Getting a Lithrone 528 - what should I look out for?

In a weeks my employer is installing a 2001 Komori Lithrone 528 and I would like to know what sort of issues I should be expecting to come across in the first few weeks? My previous press is a Akiyama BestTech from the 80's so I'm expecting a steep learning curve!
Apparently the rollers are 8 mths old but of course will need to be reset. Also the press is coming from Europe and I'm in Australia. Any idea on good fountain solutions and %'s I should be running for Australian, Victorian conditions?

Thanks in advance!

By the way this is my first post ever on any forum!

 

you're not getting any training from the seller , I would try to contact the last pressman for the heads up on things , other than that its fairly easy to adapt . I never even saw a Komori till 2 weeks ago , now Im running one....but its a sprint 26" , as far as fountain sollution here I use Prisco and I think they are a global company and have pretty good stuff , are you gonna be running RO water? anyway good luck you'll get help here there's a lot of Komori pressman that post here!
welcome

Steve

 

You are in for a treat, the komori will be a nice improvement. Where in europe did it come from, conditions can vary from country to country and will sure as hell be different to australia.
I use prisco fountain solution also (6 years), its excellent and i have never had a problem with it.

 

The press is coming from either uk or France, I can't remember. At the moment I use hostman steinberg fount called combi-dry, I'll probably be able to keep using it although we may be swapping all our ink and fount
to another supplier soon.
Just thought maybe other newbies might have an idea of common mistakes or problems they had when first got onto a lithrone?

 

UK or France? i assume youve bought it from Whitehorse machinery AKA CCI?

 

Not sure of the name of the company, but the Rep I've talked to is Alex. The engineer I've met is named Morgan. I'll try and find out their name on tuesday next week, we have a long weekend this week. My company is very sketchy on details which is the only thing that's making me nervous, more than running a new press! They are from a publishing background not printing and they've never seen a press like this installed, I think they are in for a massive surprise!
They have arranged some training but I don't know how good it's going to be.

 

But you already know how to print so dont let the machine shake your confidence , its like anything else in a few weeks youll be saying how easy it was to pick it up....I havent had much time on the 40" Lithone but what I did find is the consol and plate register system makes your life a little easier , remember you tell the press what to do not the other way around!.....
cheers

Steve

oh and by the a lot of the demo guys/trainers have never worked in a production enviroment but theyll get you familiar with the controls.....

 

Its a long way to be bringing a press, Europe to Australia.

 

"remember you tell the press what to do not the other way around!....."


thanks steveo, there a lot of truth to that statement. but i know for the first few weeks anyway the press will be leading me, i'm just after a few tips to swing the balance in my favour sooner rather than later.

Yes it is a long way to bring a press, but i know of 2 other komori's that came form the UK to Geelong as well, so its not that strange. Plus the strong aussie $ apparently makes it way cheaper to buy from over there than here!

 

If it's okay with your boss, I would inspect the press for cleanliness. Check the impression cylinders, face of the ink slides/keys, delivery, rollers, etc... One mistake a lot of print shop owners make is installing a used machine in used condition and expecting it to print beautifully. If the press is dirty or neglected, I would recommend Ice cleaning first. And most importantly, all of the rollers in EVERY unit need to be taken out and reset if not completely replaced. A Komori is a user friendly press and in the long run I think you will be pleasantly surprised. But like any machine, it needs to be taken care of properly. I hope that your boss recognizes this before attempting to print with it. I wouldn't be as concerned with your fountain solution as I would be with the shape of the press. Cam followers need inspection, grippers etc...

 

I hope you are only a meter tall.. we just got one last week(2003 628) and it is small back cylinders are a pita. As for komori's they are pretty easy to run.

 

Gday mate !
Okey letme tell you my first live experience of Komori. I arrive at a new working site meeting a guy that starts to tell me an endless list of donts. For example - make sure there is not somethig under your feeder table because if you lower the table in that case you are going to brake the chains. Make sure there is allways dampening water in your pans or you´ll
"burn" metering rollers. Don´t try to print the sheet turning it and use the other edge of the paper as gripper edge if you get ink or maybe the strip where the fotocells are because the impression won´t go on. Newer print on a blue substrate because if the impression goes on the deliver pile won´t go down automatically. Use the plastic sheets on transfer cylinders because if you have impression cylinder washers you have two settings one that doesn´t clean the cylinder or the other you are flooding the cylinders with solvent and water that migrates to the transfer cylinder and if there is paper on them you can imagine what happens to them. Just make sure you have thick oil on the cylinder surface because otherwise you end up with a lot of rust on the cylinders.
Well I think there is some points that are useful if you hav never been on a Komori before - good luck !

