China's 12th Five-Year Plan: Key Breakthrough Targets for Printing Equipment Manufacturing

Reported by ppzhan:

Printing equipment manufacturing is an indispensable supporting sector of the printing industry. It had to align closely with the real needs of printing development, keep strengthening independent innovation, and deliver concrete results in the R&D and production of key printing technology and equipment, thereby giving solid backing to China's goal of becoming a world printing power. Looking at the development trends and tasks facing the printing industry, the sector was set to pursue priority breakthroughs in the following areas during the 12th Five-Year Plan period.

1. Digital printing and printing digitalization technology and equipment

(1) Digital presses, with inkjet digital presses as the priority

Digital presses currently fall into two broad families: electrophotographic and inkjet. Electrophotographic digital presses are the mainstream equipment in China's digital printing businesses today, yet inkjet models carry greater growth potential thanks to their strengths in format, substrates and other respects. China still lacks the capability to build electrophotographic digital presses and imports all of its main products in that category; inkjet digital press development, however, has already started from a comparatively solid base, with companies such as Founder Group able to manufacture them. In 2009, inkjet digital press imports represented 10.77% of the total value of imported printing equipment, second among all equipment categories. During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, the sector had to intensify R&D on digital presses, especially inkjet digital presses.

Main targets: a series of inkjet digital presses carrying independent intellectual property rights, with mainstream equipment reaching the advanced level of the day by 2015; breakthroughs in key components such as printheads to end the monopoly of imported products; a domestic market share of 35% by 2015 to reverse heavy reliance on imports; and active development of electrophotographic digital presses alongside.

(2) CTP platesetters

Some Chinese enterprises can already produce CTP platesetters, but on the whole the key core technologies remain in the hands of a small number of foreign firms, and domestically made CTP platesetters account for only 23% of China's total installed CTP base. In 2009, the import value of CTP equipment rose 41.05%, ranking sixth among imports.

During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, the main tasks for domestic CTP platesetter R&D and production were: continue raising technical standards and equipment quality, strive to master the key core technologies, and bring major products to the advanced level of the day by 2015; further expand market share, aiming for more than 45% domestically by 2015; and sharply increase export volume to secure a place in the international market.

(3) Digital workflows and the application of digital technology to multi-color presses

Efforts were to be made to research and develop key press control system technologies so that they could link domestically built presses with an integrated printing digital workflow — high-performance automatic ink-volume control devices, automatic ink-water balance control technology for presses, high-speed and high-precision paper control systems and the like — integrating prepress, press and postpress into a single system, creating a digital workflow-based printing operating environment and achieving seamless connectivity between production and management. China's digital workflow R&D remained at an early stage, with only a few enterprises carrying out related R&D and tackling key problems; the gap to advanced levels in hardware-software integration and interface technology was still wide, and key technical products were still imported.

During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, the main goal of digital workflow R&D was to develop workflows and interface technologies that conform to mainstream standards, raise the digitalization level of printing processes and the automation level of multi-color printing equipment, with some products reaching advanced levels by 2015.

1. Printing machinery

(1) Sheet-fed offset presses

Sheet-fed offset presses hold an important position in China's printing industry. In 2009, their import value accounted for 47.18% of total imported printing equipment value, a figure that stayed high for years and ranked first among imported printing equipment.

The main goal for sheet-fed offset presses: by 2015, the overall performance of major equipment should approach or reach the advanced level of the early 21st century, with some machines reaching the current advanced level or nearing the advanced level of that period. By 2015, domestic market share was to reach about 45%.

Sheet-fed offset products mainly include:

① Medium-format multicolor offset presses: chiefly folio and quarto multicolor models. These presses have already reached 18,000 sheets per hour, with automation advanced enough for automatic job changes without stopping the machine. China's medium-format multicolor presses lag far behind in speed and overall efficiency, with a low degree of automation, few configurable functional modules, and poor stability and reliability.

Main tasks for medium-format multicolor offset presses:

Ø Improve product stability and reliability, and raise overall machine efficiency;

Ø Lift the level of automation and of inline inspection and control;

Ø Develop or configure CIP3/PPF and CIP4/JDF data interfaces;

Ø Develop or configure multifunctional modules;

Ø Develop low-carbon offset presses: save energy and cut consumption, reduce waste and raise yield, shorten auxiliary time and boost overall machine efficiency.

② Medium-format multicolor perfecting offset presses: China needs to develop different types of medium-format multicolor perfecting presses. Existing machines in this class still need better performance and quality. Perfecting multicolor presses that print alternately on the upper and lower sides are in relatively strong demand.

③ Large-format multicolor offset presses: these refer to multicolor presses of A0 format and above. They urgently need higher standards, better quality and a wider range of models.

The technical level of China's web offset presses lags considerably behind advanced foreign levels.

① Newspaper web offset presses: the widest gaps against advanced foreign levels appear in medium-sized and large newspaper web presses.

Ø Medium-sized newspaper web press: China has successfully developed a single-width, large-cylinder medium-sized newspaper web press at an advanced level, but it has not been long since this was achieved, and quality and performance still need continuous improvement. In addition, a double-width, small-cylinder medium-sized newspaper web press should be developed in good time according to market demand.

Ø The main tasks for medium-sized newspaper web presses: keep improving stability, reliability, performance and quality, and achieve volume production; raise domestic market share to about 30% by 2015; and substantially increase exports.

Ø Large newspaper web presses: this was originally a blank area in China; Shanghai Electric's acquisition of Goss provided a favorable opportunity for developing large newspaper web presses. China should accelerate the absorption of advanced foreign technologies, develop technologies and products better suited to domestic market needs in good time, and strive to achieve localized production as early as possible.

② Commercial web offset presses: China has successfully developed a single-width commercial web press and still needs to develop a wide-width commercial web press in good time according to market demand.

