74 Karat: Help Running A Coater

Discussion in 'KBA Printing Presses' started by Smell This Smell, Mar 9, 2017.

  1. Smell This Smell

    Smell This Smell Member

    Joined:
    Mar 2017
    Messages:
    6
    Location:
    Mesa, az
    So my back story- I have been running waterless printing presses since 2004 when I started on a Heidelberg QMDI 46 4 color. The company upgraded machine size in 2008 to a KBA Karat 74 - a 2000 model year, refurbished, but repainted blue (originally a red press). 4 color NO coater unit. The company I work for prints Scorecards and Yardage Books for Golf courses Internationally. The majority of the scorecards, most of the work running though the press, is run on 80# uncoated 100% recycled paper.
    We have recently installed (late 2016) a KBA Karat 74, model year 2004 WITH coater, and put the non coater press (2000) to pasture for parts.
    I have only seen the coater in action the one time that I demo-ed the press before we bought it and had it shipped to us. I did the majority of setting up the fixtures/ jiggs to move the old press out, and did all the removing of the jiggs of the newer press when it was set in place. I rewired all the accessory power to the air compressor, and chiller unit myself.
    Sorry for the long read, but I have my first job coming up that needs to have a coating put down on it, and I know mostly know how the system is set up, and how it works- I have read the documents that deal with the coater- 3 different "pamphlets" One for the coater head, one for the press adjustments and blanket cutting, and one for the coater pump cabinet.
    Being that this is the first job that I will have to run the coater on, I'm just a bit nervous, considering I have to do it tomorrow, and have already heard stories of overflowing of coating through the press- coating head overflowing and running down through the press and making a mess everywhere.
    I could really use some good vibes, or positive affirmations, or whatever you have to make me less worried- tips, hinds, anything...
    I have pretty much everything cleaned up and read to do the Soft Touch coating in the morning------ So wish me luck and Thank You if you made it through all this.
     
  2. Smell This Smell

    Smell This Smell Member

    Joined:
    Mar 2017
    Messages:
    6
    Location:
    Mesa, az
    Update- I ran the Soft Touch coating job on Thursday (yesterday). Everything went well. I do feel very proud of myself. I had only ever seen the system set up and run the one time (7 months ago) when I was sent out to have the press demo-ed to report back to my boss of its condition.
    Now that I have run the job, plus other samples while the coater head was set up I'm pretty sure they are going to try and sell more jobs with the Soft Touch coating, and have me run it in house- we previously outsourced the coating on those jobs. So- in the end I trained myself on a system of my press that I had minimal to no actual experience in- because I had never set up, ran, or washed up the coater by myself til now. :)
     
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