Konica Minolta has upgraded its mid production press, just months after doing the same for its entry level light production press the AccurioPro C5080.
This is more than a cosmetic makeover the company says. The AP C8100 can be fully specified with a number of closed loop quality control and automation features as well as introducing artificial intelligence to this part of the market. Konica Minolta describes the machine as “the Intelligent Press”.
While capable of 100ppm, it falls short of the C14010 high production press. The flagship press for example can print an additional colour, currently white, which the four-colour-only C8100 cannot.
The aim is to keep the press running for longer by virtue of automated workflow and set up and through greater consistency which reduces the need for repeat runs.
Konica Minolta’s product specialist Malcolm Smith says: “For production printers, every minute of uptime, every consistent sheet, every unit of waste saved goes straight to the bottom line. The AccurioPress C8100 Series is built to deliver exactly that. Moving far beyond conventional automation into intelligent automation, it represents a new category by establishing the Konica Minolta Intelligent Press – one that combines AI, continuous real time sensing and autonomous optimisation to sense, decide and adapt while production is running with minimal operator intervention.”
There are three aspects to the claim: sensors that continually monitor quality of what is printed and the state of the press; automated decision making to make adjustments on the fly; and adaptation to match the production environment. This minimises the need for skilled operators and moves towards autonomous printing.
In a fully loaded version of the press, there are sensors for paper feeding and to identify the media and its condition. This feeds into the colour control system, the system to manage internal conditions and curl adjustment. Then comes the IQ601 for quality optimisation and the inline closed loop inspection system.
The C7100 which the new machine replaces, was first introduced five years ago. As well as adding greater levels of automation and reliability, the machine delivers a noticeable improvement in environmental performance, reducing ozone generation and the use of styrene plastics and cutting total volatile organic compound emissions by 60%.
