by Lara Copeland, contributing editor, PostPress
Nearly all types of lithographic printing presses, six towers or greater, can be adapted to include a cold foil module and realize the effects that can be achieved with cold foil and 4-color overprinting in one pass. The Eagle Cold Foil Module from Eagle Systems, Ocean, New Jersey, can be retrofitted to almost any new or existing offset press without altering or interfering with the functions or electronics of the existing press.
With more than 40 years of experience with foil machinery and process, Eagle Systems always has strived to improve upon its machinery and add technological developments to its Eagle products – specifically engineering highly productive equipment to meet the need of the printing industry and the needs of the environment. Recently, Eagle Systems has added new and exciting features for cold foiling with the introduction of its Eagle Low Profile (LP), Eagle High Volume (HV) and the new Eagle Foil Sync.
The multitude of new features on these Eagle cold foil units offer several advantages for users. Eagle LP is perfect for companies that do not have the appropriate ceiling height in their production areas to accommodate the cold foiling unit and crane. The LP unit can offer the same cold foiling technology with the ability to be installed and fit into much less space and height.
Eagle Systems also has introduced the Eagle HV, which offers fewer foil changes to companies that have extremely high-volume runs with the ability to hold foil rolls as large as 32,000 meters. Newly installed units also include the Non-Telescoping System (NTS) that helps simplify the winding and rewinding of the foil on the cold foil unit.
The third introduction from Eagle Systems – Eagle Foil Sync – is added to its cold foil modules when the area that is to be foiled is in a smaller, specific spot on the sheet. This new feature allows one web of foil to be used several times by syncing the position where the foil is applied in each run, which can result in major foil savings. Finally, the Eagle Cold Foil Modules now include the new Eagle Information Center (NEIC) that is totally informational and mounted near the delivery of the machine.
All the features above save time, money and create less downtime, which can translate into a greater return on investment. The new internal features of the Eagle make it easier for set-up and allow for less operator involvement. This provides more time to work on the printing process instead of cold foil concerns. Furthermore, the new NTS feature is either on or off and is no longer adjustable, so the operator is either using it or not, providing less for the operator to be concerned with when moving from a cold foil job back to a printing job. In addition to being an information center, the NEIC includes a video feed and an error/error history screen for press operators.
The goal for these new additions to the Eagle Systems Cold Foil Module is to create a unit that is easy to set up and run. Many of the changes and additions come about by listening to press operators and applying those suggestions. Eagle Systems’ Cold Foil Modules will be on display at drupa on stand 16C16, June 16 to 26, Dusseldorf, Germany.
