CTP Plate Configuration on Xcalibur

[Doctor_Blade]

We inherited an old Xcalibur running on an Apogee. No manuals, previous operator already left. We need to reinstall the software due to virus attack. My question is; do we have to establish again plate configurations and calibration or do we need an Agfa engineer for this? If we replace it with a third-party RIP can we do the plate calibrations ourselves? And what third-party RIP would you suggest?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Armya Inc]

Plate calibration has nothing to do with Apogee, the Rip software or OCT, The calibration information saved in Xcal System Module PCB.
If you will need to calibrate the Plates in future, call a Service engineer, It is more complicated than what many people think.
However , you will need the Plate sizes to be introduced in Apogee. 3 Party Rip? well you will receive Plenty of information on this from other members soon.

 

[Doctor_Blade]

Plate calibration has nothing to do with Apogee, the Rip software or OCT, The calibration information saved in Xcal System Module PCB.
If you will need to calibrate the Plates in future, call a Service engineer, It is more complicated than what many people think.
However , you will need the Plate sizes to be introduced in Apogee. 3 Party Rip? well you will receive Plenty of information on this from other members soon.

Thank you. If I just have to reinstall the software on a new hardware CPU, I would just have to reintroduce the plate sizes because the calibration is still intact in the CTP? Please confirm.

 

[Armya Inc]

Thank you. If I just have to reinstall the software on a new hardware CPU, I would just have to reintroduce the plate sizes because the calibration is still intact in the CTP? Please confirm.

If you are talking about OCT, Xcalibure(unlike Galileo), will identify the plate sizes, exposure and calibration automatically from the Engine( Saved in System Module Pcb(Sequencer)) during initial boot sequence. The answer to your question is NO. For Apogee you will need to transfer the PlateDB file from Program file- OCt- Agfa- Statcmd- Plate DB folders to Apogee. Both softwares have to have the same Plate Databases anyway. If you are worried about this or in doubt to trust me ( I installed 28 Xcalibure 45 worldwide), then go to Program file- OCT-Agfa folders and make a back up from statecmd folder. This is for your rainy day.
I do not know what you mean by Hardware CPU, I can't recall a PCB called by this name on Xcalibure 45, but calibration of the plates which was carried out by your service engineer will stay in the machine (in the System Module Pcb) as mentioned. It is independent from the Softwares. After New software installation, every 21, 41, 61 or... Plates depending on your production capacity per day (set by your service engineer in the Engine Configuration) the GLV will be set Automatically. You will see this calibration on the OCT window, it will looks like a small square sign flashing on and off. which will normally takes up to 15 minutes. However you will need to be aware of the calibration procedure in Case of issues like Banding for Mag (thin lines on the Plates), Banding for Focus( Thick lines on the Plates), Autofocus, Slop, corrupted GLV profile and new Plate batches or brands . You wil need to know how to calibrate the Optic head and keep a GOOD KNOWN PROFILE as back up for many unknown reasons, since you have been using Xcalibure 45.
Hope this will help!

 

[w3112]

Hi,
I think we are talking about 2 different items here.

When operators talk about plate calibration , they usual refer to the linearization of the plate.
With plate linearization , I mean adjustments done on a workflow level to make sure that the requested dot % is also seen on the plate. In practive you expose a pattern with the complete range ( from 1 to 99 % ) , and you measure the result. This correction data is stored in the workflow, and you don´t need a HW engineer to help you with this. Users can create these curves themself.


When HW engineers talk about plate calibration, they usually refer to optical adjustments. Think about settings related to laser power, drum speed , focus , etc.... .
These settings are stored in a platedatabase , as mentiond in a previous reply.
This PlateDB sits inside the HW of the machine, and the information is copied towards the Operator Control Terminal ( OCT ) during boot.
Although not fully correct , I like to consider the OCT as a part of the engine. You can easily run the OCT software on a simple laptop sitting on top of the machine. You only need a serial cable to do so. But I have to admit , most people run it on the same platform as the workflow , and as such they think this is part of Apogee.
The workflow connects to the engine by the APIS cable.
Plate specific information is shared by using PlateID´s ( numbers ). And yes, Apogee gets this info from the engine.

So , to come back to the original question.
What if I something went wrong with the workflow ?
The plateDB , containing all hardware specific information , is still available in the engine. No problem.
Your OCT will find this data , as soon as it is connected.
Now Apogee needs to find the available plates ( or do they call it "media" ). I don´t think this happens automatically, so you probably need to click some buttons to do so.
After that , you must be able to output plates again.
As soon as plates come out , you should check the "linearization" and make new correction curves.

W3112

 

[Armya Inc]

Hi,
I think we are talking about 2 different items here.

When operators talk about plate calibration , they usual refer to the linearization of the plate.
With plate linearization , I mean adjustments done on a workflow level to make sure that the requested dot % is also seen on the plate. In practive you expose a pattern with the complete range ( from 1 to 99 % ) , and you measure the result. This correction data is stored in the workflow, and you don´t need a HW engineer to help you with this. Users can create these curves themself.


When HW engineers talk about plate calibration, they usually refer to optical adjustments. Think about settings related to laser power, drum speed , focus , etc.... .
These settings are stored in a platedatabase , as mentiond in a previous reply.
This PlateDB sits inside the HW of the machine, and the information is copied towards the Operator Control Terminal ( OCT ) during boot.
Although not fully correct , I like to consider the OCT as a part of the engine. You can easily run the OCT software on a simple laptop sitting on top of the machine. You only need a serial cable to do so. But I have to admit , most people run it on the same platform as the workflow , and as such they think this is part of Apogee.
The workflow connects to the engine by the APIS cable.
Plate specific information is shared by using PlateID´s ( numbers ). And yes, Apogee gets this info from the engine.

So , to come back to the original question.
What if I something went wrong with the workflow ?
The plateDB , containing all hardware specific information , is still available in the engine. No problem.
Your OCT will find this data , as soon as it is connected.
Now Apogee needs to find the available plates ( or do they call it "media" ). I don´t think this happens automatically, so you probably need to click some buttons to do so.
After that , you must be able to output plates again.
As soon as plates come out , you should check the "linearization" and make new correction curves.

W3112

To make long story short the work flow doesn't get the PlateDB from the the data base Automatically as it was explained before. The operator has to import the plateDB to Media section of the Apogee. This PlateDB can be taken via Network from OCT or taken and saved manually somewhere like desktop of Apogee window and from there to Media Section of the Apogee.

 

[Doctor_Blade]

You guys are superb. Both inputs helped me a lot. Thank you.