Plate Mounting on the Mark
Plate mounting has improved dramatically in the past few years and can now cause less headaches in the pressroom.
ONE FALSE MOVE and hundreds of dollars of substrate can find itself taking the long and winding road into the scrap bin, all because the plate was a fraction of an inch off. Any number of press operators will tell you that getting the plate on straight is frustrating, yet is a very important part of the job. Why not make it easier for your operators by offering them plate mounting tapes and equipment that practically do the work for them?
Plate mounting has been an issue since the dawn of flexo and offset printing, but new technology is making it easier for press operators, especially in specific segments of converting. "There is a trend toward the utilization of technology to make flexo printing plates for corrugated printing more accurate, durable, and faster to set up," said Neil B. Saunders, president and CEO, Container Graphics Corp.
Some plate mounting machines are now computer-controlled, which eliminates most of the need for an interface between human and machine, and improves the margin of error. Now, these machines are not completely foolproof, of course, but are making a splash in the industry. There is also a trend to use video equipment to line up plates correctly on rolls. Even tapes have become high-tech. With all that is available for printers, packagePRINTING has rounded up some products to compare and contrast their benefits.
Video or not, accuracy is guaranteed
Mark Andy
www.markandy.com
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, located parallel to the plate roll. Once the register marks are precision aligned using the microscopes, the user simply touches the plate to the sticky-back tape affixed to the plate roll cylinder, releases the plate clamp, and then turns the cylinder to complete the plate attachment.
Sticky-back for easy mounting
Edward Graphics
www.egs.com
Eclipse Cushion Tape® from Edward Graphics offers a reinforced, stable backing for tight register and ease in mounting and repositioning. Adapted from the aerospace industry, this tape provides firm adhesion to various printing plate surfaces, cylinders, and sleeves, but also as important, has easy removal after use. The formulation increases tack under pressure, but releases cleanly after use.
Computer controlled mounting
Anderson & Vreeland Inc.
www.andersonvreeland.com
The Mount-O-Matic 1500 MK II is a computer controlled mounting and proofing machine for flexographic photopolymer printing plates. Equipped with a mounting table with micro adjustment for the position of the plates. There are also two computer-controlled, high-resolution cameras, with a split screen monitor with very high magnification of the coordinates. The camera enlargement is adjustable to 30 to 35 times.
Consistent print results
Rogers Corp.
www.rogerscorporation.com
The R/bak® SA 3000 Cushion Mounting Tape combines Rogers' open-cell urethane cushion technology and specially developed acrylic adhesives in a product construction designed to handle easily while providing consistent print results. Improved print quality can be seen in lower dot gain and higher solid ink densities in the printed product.
Cushion adhesive mounting tapes
E.L. Harley Inc.
www.elharleyinc.com
E.L. Harley cushion adhesive backing mounting tapes allow for multiple printing combinations of dots, solids, and fine line printing. Less dot gain is achieved on process printing, as well as full ink coverage on solids. Type A Cushion is a standard cushion available in .015˝ to .060˝ thickness for mounting photopolymer and rubber printing plates. The Type P premium cushion adhesive tapes are available in .015˝ to .010˝ thickness and are also use for photopolymer and rubber plates.
Strong, flexible tapes
tesa tape inc.
www.tesatape.com
tesa print 52330 is a strong bonding, highly flexible 15-mil cloth tape for bonding rubber plates for solid print jobs. The flexible cloth backing can guarantee easy mounting even for large plates. The natural rubber adhesive has been specifically developed and ensures that even large plates can be stored without lift-off of plate edges and without slipping. The structure's siliconized paper liner helps facilitate bubble-free plate mounting.
Microchannels prevent air entrapment
3M
www.3m.com
The E1020 Cushion Mount Plus Combination Printing Tape has a crosshatched pattern that creates a continuous and permanent network of microchannels in the adhesive, allowing air to flow on both sides of the tape. This allows trapped air to escape from between the tape and the sleeve or cylinder, and tape and plate for easier mounting. This improves the consistency of print quality due to the reduction of air bubbles that can cause blemishes in screen and process jobs.
A new centering system
Container Graphics Corp.
www.containergraphics.com
The Bull's Eye Centering System offers improved registration, reduced set-up time, and increased quality and cost savings through reduced waste. The system provides a method to "zero register" plates left-to-right as well as through the press. On press, the Bull's Eye pin drops into a machined slot in the lock-up channel at each color station. Complete registration accuracy is gained on the first sheet, and the plates go back on the press in the exact same location every time, providing excellent repeatability.
Polyester platemount
Venture Tape
www.venturetape.com
The 4-mil polyester platemount is a double-coated tape with controlled gauge. Its solvent-resistant adhesive system is designed to hold the plate securely at high press speeds and elevated temperatures. It boasts clean removability from print cylinders, and is designed for mounting photopolymer letterpress and flexographic printing plates.
by Megan Wolf
Assistant Editor
