Product Reviews

As the first press to be installed by the Japanese industrial giant in the UK, the B1 3 series was a milestone for Mitsubishi.

Launched in 1985, more than two decades after the manufacturer started building presses, it marked the company’s entry into the worldwide graphic arts market, where previously it was only catering for Asian customers.

Dubbed ‘the workhorse’ by the firm, largely down to the fact that there are machines in circulation that have comfortably topped the 400m impressions mark, 1,200 have been installed worldwide – with around 80 in the UK.

Over the course of its 16-year life, the range has been subject to a raft of upgrades, with the original 13,000sph 3 becoming the 3E after it was superseded at Ipex 88 by the second incarnation, the 3F. According to the firm, the 3F was the first press in the world to come with the option of an automatic plate change machine and was itself soon followed in 1991 by the 15,000sph 3G.

A new record
In 1996, the 3G was replaced by the 3H, which at 16,000sph was the fastest B1 press on the market at the time. “The Rapida 104 had been the frontrunner for many years and that was achieving speeds of 15,000sph,” says Thomas Doliwa, Mitsubishi Lithographic Presses UK managing director.

As well as focusing on speed, the Japanese manufacturer also aimed to make the press as user-friendly as possible. According to Doliwa, every incarnation of the 3 Series was one of the most computerised presses available at the time.

Its computerised control system meant around seven complex functions could be set automatically, including gripper open-close timing on the double-size reversing cylinder, vacuum hold device positioning and phase adjustment between the two reversing cylinders.

The machines were available in anything from two- to 12-colour configurations, with an option for single or double coaters and perfecting units; on top of this customers could also add options for light or heavy stocks.

The 3 Series ceased production in 2001 and, according to Doliwa, “there is a secondhand market for the machine but it’s not overwhelming”; although he says that the scarcity on the secondhand market is largely down to the fact that many customers hang on to machines for anything up to 12 years.

The 3 Series was finally replaced by the Diamond range, which was launched at Ipex 2002.

Mitsubishi will still take back and refurbish old 3 Series models, but Doliwa warns that one thing to look out for when buying a used model is cylinder damage, which in some cases can be terminal for the press in terms of the cost of putting it right. He recommends thoroughly researching the model that you’re considering purchasing, as while some developments can be retrofitted, some can’t, such as developments on the feeder.

As the European spare parts hub, the manufacturer has £5m worth of parts at its MLP UK site on the outskirts of Leeds. The firm also offers a range of service contracts on used machines, which can vary from as little as one or two visits a year, up to having the machine cleaned every weekend by the firm’s engineers.