Esko automates platemaking, handling and feeding

According to Pascal Thomas, director of the Flexo Business, the CDI Crystal 4260 XPS can be operated with just one hour of training, with single touch operation using an intuitive screen interface and unattended operation. Esko’s XPS Crystal technology combines UV main and back exposure, using LEDs that emit consistent UV light as opposed to traditional exposure frames, which use lightbulbs with fluctuating output.

 ‘Today’s prepress departments face a number of challenges that make the desire to offer the combination of quality, speed and competitive pricing 

a key driver of investment and organisational decisions,’ Pascal remarks. ‘The impact of Covid-19 has compounded the demands on the packaging prepress and printing sector – be it increasing production complexity, shorter run lengths or a need for fast turnaround to meet their brand owners’ need for speed to market.’

‘Maintaining prepress quality and efficiency in the face of such complexity is challenging. The answer lies in digitising, automating and connecting the prepress and platemaking process to drive down costs, increase quality and speed, and eliminate waste and errors in resources, time and materials. To that end, we are introducing the CDI Crystal 4260 XPS,’ he adds.

The combination of the CDI Crystal flexo imager with the XPS Crystal exposing unit offers a consolidated flexo platemaking workflow with the highest return on investment. ‘Redefined from scratch, the integration and automation of the digital imaging and LED UV exposure processes improves consistency and overall ease of use for prepress operators,’ Pascal asserts. 

The CDI Crystal 4260 XPS excels in efficiency, reducing both manual steps and errors by 50% to create less plate waste, and reducing operator time by as much as 73%.

Further driving productivity, Esko introduced the PlateHandler, a robotic device connecting the CDI Crystal imager with the XPS Crystal exposure unit. ‘Integrating the Esko PlateHandler into the system reduces the number of operator touchpoints, freeing up to 50% of their time and enabling them to attend other more value-adding tasks such as quality control, plate storage and plate mounting,’ he explains.

‘The Esko PlateFeeder-S enables distortion-free transportation of plates, avoiding damage when they are transferred manually from storage to the CDI,’ Pascal adds. ‘The table can also be tilted to pass through doors and docked onto the CDI to ensure perfect plate positioning and digital connection to the CDI Crystal. Its cover sheet can be removed to provide free access from all sides without static charge input.’

Integrating the PlateFeeder-S into the set-up also prevents idling between plates due to the operator attending to other tasks, boosting productivity further by enabling an additional plate to be positioned for automated transportation into the CDI Crystal immediately when available. ‘The operator only needs to attend the machine once within each imaging cycle, to load a new plate and unload the exposed plate from the XPS Crystal,’ he notes.

‘What’s more, manual positioning is prone to errors and can be time intensive. But with the PlateFeeder-S, once docked, it becomes visible on the CDI touchscreen and integrates into the automated workflow, enabling the operator to position a new plate at any time during the 15-minute imaging process,’ Pascal explains. ‘Built-in sensors secure accurate plate loading via the PlateHandler, avoiding plate waste and further errors. The PlateFeeder-S eliminates 100% of the plate loading idle time on the CDI Crystal XPS, resulting in uninterrupted platemaking, reducing system idling by up to 40% and delivering a 40% reduction in human touch points.’

‘With a CDI Crystal 4260 XPS with PlateHandler and PlateFeeder-S working continuously with optimum throughput and minimum operator attention, there is complete platemaking automation. The overall impact can be an increase in platemaking productivity of up to 15%,’ concludes Pascal.

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