Ustec has given the first public demonstration of a new flexo plate mounter, the Iriflex Taper Slide, designed to eradicate air bubbles and aid plate register. The mounter fits on Iriflex presses, but is also available as a free-standing unit in widths from 1,100mm to 1,900mm.

The plate mounter has a moving slide which mechanises the application of adhesive tape, transferring it directly from roll to the plate cylinder.

Director of Eurograv (UK agent for Iriflex) Michael Attard, said that 50% of trapped air bubbles go undetected when presses start running, leading to distorted images. The greater the variation in sticky back, the greater the printing impression, which leads to halos and excessive dot gains.

The plate mounter allows the operator to lay the plate on top of the cylinder after aligning the microdot registration marks with overhead cameras. Only part of the plate makes contact with the adhesive and so repositioning is less likely to damage the tape. Attard said, Pulling can cause creasing on the liner, but with this its much easier to get right.

When the dots are alligned a plate mounting roller presses the plate down under an even pressure. Attard said that this would reduce the risk of over stretching and air bubbles associated with manual operation, and give the printer a set of cylinders which all conform to the same plate pressure.

The Iriflex Taper Slide has been under development for 18 months and is set to cost around 30,000.

Story by John Davies