plate handling: best practices for the plate room & beyond

Plate HandlingBest Practices for the Plate Room & Beyond

Jessica Harkins Harrell

Technologies Manager

Anderson & Vreeland

An FPPA-Sponsored Webinar

• Simplify the control check-point process

• Create a checklist of regularly monitored

control-points

• Give peace of mind that the “print

problem” is not a “plate problem”

Purpose

A B C

?PLATE ROOM

What is Critical?

• Dots, lines & other elements must form

well on the plates

– Repeatable, everyday with every operator

• Within an operating tolerance

• What impacts the plate making process?

“You Don’t Know What You Got

(Till its Gone) -

Don’t know what it is I did so wrong…”

Cinderella, 1988

Recommended Tools

Bench Micrometer

UV-A Meter

Digital Thermometer

Images from target.com, ebay.com, transkat.com, fasttech.com, betascreen.com, Providentgrp.com, andvre.com

Light Table 50-100x scope

Trans Densitometer

Plate Measuring Device

What Impacts the Plate Room?

Equipment Consistency

Raw Materials

Room Environment

Operator Commitment

Dots, lines & other elements must form well on the plates

Best Practices

1. Cleanliness

a. Remove dust

a. Wipe down all flat surfaces

b. Vacuum and mop floors

i. Interval: Daily-weekly depending on production

b. Reduce the amount of Corrugated/Paperboard used

in & around the plate room

a. Overtime corrugated fibers release into the air with

movement creating dust

Room Environment

Checklist

2. Temperature/Humidity Sheet

a. Optimal Room Temperature: 72 F

b. Optimal Relative Humidity: 45-55%

3. Temperature/Humidity Liquid

a. Optimal Room Temperature: 70-75 F

b. Optimal Relative Humidity: 55-65%

i. Important for hitting proper caliper consistently

DateTemperature

Environment Checklist:

Humidity

Room Environment

Plate Room EquipmentEquipment

Consistency

Imaging Exposure Processing Drying Post/Detack

• Laser • Film Output

• UVA Exposure • Solvent• Water• Thermal

• Solvent• Water

• Solvent• Water• Thermal

Best Practices

Imaging

1. Routine PM visitsa. Interval: 1-2x per year by certified technician

2. Visual Inspection a. Interval: Every plate!

b. Tools: Eyes Raw material

Laser Ablation


Best Practices

3. Focus & Stain Test

a. Interval: Minimum 1x per week &

when Visual Inspection fails

b. Tools: Transmission Densitometer

Trans. DensitometerLaser

Imaging


Best Practices

1. UV output check

a. Measure 9-points across the bed

i. Interval: 1x per week

ii. Tools: UV-A Meter

image c/o Flint Group – Flexo toolbox app

UV-A MeterExposure FrameDocument

Imaging


Best Practices

Digital Thermometer

2. Temperature Check

a. Measure 9 points to verify good air circulation

i. Interval: 1x per week

ii. Tools: Thermometer w/ probe or infrared

Left Ctr Right

Back 120 125 121

Mid 124 128 125

Front 122 126 124

Document

Exposure Frame

Imaging


Best Practices

Processing

Solvent Processing Thermal Processing Water Processing

1. Check with your manufacturer for recommended practices!


Best Practices

2. Monitor Percent Solids of Solventa. Too much = inconsistent washout

b. Too little = wasteful

3. Inspection of Brush Conditiona. Look for:

a. Damaged, chipped or missing dots/fine text, un-even washout.

b. Extended wash time

c. Fuzzy looking shoulders on mid-tone dots; Dots that measure larger than normal on plate-measurement device.

4. Wiping Rollers

a. Look for: i. Pooling solvent or residue left on plate – replace socks

Solvent Processing

Processing


Best Practices

1. Monitor pH

a. pH maintained by water hardness, soap,

& polymer leveli. Tools: Use pH meter

ii. Interval: to start, measure approximately every 4 plates

2. Temperature

a. Water that is tool cold will not effectively

wash away the un-exposed polymeri. Tools: digital thermometer

ii. Interval: 2x per day

Water Processing

Processing


Best Practices

1. Check Dryer Temperature

a. Should maintain temp between 140-145 Fi. Tools: Thermometer with probe

ii. Interval: Weekly or if suspicious of issue

Drying

Digital Thermometer

Left Ctr Right

Back 140 145 144

Mid 142 144 140

Front 141 145 143

Document


Best Practices

1. Measure UV-A & UV-C output

a. Post Exposure sets the plate; Detack changes the

plate surface tension to best transfer inki. Tools: UV-A meter, UV-A, UV-C Meters & Protective Eye-wear

ii. Interval: 6 months

UVA & C Meters

Left Ctr Right

Back

Mid

Front

Document

Post/Detack


Best Practices

1. Acclimate the material

a. Material should be stored in the same

controlled environmental conditions as the

plate room

b. Move material from warehouse at least

24 hours prior to use

c. Storage of Liquid Photopolymer:

a. Between 60-100 F – warm up to 70 F before

use

Raw Materials

Bench Micrometer

Checklist

2. Raw Sheet Material Gauge

a. Measure overall plate thickness

i. Interval: each box

ii. Tools: Bench Micrometer

b. Record Thickness with Lot Number and Date

Date

Lot Number

Raw Material Checklist:

