QI Press Controls has upgraded the air bustle device it acquired from its Australian developer.

The new product – with a completely redesigned nozzle – is being launched at the World Publishing Expo 2013 in Berlin.

Designers focussed on improved/optimized functionality, sustainability and cost reduction. The system reacts to factors such as the speed of the press, weight of the paper, printing ink and blankets to control effects which can include a vibrating or fluttering paper.

The nozzle top of the ABD II has been completely redesigned, with a chamber with a mushroom stopper at the end, and a microscopic split in between the mushroom edge and the nozzle chamber. With air pressure more than halved, less air can achieve a protective ring of air, with an exit speed of Mach 1.

Pilot tests have shown that the larger contact area with the paper web makes the ABD II resistant to vibrating and fluttering of the paper web.

Advantages include contact free compensation of the fan-out register, with automated and manual control. The company claims fan-out register compensation with an accuracy of +/- 0.01mm. The new model can be used instead of or in combination with its predecessor.