New Concept Repeatable Flexo Platesetter

Esko-Graphics has introduced Inline UV Main Exposure, what the company claims as a new concept in digital flexo platesetting.

Esko-Graphics has introduced Inline UV Main Exposure, what the company claims as a new concept in digital flexo platesetting.

The technology is said to allow digital flexo plates to be exposed at the same time they are imaged, rather than requiring separate exposure on a light frame.

The technology, presented during the FFTA Annual Forum in Orlando (USA) last month, will be available in Cyrel Digital Imagers (CDI) during the third quarter of this year, added Esko-Graphics.

The company said it introduced its first flexo computer-to-plate (CTP) imaging device at Drupa in 1995 and has continued its digital flexographic imaging development and implementation - for plate and sleeve imaging.

The Esko-Graphics CDI family of CTP systems fits the needs of the narrow, mid-sized and wide web flexography markets and can be configured with various optics that tailor imaging speeds to the user's productivity requirements.

CDI with Inline UV Main Exposure is the company's latest enhancement in that area.

Jurgen Andresen, Esko-Graphics' marketing director for packaging hardware, commented: "An important benefit of Inline UV Main Exposure is that it offers a controlled environment, which delivers a higher level of repeatability, consistency and control of dot formation to digital imaging - leading to significant higher quality and consistency on press." Inline UV Main Exposure is claimed to enable plate imaging and UV main exposure to occur simultaneously in one device, with no increase in the time needed to image a digital flexo plate or sleeve.

Combining those two process steps provides both economic and quality benefits, eliminating about 15 minutes of processing per plate, as well as lower labour costs thanks to minimised operator handling, claimed Esko-Graphics.

The reduction in handling avoids damage to the photopolymer surface and reduces photopolymer plate waste and testing has shown that Inline UV Main Exposure results in a reduction of plate waste.

Andresen continued: "With flexography continuing to take market share from other print technologies and with the significant growth of photopolymer sleeve imaging, we investigated ways to improve flexo CTP imaging to increase productivity and reduce errors.

We found that the addition of Inline UV Main Exposure is a strong answer.

It will enable our flexography systems to continue to be the economic and print quality leader in the global packaging markets." The company added that all CDI units delivered from May onwards will already be prepared to be upgradeable with the Inline UV Main Exposure option.

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