New products
A printing plate that reduces waste by 75%
Agfa Graphics’ new Adamas printing plate “brings robustness
to a whole new level and offers every benefit of chemistry-free
solutions,” said the manufacturer. Characterizing it as “the
most durable chemistry-free plate available on the market,”
Adamas boosts efficiency, both in plate throughput and run
length, with optimal press performance, zero water and up to
75% less waste compared to similar products. To maximize
performance, the highly sensitive plate was designed for use
with Agfa Graphics’ dedicated Adamas clean-out units (COU).
Due to their eco-driven design, the plates can be cleaned
with pH-neutral clean-out solution and require no water. Agfa
Graphics’ patented ThermoLink technology is at the heart of
Adamas and can accom-
modate run lengths up
to 350,000 copies.
ThermoLink technology
contributes to the chem-
ical and mechanical
robustness and opti-
mum performance of the
p l a te. A p p l i c a t i o n s
include commercial
sheetfed and coldset, to
heatset printing.
Agfa Adamas 125 clean-out unit
A more affordable RTR wide-format
inkjet printer
Mutoh’s new VJ-1638UR 64” UV-LED inkjet printer was spe-
cifically developed for roll-to-roll (RTR) printing at an affordable
price “with the quality and performance of Mutoh's current
UV-LED printers,” said the OEM. Its staggered dual print head
design and dual UV lamps on both sides of the print heads
provide high productivity while also offering environmentally-
friendly features such as UV ink that’s VOC-free, low energy
consumption and odourless after-curing. Mutoh’s cool tech-
nology also reduces working temperature, allowing printing
on heat-sensitive media. Varnish ink provides spot varnish
and multi-layer printing, which isn’t possible with solvent
printers. The new printer comes with an automatic media
registration pin system and a vacuum table with a blow-back
feature for easy positioning of heavy media. The vacuum table
is divided into four zones, firmly fixing various media sizes to
improve workflow. It can expand a print shop's production
capability and product offerings, such as promotional items,
directional signage, awards, specialty, labels and packaging
prototypes. Six-colour Mutoh UV-LED ink (CMYK + white and
varnish) and a new 5-colour mode setting (CMYK + varnish)
are available.
Continuous monitoring of UV output on a press
U K- b a s e d G E W h a s
launched “a major innova-
tion for UV curing
installations”. Its multi-point
UV monitor, or mUVm, is a
set of one to five UV
sensors that continuously
monitor UV output on a
press. Calibrated sensors
positioned along the length GEW mUVm monitors
of the lamp continuously
measure UV intensity in a UV-curing system. This eliminates
the risks and consequences of under-cured product reaching
the customer. It’s a reliable and cost-effective solution for pro-
duction monitoring of UV intensity at multiple positions across
the web, to eliminate the possibility of inadequate UV doses.
A simple user interface displays the UV output of the lamps on
a Rhino touchscreen and alarms
can be set to warn when the
output gets too low or too high.
With up to five sensors per lamp
monitoring ever y second,
“unprecedented control over
the UV curing process can be
achieved, potential waste is
eliminated and thus efficiency is
greatly improved,” said the com-
pany. It’s possible to attain 100%
UV inspection while generating
a UV-curing certificate for every
batch by recording live UV out-
puts for every lamp. Users can
also detect when UV lamps
reach their end of life.
Mutoh VJ-1638UR UV-LED inkjet printer
14 | May 2018 | GRAPHIC ARTS MAGAZINE
graphicartsmag.com