The main objectives: keep improving product stability, reliability, performance and quality, and achieve volume production; raise domestic market share and end the dominance of imported presses as soon as possible, reaching about 25% domestically by 2015, while expanding export volume.

(3) Multicolor flexographic presses

Flexographic presses are the leading machine type for green, environmentally friendly printing. China can already produce various types of flexo presses, and future work centers on developing flexo presses of all kinds. By 2015, the overall performance of major products should approach or reach the advanced level of the day. By 2015, domestic market share should reach 80% for in-line narrow-width flexo presses and 25% for wide-width flexo presses.

① Narrow-width flexo presses: in-line narrow-width flexo presses have developed relatively quickly. A survey found that as of June 30, 2009, China's installed base of in-line narrow-width flexo presses stood at 798 units, of which imported machines accounted for 33.7% and domestically made machines 66.3% — yet imported presses still produced most printed work. Domestic machines therefore still need continuous gains in performance, quality, stability and reliability.

② Wide-width flexo presses: these have only just emerged in China; machines of different widths should be developed according to market demand.

③ Plastic film flexo presses: these have not yet been developed in China, and machines of different widths should be introduced in good time according to market demand.

(4) Multicolor gravure presses

In China's packaging printing, multicolor gravure is the second largest printing method after offset. Years of development have produced a fairly complete gravure press manufacturing system covering high-, medium- and low-end equipment, and the comprehensive technical indicators of some gravure presses have reached or approached advanced levels. The main problems facing gravure equipment today are high energy consumption and the fact that pollution from key consumables has not yet been fully resolved.

During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, the main tasks for gravure equipment were: continue raising the standard and quality of existing gravure presses, strengthen independent innovation capability, reduce equipment energy consumption and improve environmental performance; domestic equipment was to account for 80% of the market share of new installations added during the period; and export volume was to grow substantially.

1. Postpress equipment

The development of postpress equipment is of great significance to raising the overall level of China's printing equipment manufacturing industry. The postpress field is now undergoing a transformation and upgrading from labor-intensive to technology-intensive operations. The main goals for postpress equipment under the 12th Five-Year Plan were: consolidate and stabilize the production of mid-range products, focus on developing inline production line products, further improve equipment stability and durability, expand domestic market share and raise export value.

Priority postpress products include:

(1) High-speed perfect binding inline systems: the priority is high-speed intelligent perfect binding lines running at 8,000-12,000 books per hour with a format changeover time within 12 minutes. Stabilize and grow market share and expand exports.

(2) Hardcover binding inline production lines: currently a gap product. In line with market demand, develop medium- and high-speed hardcover binding lines with high stability and reliability, striving to break the dominance of foreign products by 2015.

(3) Intelligent digital printing perfect binding inline systems: following the trend toward integrated printing and binding in the digital printing market, develop intelligent perfect binding inline systems with fully automatic adjustment and changeover times within 5-25 seconds.

(4) Die-cutting machines and foil stamping machines

① Flatbed die-cutting machines and foil stamping machines: consolidate and improve the level of flatbed die-cutting machines, foil stamping machines and combined die-cutting/foil-stamping machines, and raise automation on a stable and reliable base. Develop digital die-cutting machines and increase die-cutting and foil stamping speeds, striving to exceed 10,000 sheets per hour for foil stamping and 7,000 sheets per hour for holographic foil stamping, while cutting hot stamping foil consumption by about 50%.

② Rotary die-cutting machines and foil stamping machines: introduce rotary die-cutting machines, foil stamping machines and combined die-cutting/foil-stamping machines in good time according to market development needs, ending the dominance of foreign products.

1. Green and environmentally friendly printing equipment and supporting materials

(1) Printing equipment manufacturers were encouraged to adopt energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies, such as shaftless technology to save metal materials, variable-frequency speed control and cold foil stamping to save electricity, and water circulation systems to save water. Printing enterprises were encouraged to adopt green flexographic printing technology, and domestic printing equipment manufacturers were supported in continuing to develop flexo presses and supporting materials.

(2) Vigorously develop green and environmentally friendly printing materials

Ink is one of the biggest pollution sources in printing. Both the production and use of ink, as well as some printed end products, cause harm and impact to the environment and human health. During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, the national environmental protection industry standard — Technical requirements for environmental labeling of offset, gravure and flexographic inks — was to be vigorously implemented, embodying the concepts of “low carbon, environmental protection, safety and health”: increase the proportion of inks made with vegetable oils and their derivatives replacing mineral oil; guide and restrict the production of various organic solvent-based inks; develop alcohol-soluble and water-soluble inks that meet printed product requirements; and phase out inks containing benzene-based solvents. Water-based inks in particular had to be ensured for food and pharmaceutical packaging and for printed materials such as primary and secondary school textbooks. As digital inkjet technology develops, inkjet inks should evolve from solvent-based formulations toward bio-inks and UV inks, with solvent-based inkjet inks ultimately eliminated.

a. Offset plates: whether traditional PS plates or CTP plates, waste liquid, waste gas and waste residue are discharged during their production and use. From a green and environmental standpoint, processless plates should be developed. Such plates need no chemical development during use and discharge no waste liquid, reducing pollution while lowering costs and improving platemaking efficiency. A small number of domestic enterprises have begun R&D, but volume production has not yet been achieved. Processless plates should be a priority development item in the 12th Five-Year Plan for offset plates.

b. With packaging printing growing rapidly, demand for flexographic plates will surge. China's flexo press population currently stands at around 3,000 units, yet flexo plates on the market are still mainly imported, with major suppliers including DuPont and BASF. During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, flexo plate production was to be vigorously developed, striving for a domestic plate market share of more than 30%.

— Reposted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362169.html