Assistance to a flexo guy on offset direction please

[cudavid]

Hello to all, and let me start by saying thank you for your time.

I work at a narrow web flexo company. I know flexo. I do not know offset. For a short time we had a DI Kodak press, but nothing in years on offset

We have been sending work out for offset and now they want to look at dipping toes into Offset. I am leaning to Heidelberg as a well respected and supported brand.

Our needs would be 4 color printing and perfecting ( or 1 color back printing as we would call in flexo), and likely a varnish. I am ok with two passes of that means we can consider a machine that is well regarded / good value.

I may need some guidance on what is possible in terms of thickness. Ideally, we would want to be able to print 0.024/0.028 (? ) and to understand how thin I could also go on same machine? Sheet size is not an issue, smaller is ok.
Typically we would be looking at coated board, but we do send some PVC jobs in the are of 0.020 out for printing now.

I would like get pointed to a machine model that is know to be reliable, and well suited based on what I outlined above. Budget is not millions, so we are thinking, older reliable and then if all goes well down the road, we upgrade.

Thanks, Dave

 

[spikeboy]

i would look at heidelbergh first lots out there proven track records best perfctor would be automatic option easier for operators

 

[cudavid]

i would look at heidelbergh first lots out there proven track records best perfctor would be automatic option easier for operators

Thanks, is there a Heidelberg model that comes to mind that fits what I describe as"need"?

If we assume a budget of under 200K that will make us look at older machine models.
Thanks, Dave

 

[Meny]

hi
talking board on one side & thin stock on the other , as well as PVC - (UV dryer?) , would rull out any modern HD press at your range of budget.
yet for your budget you could still get a reliable 5 color + coater UV Komori that will outlast an older HD press and give you better return on your $.
talk to me if you wish

 

[exheidmech]

If your looking for a Heidelberg that can run sheet thickness up to .028 and coat, really your only option would be a CD74 within the price you are looking. Even an older CD74, you may be pushing the 200K price range you have. Still, if you can find an older machine with 150 million or so on it, it is still a fantastic and extremely reliable machine, light years ahead of any Japanese machine. They may be cheaper, but you get what you pay for.

 

[Meny]

you sound like you are from the German gov...and you are wrong as i see it
but , he was looking for opinions and in a few years he will know....

 

[aqazi81]

Go for Heidelberg as exheidmech said.

 

[cudavid]

Thank you all for the knowledge

Ok There seem to be two camps, the German and the Japanese. I shoot a German gun and drive a German car, so I get it. But I have no offset machine now, and not an unlimited budget, so I am open to leaning what machine models to consider if I were to include Japaneses machines in the mix.

I want to keep my options as open as possible. I did a web search and found SPEEDMASTER CD 74-5 +L C w/ 112mm impressions, 2007, in Europe, for 380K euro as is where is, clearly way over budget. I assume this was due to impression count/ ager

If anyone can offer me some info, I clearly need to step back and reduce my "wants". I am unsure where the steps up in cost occur. As an example. if I wanted toe able to print 0.028, what does it go down to? If I said up to 0.022, am I now much more "normal"?

Plastic (0.020 PVC) would be nice, but not necessary if an $$ option.
Discussions here are swirling around a machine that will do 1 color back print (perfecting?) and 4 colors front. I assume I can send back to have some kind of varnish top cost, of should I just look at a 5+1 (?)

Thank you for your thoughts, Dave