NEED HELP - Fuji PJ plate vs Azura plate

[hazzmatte]

We are trying to decide between the Fuji PJ plate which is a conventional CTP plate and the Azura TS plate.

1. It there much difference in cost between the two when it comes to chemistry?

2. Is system maintenance much greater with one vs. the other?

3. For those using the Azura plate already - how much gum do you burn through?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

[Lukas Engqvist]

Just changing gum as we speak. I usually do about a 20 liter can once a month. When half empty swap it for a half filled can of water and let the system run while washing off rolers and buildup on coggs. Write a couple emails, then turn the system off till it drains. New can in and ready to run…*the how often seems to be as dependant on time as number of plates but somewere between 600-1000 605x765 mm plates to 20 liter gum.
As far as pricing is concerned I haven't a clue. I just know that it is great to have a stable easy maintenence system. As for Fuji PJ i don't have a clue.

[lfelton]

What Lukas said!

We switched to Azura from a conventional chemistry system last November and the difference in maintenance is just huge. From a time consuming messy job with lots of waste to... well Lukas just said what.

I think we are processing more plates to a 20l of gum (pretty much the same size plates), not sure why.

One thing I wasn't aware of is that the processor has to stay on all the time (makes sense when you think about it). It's a bit disconcerting at first, but Agfa assure me it's not running "warm" all the time, so shouldn't be using much electricity.

We were on a plate & chemistry deal before, so I can't really say off the top of my head about the chemistry costs, but my gut feeling it's got to be much lower. The haz disposal costs alone are a good saving.

[hazzmatte]

Lukas,

What do you do with the half full container you just took out? Is this considered the spent material?

[RGPW17100]

A cube is around $170. Pricy but about the same cost as the hardner/gum for conventional plates. We run ours down to less then 1/4 full. Were never instructed on the disposal and just toss this in the garbage. I will probably take a thrashing on that statement.

Ours is always online but does not run non stop. You might want to get that checked. Periodically the rollers will spin and some solution is sprayed to prevent roller sticking and drying. The heater only comes on when the plate has been sensed when the system comes on

[DCurry]

My old shop used the Fuji PJ plate for years - it is a very good plate, but Fuji kept running up the price. Finally we switched to the Kodak Sword plate because we were able to switch to Prinergy at the same time. The cost of Prinergy was rolled into the plate cost over 4 years and the plates were still cheaper than the Fujis.

Current shop just switched to AzuraTS plates two weeks ago. So far, so good and my manager tells me the price is good. The nice thing about these plates is that you can clearly see the image on the plate for quality control purposes, unlike other "chem-free" plates which require cleaning out on press. Haven't done any processor maintenance yet, but I expect it to be pretty simple. There are a lot fewer variables like chemistry conductivity to consider with this plate, so that should make it more stable.

[nycku]

I think fuji Pj is pretty good so far we are happy with it more consistent, processor is easy to maintain and economical. I have use Agfa in the past and we encounter some problem after the first chemistry change and clean-up, use a lot of replenisher and processor is hard to clean and plates is inconsistent and unstable.

[Prepper]

Hazzmatte,

We are currently considering the same 2 plates, from what I've researched this is what I see...please anyone correct me where wrong.

Azura is slower, 200mj/cm2 vs 120mj/cm2 for the LHPJ, will this make much difference on your machine, I don't know just something to consider.

Azura "chemistry" is just gum, LHPJ chem is like most thermal chem, so I'm told, around 12pH so can't be disposed of until neutralized? or has to be hauled away? (We are really low usage so for us that would mean about 12 gal Agfa vs. 42 gal Fuji to dispose of and the biggest reason is because the Fuji holds 7 gal in the machine).

Azura and other "process-less" plates don't have quite the resolution that the LHPJ does, and probably other conventional thermals too?

Service/Support for us, Fuji is local, for Saphira it was 5 hours away with stocking 2 hours away, don't know yet what the Agfa is for us.

Remember to check the Heidelberg Saphira also.

[marktonk]

Another point to consider is a thermal chemistry plate requires water so the processor will need to be plumbed. Water usage is also quite high. The Saphira Chemfree clean out unit does not require water and therefore no plumbing.

On our Suprasetter A52/A75, we run at engine speed with both plates.

On the Suprasetter, the Saphira Chemfree is rated to 250 line hybrid screen whereas our chemistry based Saphira Thermoplate PN and the PJ are rated to 400 line hybrid screen.

And as stated, Chemfree maintenance is a dream compare to conventional processors

Regards,

Mark

[hazzmatte]

Prepper,

We have gone with the Azua TS. It is about 4 plates per hour slower to image but it came down to the processor. We have a small shop and with conventional processor, oxidation of the chemistry would happen faster thus more chemistry changes. Also, the fuji processor is twice the size as the rinse unit for the Azua. I think the Fuji PJ plate is probably the best proven plate on the market but it is better suited for a higher volume shop with more space then we have. Getting rid of the fuji waste was also considered. We bought the whole CTP system (rip and screen ctp machine) from agfa because their plate solution was a better fit for us then fuji. We agreed to a long term plate deal also but only with a performance guarantee. My sales person said "the Azura will perform as well if not better then the PJ plate". Installation is the end of march and we are eager to see if her is correct. Thanks for the feed back!