CTP Technology on Drupa 2000 (I)

First, the internal drum technology and external drum technology From the history of film photosetters we can see that so far, in addition to Dainippon Screen to provide external drum photosetters to the market, most manufacturers have abandoned foreign drum technology. Primeletter imagesetters like Heidelberg and Dolev imagesetters from CreoScitex use internal drum technology to ensure the quality of their products.
The reason that prompted CTP manufacturers to use external drum technology is that the sensitivity of the thermal plate is very low in the initial stage of thermal technology, so it requires a longer exposure time, that is, the laser beam stays at each laser spot. A long time. Therefore, the only way to achieve exposure on the thermal plate is to use a CTP device with multiple lasers and an outer drum structure, because the outer drum drum has a slower rotation speed and can have more exposure time.
Today, the sensitivity of the thermal plate has changed substantially. CTP equipment using a single beam of thermal light has emerged in the market, and Agfa, BarcoGraphics, Krause and Purup-Eskofot have used 1064m YAG lasers and Drum-type structure, these devices have been able to with the outer drum equipment in a higher speed.
The inadequacy of the new method of in-pump thermal imaging is the relatively high cost of its YAG laser, especially compared to the 830 nm laser tube, which has a shorter lifetime and becomes a daily consumable.
Internal drum imaging requires the use of a single beam laser, and past technology has made 830 nm lasers impossible to use. However, with the new technology developed by Cymbolic Sciences, this problem has been solved. It uses fifteen 2 watt laser tubes to generate a laser beam by first assembling the system. The cost is very close to that of the FD-YAG visible light laser, which makes it possible to use the 830 nm laser imaging in the inner drum structure.
Luscher invented a similar technique using 830 nm in the inner drum structure, but its imaging principle is to draw on the outer drum method. We hope to see the emergence of new methods using 830 nm lasers in inner drum structures next year. Compared with drum technology, the advantages of internal drum type are lower cost and higher quality (some manufacturers do not agree with this).
Second, the purple laser On the violet laser problem has been many reports, here only a brief summary, the violet laser was developed for the DVD device, and now it has been more widely used. In addition to printing, it is also used in areas such as automobile manufacturing and oncology research. For CTP imaging, the real potential advantages are:
The shorter wavelength. It has two advantages. First, it can use a smaller rotating mirror to make the rotation speed faster. Second, it can support the appearance of scattered light to ensure a higher dot quality, while the reproduction dot size is also smaller. After Agfa's use of violet laser technology, the quality of its products has been significantly improved.
Compared with the traditional visible light laser safety light, the yellow safety light is more convenient for the user.
Lower cost. With the widespread application of violet laser technology in various industries, its cost will be greatly reduced.
Concerned about the current customers are still considering how many suppliers, such as providing 410nm media, how many media sizes, working under the yellow security light as if working in the sun, how effective CTP equipment suppliers available Choice, etc. always. Of course, the most important factor is the price of the printing plate, which is equally important for the promotion of violet laser technology and thermal technology. At present, the thermal technology has also been threatened unprecedentedly, and the unresolved cost factors will also affect. Purple laser technology application.
The current situation should also pay special attention to:
Escher-Grad began providing customers with the first system at the end of last year. According to the company, before Drupa 2000, nine systems were installed. Agfa moves quickly and has sold 11 systems before Drupa 2000. So far, 35 systems have been sold.
In addition to Krause's production of sensitive and green YAG laser products, it also produces violet laser products. It is said that 20 sets of violet laser systems have been sold.
Linhotech company has a good start, in addition to the sale of six sets of violet laser systems, there are eight orders.
Third, no flush plate If there is anything that can pose a threat to the purple laser technology, it is to rinse the plate. At present, the processless plates are all heat-sensitive, and ablation technology is one of them. Presstek, Agfa and Kodak PolyLight have all joined the competition in this field. Another technology in this area is the "Phased-Phase Chemistry" technology, which has great market potential in the field of high automation. This is a new in-mechanism technology that uses a water-soluble, extremely tiny, thermoplastic particle liquid that is sprayed directly onto the aluminum base plate and dried quickly. When exposed to laser light, the plastic particles melt to adhere tightly to the aluminum substrate. For unexposed areas, adhesion is weak. (To be continued)