Have you got a question for Heidelberg? It could be about anything from equipment to techniques to financing. Send us your questions, and we’ll forward them on to our in-house experts. If your question is used, the reply will be posted here and made available to all Printers Advantage members. So, ask your question today.
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NEW! We have a 6-unit SM 72F and a 4-unit SM 72V, all manufactured between 1980 and 1990. We are planning on relocating the machines to our new factory which does not have air conditioning. Can we place the machines in the new factory without air conditioning? What is the recommended temperature range for the machines to operate properly? |
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Both the temperature and relative humidity play a role in the pressroom. In printing, consistency is crucial for success. The temperature of your pressroom should remain between 68 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit and the relative humidity should range between 35% and 55%. These criteria must be met in order to ensure top performance of not only your Heidelberg presses, but also the substrate that they print on. Please consult with our Systemservice experts if you have additional questions about your move or equipment. |
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NEW! We are experiencing repeated trip out with the breaker for the compressor on our QM 46. When the problem began this occurred maybe once a week, but more recently it happens several times per day. Do you have any solutions to this issue? |
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You may need to replace your HVK board. There is a new version HVK board that is fused at a higher rating to replace your old one. Also, the pneumatic pressure switches may need replacing. We recommend having all of these electrical items replaced by a Heidelberg Technician. The newer pneumatic pressure switches are wired in a different pattern, and we therefore do not recommend repairing this without the support of a Heidelberg Service Technician.
For help replacing these parts,
Call: 1-800-437-7388
Email: hus.systemservice@heidelberg.com
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FEATURED - My QM 46 randomly shuts down in the middle of the run. When this happens, the screen goes dead. To fix this, the entire machine must be restarted, which resets the plate status. This results in a forced plate eject and we lose all of the saved settings for the job. Do you have any idea why this is happening? Is there a way to tell the machine that it DOES have a plate loaded? |
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All of these issues are related and can be resolved with the same fix. The wiring harness has a loose connection. You can either replace the wiring harness on the X7 plug or have a Heidelberg Service Technician reseat the wires on the existing plug with a special amp tool. The latter would be a less expensive fix. This will fix the issue of the machine losing the 5 volt connection which causes the memory loss and the screen blanking out. As far as telling the machine that the plates are still loaded, the only way to do this is to go through the autoplate method of lining up the cylinders and remounting the plates. The plates do not have to be removed to do this. Once the wire connection is fixed, the plate issue will be solved as well.
If you would like a Service Technician to help reseat the wires:
Call: 1-800-437-7388
Email: hus.systemservice@heidelberg.com |
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NEW! The light at the feeder of my QM 46 went out. I bought a replacement bulb for it but it still won’t come on. The light box on the press has the number 11E1 on it. Is there a special light bulb I need or can I use any replacement with the same value as the one that comes with the press? |
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You can get an aftermarket bulb but you have to make sure it is a heavy duty bulb or it will blow out immediately. To see the difference visually, look at the prongs that plug the bulb in and follow them up to the filament. The prongs that go up to the filament go across continuously, become the filament, and come back down to the other prong. With the light duty bulb, the filament on top is a separate wire and much thinner than the posts. |
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NEW! Recently the cylinder on our 1985 GTO 52 has been hard to turn while trying to change a plate or blanket, regardless of whether it is in manual or we use the electric button. I have no idea what is happening as it has worked fine in the past. Do you have any suggestions to fix this problem? |
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It may be that the brake on the main drive motor needs to be adjusted. We would suggest you have a Heidelberg service technician visit to fix this issue.
Call: 1-800-437-7388
Email: hus.systemservice@heidelberg.com |
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FEATURED - I have a 2.5 year old Printmaster QM 46-2. The first unit has a permanent water shock mark about 3” down from the gripper edge, running across the entire sheet left to right. Running a solid in this area shows a lighter excess water mark about 2mm or less in width. Nothing I have tried will eliminate the mark, including replacing all of the soft rubber dampening rollers. Do you have any suggestions to fix this problem? |
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The following are remedies for Stripe Formation Conditioned by Machines: - When maintaining the rollers, only use appropriate cleansing agents. The weekly application of a wash paste removes lime deposits, and will regenerate the rollers.
