Ryobi 3404E-DI VS Heidelberg QM DI 46-4 Plus

Ryobi 3404E-DI VS Heidelberg QM DI 46-4 Plus

Granted, this may not exactly be the fairest comparison in the world, but it is the differences between the two presses I have had the opportunity to operate.

This comparison is between a 1999 Heidelberg QM DI 46-4 Plus and a 2008 Ryobi 3404E-DI.

Feeder:

While both manufacturers identify their feeding system as being a universal feeder, Heidelberg’s feeding system is far less complicated with fewer mechanics.
That is not necessarily a good thing, especially when it comes to consistent register from sheet to sheet. Heidelberg’s feeder is simplistic in nature with one width adjustment handle to bring in or out the overall size of the paper being fed, while it maintains the paper position to the center of the feeding system. There is a micro-adjustment dial to move the paper left or right to ensure register when printing sheet wise or work and turn. A pair of removable tension clips are provided to push the sheets to the opposite side paper guide. These are reversible to either side, to allow for accurate sheet wise or work and turn printing.
Once the suckers pickup the substrate, it is immediately fed between 2 sets of pickup rollers that must be set within very precise pressures, or it will most likely result in canting the substrate into the gripper system of the impression cylinder. There are no side guides to ensure the substrate is feeding into the grippers square.
Ryobi has taken a more traditional approach with its feeding system. Ryobi uses side guides on the feeder tray that are independently adjustable, which allows the operator to force the substrate more to one side of center over the other. Like Heidelberg, they basically have the same method for picking up and feeding the substrate into 2 sets of pickup rollers, but that is where the similarities stop. Once the paper passes the pickup rollers, it is transferred to the front lay, which stops the substrate during its journey through the press to square it up or gives the operator the ability to make adjustments, canting it in either direction to correct any alignment issues. This is done by using a side push guide that has micro adjustments that can push the substrate square at 90 degrees or slightly angle it in either direction for skewed feeding. The front lay can be adjusted up to 2mm to correct any differences in sheet size provided by different paper manufacturers and for aligning work and tumble printing. Both manufacturers have double sheet detectors; Heidelberg uses an optic sensor that measures opacity of the substrate. Once this is set, any sensing of higher opacity will result in an immediate press stop, which causes any sheets in the press that are in the process of being printed to be ruined. If you continue to have doubles stop your press, that is causing unwanted wear on the press brake that engages each time. Ryobi has implemented two types of double sheet detection. One is an optic sensor, very similar to Heidelberg and the other is their traditional mechanical double sheet detector, which I find to be a more accurate method for detecting doubles. The issue with the optic sensor comes in when you are feeding a printed substrate back through the press for a second pass. If the sensor reads an area that has printed image on it, it senses the change in opacity which can result in detecting a double, causing the Heidelberg press to stop while the Ryobi press will continue to run at press speed, but will stop the sheet at the front lay for recovery. Because of Ryobi’s extended feeding system, it allows doubles to travel up to the front lay before it alerts the operator of the double detection. This added feature for Ryobi is a huge benefit, as it does not immediately stop the press while running at press speed. The operator can easily remove the doubled sheet from the feeding system and restart the feeding portion of the press. Heidelberg definitely loses when comparing the feeding systems, no question about it.

Blankets and Blanket Wash-up Devices:

