Esko-Graphics announces Inline UV Main Exposure for digital flexo plate imagers

Esko-Graphics has introduced Inline UV Main Exposure, allowing digital flexo plates to be exposed at the same time they are imaged, rather than requiring separate exposure on a light frame. The technology will be available in Cyrel Digital Imagers (CDI) in the third quarter of 2005.
Jrgen Andresen, Esko-Graphics marketing director for packaging hardware, comments: ‘An important benefit of Inline UV Main Exposure is that it offers a controlled environment, which delivers a higher level of repeatability, consistency, and control of dot formation to digital imaging – leading to significant higher quality and consistency on press.’
Inline UV Main Exposure technology enables plate imaging and UV main exposure to occur simultaneously in one device, with no increase in the time needed to image a digital flexo plate or sleeve. Combining these two process steps is claimed to provide both economic and quality benefits, eliminating about fifteen minutes of processing per plate – as well as lower labor costs thanks to minimized operator handling. This reduction in handling avoids damage to the photopolymer surface and thus reduces photopolymer plate waste. Testing has shown that Inline UV Main Exposure technology results in a markable reduction of plate waste.
‘With flexography continuing to take market share from other print technologies, and with the significant growth of photopolymer sleeve imaging, Esko-Graphics investigated ways to improve flexo CtP imaging to increase productivity and reduce errors,’ says Andresen. ‘We found that the addition of Inline UV Main Exposure is a strong answer.’
Inline UV Main Exposure will be available in Q3, 2005. All CDI units delivered from May 2005 onwards are already prepared to be upgradeable with the Inline UV Main Exposure option.