CTP and Bimetal: Prisma[R] thermal CTP plates

PDI is the world's second largest thermal CTP plate manufacturer through the growing popularity of its Prisma[R] product. The never-bake Prisma plate is white light safe and has the same proven press run characteristics as PDI's conventional bimetal plate. Its copper-on-aluminum construction attracts ink better than competing plates, while the aluminum in non-image areas requires less water than that of anodized plates. As a result, webs run drier reducing breaks, and PDI plates come to color quicker, often reducing paper waste and ink usage. The plates also stand up to today's high-speed presses, routinely allowing runs in excess of 2 million impressions.

Prisma plates consist of a thermally sensitive polymer system with an infrared dye sensitive at 830 nm, applied to a copper plated aluminum substrate or a copper plated stainless steel substrate.

Plateroom and pressroom staffs familiar with conventional PDI bimetal plates can switch to Prisma bimetal thermal plates with no learning curve. It has excellent latent image stability and eliminates any chance of overexposure, and provides the flexibility to precisely integrate the applied curves in the film or to adjust tonal curves. It also eliminates time-consuming and costly reRIPing of files when adjusting for unanticipated problems on press.

Bottom line, PDI plates help boost productivity, performance and profit by allowing printers to get to press faster and stay on longer to maintain a money-making operation.

PDI'S fully automated processor

PDI's in-line, three-station processing system supplies prepress departments hands-free convenience. The self-adjusting plate transport mechanism on the front end of the unit automatically feeds plates from up to three platesetters to the processing line. Plate magazines and transport tables convey PDI plates through the processing line and are deposited in an automatic plate stacker, which is wheeled to the press area.

The Generation II Automatic Replenishment System (ARS) feeds developer, etch, finishing and stencil removing chemicals to the in-line processor. The system actively tracks chemical conditions, counts plate square footage, calculates depletion of chemistry and automatically pumps replenishment chemicals when needed. The system also warns the operator when a chemical needs replacing with both visual and audio alerts. The ARS also tracks the last five chemical changes of all chemistries in computer memory.

How PDI processing and sharpening works

Bimetal plates print the sharpest, most exact to film or data reproduction of any plate available in the industry. Competing pre-sensitized subtractive plates can be sharpened up to a certain degree during exposure before affecting the integrity of the print. Only PDI bimetal plates can receive additional sharpening, if required, during processing.

All PDI plates, CTP or conventional, are conveniently processed through the same processing system in less than five minutes. After imaging, the exposed polymer is removed by the developer, revealing the copper layer. The non-imaged copper is removed through the etching process with no undercut (no sharpening). The final step is removal of the stencil to reveal the copper image on the aluminum substrate.