Plate "Drop Test"

[BeauchampT]

My plant is looking into some new plates. In some discussions with our supplier he suggested that we do a fresh chemical audit and do some "drop tests" on our plates (drop some chemical on an unimaged plate and see the result on the emulsion to check if any of our chemicals are uncompatible with the plate).

He recommended a basic image that would be helpful (kind of a visual measurement strip). Anyone have a suggestion in this regard??

[Kevin@Kodak]

My plant is looking into some new plates. In some discussions with our supplier he suggested that we do a fresh chemical audit and do some "drop tests" on our plates (drop some chemical on an unimaged plate and see the result on the emulsion to check if any of our chemicals are uncompatible with the plate).

He recommended a basic image that would be helpful (kind of a visual measurement strip). Anyone have a suggestion in this regard??

We usually use just a sold patch and a 50% screen. Between those two (and an adjacent 100% patch for reference), you can see the effects of chemical attack readily. In an ideal situation, you'd also put the plates on press to see if the attack becomes more noticable with wear on press too (we do that in our lab tests, but it's costly unless you put it in the margins of a live job).

Kevin.

[BeauchampT]

Thanks, that's easy enough to set up.

[Kevin@Kodak]

Just for reference - here's a scan of what we use. By chance, this is the Trillian SP plate after being exposed to about 30 different chemicals... the harshest our dealers could come up with in Asia. (The stain around the upper-right acetone test is actually from the acetone eating the paint on a pencil I used to apply the acetone, not from attacking the plate itself - we re-did an acetone test elsewhere on the plate to prove it). It's an un-baked Trillian SP plate.

I'd post the scans from other plates on the market too, but I might be accused of being anti-competitive. You can see the YouTube video though at: ‪KODAK TRILLIAN SP Chemical Resistance Demonstrated‬‏ - YouTube