Packing on Windmill
Hey guys, im about to do my first job (got an operator coming in to help as im quite new to this) but i decided to just test out some impressions (without ink) to see if i could get a nice impression. Now before i get all the comments about deep impression/crash printing shouldnt be done etc etc this is what my clients are wanting. I packed the press to the specification of the gauge on the delivery side with 2 sheets of acetate (100micron clear binding covers) under the top sheet with provides a nice hard surface…i didnt include the sheet i would be printing with though when measuring the packing (as stated in the manual) because that suggests kiss impression no ? Anyway i have my impression strength at 8 and was getting quite nice results (no massive bulging at the back and my impression goes up to 20 on the dial, its a 13 x 18 1953 windmill )
Any negatives about this method of packing ?
I was also thinking about putting a rubber blanket as the packing, quite a hard one but soft enough to allow for a deeper impression without having to strain the machine…thoughts ?
Thanks,
Picholas
acetate
thanks edited
With softer packing (such as a rubber blanket), you’re more likely to push the impression through the sheet. The goal for impression, as I was taught, is deep enough to feel but not so deep that you can see it on the back of the sheet. I find hard packing works best for that.
I can’t speak to a 13x18 press, but 8 on the impression dial seems awfully high. I have a 10x15 and rarely go to 3. I would check to see how even the impression is from top to bottom of the sheet. The more impression you dial in, your pressure shifts to the top of the platen and you need to balance it out with packing.
Jonsel, thanks for the reply…i think our impression levers are a bit different, i must undo a bolt and retighten it onto the impression i want from 0 - 20, i kiss die cut on around 3-4. I was getting quite even results, slightly more ontop so i added some make ready and put impression down slightly and it even out nicely.
Quite likely. I don’t have much knowledge of the larger Heidelberg. As long as you have even impression on your print, you should be fine. Show us some pictures when you’re finished!
Alright well see how it goes :P doing it this Saturday so will post then !
Hey guys, did my order today…well half of it :( i had to deboss and then print. deboss was fine and packing worked great :) gunna post another topic now about the issue i have…spent to whole day trying to solve it with the operator but we no success :( lot of money down the drain…