Coating Plate Press Guide-Sheetfed Offset Presses

About the Plate

Photopolymer relief plates are designed for use on the blanket cylinder.  Generally speaking, the plates are .045" total gauge. The plates may have either an aluminum or polyester back and a relief between .020" and .030".

Mounting

Photopolymer relief plates mount just like a blanket.  When using a quick change bar, go directly to press.

Note:  The epoxy used to adhere the quick change bars requires 24 hours to set completely. A form should be included with the coating plate stating what date & time the plate was barred.

With conventional blanket bars, mount the center mark of the plate to the center mark of the blanket clamps.  The center of the plate is the center of the sheet.  Install the lead edge into the press and register the images closest to the lead edge. Be sure you are square.  Lock the lead edge into position.  Install the packing.  Install the tail edge into position.  Be sure you are square.  Do not tighten the tail.  Snug only.  Pull 5-10 sheets.  Check register.

Note:  Unlike your printing plates, in most cases the image on the coating plate will be wrong reading because you are coating directly to the sheet.

Packing

Photopolymer relief plates typically have a higher durometer (hardness) than conventional rubber blankets. Consequently, for best results on press, use of a compressible under-packing (called a "press pack") is strongly recommended by OEC Graphics. The press packs are available in a variety of gauges to fit most any press undercut. If necessary, they may be used in conjunction with paper packing to match a specific undercut.

Register

Photopolymer relief plates should be close to register if the proper handling procedures 

were followed.  Make any required side moves first before you adjust the register around the cylinder.  

Checking the sheet, the coating will be very close to register on the lead edges.  Tighten or loosen the lead edge to achieve lead edge of sheet register.  Check the tail of the sheet.  Move the image by tightening or loosening the tension on the plate.

Press Settings

Strike a 1/8” bead (3 mm) with the application roller to the plate.  When setting the impression cylinder, a "kiss impression" is desired. Back off the pressure until the coating "breaks" or "voids", then apply pressure slightly just until full coating transfer is achieved.

Wash-Up Solutions

When the press goes down, the coating unit and coating plates must be attended to first.  

When using aqueous coating, clean the coating plate with clean water only.  To remove ink, use alcohol or approved plate cleaners.  

When using U.V. coatings, clean the coating plate with isopropyl alcohol.

Caution:  Do not use a blanket or roller wash on the coating plate. Most blanket/roller washes contain harsh solvents which will deteriorate the photopolymer coating plate.

Storage

Coating plates must be cleaned before storage.  Use recommended cleaners.  Store flat or rolled.  Keep away from white light. 

New Updates

Well, I started the CADCOAT Coating Plate Companion blog with the intention of updating it frequently. I haven't lived up to my own expectations in doing so, but with the changing seasons, I am turning over a new leaf. This week will see several updates related to OEC Graphics' CADCOAT™ Brand Photopolymer Coating Plates. In the future, I also hope to start blogs for a couple of our other unique product lines, SECTOR™ and PLATECLEANER™.

Thanks for your patience and be on the lookout for new content.

Congratulations to Steve Buechel

Dear Readers,

I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the outstanding achievement of Steve Buechel of The Segerdahl Corporation in Wheeling, IL. Steve is Plant Superintendent and was recently named the "H. Howard Flint II Pressroom Manager of the Year" by Flint Group.

OEC Graphics has long enjoyed a strong supplier-customer relationship with Steve and currently supply him with UV Coating Pads and Scratch-off Coating Pads for his web offset presses. Congratulations, Steve!

Until next time,

Brendan J. Burke

Coating Systems Manager

OEC Graphics-Chicago

www.oecgraphics.com

"Reality UV" Promotional Piece Wins Accolades

Dear Readers,

I was flipping through the June 2009 issue of "American Printer" this morning, and when I got to page 21 I saw a sight that made my day. Considering that today is Monday, that is no small feat. What could have possibly set my mood for the day? I saw a photo of a promotional piece that was commissioned by Komori and printed at Johnsbyrne  Company in Niles, IL. All of the UV Coating Plates that were used in the production of this piece were supplied by none other than OEC Graphics. The piece was named as winner of Sappi's North American Printer of the Year award.

An on-line version of the article can be found at http://americanprinter.com/sheetfed-presses/printing-high-energy-uv-0609/index1.html.

A photo of the cover can be found in a previous American Printer article here.

Until next time,

Brendan J. Burke

Coating Systems Manager

OEC Graphics-Chicago

www.oecgraphics.com

Welcome to the CADCOAT Coating Plate Companion

Dear Readers,

My name is Brendan Burke. I am Coating Systems Manager at OEC Graphics-Chicago in Willowbrook, IL, the home of CADCOAT. This is my first foray into the world of blogging. My intent is to provide users (and prospective users) of CADCOAT and related products with an on-line, frequently updated source for information that is vital, helpful, or informative in using our products.

In this introductory blog, I will answer the question, "What is CADCOAT?". In future additions, I will post information on new products and accessories that will allow CADCOAT users to get the most out of their investment.

What is CADCOAT?

The answer to this question starts with a trip back in time. In 1996, a small company called CADCOAT, LLC was founded with the mission to provide high-quality coating plates (often referred to as blankets or coating blankets) to the folding carton printing industry. As many offset printers are aware (especially folding carton printers), inks are often slow to dry and often dry with a dull appearance. In order to seal the ink on the substrate and to enhance the appearance of the printed work, the printers use a method called "coating". That is to say, that the last unit of the printing press is used to lay down a protective (often glossy) surface over the printed work. The trouble with this is that the glue that is used to assemble the cartons does not readily adhere to the coating.

In order to allow the glue to stick, it was necessary to create voids in the areas that were to be glued. The most widely used method for this at the time was to cut the voids by hand into a strippable rubber "coating blanket". While this was effective, it meant "down time" on the press while the blanket was being cut. Anyone who works in the printing industry will tell you that press down time is one of the most costly waste factors in any printing operation, with press time being built at $500/hour or more. Additionally, cutting the blankets by hand was a delicate operation, as cutting too deep meant that in most cases the blanket was unusable.

CADCOAT, LLC had the answer. What if instead of hand-cutting rubber blankets, the folding carton companies had a source where they could order photopolymer plates with the voids and coating areas already defined? The technology and techniques were already being used by flexographic plate manufacturers, but CADCOAT, LLC became the first to specialize in coating plates almost exclusively. Within a couple of years, CADCOAT, LLC became the industry leader in the use of photopolymer plates to create coating plates, expanding from the folding carton industry to the commercial printing, publication printing, and direct-mail fields, among others.

Recognizing this, OEC Graphics of Oshkosh, WI (already an established leader in flexographic plate making) purchased CADCOAT, LLC from the founder and introduced CADCOAT as the brand name for it's line of specialty coating plates. This brings us to the present day, in which OEC Graphics continues to lead the industry in the manufacture of coating plates from it's Willowbrook, IL facility.

Information about CADCOAT brand coating plates, along with all of OEC Graphics, Inc.'s products can be found on the web at www.oecgraphics.com. If you have any specific questions for which the answers are not on the web site, please feel to post them to this blog as a comment.

Until next time,

Brendan J. Burke

Coating Systems Manager

OEC Graphics-Chicago