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In the dynamic world of print and packaging production, energy management is a critical concern. At the recent drupa event, our innovative energy management system, VisuEnergy X, was able to turn quite a few heads by promising potential energy savings of up to 47%.
Of course, energy management is highly individual and depends on the specific machinery set-up and production processes. The 47 % is reachable though – and here, we explain how to make it a reality.
VisuEnergy X isn’t just another energy management tool, it’s a game-changer. It not only measures how much energy is being used or saved. In addition, it transmits measurements to a secure, cloud-based platform and visualises the data to provide real-time insights. Moreover, it is the only system that correlates the measured energy consumption values with the production speed of your printing presses. For example, energy consumption in kWh per 1,000 sheets or CO2 emissions per 1,000 sheets can be calculated, making it easier for users to identify inefficiencies in the printing process.
This is facilitated by comprehensive dashboards that highlight energy weaknesses and opportunities for improvement. These insights empower you and your team to develop concrete action plans that enhance your energy efficiency. And the best thing is: Implementing these measures of course can lead to continuous improvement, which in turn may result in sustained energy efficiency gains.
Measurement and Monitoring
Consider a mid-sized print production facility using conventional infrared/hot air dryers on their sheetfed offset presses. Printing machines are the largest energy consumers within the entire company, with the most significant energy-saving potential found in optimising the drying systems.
Thus, one big lever is dryer optimisation: Staff can be trained to reduce dryer power without compromising print quality. The common practice of running dryers at full capacity is often unnecessary, leading to significant energy waste.
Another factor with a lot of impact on energy efficiency is the reduction of machine speed in specific processes. This measurably results in additional energy savings.
A case study: Saving energy with the Rapida 106 X
One case we can take a closer look at is a standard packaging print job on a seven colour Rapida 106 X with coater. Is it possible to identify substantial energy-saving potentials using VisuEnergy X on a standard packaging job? Yes, it absolutely was. We discovered this in special print tests conducted at our Customer Experience Center in Radebeul.
One of the key strategies involves reducing the printing speed. By gradually decreasing the speed from 20,000 sheets per hour to 15,000 sheets per hour, the energy consumption of the printing machine was reduced by approximately 22%, and the dryer’s energy consumption was lowered by about 14%. However, it’s clear that with full order books and urgent delivery requests, a large number of jobs cannot run at anything less than maximum speed. That’s why it’s important to take a look at the drying process.
Efficient dryer usage can often contribute to even more significant savings, as demonstrated here in our particular practical case: By optimising the dryer settings during the printing process – specifically, shutting off the infrared component and optimising the hot air component – an energy saving of approximately – you guessed it – 47 % was achieved compared to the initial run at the same production speed. This adjustment saved 40 kW.
Assuming a dryer runtime of 10 hours, this results in a saving of 400 kWh per day. At a typical energy price for Germany of 0.30 €/kWh, this translates to a daily saving of € 120.
Additionally, using the typical CO2 emission factor for electricity in Germany, this represents a reduction of 174 kg of CO2, which is achieved solely through raising awareness and training the operating staff.
5 Steps to help you achieve the best results
To help you achieve similar results, here are five steps where digitalisation and sustainability go hand in hand:
VisuEnergy X offers the tools to identify substantial energy savings potential tailored to the unique demands of the print and packaging industries. By focusing on the most energy-intensive components, such as dryers, and employing a comprehensive energy management strategy, facilities can achieve remarkable efficiency improvements.
We are very proud that only VisuEnergy X provides the specific energy metrics needed for printing businesses, ensuring you stay ahead of the competition and meet your sustainability goals.
Ready to take the next step in energy efficiency? Discover how VisuEnergy X can transform your facility’s energy consumption and drive your sustainability efforts forward.
With PrintFusion, the interface between Koenig & Bauer Rapida presses and the prepress software from HYBRID Software, your workflow becomes even more efficient. PrintFusion enables a bidirectional exchange of information that ensures seamless integration and automation of production processes. Thanks to the jointly developed PrintFusion interface, data such as setting parameters and positions of measuring elements are automatically exchanged between prepress and the printing presses. The automated data exchange leads to significant increases in efficiency and error prevention, as manual intervention and repetitive tasks are eliminated.
For the development of PrintFusion, HYBRID Software and Koenig & Bauer have combined their expertise to create a highly automated and efficient production environment that meets the requirements of the modern printing industry. This collaboration will continue on an ongoing basis in order to constantly optimise the interface and integrate new functions. One example of this is the automatic feedback to compensate for process-related substrate stretching, which is already being introduced as part of a pilot customer programme.
PrintFusion has been presented to the public for the first time at this year’s leading trade fair for printing technologies. Visitors will have the opportunity to gain an exclusive insight into the first results of the close partnership between HYBRID Software and Koenig & Bauer. Through automation and the intelligent exchange of data between prepress and press, PrintFusion will set new standards in print production and pave the way for a sustainable and high-performance future in the printing industry.
With FOLLOW, Koenig & Bauer is building a bridge between analogue packaging and the digital world. Discover the universe of new possibilities that the cloud-based platform and the associated app have in store for printing businesses, brand owners and consumers.
Under the project title “Printing Goes Metaverse”, Koenig & Bauer is building a bridge from classic printing to the metaverse in collaboration with NABA (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, Milan) and epda (european brand & packaging design association). With the support of Italian design students, a project was realised that uses NFT technology to authenticate luxury goods such as limited edition handbags, jewellery or valuable trading cards. The luxury jewellery brand “Gemme” was created as an exemplary visualisation.
Digital proof of ownership is used instead of conventional paper certificates of authenticity. The forgery-proof blockchain technology is impressively demonstrated using special printing technologies and a digital app. This innovative combination of digital proof of authenticity and the traditional art of printing shows how the printing industry is connecting with the new digital reality of the Metaverse.
An NFT is a blockchain-based token that represents digital or physical assets such as artworks, digital content or media. Unlike other cryptocurrencies, each NFT is unique and non-exchangeable. It serves as a digital certificate of ownership and authenticity and enables owners to trade and sell their assets.
Brands from the luxury goods segment in particular are using NFT technology to enable customers to connect the digital and physical worlds. The main focus here is on the experience of being able to use the purchased product in the digital world. In addition, forgery-proof authentication can be guaranteed by NFT’s unique verifications with a complete history and absolute security.
Using a special printing process, functional structures that react to the touch of smartphone sensors can be applied to almost any printed product, creating a link between the physical product and the digital application. In combination with QR codes, this creates a forgery-proof proof of ownership. Customers receive both an origin-verified, printed NFT-Twin and the physical original.
With ten revolutionary products and technologies, Koenig & Bauer set a strong signal for the future of the printing industry at drupa 2024. Here you will find an overview of all product novelties and exclusive video highlights!
