Crabtree of Gateshead, Manufacturer and Global Supplier of Quality Metal Printing Machinery


Fastready Gen3
High Production

Crabtree’s philosophy of continuous improvement has led to what is undoubtedly the machine that is most suited to overcome the problems facing Canmakers today. Crabtree changes the wisdom of “Changeovers costing money” into “Changeovers making profit”.
Fastready Gen3 fulfils all of the needs and desires of the serious Canmakers making it the natural choice for the future. The latest creation is an evolution from the original Fastready series.

No other machine can change over quicker in any changeover circumstances. Every aspect honed to reduce both time and effort whilst maintaining accuracy giving assured quality. Being specifically designed for metal, it is robust and produced to a modular system that can be expanded to meet future requirements and withstand years of continuous production.
Performance Excellence
The Crabtree Fastready Gen3 excels in the areas of
  • Excellent print quality.
  • Lowest make-ready times.
  • High output.
  • Repeatable.
  • Reliable.
  • Fastest return on investment.

Fastready Gen3
Infeed
The key to accurate registration is that each sheet is fed into the press and handled in exactly the same way every time. The sheet is transported by an efficient system of belts, sheet supports and pushers of an improved design.

Each sheet passes through the press flat and tangential to the impression cylinder thereby reducing sheet distortion. Outer sheet supports have been extended to fully support the sheet into the gripper and the altered differential speed between impression cylinder and pushers reduces front edge damage at high speeds. Photo below shows extended plastic top plate on Fastready Gen3 Press Infeed.

 

Fastready Gen3
Inking System
The increase in machines supplied with u/v curing has led Crabtree to develop the Fastready Gen3 inking system. Ghosting, water marking and ink density variations are eliminated with redesigned roller positions and roller configuration. Roller oscillation is maximised to give smoother ink coverage from the front to back of the sheet.
Extensive testing and development of the roller system has been carried out in house and at selected sites to assure most efficient system available today.

The inking rollers when washed automatically use an independent motor. Not only is the cycle programmable, other functions of the changeover can be done whilst the roller wash is taking place, effectively reducing the time taken to change the plates, wash the blankets and impression cylinders to zero.
View of new reciprocating ink roller design showing external adjustments.
Main ink drum and oscillating rollers designed to allow water cooling. This will keep the temperature of the rollers consistent whatever the environment helping to achieve output quality if this option is taken.

 

 

Designed to meet the requirements for high accuracy printing and fast make-ready, the unique features of the improved infeed include:
  • Full CNC operation.
  • Re-designed sheet support system to benefit thinner and double reduced materials.
  • Optional vacuum system to assist in the registration of thin tinplate and aluminium.
  • Interchangeable sidelays to the feed or driveside of the press.
  • Dual purpose sidelays for improved registration on both body plate and scroll.
  • Improved sheet handling and reduced distortion for larger and thinner sheets with magnetic side guides.
  • Reduced front edge damage on multiple passes.
  • Improved design paired pusher system ensures that each sheet is registered with consistent accuracy.



Fastready Gen3
Impression Cyclinder (Magnetic)
The Fastready Gen3 has a magnetic impression cylinder fitted as standard to improve its ability to handle lightweight tinplate. The design of the front lays and grippers on the impression cylinder ensures high accuracy register without damaging the leading edge of the sheet, thus maintaining sheet flatness.


Fastready Gen3
Skew Control
Any fit or registration adjustments to the sheet are done electronically, the machine does not have to be stopped, and if necessary, they can be changed whilst the sheets are running through the machine. Each of the two front lays can be adjusted either forward or backward on all decks.

Machine operators work smarter and not harder with Crabtree.



Fastready Gen3
Delta® Dampening System
The damping system is a four-roller continuous alcohol type with a fountain roller, metering roller, dampening forme roller, an oscillating ink receptive bridge roller and a drive arrangement facilitating the selection of the ‘Delta®’ feature.
  1. Printing plate
    cylinder hydraulic
  2. Blanket cylinder
  3. Impression cylinder
  4. Delta dampener
  5. Computerised ink
    duct
  6. Inking rollers
  7. High speed infeed
  8. Vacuum infeed
    (Option)
  

Delta® is the process where the dampening forme roller rotates with a circumferential speed different to that of the plate cylinder. The Delta® Dampening feature can be switched in or out during the print run with no disturbance to the printing process.

The benefits of Delta® Dampening are the removal of print defects called plate hickies caused by particle contamination of the plate, improved print fidelity, contrast and improved screen characteristics. The oscillating bridge roller can be used to connect the dampener to the inking train during the print run to ‘run integrated’, and during wash up to clean the forme roller. Control of the dampening film is achieved using three controls, fountain roller nip adjustment, fountain roller skew adjustment and metering roller speed adjustment.

