Mitsubishi Heavy Industries announces the development of Japan’s first shaftless web offset press for commercial printing of flyers, brochures, magazines, books and other publications. Launched in Japan as the "LITHOPIA BT2-800SSS," this new press is to be marketed domestically beginning in August 2001. Adopting the same high-precision motor control technology first developed for Mitsubishi shaftless newspaper presses, each commercial web offset press component is driven independently through a series of individual motors. In overseas markets, independently motor-driven presses have become the mainstay, and Mitsubishi anticipates enormous potential for expanding sales in the domestic market with this new press model.

  In conventional commercial web offset presses, all units are driven through a series of gears trains and drive shafts linked to one main motor. The new LITHOPIA BT2-800SSS does away with the conventional drive system and instead utilizes individual motors at each unit for greater driving efficiency. The achievement of highly reliable and highly precise digital motor control technology combined with the experience gained in over two years of actual shaftless newspaper press operations, makes it possible to launch this versatile shaftless commercial web offset press with the capability of handling a variety of papers and inks and contributing to higher quality production runs.

  Shaftless presses with individual motors in place of conventional drive shafts offer lower running costs in addition to the features listed below.

  The LITHOPIA BT2-800SSS will be targeted to markets primarily involved in the publication of newspaper inserts which represents the major volume of B2 size print jobs. Specifications are listed in the table below.