Monday, July 31, 2017

New Era Press

This is a web platen printing press made by New Era Mfg. of Patterson, NJ. The company ceased operation in 1978. It is a unique design that features an intermittent web feed for which New Era received a patent. This machine's 9" x 12" printing heads are ductile iron castings with crank arms malleable iron cast. The press configuration allows for multiple in-line operations such as punching holes, die cutting shapes, slitting the paper, glueing reinforcements, attaching eyelets, while at the same time printing or embossing.

The versatility of the this letterpress allows it to make tags, die cut door hangers, self-adhesive labels, manifold business forms, embossed seals, numbered tickets, and a multitude of other specialty items too numerous to list.

The press in this video has three printing heads, one toggle die head, one punch head, slitting unit, cut-off unit, friction clutch matrix rewind, Reeves Drive paper unwind, and infrared ink driers. The variable drive is a Westinghouse 7 1/2 HP slip ring AC motor with added mechanical clutch.

Impressions per hour: 0 to 7,500
Feeds per impression: 1 to 3
Feeds in increments of 1/16": At 1 feed p/impression 0" to 16". At 2 feeds p/impression 0" to 8". At 3 feeds p/impression 0" to 5 5/16".
Feet per minute: 0' to 166' (average with 3" feed, at 2 feeds p/impression = 62' p/minute)
The machine in the video is running at approx. 4,000 impessions p/hour at 1 feed p/impression making a die cut label that is being cured by infrared drying.

New Era was one of four web platen presses made in America in the 20th Century. Others were Kluge Web Flow, Pearce, and Young Tag Presses. Pearce and New Era were very similar in clam shell platen design, while Young primarily relied a vertical post platen without clam shell pivot. The Kluge Web Flow was a modification of the standard Kluge with a vertical clam shell. Dennison Mfg. also made a custom design web platen called the "Dennison Speeder" for their own use.

(The Terrier's name is Foster and he doesn't like the 90+ decible noise.)

https://youtu.be/O9pgbBfxCYg