 

Fastready Gen3
Motorised Stock Thickness
The stock thickness is now motorised and adjusted from the control console to ensure the correct printing pressure.
Small adjustments for printing pressure can be made without the need to stop the line in production.

 
Fastready Gen3
Power Operated Plate Change
Plate changing has never been simpler, speed and automation are not compromised by allowing the operator to physically have to locate the printing plate on to the machine.

Only by taking this care at the early stage, time can be saved when the jobs have to have their colours adjusted to fit together. Accuracy is key here, all decks can have their plates changed at the same time as each deck has separate drives.
Plate Change Sequence
Step One
Step Two
Step Three
Step Four

Fastready Gen3
Swift Changeover
Plate changing has never been simpler; speed and automation are not compromised by allowing the operator to physically have to locate the printing plate on to the machine.

Watch this video clip and see how quickly and easily Changeovers are with the Fastready Gen3.

 

 
Fastready Gen3
Computer Operation of Ink Duct
Ink density is set from the computer controlled unit supplied by Crabtree. Each key on the ink duct is set and adjusted from a control desk located close to the press. This system dramatically reduces make-ready time since settings for a particular production run can be stored and recalled when the job is next run.
Six Axis CNC
CNC control allows the automatic adjustment of sheet size, back to front and side fit from the control console.

CNC operation of the infeed unit ensures rapid and accurate set up of the press.
Servo motors are fitted in place of the manual handwheels to control the position of -
  • Fixed and sprung sidelays.
  • Feed and driveside sideguides.
  • Sheet length.
  • Plate cylinder circumferential adjustment.
  • Fixed speed DC motor controls the front lays.

All changes for each press unit are made from one console where the operator is prompted for input settings on the screen. The standard Fastready Gen3 is a full CNC press with six axis CNC and computerised ink ducts.

The press can be purchased in a non CNC version and the computer ink duct then becomes an option.
CNC Features
  • User friendly touchscreen:
    Control console features a user friendly Siemens HMI touch screen with Windows operating system for fast and easy operator control.
  • Redundant axis feature:
    If a problem occurs with one or more of the six axes then this feature allows the operator to disable the faulty axis so they can be manually positioned. The operator will then still have total control of all other axes allowing production to continue, thus increasing machine availability.
  • I/O status feature:
    If a problem occurs this feature provides an overview of the CNC system. The screen is a useful maintenance tool when fault finding.
  • Jobs screen:
    When a job has been entered into the CNC system it can be saved in a specialised path. The next time the job is required all the relevant information is downloaded to the system automatically, thus reducing changover time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
View of sheet size screen
View of menu screen

Fastready Gen3 and Universal Feeder
Specification
Sheet Sizes Maximum
Minimum
Thickness
1200 x 1000mm
710 x 510mm
0.13 to 0.4mm
Printing Area Maximum
1200 x 995mm
Printing Plate
Or to suit customer’s requirements 		Width x Length
Thickness
Underpacking
Front of plate to start of print
1200 x 1130mm
0.30 or 0.40mm
0.20 or 0.10mm
78mm
Printing Blanket
Or to suit customer’s requirements 		Width x Length
Thickness
Underpacking
1212 x 1250mm
1.95mm
0.15mm
Gripper Margin Minimum
5mm
Space Occupied
Length - Fastready Gen3/1 with feeder
Fastready Gen3/2 with feeder
Fastready Gen3/3 with feeder
Fastready Gen3/4 with feeder
Fastready Gen3/5 with feeder
Fastready Gen3/6 with feeder
Width
Height
6900mm
10800mm
14750mm
18700mm
22650mm
26600mm
3710mm
2280mm
Feeder Pile Height (including pallet)
With conveyor rolls
650mm
575mm
Weight of Stock (maximum approx.)
5 Tonnes
Net Weight
(approx.)		 Fastready Gen3/1 with feeder
Fastready Gen3/2 with feeder
13 Tonnes
23 Tonnes
Electric Power Fastready Gen3/1 with feeder
Fastready Gen3/2 with feeder
Fastready Gen3/3 with feeder and coater
Fastready Gen3/4 with feeder
Fastready Gen3/5 with feeder and coater
Fastready Gen3/6 with feeder and coater
With coater add
45kw
63kw
81kw
99kw
117kw
135kw
15kw
Mechanical Speed Maximum
8000 S.P.H.

Standard electrical equipment includes motors for operation on 400 volts AC ± 10% at 50hz. Power details are given for guidance only and will vary with different voltages. For other voltages and specific cases consult Crabtree of Gateshead Ltd. As the company’s policy is one of continuous product improvement, the right is reserved at all times to vary the technical specification without notice.

Download a copy of our
Metal Decorating & Coating Equipment brochure >
Crabtree of Gateshead Product Update brochure