe and Asia; however, more locally at Advance Web Offset, CA; Star Phoenix, SK; Tribune-Review, PA; Butler Eagle Printing, PA and La Prensa, Panama.

About Harland Simon
Harland Simon is one of the world’s leading supplier of newspaper press control and management systems. With its roots going back to 1915, the company has been providing innovative, user-friendly and reliable solutions to the newspaper printing industry for over thirty years, from ‘turnkey’ systems for new presses to cost effective upgrades on existing presses.

Utilizing the benefits of industry-standard hardware and software platforms, Harland Simon offers a complete range of products and solutions including press drives and controls as well as associated computer management systems and production tools. It’s an approach that Harland Simon has used on many occasions previously on systems supplied by Goss, Rockwell Automation, KBA, Honeywell, EAE and manroland to improve performance, minimize waste and maximize production quality whilst keeping presses in daily production.
(http://www.harlandsimon.com)