 

Oiling the transfers before installing the T. Y. papers is a must. As far as the two settings. One that doesn't wash the cylinders and one that floods, that is not true. You are probably a ways away from these settings, but when you get fed up with that fine line send me out another thread and I'll tell you how to fix that.

 

Some good tips guys, thanks heaps for this. It will help at least knowing a little bit about the press in advance! This site really is amazing, I didn't even know it existed till a couple of days ago!

 

sphere coat sheets

Lou I noticed on this Sprint Im working on that there is nothing on the transfer cylinder , I suppose I should look into putting a sheet on there if Im there long enough....the back cylinders and transfers do seem to pick up a lot of rust and oxidation and dirt but its no biggie cause its a small machine and it looks like it wasnt well maintained. I can probably get transfer sheets from botcher or printers service but if you know where I can order them let me know , Im getting 2 meter rollers and 2 water forms , theres no extra rollers with this machine. All the ink rollers look decent so with proper maint. they should be good for a while , like I said Im just temporary but while Im there I dont wanna have to struggle......

Steve

 

I'm with you Steveo, I don't fight a press or let it run me. As far as your transfer cylinders go, I've seen a few different fixes to them. The factory calls for T.Y. papers and a horizontal clamp with 4 mm. bolts should be at the tail and lead edge of these cylinders. If not, you are missing parts. There's always more than one way to skin a cat though. I ran a 4 color sprint at a shop where the owner stuck two sided tape down behind the T.Y.s instead of using the clamp. I've also seen vinyl sheets(sticky backed) cut to size and removal of the clamps. I've also seen no T.Y.s and the use of sticky backed padding introduced in the area of marking. with no T.Y.s whatsoever. Personally, I prefer a fresh T.Y. and usually the only unit that will give you trouble will be your last one. Trust me on that. I can cure any marking with a quick clean up of the last transfers and make sure that you wipe them dry after cleaning.

 

T.Y. Sheets

Yeah Ive even seen 2 sided carpet tape used , like you said evry problem has a sollution , Ill prob order spherecoat sheets from a GA supplier and cut them to fit , so far I havent seen any marking though , keep em clean ! I use MRC to wipe them then hit them with a scotchbrite pad and they seem fine , but I could see where they could become a problem.....I like my press spotless so I dont anticipate too many marking issues the guy before should be shot though , the wash up trays were as dirty as any Ive ever seen!!! terrible how someone can work like that....well thanks for the info on the sheets,,, too bad this gig is only temporary , its a nice little press....

Steve

 

You talk about the guy before you. The last shop that I worked at had a 26" Sprint. The back cylinders hadn't been done in years. The wash up trays were One inch thick with dried ink and the pressman running it said "this machines a piece of cr*p. After getting in to the press, I found about 6 or 7 grease fittings completely missing. Fixed that then went on to bigger things. I literally got the press dialed in, plate clamps fixed, infeed fixed, delivery fixed, rollers set properly , you name it. I was told that the press would not print over 6,500 hr. I'm sorry but I cannot think that slow if you payed me. I got in the book and found out that the press was supposed to print at 11,000. I took some slack from the delivery chain, adjusted the water system properly and wham!!! They considered a good day somewhere around 20,000 imp. I started kicking out 60,000-70,000 . And guess what, I got laid off because I outproduced the dayshift. I was the new guy and they didn't like that. After I put some impressions on the floor they started telling the boss that I had done something to the press and they don't know how to run it anymore.True Story!

 

"they started telling the boss that I had done something to the press and they don't know how to run it anymore."

so typical of lazy insecure people who just want to skate through life..everything you just said sounds like something Ive lived through already , you think in our trade we would be teying to help each other , its so bad in some shops , some people actually enjoy watching others struggle , what wrong with people??
personally I work the same whereever I go , do the best job I can , even if I dont like the shop no matter , it does matter to me and I do it for myself if nothing else.....
(and btw these wash-up trays on this Komori right were easily an inch thick) I dont get how someone can work like that
press on

Steve

 

Me neither, I was in shock my first day. I started soaking the trays and blades with saturated MRC rags when one of the pressman asked me "What are you doing?" I said trying to clean these trays. He stated "that's the last thing we worry about at this shop, You'll see how it works!" I knew right then that I was out of their league. The owner of the shop didn't even have the proper grease gun for my delivery (push type) , sad thing is he'd been running that press dry for the last 5-6 yrs... What an awful experience. I'm sorry but a Pressman is supposed to do it all. Take care of the press, put outstanding ink on paper, please the customer, etc... Not here, they printed the junkiest jobs I've ever seen. Couldn't even get the owner to order me new sucker heads for the feeder. I hate a CHEAP A** PRINT SHOP OWNER. Busy filling his own pockets and to hell with his employees, the one's making him 1,0000000's!!!!!!!!!!!!!1