In 2025, Kern GmbH replaced its two Heidelberg Speedmaster XL106 offset printing presses with the latest series. This series was presented to the world for the first time at last year’s Drupa. Kern continues to rely on the proven combination of a five-color press with coating unit (including UV coating) and an eight-color press with perfecting unit. The machines now offer several technical innovations.
As a global first adopter, Kern uses the new Hycolor Assistant, which analyzes print data using AI and generates setting recommendations for the ink and dampening rollers in the press. This reduces the requirement for manual adjustments. The risk of operator errors decreases, while efficiency and quality are increased. For the first time at Kern, the Digital Infeed System (DIS) is also being used for automatic sheet alignment.
With an RS106 roll cutter from Mabeg on the eight-color press, Kern is now able to process roll material in sheet-fed offset. This optimizes paper procurement and increases the availability of roll stock compared to sheet paper.
The cross cutter of the RS106 at the feeder of the Speedmaster XL106 8C achieves a more precise cut than factory sheet stock. Continuous feeding, especially for thin papers, is significantly more stable due to cutting directly at the feeder. Overall, the new technologies are expected to reduce spoilage by 20–30 percent and increase feeder capacity by up to 25 percent.