Insights: KBA Metalstar timelapse video

In October 2017 Tinmasters took delivery of a new KBA MetalStar 3 from Koenig & Bauer – the world’s fastest metal printing press.

The press took approximately 3 months to install followed by 6 weeks commissioning, training and testing and involved an investment of some €6Million, which was supported by the company’s owner, Chamonix Private Equity, with additional funding from Santander bank. This sum includes the cost of modifying the building to accommodate the 40 metre long machine, upgrading the electrical supply and installing additional compressed air systems.

It was hard work – but worth it.

The MetalStar 3 is the perfect all-rounder, with the speed required to complete large orders (more than 40,000 sheets) in record time and the high levels of automation needed to make light work of short-run orders.

The press benefits from many innovative features that help to increase productivity and reduce make-ready times. These include an automatic pallet changer, automatic plate change (it takes less than three minutes to change the plates on all six decks), automatic camera registration, pre-set ink ducts, automated wash up and an automatic surface inspection system (from AVT).

The new line was installed ahead of plan in January 2018 and commissioned and tested during February. Commercial production began in March and the MetalStar 3 has been producing flawless print work ever since, with top speeds in excess of 7,500 sheets per hour.