ROBOTS AT WORK

A day’s paper and the publishing order are determined

The newspaper production process has come a long at head office, the information is punched into the
way from the old days when the paper was written, computer and the LGVs are programmed to go about
edited, typeset and ultimately printed in one building their work. The LGVs collect the appropriate size
with the journalists working on the upper floors and paper reels and take them where they have to go.
the printing presses going on the ground floor. These When the press needs another reel its computer alerts
days the editor, subeditors and journalists who put the the LGV system. The Sydney LGVs move busily
paper together are likely to find themselves in a around the press room fulfilling their two key
totally different building or maybe even in a different functions to collect reels of newsprint either from the
city. This is the situation which now prevails in reel stripping stations, or from the racked supplies in
Sydney. The daily paper is compiled at the editorial the newsprint storage area. At the stripping station
headquarters, known as the prepress centre, in the the tough wrapping that helps to protect a reel of
heart of the city, but printed far away in the suburbs at paper from rough handling is removed. Any
the printing centre. Here human beings are in the damaged paper is peeled off and the reel is then
minority as much of the work is done by automated weighed.
machines controlled by computers.
E
B Then one of the four paster robots moves in.
Once the finished newspaper has been created for the Specifically designed for the job, it trims the paper
next morning’s edition, all the pages are transmitted neatly and prepares the reel for the press. If required
electronically from the prepress centre to the printing the reel can be loaded directly onto the press; if not
centre. The system of transmission is an update on the needed immediately, an LGV takes it to the storage
sophisticated page facsimile system already in use on area. When the press computer calls for a reel, an
many other newspapers. An imagesetter at the LGV takes it to the reel loading area of the presses. It
printing centre delivers the pages as film. Each page lifts the reel into the loading position and places it in
takes less than a minute to produce, although for the correct spot with complete accuracy. As each reel
colour pages four versions, once each for black, cyan, is used up, the press drops the heavy cardboard core
magenta and yellow are sent. The pages are then into a waste bin. When the bin is full, another LGV
processed into photographic negatives and the film is collects it and deposits the cores into a shredder for
used to produce aluminium printing plates ready for recycling.
the presses.
F
C The LGVs move at walking speed. Should anyone
A procession of automated vehicles is busy at the new step in front of one or get too close, sensors stop the
printing centre where the Sydney Morning Herald is vehicle until the path is clear. The company has
printed each day. With lights flashing and warning chosen a laserguide function system for the vehicles
horns honking, the robots (to give them their correct because, as the project development manager says
name, the LGVs or laser guided vehicles) look for all “The beauty of it is that if you want to change the
the world like enthusiastic machines from a science routes, you can work out a new route on your
fiction movie, as they follow their own random paths computer and lay it down for them to follow”. When
around the plant busily getting on with their jobs. an LGV’s batteries run low, it will take itself off line
Automation of this kind is now standard in all modern and go to the nearest battery maintenance point for
newspaper plants. The robots can detect unauthorised replacement batteries. And all this is achieved with
personnel and alert security staff immediately if they absolute minimum human input and a much reduced
find an “intruder”; not surprisingly, tall tales are risk of injury to people working in the printing
already being told about the machines starting to take centres.
on personalities of their own.
G
D The question newspaper workers must now ask,
The robots’ principal job, however, is to shift the however is, “how long will it be before the robots are
newsprint (the printing paper) that arrives at the plant writing the newspapers as well as running the
in huge reels and emerges at the other end printing centre, churning out the latest edition every
some time later as newspapers. Once the size of the morning?”
Questions 33 – 40

Complete the flow-chart below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 33-40 on your answer sheet.

The Production Process

The newspaper is compiled at the editorial headquarters by the

journalists.

The final version of the text is 33................to the printing centre.

The pages arrive by facsimile.

The pages are converted into 34 …………… .

35...................are made for use in the printing presses.

The LGVs are 36...................by computer.

The LGVs collect the reels of paper.

The LGVs remove the 37...................from the reel.

The reel is 38 …………… .

The reel is trimmed and prepared by the 39 …………… .

The reel is taken to the press. The reel is taken to the

40 …………… .