Press’ perplexing problems frustrate NEWS staff, readers > Converted equipment’s innovative technology requires adjustments

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Persistent mechanical problems at the Bangor Daily News’ new production facility in Hampden have caused the newspaper to be marred by creases, tears and ink smudges. The problem has been frustrating to the paper’s pressmen, management, and readers.

In addition to the blemishes in the paper, the problems have caused production delays that sometimes have resulted in the late delivery of the paper.

Richard J. Warren, publisher, regrets the inconvenience to readers and to the Sunrisers, the young people who deliver the papers.

“But we can print a high-quality paper on this press,” Warren said. “We have done it and we will do it again.” Some of the problems with the new press showed up only after a couple of months of operation.

Full-time publishing at the new, $13 million Hampden facility started in February. The new press is not brand new, but is a previously used press that has beenconverted from letterpress to flexographic printing. It was converted by Publishers Equipment Corp. of Rockford, Ill.

The Bangor Daily News is the first newspaper in the country to convert an entire printing press to flexography. Some other papers have converted part of their printing system to flexography; others have completely new flexographic presses.

“We knew we were the first full conversion,” Warren said. As a result, he said, the NEWS is on the cutting edge of the technology.

According to Warren, a new flexographic press would have cost more than twice as much as the converted press. The ability to pay for the new facility was a big consideration, he said.

Warren also noted that the startup of new presses often is difficult. Problems with a new press in Davenport, Iowa, for example, recently caused an eight-hour delay in the delivery of a Sunday paper.

John Bishop, the NEWS’ vice president in charge of operations, acknowledged that being at the “leading edge” of the technology has resulted in some problems. “But we’ll get it,” Bishop said.

The NEWS executive said that although the problems wouldn’t be solved immediately, steady progress was being made.

The new press, about 80 feet long and weighing about 400 tons, contains thousands of moving parts. But three problem areas have caused most of the difficulty.

Bishop said that a successful press operation must have both good “runability” and good “printability.”

Runability relates to having the paper move smoothly through the press units. Printability relates to having a good image printed on the paper. Two of the major problem areas relate to runability; one relates to printability.

Paper is fed to the three-story press units from the ground level. When a roll of paper is depleted, the new facility’s units have automatic splicers that connect a new roll to the used-up roll. But the splicers haven’t been so automatic.

When the splicers don’t work properly, a “break” alarm automatically signals the press units to stop. Sometimes when this has happened, the paper in other units being fed into the press breaks also. Needless to say, this causes long delays.

Bishop said that the paper-feeding units need to be recalibrated. It is a touchy process. When the press is printing at the rate of 50,000 papers an hour, the paper literally is flying through the press configuration. Tension must be just right, or there can be tears.

The paper-feeding problems, said Bishop, should be solved with some new gearing.

The second runability problem is located on the third level of the press assembly, where the papers from the various press units meet and are folded before being cut into individual newspapers. This too is a gearing problem. If part of the system is off even a fraction of an inch, it can cause tears, wrinkles or creases to develop.

Bishop said that the folding-area problems also are ones of calibration and tension on the paper. Machinery designed to properly “gear” this process has been ordered.

The third problem area, relating to printability, is in the system that feeds ink to the presses. It is perhaps the most perplexing problem.

The water-base ink used in flexography is fed to the presses by means of 21 “Anilox” rollers. These rollers are cylinders roughly eight feet long and a foot in diameter. They are set up parallel to the cylinders on which the printing plates are fixed.

The basic material in the rollers is steel, but over the steel is a fine layer of copper. In this copper are etched 17,000 tiny cells per square inch. The etched cells then are plated with chrome.

As the roller turns in a chamber of ink, the ink penetrates the cells. Any excess ink is removed by a “doctor blade” set parallel to the rollers, above the ink chamber. Then, with just the right amount of ink, the Anilox rollers rotate against the press plates, leaving a layer of ink on the raised portions of the plates, which carry the image to be printed on the newsprint.

Next, the inked plates meet the newsprint which is passing through the units, and the image is left on the paper.

The ink smudges that have aggravated some NEWS readers and have left unsightly blemishes in some photo reproductions have resulted from these Anilox rollers performing inadequately.

For reasons not yet determined, the rollershave been aging prematurely. According to Bishop, they are supposed to last for 30 million to 50 million impressions; or, otherwise stated, they should last for the printing of that many individual newspapers. They haven’t been.

Bishop said that the rollers have been holding up only for 2 million to 7 million impressions. The result is a lot of maintenance and unplanned expense.

On some of the rollers, the chrome plating has worn off and the copper is easily visible. The problem with the Anilox rollers is the most difficult to solve, Bishop said. It is a problem that still is under study, but Bishop is convinced that it will be solved. First, he said, the runability problems must be corrected.

A bright spot at the Hampden facility has been the new mailroom, where papers are sorted and readied for delivery. The mailroom, Bishop said, has been quick and efficient. It has helped to make up for some of the delays in the production process.

Bishop also credits delivery personnel, including Sunrisers, with helping to handle the late deliveries.

Warren said that the pressmen like to do a job they can be proud of and that having to constantly deal with equipment-related problems has been a frustration for them.

Numerous readers of the NEWS also have voiced frustrations with the paper’s smudges and creases. Bill Crandall of Oakfield recently wrote a letter to the editor saying that he and the paper were aging at the same rate because they both had more wrinkles every day. Crandall’s letter was printed on a page with a sizable crease.