 After 30 years, it’s still going
strong, performing the same vital function, but it is capable of more
than just turning paper, writes Lisa Berwin.
Not many machines can last three decades and still be used with
upgraded presses, changing markets and demanding output levels. The
Busch Pile Turner has achieved this however, and even its earlier
versions can still be found in use as a reliable part of the pressroom.
“As long as the machines are kept clean and lubricated we
have found that our customers need little else to keep them in good
working order,” says Ian Jones, managing director of Busch
Graphic Machinery in the UK. “Customers have been able to
update their presses time and time again without having
to change the pile turner. They are extremely robust so they have very
much stood the test of time.”
The service call outs for this machine have been so rare that when
Busch set up its sales arm in the UK in 1999 employing full-time
engineers seemed surplus to requirements.
“This is not to say that we are not totally committed to
service. We have trained 12 self-employed engineers nationwide
who can respond to any problem, and they also install new or used
machines for us,” Jones explains. “If they were
here full-time there simply would not be enough call outs for them to
respond to.”
Slow
starter
The pile turner itself was launched in 1976 by German manufacturer
Busch Graphische Machinery. It was initially quite a large machine with
the turning device run by gears. They were sold globally by Heidelberg,
but in the UK they were handled by a separate agent. Until 1999 there
were
only 15 Busch Pile Tuner installations in the UK, but since the
manufacturer set up a base in Oxfordshire to sell them itself more than
110 have been snapped up. Worldwide Busch are the largest manufacturers
of pile turners and make about 120 each year. To date approximately
1,500 have been installed worldwide.
At Ipex 1993, the first major advance for the Busch Pile Turner
occurred. Now powered by hydraulics and not gears, the machine took up
less than a third of the space of its predecessor.
There were two versions, the SE and SWH, which came in four sizes
– B1, B2 and sizes 6 and 7 for larger formats
and packaging manufacturers.
The options in the SWH series were L, which included turning and
airing, LA that added an alignment feature and RLA that added jogging.
The SE was the basic version, which was more economical and could have
jogging or airing options but on its own only turned.
Steady
demand
The older generation of the machine was phased out in the UK but there
are about 10 still working around the country. Last year one such
machine changed hands for around £4,000. There is a steady
demand for these machines on the secondhand market, although they are
fairly rare, they have proved a vital addition to many printers who had
previously not owned a pile turner.
Jon Whitehead, operations director of Halston Printers, a music and
commercial printer based in Amersham, had never used one in his
pressroom before aquiring another B1 commercial firm. “When
we took over we saw just how much time was taken lifting and turning
the paper,” he says. “We also became aware of how
much time people were off work with bad backs and knew this had to
change. Our company
had been going 86 years without a turner so I decided to buy secondhand
just to test it out. Now, without the machine it would be like losing a
limb.”
Multiple uses
Pile turners are important for their main turning function as it means
less heavy, potentially dangerous work for operators. However, they are
capable of much more than just turning paper. They can air paper,
blowing off dust and fibres that can enter the press leaving marks on
the paper. This is especially true with cartons and board where lots of
debris can build up. The debris can lead to extra cleaning time for an
operator on the blankets. Also, when spray powder is used on one side
of the paper to dry it for printing on the reverse side, excess powder
can cause similar problems. The airing function will eliminate this
before it is turned and sent through the press.
Pile turners do not only turn paper, they can turn many different
substrates, including board, cartons and plastics. The height of a
turned stack is not important and the weight lifted can be up to a
tonne on the B1 models.
Busch will buy back machines if it can and refurbish them before
re-selling with a 12 month warranty. Secondhand dealers sometimes have
them available if, for example, a factory
has gone into liquidation. Busch will always offer a full service and
spare parts to customers who have bought from other dealers.
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