NozzleBlack digital direct inkjet – Flexo CTP
In May 2012 during Drupa, a new technology of digital inkjet printing press was shown and have been commended as an great innovation after Mr. Johannes Gutenberg had invented a printing press. As a matter of fact it was derived from electronic image forming by a liquid electro-ink method in 1993 during IPEX, by taking advantages of magnetic field reaction to form an image roller then transfer onto paper or substrate.
After 20 years, direct image to photopolymer plate by inkjet printer – CTP INKJET for flexo plate making without using film is also becoming practical and practical.
Actually, it was an extensive development of CTF (Computer To Film). Due to new development of Nano ink technology, CTP (Computer To Plate) INKJECT is now practical, ordinary, economic and substantial with more versatility of wider range for substrate selection. NozzleBlack can inkjet to any untreated film and uncoated paper
as tracing paper which is a cheapest translucent paper material for negative making as a film. Ton May 14-17 2013, CTP INKJET for photopolymer plate making was announced in China Print by which opening a new era of Flexo CTP.
Conventional photographic film manufacturers have announced to terminate the production, this has scared most of the users, film price increase day by day thus has forced consumers to pursue other methods in stead. Due to Nano technology, to prepare a color dye of 20 nano is no longer difficult now, plus additives for the ink, it is easy to have a ink layer by inkjet at 40-50 nano and reaching the same density of offset ink layer which is 400-500 nano, however the consumption of ink is only 10% does not matter it is an ink layer of color reflection or black opaque to block the light transmission when forming the plate image. This is the reason why we can use the ink to spray image directly on the photopolymer plates, no mater it’s a letterpress plate or flexographic plate in any thickness with any brands.
Specialty of nano-ink
Nano-ink can absorb more lights and reflecting more than regular an inks so that the reproduction dot is showing sharper, slippery, even and shining in order to reflect more colorful areas of YMCK with 15% more color than offset printing ink layers. This is the specialty of nano-ink which is reducing ink absorbed by substrate to shine up colorfully.
Moreover, with thinner layer of nano-ink inkjet printers can spray at higher speed, no mater it is a coated or uncoated surface, film or paper with no coagulation or spreading
or even on any photopolymer material which is available on the market.
CTP Inkjet spray
NozzleBlack CTP inkjet is using a spray head with 2 sets for YMCK each for color printing in total of 8 nozzles. For negative image spray we use only K ink in black color, Depends on the ink, once the opaque is no good enough then we suggest to use 2 nozzles to spray K ink at the same time, thus will assure the black optical density over 3.50 which is excellent enough during plate making in order to black out the UVA lights and keep image sharp despite of it is a rough image or fine image. The other 6 nozzles can be spared for future use.
Advantages of CTP Inkjet
˙Nano-ink
with nano dye and additives can allow ink drying quickly on non-treated substrates, the cost is cheaper than UV based ink and no UV curing device is required so as to a very expensive laser image ablator, which is saving a lot from hard wares.
˙Ink saving
Comparing with offset printing ink layer the CTP inkjet ink layer is only 10% in thickness which means that can save a lot of ink not only in quantity but also in cost and cost of transportation.
˙Energy saving
No UV curing or extra drying unit is necessary when using nano ink, therefore saving energy a lot, after inkjet only a small bulb after the nozzle will drying the ink quick this will also reduce the problem of nozzle blocking.
˙Reducing costs
Use no more photographic film therefore the film cost is reduced, Due to use of nono ink a A2 sized plate will use only 4 cc of black ink able to achieve optical density over 3.50. Do not have to use any Digital plate which is about 30-40% cost up than a conventional photopolymer plate.
˙Any substrates
Wide range of substrates can be used and no special treating or coating is required therefore, can inkjet on any letterpress plate, flexographic plate, water wash flexo plate as well as for liquid photopolymer plate making. RD team finds that direct image on film for liquid resin spreading can be also sprayed in order for resin contact directly to the image with 0-distance. This has solved no-sharp-reproduction problem from the beginning of liquid photopolymer plate making had been created and invented.
Conclusion
NozzleBlack CTP inkjet for no film plate making is not using a special printer which is the same with printers in the market but we have paid more attention to the parts of:
fine reproduction, easy access, less breakdown as well as reasonable hard ware cost so that it can be accepted by the industry easily no mater how big is the size required.
This is quit different from a kind of small size A2 machine in the market now only good for thickness less than 2.30mm from which the market is divided.
In summarizing, a new era of CTP inkjet for flexo plate making is opening right after the China Print show in 2013, as Jessica Harkins reported on the Flexo magazine there is a wide array of people will make up the flexographic industry. Business owners, design partners, creative brains, old-school fundamentalists, young techs and everyone in between will work together to make our specialized industry stronger. NozzleBlack is expecting here the flower blossom.
