Want to reduce your pollution footprint while speeding up plate production? Chemistry-free or processless plates can do just that.

By Bob Atkinson

The Key Players

• Agfa was one of the first companies into the processless arena, and maintains a strong market position in the category. Its :Azura thermal metal chemistry-free plates (sizes to eight-up) run on Agfa’s own platesetters and other thermal CTP systems. They’re safe for daylight handling, and only a simple cleanup stage is needed after imaging. :Azura is designed for low-to-medium press runs (up to 100,000 impressions unbaked) and resolutions up to 200 lines. Also, watch for a new faster thermal plate—the :Azura TS—and a new violet process-free plate (currently designated N92-VCF) from Agfa at Drupa, with 200-line and 125,000-impression capabilities. Agfa will release this product in the newspaper market and later for commercial print. (www.agfa.com/en/gs/products_services/all_products/azura.jsp)

• Fujifilm Graphic Systems’ Brillia HD PRO-T is also a thermally imaged processless metal plate offering image quality and durability close to Fujifilm’s conventional plates. It can be used on most thermal platesetters. Fujifilm’s upcoming Brillia HD PRO-V plate (expected at Drupa and likely for commercial release later this year) is a photopolymer violet-imaged processless plate that will allow all of the advantages of violet platesetting (faster, lower-power imaging, lower machine cost) as well as the advantages of going processor-free. (www.fujifilmgs.com/pages/ctp/143.php)

• Kodak’s entry into the processless plate market is its Thermal Direct plate (up to 200 lines/100,000 impressions), a thermally-imaged metal plate that develops on-press—no rinsing, cleaning or gumming required. It’s daylight-safe and works with most thermal 800-850nm CTP platesetters and handles press runs up to 100,000 impressions. (graphics/.kodak.com/uk/consumables/plates)

• Presstek, another early innovator in DI printing and process-free plates, offers its UV ink-compatible Anthem Pro thermal CTP processless plates, which can be imaged in most 800 - 1200 nm thermal platesetters and require only a simple water rinse after imaging. Its Freedom processless plates are designed for use on Presstek’s Vector TX52 thermal platesetter and are cleaned in a water wash built into that device. (www.presstek.com/consumables)

• Xanté uses a different approach to processless plates. The company’s electrophotographic PlateMaker 5 platesetter and Myriad 2 process-free polyester plates work together to produce up to 120 two-up press-ready plates per hour, ready to mount without any post-imaging steps required. (The device can also output on film or paper.) If you’re looking for metal plates, the Impressia CTP/GTO platesetter line and Aspen non-photosensitive processless metal plates will get the job done at up to 60 plates per hour. (www.xante.com)

• Last, but certainly not least, press giant Heidelberg offers the negative-imaging aluminum Saphira Chemfree plate, which uses thermal coalescence technology, requiring only a clean-out/gumming step. Launched just over two years ago, it’s designed to work with Heidelberg’s thermal Suprasetter platesetter line. These plates are suited for longer runs (up to 200,000 impressions, or with post baking, up to 500,000) and with UV inks. Look for an announcement from Heidelberg at Drupa regarding its upcoming Saphira Chemfree Violet plates. (www.us.heidelberg.com).

ONE OF THE smartest things an in-plant can do to reduce production time and environmental impact is to go computer-to-plate (CTP), eliminating the entire film imaging and developing stage and all of the toxic waste issues involved. The quality, speed and efficiency improvements of CTP make it an excellent business decision for almost any shop. Many have already done just that, and are now ready for the next step up: low-process/chemistry-free or no-process plates.

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Time to Go Green With Your Plate Production?