The blankets themselves are not much different between the two. The main point I wanted to bring up is the method in which they are attached to the cylinder. Heidelberg uses a spring loaded system in which the blanket bars are inserted into a slot with a spring tensioned on one end, keeping the bar locked in place. A hex nut is rotated to tighten or loosen the blanket on the cylinder. Blankets are always positioned in the same location each time they are replaced, making it a trouble free installation every time. Ryobi uses a different type of receiver for securing the blankets that isn’t as simplistic as Heidelberg’s setup, which can result in misaligned blanket installation. There are slotted holders on the feeding side of the blanket cylinder that the blanket bar is inserted to. Two locking tabs are rotated to keep the bar secure into the slots. There is nothing keeping the blanket centered on the cylinder, other than visually checking to ensure it is not too far to one side or the other. The tail edge of the blanket is secured in a similar fashion as the other end. The blanket bar is inserted into the slotted holder and has a rotating locking tab to help secure it from slipping out of position. An Allen wrench is used to tighten or loosen the blanket to the cylinder. If you do not check to make sure the blanket is aligned on the cylinder correctly, the blanket bars can become bent from protruding beyond its intended position. Both securing systems are easy to use, but Heidelberg has the added benefit because of the trouble free positioning for each new blanket installation.
The blanket washers are completely different between the two presses and this is one comparison that really makes Ryobi outshine Heidelberg, no question about it. Because of the major press design differences, Heidelberg utilizes 4 blanket wash-up devices, one for each unit. These devices use a felt and roller system where a felt strip is located between a pickup roller and a wash tray that contains blanket wash fluid. As the device transfers wash to the pickup roller, it is then transferred to an oscillating rubber roller that agitates the blanket, picking up ink and foreign debris which then transfers back into the felt, quickly contaminating the felt and wash fluid. These units require regular maintenance to ensure proper cleaning of the blanket can occur. Maintenance requires removing each wash device and disassembling it to replace the felt strip, clean out the wash tray, then reassemble and insert back into the press. Each unit takes about 10 to 15 minutes to properly clean each maintenance cycle. The blanket wash is filled each day of start up by manually pulling out each device partially from its housing, then fill the wash tray until full. It is possible to overfill the device which will result in spilling wash while reinserting the device in the press. If the devices are used frequently throughout the day, it is possible that the fluid may run low and the only way to know is either that your blankets are not being cleaned very well or if you stop the press and visually check.
This is another area where Ryobi excels beyond the engineering of Heidelberg. Because Ryobi uses a two blanket to one cylinder ratio, a single wash-up device can accommodate two blankets, removing the need for 4 separate devices. While the method for removing ink and debris are the same, that is where the similarities end. Ryobi uses a sponge roller that is placed in a wash tray that is constantly fed with fluid from wash fluid tanks. The sponge rotates and brings wash fluid up to the pickup rollers which transfer it to the oscillating rubber roller to the blanket. When the blankets are not cleaning as desired, the two wash devices will require cleaning which only takes about 5 minutes or less per unit. The tanks are removed from the press and the wash tray levers are switched to drain the fluid in the wash trays to a waste container. The waste container is large enough to accommodate several cycles of cleaning before it is required to be emptied. The blanket wash units are removed to expose the sponge roller resting in each wash-up tray. Simply remove the sponge roller and clean it by rolling into shop towels until all moisture is removed. Then the wash trays require cleaning, simply by wiping out with a shop towel. This removes any residual waste that does not drain into the waste container. Reinstall the sponge roller and the blanket was device. Because of the design Ryobi uses for its blanket washing, there is no consumable to replace, like the felts in the Heidelberg, so long as the sponge is maintained and is not allowed to dry out, filled with contaminated waste. One additional advantage Ryobi has over Heidelberg is that each wash-up device as a disengaging lever that separates the rubber roller from the metal pickup rollers, which if allowed to maintain contact overnight can possibly dry together which can result in damaging the rubber portion of the roller. This is a continued problem with the devices in the Heidelberg press, as the metal pickup roller is making continued contact with the rubber roller at all times. If the device is not manually rotated while saturating with wash fluid, tearing of the rubber can occur which results in reduced cleaning quality and costly replacement of rollers.

Plate Cylinders and Plate Cleaning Devices:

Both presses have the same basic functionality with removing old plate material and installing new plate rolls. Ryobi has added a couple of nice features which assist in the loading of the plate material. First, part of the installation process includes using the vacuum from the plate cleaning process to remain on while cleaning the plate cylinder. This helps remove debris from the cylinder that could otherwise get trapped between the plate and cylinder. The second added feature is during the starting procedure for changing the plate material, once a unit and a new plate roll is selected, the press will automatically wind up the material left on the supply roll onto the take-up roll and position the cylinder into position to remove the empty spool. On the safety side, Ryobi also has pinch bars to keep hands and fingers from getting caught while rotating the press with the plate cylinder doors open. They are positioned to stop the press in operating it in either direction. Heidelberg’s solution to safety is to use the inching feature, which requires the pressing of the operation button each time you need to forward or reverse the press.
The cleaning devices are quite a bit different in which Ryobi uses an encapsulated cleaning cloth, while Heidelberg uses a dry cloth that is moistened by a wetting system that pumps a mixture of detergent and water to the cloth. Both systems work well if properly maintained. Since Ryobi utilizes a design that houses two plates units per cylinder, it only requires two cleaning units for the press. Like the blanket wash-up devices, Heidelberg also has 4 individual plate cleaning devices. Heidelberg’s plate cleaning devices do require more extensive maintenance, as over time, the system can become clogged with corrosion and debris which can result in reduced fluid flowing to the cloth. While there is more work involved in keeping Heidelberg’s plate cleaning devices functional, it is a trade off to the additional expense incurred by Ryobi’s use of the encapsulated cloths. Ryobi also uses an additional rubber cleaning roller that agitates the plate after it has been imaged, in which it oscillates across the imaged plate to help loosen and remove the silicone on the plate.

