The legend of Vulcan Mytho
Date: 16.10.16
The legend of Vulcan Mytho
Sometimes an offset blanket is developed that so perfectly meets the needs of the printer that its name is not only synonymous with quality and reliability, but it becomes almost a legend in the industry. Vulcan Mytho is just such an example in the heatset market. Launched by Trelleborg Printing Solutions, the neutral-feed blanket has been highly acclaimed for its low power consumption compared to positive-feed versions, a benefit that is particularly noted with uncoated LWC paper.
With changes to press design, faster running speeds and demands for lower costs, plus greater productivity and quality, the ability to print successfully on to different types of stock – coated, uncoated and LWC – is extremely appealing. Being able to achieve higher tolerances on the press infeed means that it is possible to reduce the infeed setup yet maintain the same paper tension throughout the printing units.
The result of this is fewer paper breaks when using low grammage stock, a significant factor affecting the profitability of the job. In addition, when printing stock between 80 – 90 gsm, consistent paper tension throughout the web equates to less piling, slurring or doubling.
“Every press operator knows of the frustrations of having to carry out frequent blanket washes, while management knows of the frustrations of lost production!” says Diego Vincenzi, production manager at Mediagraf, Padova Italy. “Reduced piling leads to fewer washes and with each washing cycle typically leading to around 250 wasted copies this is a considerable amount of saved revenue.”
It’s a point taken up by Cristiano Bettè, R&D director for Trelleborg Printing Solutions. “At Trelleborg we have fifty years of experience of offset blankets and their impact on press performance. A one-hour stoppage on a modern 24-page heatset press represents about 450 Euros of lost production and on a 64-page press this is around 1,000 Euros. These figures are fairly easy to calculate. What is less easy to work out is the effect on profits and customer satisfaction because of poor print quality, which can often be the result of web fluttering due to inconsistent tension throughout the web.”
Trelleborg’s R&D team came up with a unique carcass construction when they created the Vulcan Mytho and subsequent tests by the industry’s leading press manufacturers have confirmed the benefits of the design – a fact echoed by heatset printers around the world. At 1.70 mm, the 3-ply blanket matches others on the market for thickness, as well as compressibility, gauge loss and roughness profile. It is its outstanding paper release properties that put Vulcan Mytho in a league of its own.
“Vulcan Mytho is still the only rubber, neutral-feed, offset blanket on the market,” says Cristiano Bettè. “Its successful use on all heatset presses for printing a huge range of products, from books and catalogs to commercial leaflets and magazines, has made it extremely popular around the globe. Combining the absolute minimum paper wastage with the highest print quality, Vulcan Mytho is indeed a legend within the offset blanket world.”
With changes to press design, faster running speeds and demands for lower costs, plus greater productivity and quality, the ability to print successfully on to different types of stock – coated, uncoated and LWC – is extremely appealing. Being able to achieve higher tolerances on the press infeed means that it is possible to reduce the infeed setup yet maintain the same paper tension throughout the printing units.
The result of this is fewer paper breaks when using low grammage stock, a significant factor affecting the profitability of the job. In addition, when printing stock between 80 – 90 gsm, consistent paper tension throughout the web equates to less piling, slurring or doubling.
“Every press operator knows of the frustrations of having to carry out frequent blanket washes, while management knows of the frustrations of lost production!” says Diego Vincenzi, production manager at Mediagraf, Padova Italy. “Reduced piling leads to fewer washes and with each washing cycle typically leading to around 250 wasted copies this is a considerable amount of saved revenue.”
It’s a point taken up by Cristiano Bettè, R&D director for Trelleborg Printing Solutions. “At Trelleborg we have fifty years of experience of offset blankets and their impact on press performance. A one-hour stoppage on a modern 24-page heatset press represents about 450 Euros of lost production and on a 64-page press this is around 1,000 Euros. These figures are fairly easy to calculate. What is less easy to work out is the effect on profits and customer satisfaction because of poor print quality, which can often be the result of web fluttering due to inconsistent tension throughout the web.”
Trelleborg’s R&D team came up with a unique carcass construction when they created the Vulcan Mytho and subsequent tests by the industry’s leading press manufacturers have confirmed the benefits of the design – a fact echoed by heatset printers around the world. At 1.70 mm, the 3-ply blanket matches others on the market for thickness, as well as compressibility, gauge loss and roughness profile. It is its outstanding paper release properties that put Vulcan Mytho in a league of its own.
“Vulcan Mytho is still the only rubber, neutral-feed, offset blanket on the market,” says Cristiano Bettè. “Its successful use on all heatset presses for printing a huge range of products, from books and catalogs to commercial leaflets and magazines, has made it extremely popular around the globe. Combining the absolute minimum paper wastage with the highest print quality, Vulcan Mytho is indeed a legend within the offset blanket world.”