Agfa Accuset 1000 Lines in image?

[Plasticprint]

We are running an old AGFA Accuset 1000 on a Xitron RIP. Everything seems to rip fine and output fine until you see the final piece.

So I've been having an odd issue that just popped up out of the blue. I have tried multiple files even files that have been saved in our RIP that worked just yesterday, and all of them seem to be getting the same problem.

I keep getting strange little lines popping up on the film, in the images. Almost like the image is streaking. I have attached a pdf of some film with the issue. I circled some of the problem areas with magenta.

Do I need to clean the laser? Any ideas would be a big help!

Thanks in advance!

 

[VladCanada]

100% - Xitron RIP board/cable issue, if you do not see same kind of lines at Accuset internal tests/patterns.
I would pay 100$ to see how to clean the laser!

 

[Plasticprint]

I tried the a direct test print from the Agfa and now that I look at it I'm pretty sure it is coming from the machine itself.

Attached is a scan of the film.

Sorry I meant clean the laser optics, I read in a previous post that clear streaks can mean hairs over the laser?

Thanks for the quick response! Please let me know what you think.

 

[Plasticprint]

I just noticed that this is in the wrong section. I did not realize there was an AGFA specific section. Sorry.

 

[VladCanada]

Wedging Artifacts possible, but I can't tell you definitely without picture of artifacts under X10magnification.

 

[Plasticprint]

I'll do my best to get a very high res scan of the artifacts. What would cause them if they were wedging artifacts? Does it have something to do with how the film is seated in the cassettes?

Thank you soooo much for the replys!

 

[Plasticprint]

Here is a scan at 1200 dpi of part of the film. You should be able to zoom way in on the image. It is a little fuzzy but I think it will do the trick.

Let me know if you need something better.

Thank You!

 

[MickRose]

WE have an Accuset 1000 & have had a major problem with lines going at right angles to the feed direction. I think they were linked to film feed because we were getting loads of media errors - often in the middle of a run, sometimes when the machine wasn't even meant to be doing anything. Our engineer thought it was a bad connection from the RIP, but I think he was wrong. He came along & adjusted some voltage settings which were slightly different on the 2 sides & since then we have had no lines & only a few medial errors. This problem could be temperature related in that it was worse when the imagesetter was cold.

Mick

 

[Plasticprint]

All of our lines are at right angles to the feed direction as well, which would make sense to it being a possible feed problem. However, it was working fine the day before with the same roll of film.

 

[VladCanada]

Possible reason - The TENSIONER Assy needs some electrical/electronics adjustments by experienced serviceman.
Accuset is almost user-unserviceable equipment, pls take it in account.

 

[M. R. Horton]

It would be helpful if you identified which direction is the roll feed direction of the films you posted (a picture is worth a thousand words, but imaging film is only worth 500 if we don't know for sure the roll feed direction). If the offsetting is 90 degrees to the feed direction then I would be more inclined to think that it is not related to media tension, but more likely an issue with the electronic timing of the laser, ergo the board that drives the imaging signal to the laser. The changes are so short lived and yet pronounced that media handling/roller tension doesn't seem likely to me. However, it has been a long time since I worked with a capstan imaging device, the last one was an L300 I think.

 

[VladCanada]

Accuset internal optical density test has only one direction, so the second pdf has artifacts caused by unstable film movement when that test was exposed.

 

[M. R. Horton]

Vlad,

So the film feed direction must be in the top to bottom or at least vertical direction of the second film image? So if the operator repeated the test, then the artifacts wouldn't appear in exactly the same position if it is unstable film movement, correct?

 

[imagesetting]

Is your laser a gas or diode laser ?
It could be a misfiring laser (lazy lines), we have experience of this.
A diode laser that is getting tired will become very sensitive to temperature, make sure the room is kept at the correct temp for the equipment, and not just before use, ideally 24/7.
This problem will be there one day and gone the next, only to return later.

 

[VladCanada]

Marvin,
Possible NOT not in exactly the same place but with the same pattern of artifacts.
Unstability of the film movement pretty good visible at 50% square shess-board.
That's not a line/pixel shift caused by dusty spinner encoder but a wedging causud by waving film on the surface of Capstan roller.
There are 3 possible sources of the problem: Supply motor wheel has bad contact with a cassette shaft wheel, Tensioner Assy misalignment, nip-roller at the Cutter Assy.
Now I suspect he source #3...

Media transport problems can occur if the thumb screws securing
the cutter cover to the media frame are tightened too securely.

This is due to excessive or uneven pressures being applied to the
nip rollers.

The screws should be finger tightened only.

When troubleshooting suspected repeatability or wedging problems,
insure that the cover is seated correctly.

imagesetting Accuset has Lased Diode based imager assembly and I would expect to see lazy lines or (more often) dummy (extra) lines at the head of the image across the film advance direction.

Anyway, the best diagnostic and problem fixing should be done on-site by experienced technician

 

[imagesetting]

An on site engineer will bring experience and often a box of parts that can be swapped over, you can have a go, but unless you have the service manual, test equipment and replacement parts to play with its an up hill climb ... never hurts to try though, in later years we saved a fortune on our Purup (now Esko) equipment doing so ... £500 a call out - but it did include the first hours labour.
Good luck.