By Jeff Peterson, editor-in-chief, PostPress

Eagle Systems has introduced a ‘game changer’ for the industry with the recent installation of its Eagle Systems’ Golden Eagle Package, which includes two separate Eagle units on one offset printing press.

The new installation, which took place at Carlson Print Group, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, includes a Cold Foil unit at thesecond tower of an 8-color Koenig & Bauer 106 with a double coater and a second separate Eagle Casting unit on a final station of the press to apply Cast and Cure™. This allows Carlson to apply cold foil, 4-color lithography plus PMS and Cast and Cure all in one smooth pass at full press speeds.

“When you can apply both processes inline, you can create a piece that really pops without handling it through multiple passes,” stated Carlson Print Group President Darren Carlson. “That ability increases throughput, decreases costs and protects the piece from being handled multiple times.”

The Golden Eagle Packages are fully networked machines, allowing inter-communications for various functions within both Eagle units. With this system, it constantly can monitor all the functions, and any alerts immediately are sent back to Eagle Systems. In the case of the two units installed at Carlson, both Golden Eagles have cameras on their network, with presets allowing constant monitoring at the delivery for both machines. In addition, each unit has a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) for normal operational functions such as run, jog and reset, eliminating mechanical switches and buttons.

The Eagle unit does not have separate tension controls because it maintains tensions and speed through its multi-tasking environment and the proprietary algorithms needed to smoothly run. The consistent tension on the Eagle System units also provides less foil dust around the printing press. Excessive foil dust can cause problems on-press and with the printing process. So, having proper tension eliminates foil dust problems. 

Eagle also offers its foil sync technology for cold foil, utilizing air shafts so the foil floats and helps eliminate damage to the foil. Cold foil can be fragile, especially with narrow webs. This technology for indexing can allow narrower webs to be used vs. a large foil roll and can save a significant amount of foil costs, depending on the final layout of the sheet.

“With our foil sync technology, it is not necessary to always use a large foil roll that is installed across the entire press sheet to apply cold foil inline on the offset press,” commented Mike King, Eagle Systems’ president. “If the layout allows, our Eagle units can run several smaller webs, potentially saving the customer thousands of dollars in foil costs – down to 2-inch-width rolls and any combination up to eight webs to the full width of the printing press abilities.”

Lastly, Eagle units run on an “eco platform,” which means both units use minimal power to run. The unwind is driven a slight percentage less than the press blanket speed. The slightest of tension creates a pulling effect constantly on the unwind, which then generates enough power to almost run the rewind. The faster the press runs, the less power is drawn with the internal generated power from unwind to rewind. The savings can be significant and create a more sustainable process. 

Carlson Print Group made the decision to install the double Eagle unit on its newest offset press to take advantage of the greatest efficiencies when applications call for cold foil, printing and Cast and Cure. Applications include packaging, posters, comic book covers and trading cards that use embellishments to add even more collectability.

“Currently, we are working on R&D with the combined foil and Cast and Cure in areas of security/fraud prevention for companies,” stated Carlson. “This is an area that lots of companies struggle with that needs a solution that is not easy to copy but is easy to recognize, without specialized equipment in the field.”

The new Eagle units on the Koenig & Bauer 106 have opened all types of opportunities to add embellishments for Carlson Print Group and provide a unique competitive advantage.

“The opportunities allow us to apply different embellishments/tactile coatings all in one pass,” concluded Rod Franson, Carlson Print Group’s technical sales manager. “This has created a higher quality, finished product and improved efficiencies at a more competitive price.”