Gauge

Raw Materials

6 Month Checklist Date

Laser/Film PM

Exposure PM

Processor PM

Dryer PM

Check Post/Detack lamps UV-A UV-C

6 Month Checklist Review

Weekly Checklist Date

Clean all surfaces/Floor

Laser: Focus/Stain tests

Exp UV-A output & temp UV-A Temp.

Dryer temperature Temp.

Weekly Checklist Review

Daily Checklist Date

Clean all surfaces/Floor

Room Temperature (AM) 71

Room Temperature (PM) 73

Room Humidity (AM) 52.4

Room Humidity (PM) 50.3

Raw Material Type/Gauge Lot # Measured

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Daily Checklist Review

Add Plate Room Checkpoints& make INFORMED decisions

Drop

Glass

0.026”

Breaks

No Min Dot

Plate

Relief

> 0.025”

Cause Effect

Creating a Fool-Proof Checkpoint

1. Create a Control-Strip

a. Placed on each plate

b. Created as a linear file

c. Run at typical lpi/resolution

No curves

applied



Text for verifying imaging,

washout & exposure



Standard stain test for

digital plates.



Minimum dot to check

laser/film imaging.

Include the linear value of

the dot fail point (digital).



Tint patches for measuring on

plate reading device


1. Image this target on each plate/film.

ImagingVisual inspection for laser lines or any imaging

defect in especially the solid (100%) areas. Look

first with naked eye, and/or scope on a light table.

After…

Laser Lines = poor imaging quality


Post/DetackClip the control strip from the plate – away from

the other images. Follow the steps below.

Measure the Relief

Inspect min dot upside-down on light table with scope

Measure 10, 30, 50%

After…

Document the Data

1. Customizable Web Database

Document the Data

1. iPhone App – syncs to web database

Upper Limit

Lower Limit

Document the Data

Initially, documenting helps to realize the target,

as well set the usable range.

Upper Limit

Lower Limit

Document the Data

Develop an Action Plan for those

points outside of the Target Range

• Operators take the time to collect the data…

• Schedule time as a team to review regularly

– (Weekly/Monthly)

USE it!

Sheet Plate Cleaning*confirm with plate manufacturer!

Small dots (1%)

Flexo Plate

Pantyhose Mesh


Small dots (1%)

Dot without top…


• Pamarco Care Pads or Horse Hair Brush

• Open fiber

• Will not catch dots


• common cleaners

• harsh chemicals

• multiple different products


• common cleaners

• harsh chemicals

• multiple different products

• Cause Plate Cracking

• Plate Curling

• Plate Lift

• Plate Breakdown


1st Recommended Cleaning Solution

100%EthanolAlcohol

0-20% Acetate

80-100%

Ethanol Alcohol

2nd Recommended Cleaning Solution


Okay for use with most solvent produced plates

Complete a swell test with any solution

CLEAN plates before storage Store FLAT and as square as possible

Never Face-to-Face!

• Store FLAT

• Face-to-Mylar Backing – with foam interleave

• Out of Direct Light (envelope)

Sheet Plate Storage*confirm with plate manufacturer!

CLEAN plates before storage

• Always clean plates before storing.

• Use a detergent & water solution for cleaning

• Solution temp must <140 degrees F.

• Use a soft horse-hair brush

• Dry completely before storage

70% Iso. Alcohol

IndustrialAmmoniaSolutionWater70%

20%

10%

Liquid Plate Care/Cleaning*confirm with plate manufacturer!

• Plates must be kept out of UV light

• Wrap plates in dark envelopes or

sleeves

• Store in a cool, dry, dark place


• Too high of a storage room

temperature can damage plates

• Heat increases the likelihood of:

• Ozone cracking

• Excessive tack

• Plate shrinkage

• Optimal storage conditions:

70-100 degrees F60-80% RH


Plate HandlingBest Practices for the Plate Room & Beyond

Jessica Harkins Harrell

Technologies Manager

Anderson & Vreeland

plate handling: best practices for the plate room & beyond

Technology