HEIDELBERG's Perfect Grip technology gains popularity among Stahlfolder customers; new folding rollers combine benefits of soft and hard PU, offering improved quality and longevity

Since April 2024, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HEIDELBERG) has been equipping its Stahlfolder folding machines with the new Perfect Grip folding rollers ex works. The previous soft and hard PU rings, which HEIDELBERG offered on the market under the ‘Extra Grip’ brand, are now only used at the express request of customers – and the number of requests is dropping ever lower. Until now, print shops and postpress companies have had to choose between soft PU and hard PU when investing in a folding machine or replacing folding rollers. The substrates to be processed and their surface structure determined whether the softer, more elastic material or the harder alternative was the best choice.

Perfect Grip from HEIDELBERG completely removes the need to choose between the two roller types. The new technology combines the specific advantages of soft PU and hard PU in a single roller. Its universal suitability is made possible by the chemical composition of the ring material on the one hand and a newly designed, optimized roller geometry on the other. Following intensive research and development, HEIDELBERG has not only succeeded in combining the qualities of soft and hard PU in a single roller with Perfect Grip, but in some respects has even managed to surpass them. This is underlined by the feedback from the market and the fact that the majority of customers now opt for Perfect Grip.

“We are seeing Perfect Grip perform in practice as we said it would and the new folding rollers are going down well with our customers,” says Stefan Dettke, Head of Markets & Products Commercial Folding at HEIDELBERG.

The vast majority opt for Perfect Grip

The launch of Perfect Grip has been extremely well received by the market. Since its introduction, the majority of Stahlfolder folding machines in the KH, TH, CH, and BH series ordered since April have been equipped with Perfect Grip folding rollers. Most customers who have had to replace folding rollers due to wear in the past five months have also chosen Perfect Grip over the previous soft or hard PU rings because they have been won over by the advantages of the new technology. Furthermore, the presentation of the technology at drupa 2024 has given this trend an additional boost.

Users around the world express high levels of satisfaction

Perfect Grip particularly impresses with its outstanding folding quality and good response when the folding rollers are adjusted. The low wear and easy maintenance of the new folding rollers are also confirmed by pilot users.

At Aumüller Druck in Regensburg, more than 80 million sheets have passed through the folding machines equipped with Perfect Grip rollers. According to the customer, the rollers have not had to be cleaned intensively to date and there are no signs of wear on the rings as yet. Volker Dollinger, Managing Director and Operations Manager of the printing company, is happy: “The advantage of the new folding rollers for us is very much the relatively low cleaning outlay.” According to Dollinger, when it comes to folding quality, Perfect Grip is also totally equal to the soft PU rollers that Aumüller used in the past, especially with glossy coated papers.

A customer from the USA that previously worked with soft PU rollers also reports “significantly reduced cleaning outlay, low wear and tear, and outstanding folding quality.” Users from Japan, a market that has traditionally preferred hard PU folding rollers, are saying the same. Customers are indicating that Perfect Grip even delivers outstanding folding quality with thin papers. Due to the good results, a Japanese customer that had already ordered a folding machine with hard PU rollers quickly switched to Perfect Grip. “The positive signals from all regions of the world underscore how happy our customers are with HEIDELBERG innovations for postpress operations, too,” says Dettke.