Pitching Plates
Plate mounting demands accuracy, and today’s plate mounting equipment and tapes help operators achieve just that.
With available state-of-the-art equipment, what was once a painstaking manual process can now be done with computers and machines. According to Paul Zeinert, product manager, Anderson & Vreeland, the biggest change in plate mounting procedures has been “doing things automatically and using computers to make it repeatable.” These advances lend themselves to the pinnacle of plate mounting—a precisely, consistently, and easily mounted plate.
In view of today’s plate mounting tapes, operators are now better equipped than ever to mount, demount, and reposition plates for accurate positioning. Some tapes also assist the operator in reducing dot gain, enhancing ink transfer, and more.
For an overview of the plate mounting marketplace, take a look at these products:
Computer-controlled mounting
The Mount-O-Matic 1500 MK II is a computer-controlled mounting and proofing machine for flexographic photopolymer printing plates. It is equipped with a mounting table with micro adjustment for the positioning of the plates, and includes two computer-controlled, high-resolution cameras and one split-screen monitor with very high magnification of the coordinates. The camera enlargement is adjustable from 30X to 35X proofing cylinder. Anderson & Vreeland sells and services AV Flexologic Mount-O-Matic and Harley plate mounting/proofing systems.—Anderson & Vreeland, www.andersonvreeland.com
Tight register
Eclipse Cushion Tape® represents a breakthrough in flexo technology. The reinforced base offers a stable backing for tight register and ease in mounting and repositioning. This unique adhesive system, that has been adopted from the aerospace industry, provides firm adhesion to various printing plate surfaces, cylinders, and sleeves but allows easy removal after use. This unique formulation increases tack under pressure but releases cleanly after use.—Edward Graphics, www.egs.com
Easy and accurate
With the “PM” Plate Mounter, register marks on the flexographic or rotary letterpress plate are visually aligned with a stationary hairline on the plate mounter, which is parallel to the plate roll (plate roll is held in position by pneumatically operated side clamps). Fine adjustments are made by a screw-type knob that moves the plate table to the exact register position. Once the register marks are precision-aligned using the microscopes, the user simply touches the plate to the stickyback tape affixed to the plate roll cylinder, releases the plate clamp, and then turns the cylinder to complete the plate attachment. The result is a simple, yet extremely precise method for accurate plate mounting.
The “VPM” VideoMount Plate Mounter includes two high-resolution CCD video cameras, a 9˝ split-screen monitor, electronics, and installation hardware. The CCD video cameras align photopolymer flexographic or rotary letterpress plates onto the plate roll cylinder, ensuring precise registration. It’s fast, easy, and extremely accurate.—Mark Andy, www.markandy.com
Improved registration
R/bak® Cushion Mounting Materials for film, label, and corrugated printing are advanced open-cell urethanes that provide the most consistent, resilient cushioning for flexographic printing. Using R/bak materials will improve registration, reduce dot gain, decrease plate deformation, improve ink transfer, and allow the use of finer screens for finer line work. R/bak materials reduce pressure and absorb shock for flexographic printing plates, resulting in longer plate and cushion life and higher print quality.—Rogers Corporation, www.rogerscorporation.com
Consistency and easy-to-use
The tesa Softprint 20 mil. Toolbox offers an assortment of Softprint tapes with custom adhesive strengths, designed for steel cylinder or sleeve qualities, and carrying a variety of advantages. These benefits include constant tape thickness that ensures consistent composit registration, and a low increase in peel-adhesion means easy repositioning and demounting of tape and plate, while ensuring a strong bond for printing. In addition, the special PE-Foam facillitates consistent print results at higher speeds and in longer print runs.—tesa tape, www.tesatape.com n
