Nela Supplies Just-in-Time Plate System to 'Free Lance-Star'

By: E&P Staff Nela, River Falls, Wis., sold a Vision PunchBender with LogiStack and 16-position plate stacker to the The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va., which has been installing this country's first Goss FPS press.

The system is designed to save time and labor and minimize operator plate handling to reduce rework resulting from plate damage.

In the new generation of just-in-time plate delivery, imaged plates punched and bent by the Nela VCP are transported to either the plate-stacker bins or the Nela LogiStack, a fully automated plate organizer and storage device that temporarily holds plates for retrieval in sequence and placement in order for press mounting. For make-ahead work, the LogiStack stores plates in its fully enclosed pantry, where plates are securely stocked until an operator presses a button to request a specific batch.

For just-in-time plate making, the LogiStack organizes plates by placing them in the correct storage bins in the required sequence and according to press specifications. LogiStack Software communicates with Goss Webcenter software, which provides information about correct press mounting. The Nela software then interprets the data for correct plate placement in the 16-bin stacker for easy operator pick-up.

The system is custom-built according to required capacity and customer and press requirements.