Page 36 - Print 21 Magazine Sep-Oct 2018

Technology
Screen innovating
With a presence in Australia spanning three decades, Screen has earned a reputation as one of the most innovative print technology developers, and is continuing to press ahead.
Formerly known as Dainippon Screen, and now named Screen GP Australia, the company is one of the last of the prepress and CTP suppliers to remain independent and still active in the sector, and to a great extent this has been due to its strong local presence and technical support, and is no small way thanks to the reputation and reliable build of the Screen CTP equipment.
Released in 2001 after the CTP Drupa of the year before, a good part of this reputation was built on the PlateRite 8600 series of platesetters, auto feeders and processors. Many are still in use today, after 17 years.
During those past 17 years the Screen 8600 series of B1 platesetters has become an industry legend worldwide, and is now estimated to hold a whopping 58 per cent of the 8-up CTP market.
Now Screen GP has released a new series of the trusted PlateRite 8600NII series of 8-page thermal CTP systems.
According to Peter Scott, managing director Screen GP Australia: “The latest improvements make the 8600 series even greater, with increased speed and dot quality, lower energy use, and adoption of high-output fibre laser diode exposure heads, enabling outstanding productivity of up to 32 plates per hour, as well as superior cost performance and energy savings.”
Computer-to-Plate revolutionised prepress from the mid 1990s, and
in recent years there have been
calls for greater cost reduction and environmental performance in relation to CTP, where lower investment and running costs, plus higher productivity and energy savings, are needed to
cope with shorter print runs and more frequent plate changes.
The new PlateRite 8600NII
models feature the latest fibre laser diode exposure heads, which work with Screen’s proprietary clamp technologies and auto-balance mechanism, to enable stable, high- speed exposure with top quality. The series includes Z, S and E models, with three productivity choices to suit individual printers.
Meccanotecnica’s digital book sewing solution – integrated with Screen’s Equios workflow.
Section sewing comes to digital books
On the digital side of print, Screen and Meccanotecnica of Italy have forged a partnership on optimised on-demand production of premium quality books using Screen’s Equios universal workflow and roll-fed full-colour high-speed inkjet press, the Truepress Jet520HD; together with Meccanotecnica's automatic book folding and sewing machine, the Universe Sewing Digital print finisher.
On this, Scott says: “Section-sewing
of bookblocks for hard cover binding is recognised as the most robust way to
finish quality books for durability and appearance. By integrating Meccanotecnica’s folding and book sewing technology with Equois workflow, an automated end-to end production line is possible, using barcodes to carry the required information through the workflow to finishing.”
He adds: “Now that high-definition inkjet digital printing is possible with the Truepress Jet520HD and Screen SC inks, short-run
digital printing has moved up to a new level, where high-quality finishing is called for. Meccanotecnica is a leading vendor of automatic book sewing equipment, and our collaboration has enabled the automation of a process that provides exceptional durability and quality. The digital on-demand creation of books now offers quality and productivity levels that far exceed standard digital printing.”
Meccanotecnica is the world's leading manufacturer of automatic book sewing equipment and lines for book finishing.
“Short-run digital printing has moved up to a new level where high-quality finishing is called for”
The Z model is equipped with 96-channel exposure heads, supporting output of up to 32 plates per hour. The S and E models have 64 and 32 channel heads respectively, for outputs of 24 and 14 plates per hour.
All systems are capable of handling plate sizes ranging from as large as 1,160 x 940mm to, when fitted with the small size option, as small as 304 x 370mm. An MA-L8900 multi- cassette autoloader is another option, providing automatic supply of up to 600 plates.
Scott adds: “All new models feature major functionality improvements that produce energy savings of around 60 per cent during operation and up to 73 per cent during standby, with the new power-saving mode that reduces energy consumption during idling.
"The new PTR-8600NII devices are backed by Screen’s Trust Network Service, the online maintenance
and support package to enhance the operational stability of the systems.” 21
Print21 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 36