- Adjust the rollers in accordance with the instruction manual. Inspect the adjustment regularly.
- Change used rollers. The rubber surface of older rollers becomes glossy and over-smooth. At the same time, as their hardness increases, the edges bulge out in the shape of a trumpet. More pronounced abrasion becomes evident.
- Adjust reciprocation of the ink form rollers
- The dampening distribution cylinder must be kept clean and receptive to water.
- The roll bearings must be in fine working condition (no play, no sticking).
- Lubricate the roll bearings.
- Set the ink form rollers as gently as possible on the printing plate. By doing this, impacts stemming from the run-on and run-off edges are reduced.
- The bearer ring should be kept clean and grease-free.
- The calibrated underpacking should be clean, cut in a format to fit, and correctly inserted.
- Clamping between the plate and the blanket should range between .1mm and a max .13mm (.004-.051 in).
- Clamping between the blanket and the counterpressure should be set in consideration of the surface of the printing stock. Avoid clamping that is set too high.
- Always prepare dampening solution according to instructions (pH value and conductivity). The Ideal dampening solution has a water hardness of 8-12 dH, a pH-value of 4.8-5.5, and a temperature ranging from 50-59 degrees Fahrenheit.
Please contact us if you would like the assistance of a Heidelberg Service Technician.
Call: 1-800-437-7388
Email: hus.systemservice@heidelberg.com
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NEW! Occasionally, I have trouble with the plate not coming off of the 2nd unit of my Quickmaster 46. The indicator light says that I have a plate jam (error SF 3+7 92) and I have a lot of trouble getting the error to clear. Sometimes it will clear right away and other times it takes forever. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can clear that easily? |
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Your plate may not be coming off all the time due to the following.
First, it may be that the AutoPlate assembly needs to be adjusted. It could also be because the plate clamp height is not fully open. When clearing the plate error, you must take extra special care that you are following the exact sequence each time.
We would recommend a service call to ensure the proper operation and adjustment of this plate assembly. |
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Is there a retrofit possibility for installing a laser slit fountain on a Quickmaster 46? I have a project that I could run on the Quickmaster, but I would need to have better control of ink distribution. I’ve seen that there are third party replacements for Quickmasters and wondered if I could add the laser slit ink fountain from the Printmaster 46 to my Quickmaster 46. |
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There is no retrofit kit for this, but it is possible to do. To add the laser slit ink fountain from the Printmaster 46 to a Quickmaster 46, you will need to completely replace the ink fountain as well as the ink fountain roller.
A Heidelberg service technician can ensure all parts are correct and the conversion is within tolerence.
Please contact us if you would like assistance in this project.
Call: 1-800-437-7388
Email: hus.systemservice@heidelberg.com |
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I am having trouble with ink "piling" on the water metering rollers on a GTO-5 with DDS dampening, is this an ink/fountain solution issue or a roller adjustment? |
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Ink piling is normally an ink/dampening solution issue, where the ink is not able to withstand the strength of the fountain solution, either due to the mixture ratio or the type of solution altogether.
If it is the same solution you run normally, you most likely have a contamination issue that can be taken care of by washing the press with HOT WATER AND WHITE VINEGAR, (do not use a chemical deglaze or the like, as it is very hard on the rollers). The hot water will chase out the water based contaminates and the vinegar will chase the mineral deposits out of the rollers.
It may be necessary to do this several times to get the problem to go away, and it should be done on a weekly basis afterwards to prevent further contamination problems. |
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I have a SM 74 that I’m having trouble getting a Color wash done. I’m using my Yellow unit to go to varnish. Can you outline a color wash procedure? I have washed 3x and still yellow. |
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I would suggest for a color wash up procedure to try the following:- After the initial wash up allow a roller paste to run onto the rollers for several minutes.
- Rinse rollers as you normally would.
- As an alternative to the roller paste you could use opaque white to pull out the yellow ink.
- Double check roller setting to ensure proper contact points.
You can contact your local service manager or Systemservice sales representative by calling toll free 1-800-437-7388. |
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