Plate Wear on Kodak HRO Thermal Plates

[Bigscottd]

I was wondering if someone could help me out, Im currently using the Kodak HRO plate with a Screen 4300s and a Kodak processor. I had the processor installed about 3 months ago and since we have had issues with plate wear on runs over 25,000 and the wear tends to start from the right edge and creeps in. We have had a Plate specialist in and he tried to blame in on the press and there couldn't be anything within the processor which could be doing it. He since has had a look at the press and tested the water/alcohol and said it could be down to that but we have since drained and re-filled but the problem still exists. The unit which you see it on the most is the Black (Which is the last colour to go down) but it also happens on other units as well

Any help would be appreciated

Scott

[BeauchampT]

First, try the chemical drop test on the plate - all your press chemicals; see if they are etching it. If they don't, you rule out chemistry.

Next, is it the same side of the press that the plates are wearing on? Is there any relationship to piling on the blankets - i.e. paper? That could account for mechanical wear

[Bigscottd]

First, try the chemical drop test on the plate - all your press chemicals; see if they are etching it. If they don't, you rule out chemistry.

Next, is it the same side of the press that the plates are wearing on? Is there any relationship to piling on the blankets - i.e. paper? That could account for mechanical wear

Thanks for the reply, Im going round to the other press shortly and try the drop test and see what happens.
The Wear is always down the same side so im going to develop the next set of plates and rotate them before going through the processor to see if it appears on the other side.

[Bigscottd]

Ok done the drop test and it not damaged the plate at all, im now going to try some plates from another company.

[Dan Roll]

Is the wear removing the image or polishing the background? Or both?

[Bigscottd]

Is the wear removing the image or polishing the background? Or both?

Its just removing the image only, background seems ok

[Dan Roll]

If the press is abrading the plate through a poor packing set-up, a dragging roller, or some other issue, the lead edge and the sides of the plate will usually show some evidence of polishing. Typically, if the plates are OK, the image will survive this abrasion better than the background as it is protected by a layer of ink when the press is running. If the wear is just the image area with no visible damage to the background, I would be very suspicious of the plates and/or the imaging. Have you tried hanging a plate tail edge first and seeing if this affects where the wear takes place? Perhaps you could get pre-press to image the plate up-side down to facilitate this.

[Kevin@Kodak]

The Wear is always down the same side so im going to develop the next set of plates and rotate them before going through the processor to see if it appears on the other side.

Did the wear rotate with the plate, or not? If not, then it's almost certainly a press/application issue. There are other Kodak plates available too which may be better for difficult press conditions (like Electra XD), depending on how much longer you need to run. If there's a real press issue though, this is just a cover-up in the long term.

If you need Kodak plate support please let me know and I'll ensure we're as fully-involved as possible. (I need your details by private message or email)

Kevin.

[heitechpro]

it could be the burning on the platesetter. it happened once with me on my ptr8000, cleaned the optiks and all ok afterwards

[Kevin@Kodak]

it could be the burning on the platesetter. it happened once with me on my ptr8000, cleaned the optiks and all ok afterwards

It's certainly possible, but less likely with a positive-working plate like Electra HRO. The non-exposed parts of the plate are what's carrying the ink, so unless the head is leaking more light than it should when "off" (thus weakening the unexposed coating), the laser power/etc. doesn't impact the runlength of the plate. Exposure problems on a positive plate often first show up as toning or banding in the background. However - as you say - dirty or mis-aligned optics can cause leakage / low-contrast issues as well. Even then, it would be a weird combination to see that only on one side of the plate unless there is a corresponding processing or press issue too.

My money would be on a press issue, but I'm just playing armchair quarterback here. Our field support guys can certainly help if needed - let me know what I can do.

Kevin.