Vendors in the computer-to-plate market trotted out several new and updated products in 2007. A recap:

•Agfa Graphics’ much-anticipated chemistry-free digital newspaper plate, which the vendor first touted in 2006, went into beta testing at Austrian newspaper publisher Mediaprint (see Newspapers & Technology, November 2007). The chemistry-free plate works with low-power violet diodes engineered to produce a strong image contrast with no on-press contamination, Agfa said. The plates are slated for commercial availability in the second quarter this year.

 

Agfa also announced that its next-generation violet photopolymer plate, the N92v, will be available early this year and will eventually replace the N91v.

•alfaQuest Technologies unveiled its newest CTP box, the NewsXpress, aimed at smaller newspapers. The Key West (Fla.) Citizen became the first newspaper to deploy the violet platesetter during an August implementation (see Newspapers & Technology, October 2007).

•ECRM Imaging Systems unveiled its Mako Newsmatic high-speed, violet platesetter targeted at small- to medium-sized publishers. The Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell, Mont., installed a Mako Newsmatic unit in August (see related article, below). ECRM said the Mako Newsmatic was engineered to optimize plate handling and eliminates plate loading and unloading. The device, suited for singlewide presses, can accommodate web widths of up to 36.5 inches.

•FFEI Ltd. entered the CTP arena under its own moniker and introduced its line of violet platesetters. The company, a former unit of Fujifilm, traces its publishing roots to 1947, when it was founded as Crosfield Electronics. FFEI’s Alinte News, its first CTP product, has an F-theta imaging bed and can image up to 225 Berliner-sized plates per hour. The machine has a cassette capacity of up to 500 panorama or 1,000 single plates. The Alinte News includes a rapid restart feature designed to reduce downtime, and is compatible with all existing violet consumables, including chemistry-free technology, FFEI said.

•Fujifilm Graphic Systems Inc. showed its Luxel News platesetter at IfraExpo, available for output speeds of 80, 100 and 120 plates per hour. The vendor also demoed its chem-free CTP Brillia BV plate.

•Krause unveiled a complete CTP workflow concept at IfraExpo, called Smart’n’Easy, including computer-to-plate imaging, processing and punch bending. Targeted at smaller regional newspapers, Krause said its Smart’n’Easy Jet platesetter matches the quality and technology of higher-end CTP devices, can be easily installed and configured, and allows simplified system integration.

•MacDermid Printing Solutions announced two CTP units aimed at flexo newspaper printers. The NAPPFlex uses an 8-watt UV laser to image plates and can image up to 120 pph, depending on plate size and thickness. In addition, MacDermid said it has become a dealer for Punch Graphix’ flexo products and will sell the firm’s basysPrint 556F UV-Setter. The unit is equipped with violet diode laser modules and can image more than 120 pph. Punch is working to optimize the material handling section of the unit to run flexo plates, MacDermid said.

Meantime, MacDermid said it continues to test  higher line screens with its NAPPFlex plates. Initial results from tests performed on Tech Energy Co.’s  Tech Express singlewide flexo press have shown the plates are capable of printing up to 120 lines per inch, MacDermid said.

•Nela introduced an “intelligent” plate storage system, the Logistack. The system, cloaked with buffering technology, communicates with production layout software and is engineered to work with automatic and semi-automatic plate loading systems from MAN Roland and Koenig & Bauer. The vendor also released its Smart Conveyor System and Classic II bender. The Smart Conveyor’s two-belt design doesn’t use suction cups to turn plates, but instead loads the plates with a tilted platform. The Classic II bender, meantime, is an upgraded version of Nela’s three-point, semi-automatic, manual-infeed bender, which can be used for single- and doublewide plates, as well as single- or double-bend profiles.