On the Kodak square spot thermal imaging technology
Kodak SQUAREspotTM square spot thermal imaging technology has been favored by the industry since its launch. It has won the GATF Technology Award from the American Printing Technology Foundation five times. It is a leader in the field of direct plate-making machines and has rapidly expanded into the field of digital offset printing. The square light spot has a significant and unique effect on quickly achieving water-ink balance and shortening the printing preparation time. Now Heidelberg ’s Speedmaster 74-DI, Man-Roland ’s DICO Web, Komori ’s Project D, KBA KBA and other digital offset printing The machines all use Kodak's SQUAREspotTM square-spot thermal imaging technology laser, which is because shortening the printing preparation time is too critical for digital offset presses. The square spot is recognized as the best direct imaging technique. Kodak CTP direct plate-making machine fully adopts this technology.
The following figure is a comparison of the circular spot (left) and Kodak square spot imaging (right) of the non-Kodak scheme:
Comparison of non-Kodak scheme round light spot (left) and Kodak square light spot imaging (right) Click here to view all news pictures
It can be seen that the energy distribution of the circular light spot is not uniform, the laser spot cannot completely match the grating grid, large or small, the dot is always changing, and the edge of the spot on the printing plate is not sharp. In contrast, the energy distribution of the square light spot is uniform, which is strictly matched with the grating, and the edge of the light spot on the printing plate is sharp. It is very meaningful to understand such differences, and we will mention them later. The exposure principle of the square spot thermal imaging technology is as follows: a total of nineteen infrared laser diodes are installed on the laser bar, and the light emitted by each laser diode is focused on the entire light valve through the prism, so that the energy distribution is more uniform, the light Through the 240 10.6mm × 2.5mm square windows opened on the light valve, it is focused on the printing plate through the prism, so even if one or two laser diodes are damaged, only proper adjustment of the laser energy can still expose normally, and can also be remotely controlled. The diagnostic system checks the current value of the laser diode to accurately predict the life of the laser head.
Click here to see all news pictures
1) Square dot thermal imaging technology generates precise dots, shortening printing preparation time
A printed dot is usually composed of multiple laser dots. During raster image processing, it is divided into many raster grids. If a circular laser dot is used to fill this grid, as seen in the comparison chart above , The edges are not sharp and steep, and the dots are inaccurate. Most manufacturers use larger laser dots to fill this grid, which directly causes the dots of the printing plate to expand, the edges are not sharp and steep, and it is difficult to restore the delicate layers, and it takes a lot of time to adjust to achieve the ink-water balance and process stability.
Kodak uses square laser dots, which perfectly match the grating grid, so the edges of the dots are sharp and clear, and can be accurate to 1% to 99% of the dots. The dots of the printing plate are not expanded at all, so the ink is fast when printing, and it is easier to reach a stable state. The time to achieve water-ink balance is very short, the printing preparation time can be greatly shortened, and the production efficiency of the existing printing machine can be greatly improved.
2) Square-spot thermal imaging technology easily realizes FM screen printing
FM screening technology has been launched for nearly a decade, but it is rarely used in large-scale production, precisely because they all use Gaussian-shaped round laser spots, whose energy distribution gradually decreases from the center to the circumference, and the exposure limit is not clear As the laser energy, printing plate, emulsion thickness and development conditions change, the dot size and edges are more likely to change. Moreover, the diameter of the circular laser dots is mostly above 15 microns, which is larger than the grating grid. When randomly distributed, the dots that cannot accurately represent a certain value always have some unpredictable changes. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly adjust the printing conditions. Establishing stable process parameters is time-consuming and labor-intensive, making it difficult to put into mass production. Kodak uses square laser dots with a side length of 10.6 microns, which precisely matches the grating grid, with uniform energy distribution, and very clear exposure limits. The influence of laser energy, printing plate, emulsion thickness, and development conditions on the dots can be ignored. The edge of the dot is sharp and stable, which can be accurately predicted, the adjustment of printing is relatively simple, and it is easy to establish stable process conditions, so it can be widely used in the actual production environment. Kodak is currently the only manufacturer in the world that can provide 10 micron FM screening technology, and it has also been put into production application. In a sense, FM network works can be printed with Kodak's direct plate-making machine, which is an opportunity for many printing companies looking for breakthroughs in market opportunities.
3) Square spot thermal imaging technology
Because the dots generated by the square spot thermal imaging technology are accurate and stable, the same product can be printed at any time and at any place to ensure uniform color. The stability of the process is excellent. This is difficult to do.
In summary, together with the Prinergy process, Kodak square spot technology constitutes the most unique technical advantage of Kodak CTP solutions, which directly leads to Kodak CTP's extremely good performance in the market, bringing real benefits To the printing company.
Product categories of Pellet Grills. SMART SMOKE TECHNOLOGY- The digital temperature control and automatic auger feed pellets into the grill to maintain the heat for you and produce the optimal amount of smoke. ENDLESS VERSATILITY- Grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise, and barbecue all your favorite foods with premium wood-fired flavor on a single Pellet Grills & Smokers. Exclusive design & engineering service for you to get your unique grill and hot selling on the market.
Pellet BBQ Grill,Environmental Pellet BBQ Grill ,Wood Pellet Grill,Pellet Grill
Dongguan Jiangxin Metal Products Co., Ltd , https://www.jiangxinbbq.com