Delivery:

Ryobi has put a little more thought and design into the delivery than has Heidelberg. Ryobi utilizes a set of suction and blowing devices to help the sheets deliver which help minimize scuffing and incorrect delivery of the sheet. Heidelberg does have fan controls to help in this area as well, but are not as advanced as Ryobi’s design. There is not much to discuss about the spray powder or the infrared units, as they are quite similar in design and function. Both presses utilize heat shields; Heidelberg has an aluminum shield that can be inserted below the 4th unit rollers while Ryobi has a shield that is built into the press below its 4th unit rollers.
Ryobi has individual side guides that require adjusting to set for the proper width of the sheet for delivery, while Heidelberg uses a chain system that is linked to the feeding unit which also makes the identical adjustments for the delivery that removes the need for adjustments.

Ink Rollers and Impression:

Heidelberg uses 3 form rollers for a total of 12 rollers per unit which includes the fountain roller, while Ryobi uses 4 form rollers for a total of 15 rollers which also include the fountain roller. Simply by the amount of rollers alone will tell you that Ryobi can maintain heavy coverage better than Heidelberg. But Ryobi takes it a step further with the design of their press by engineering it to make impression on every other revolution, which gives the rollers in each unit an entire revolution for ink recovery. For Heidelberg, as a sheet is fed through the press, each plate transfers its image to that unit’s blanket which is then transferred to the sheet against the impression cylinder. The impression cylinder is 4 sided to allow every unit to make impression on a single pass. This allows Heidelberg to have a higher maximum speed of 10,000 sheets per hour as compared to Ryobi’s 7,000 sheets per hour. Ryobi’s design is unique in which it passes each sheet of printed paper around the impression cylinder a complete revolution before it makes it way to the delivery. While both presses print in KCMY order, Ryobi actually houses units 1 (black) and 3 (magenta) in tower 1, while units 2 (cyan) and 4 (yellow) are in tower 2. This can be a little confusing at first glance, as the order of inks when looking at the press appears to be KMCY. This is designed in this fashion to allow for the extra revolution of ink recovery. As the sheet travels through the press, it makes impression with unit 1 as it first starts its journey. The impression cylinder is only 3 sided, so the press speed is limited to a maximum of 7,000 sheets per hour. After the sheet is imprinted by unit 1 in tower 1, it passes by the 3rd unit in the same tower to make impression at unit 2 in the second tower. The sheet continues its path around the impression cylinder to pass the 1st unit to make impression with unit 3 in tower 1 and finally making its way pass unit 2 in tower 2 to imprint unit 4 in the same tower and onto the delivery.

I will not compare the computer portion of the press or the features and functionality of the software in this review. Each press has many of the same features while Ryobi has a 9 year advantage, which is no close comparison at all. Both presses utilize a Harlequin RIP. Heidelberg’s resolutions allowed 1270 or 2540 dpi with line screens up to 175 line screen, while Ryobi’s line screen reaches up to 300 line as well as FM Stochastic screening. Ryobi does use a plate saving feature which allows the operator to select the amount of plate to be used for each job. Those selections are: full plate, sheet, or image size. The plate material is advanced in the increment that is selected. This can save money over a period of time if the operator commonly prints half sized media or smaller, such as envelopes, letterhead and carbonless forms.


Cheers,

Tracy

 

Very nice comparison, well thought out and written.

It is very interesting to note how advanced the QMDI was for its time, afterall the one reviewed was 11 years old. Towards the end of production in 2003 when the QMDI Pro came out the feeder was truly remarkable as it is the same one used on the SM52. It is hard to believe that was 7 years ago.

 

I have yet to experience the full effect on service yet, but do know that Heidelberg's service is top notch. Keeping knowledgeable techs available at the help desk and their speedy replies helped keep production flowing.
I recall one instance where I was working on a Saturday and the usual techs were not available at the help desk due to the setting up of Graph Expo and they could not resolve my issue immediately, but soon afterward I get a call from Germany and a gentleman with fairly good English was able to walk me through the problem and resolve the issue. Paul, I believe I have spoken with you several times over the course of my operation in Indy.

Cheers,

Tracy

 

I would not be surprised if we have spoke in the past. Along with 2 other of my colleagues I was responsible for the 2nd level support of the QMDI across the US.

I look forward to reading more of your posts...

 

I owned Full Color Direct, which unfortunately went out of business in October due to the failing economy. Luckily, my largest customer liked my work and bought the Ryobi DI for me to run at their shop.