HAMPSHIRE, UK—Edale held its agent training event March 24-25 at the head office based in Hampshire. This event saw 15 agents from all over the globe travel to the UK to partake in two full days of product training, including presentations from Edale customers and suppliers.
The training focused on new Edale technologies that have been developed in the last 12 months and included the next generation of FL3, the EZ Die, the latest offering on the FL3 Hybrid and Edale’s autonomous print register control system, EZ Reg.
Amitabh Luthra from Printers Supply Co, India, commented, “The product training on the FL3 as well as the FL5 was invaluable and the new FL3 brochure is fantastic. Edale continues to impress on their dedication to offering the highest levels of automation in the industry.”
FL3 2019 now incorporates more automation as standard with each print station being fully motorized. Seven motors now make every adjustment on the print station, allowing for quick, easy and repeatable job recall. Insetting, which is now a standard feature, allows the user to rerun web multiple times through the press.
A new improved icon-based control panel, (HMI) has also been developed. This has an unlimited job storage facility and can also give a productivity report, including setup and downtime, waste monitoring and press uptime. This data can be retrieved using the supplied USB port or could be directly downloaded to a factory ERP system. Edale’s unique “Uniprint” head design is meant to give superior print quality, on-the-fly print station setup and magnetic sensor for pre-register. 12 micon to 450 micron substrate range remains as an integral part of the enhanced performance of this fully servo, no line shaft press. The press has been designed in 17-in. and 20-in. versions.
The FL3 Hybrid uses technology based around the FL3 platform, and the hybrid press can be tailored exactly to a customer’s specific need. The automated finishing options including semi-rotary die cutting and auto set slitting allow for even greater efficiency required for short run jobs to be fully completed.
EZ Reg is a closed loop camera based autonomous register system designed in-house by Edale. Controlling X and Y register without operator interference stops the need for constant adjustment and monitoring, allowing the operator to carry out valuable and time saving prepress work for the next job. The autonomous nature of the register system is meant to allow for consistent and controlled waste on setup, giving increased productivity and accountability.
EZ Die allows change of the full magnetic die cylinder in under 60 seconds, with auto register X and Y and pressure control from the HMI. The EZ die not only eliminates setup waste but also does not require a lifting device. The die is positioned using the supplied interlocked trolley and simply slid into place. Automatic waste matrix take-up is also achieved by controlling when and where pressure is put on or taken off. All job settings can be stored in the HMI for even quicker repeat job change.
FL5 Carton has now been launched in three web widths: 20-in. and 22-in., both of which can incorporate an in line flat bed die cutter and a 25.5-in., which can be configured with rotary die cutting or sheeting.
All of these technologies are available for demonstrations at the UK Head Office in Whiteley, Hampshire.