We have extensive experience worldwide on presses from all major manufacturers including manroland, KBA, Goss, TKS, Mitsubishi and Wifag.
Our retrofit solutions range from the replacement of drives or the adding of washing units up to the complete replacement of the control system and the addition of production management systems. In many cases it is possible to replace the control system without replacing the cabling on the press.
Many of our retrofit solutions are modular and allow the replacement of obsolete components on selected units, thereby freeing up spare parts for the remaining units. This minimizes the cost of prolonging the life of your press.
An ABB retrofit solution gives you peace of mind. Our control systems use standard industrial components that are available locally around the world and we guarantee the availability of identical or equivalent spare parts for at least ten years after the installation.
OUR SOLUTIONS
Drive replacement
- Drive replacement
- Control devices
- Console replacement
- Press reconfiguration
- Press extension
- Press control replacement
- Modular retrofit solutions
DRIVE REPLACEMENT
Old drives can be replaced with modern units, thereby improving reliability and eliminating problems with the unavailability of spare parts.
In addition, older DC drives of shafted presses can be replaced with new DCS880 drives or modern AC technology resulting in a reduction of maintenance costs.
For shaftless drives ABB can offer modular retrofit solutions for drive systems based on Sercos II/ Sercos III, CANopen and EtherCAT.
CONTROL DEVICES
Addition of washing, inking, ink density and register control devices
New washing and inking devices as well as register and ink density control systems, whether from the original press manufacturers or third-party suppliers, can be integrated into ABB control systems giving increased ease of operation.
CONSOLE REPLACEMENT
Replacement of control desks with modern consoles
Control desks on existing presses can be replaced with ergonomic, easy to use ABB consoles with modern product-oriented operation concepts. This can be done regardless of the existing control system. As well as eliminating problems concerning the potential non-availability of spare parts for the original desks, the product-oriented operation reduces errors and improves efficiency. In addition, the replacement of old control desks with ABB consoles opens the possibility of adding modern production management systems and integrated workflow solutions.
PRESS RECONFIGURATION
This is an attractive solution for shaftless presses, or conventional presses that are converted to shaftless.
Press units (either bridges or satellites, depending on the press configuration) can be restacked freely on a building-block principle to modify the press configuration according to customer needs. This concept can be used, for example, to move units from one press to others at the same site, therefore giving increased color capacity to a reduced number of presses, and allowing owners to better meet the requirements of their advertisers.
Examples of restacked presses include Südostschweiz Medien in Haag, Switzerland, and Joong Ang Ilbo, Korea, where the restacked Wifag OF7 units were extended with Hamada towers.
PRESS EXTENSION
Existing presses can be extended with, for example, additional towers from other press manufacturers. In such cases ABB works together with the end-customers and the manufacturers of the press extension to provide controls for the new units and integration with the existing press. Depending on the customer wishes, this could include the integration of the operation of the existing press in the new ABB control consoles or, indeed, the complete replacement of the controls of the old press.
Past references include La Vanguardia in Spain, L’Alsace in France and Norrköpings Tidningar in Sweden, where indeed three different press manufacturers came together in one press line.
PRESS CONTROL REPLACEMENT
We have supplied dozens of retrofitted control systems on presses from several different press manufacturers worldwide. The systems are based on standard ABB components such as controllers, control panels etc. that are in use in countless demanding industrial applications worldwide. This means that spare parts are also available everywhere.
The new press control system also means that the modern presetting functionality becomes available (as far as the press allows this) thereby reducing startup waste and improving quality.
The benefits of complete press control replacements are clear. The owner gets a modern, reliable control system which optimizes the quality and maximizes the productivity of the press without the enormous cost of replacing the steel. Owners will also find the long-term availability of ABB spare parts reassuring and a protection for their investment.
MODULAR RETROFIT SOLUTIONS
ABB has extensive worldwide experience retrofitting presses from all major manufacturers including Manroland, KBA, Goss, TKS, and Mitsubishi. ABB offers press-specific modular retrofit solutions tailored to individual manufacturers and requirements.
Examples include a 100% compatible operator panel that replaces obsolete displays for both original ABB control systems and modern AC500-based systems, and an adapter for plants using KT94 and KT98 PLC families that enables seamless replacement with AC500 technology without altering wiring or existing interfaces.
These represent just two of many modular retrofit options ABB offers to extend press life, modernize control systems, and minimize operational disruption.