DICOweb
Offset printing without the plates

DICO stands for digital changeover, and this press lives up to its name, capable of speeding from job-to-job in less than ten minutes. Only two of those minutes are required for imaging the press. An exclusive MAN Roland design utilizes laser imaging heads and a patented thermoplastic transfer medium to apply the job directly to the DICOweb's image carrying cylinders. Then when the print run is completed, the image is automatically erased to ready the cylinders for the next project.

DICOweb's unique ability to image, erase and re-image jobs results in significant productivity gains for the printer who uses the new system. That and its 30,000 impression per hour run rate makes DICOweb a suitable replacement for older sheetfed equipment.

The DICOweb is, as the name says, more of a digital changeover device than a press, since the printer actually earns his money with efficient changeovers.

DICOweb's plateless design allowed MAN Roland engineers to incorporate many of the industry's latest mechanical developments into the system. For instance, the press is powered by digitally controlled motors that drive its print units directly, eliminating the need for external shafts and gear trains.

Also: DICOweb's plate and blanket cylinders are crafted as tubular sleeves. That allows the pressman to change them quickly and easily. But more importantly, the advanced mechanical features improve printing performance. With a seamless cylinder, you have eliminated from the device the greatest enemy of quality and speed, and the greatest limit on print quality ≈ vibration.

DICOweb's modular nature also helps preserve the printer's investment in the system. Down the road, DICOweb-equipped plants will be able to switch to different cutoff sizes and even different print processes to better accommodate their customers' needs.

MAN Roland researchers are already studying the development of ferroelectric image carrying cylinders that incorporate the principle of ⌠memory ceramics.■ That would give DICOweb the ability to swap-out variable data elements within an image on the fly, while retaining the main fixed elements of the job. The advancement would cut down on the time and expense of re-RIPping entire pages to produce one-to-one and variable data products.