Easily perform maintenance on CTP plate-making machines by mastering these 6 points
CTP plate-making machines are precision equipment, and their accuracy directly determines the precision of printing screening, making them an important prerequisite and key factor for high-quality printing. Kodak CTP plate-making machines can achieve a maximum printing screening accuracy of up to 10 μm. To maintain the accuracy and stability of plate-making machines, regular maintenance and care of the CTP plate-making machine is an essential fundamental management task. In this article, the author explains the key points of maintaining and caring for plate-making machines from six dimensions, using the Kodak Trendsetter 800 as an example, and provides a detailed introduction to the maintenance and care methods for CTP plate-making machines. In practice, the following experience summaries are also generally applicable to the maintenance of plate-making machines of other brands.
Environmental requirements
CTP plate making machine is a high-precision equipment that needs to operate in a constant temperature and humidity environment, and the indoor temperature should be controlled at 23±2°C and the humidity should be controlled at 55%±5%. The room should maintain positive pressure to prevent dust from entering the equipment, while the floor should be kept clean and tidy, and the floor should be mopped and cleaned every day.
Maintenance and maintenance of the laser head
01/ Lens cleaning
For partial maintenance of the laser head lens, it is necessary to open the outer cover of the plate making machine with an internal hexagon, remove the safety pin, remove the baffle, manually turn the screw screw, turn the laser head lens to a suitable position, dip a clean mercerized cloth in an appropriate amount of alcohol, wipe the dust on the lens, and repeat it many times until the lens is completely clean.
02/ Base screw maintenance
The maintenance of the screw of the laser head base is generally carried out every six months. Use a regular clean cloth to clean the base track from dust and dirty oil. apply new special screw oil after cleaning; Turn the screw and let the laser head move back and forth on the base several times so that the oil on the track and screw is evenly applied to the track and screw.
03/ Coolant refill
The coolant of the laser head part needs to be checked every three months, and once the liquid level is below the lowest position, the coolant should be refilled in time. Specific operation method: Open the back cover of the CTP plate making machine with an Allen wrench, unscrew the cover and add an appropriate amount of coolant, pay attention to the coolant level filling cannot exceed the highest position, and use a flashlight to observe the lowest and highest scale marks on the coolant device. In addition, note that the coolant must be filled with the equipment turned off.
Maintenance and maintenance of the drum part
The dust on the surface of the drum of the CTP plate making machine should be wiped clean with non-woven fabric every week, and check whether there are paper scraps on the surface of the drum. Check the head and tail clamps on the drum every six months to see if there is wear and damage; The air holes and grooves on the drum need to be cleaned once a year, and the dust and gelatin in the holes are cleaned with special through-hole pen needles (including straight needles and threaded needles) to ensure that all ventilation holes remain unobstructed, so that the printing plate can be evenly adsorbed on the surface of the drum. The grooves on the drum can be scraped off dust and gelatin with aluminum sheets, then the grooves are thoroughly cleaned with a clean cloth, and finally the entire drum is finally cleaned with non-woven fabrics.
Maintenance and maintenance of filtration devices
01/ Filter replacement
Maintenance steps of the filter device: use an Allen wrench to open the back cover of the plate making machine, turn the lock, remove the tailgate, remove the old filter, replace it with a new filter, buckle the fixture, and reinstall the baffle and back cover.
02/ Laser head dust collector maintenance
The laser head dust collector is equipped with a barrel filter inside and needs to be inspected every three months. If the filter surface is dirty, you can continue to use it in the direction of rotation; When the entire filter becomes dirty, it needs to be replaced with a new one as a whole.
03/ Intake filter maintenance
The intake filter needs to check the color change of the filter element once a week to see if there is water or oil in the filter. If oil is found, you need to manually press and hold the button under the filter to let the oil drain with the airflow. Under normal circumstances, the filter elements of the three filters need to be replaced every six months.
Motherboard and fan maintenance and maintenance
01/ Motherboard cleaning
The maintenance and cleaning of the plate making machine motherboard should be carried out once a year. Use a small brush to brush off dust from the motherboard and fan, while vacuuming to remove any dust that is raised to prevent it from spreading to other parts. The memory stick on the motherboard can be removed and the metal contact part can be cleaned with an eraser to prevent oxidation from causing poor contact.
02/ Electronic sensor cleaning
When cleaning the dust on the surface of the electronic sensor, use a white clean cloth, wash it and wring it out, and wipe the dust on the glass of the electric eye to ensure the sensitivity of the sensor.
03/ Exhaust fan cleaning
When cleaning the exhaust fan, use a small brush to brush off the dust on the fan blades, and at the same time use a small vacuum cleaner to suck away the dust to keep the exhaust fan running normally.
Maintenance and maintenance of various platforms and machine surfaces
The cleanliness of each platform and machine surface of the CTP plate making machine can reflect the management literacy and quality requirements of a department.
01/ Sticky Roller
When cleaning the sticky roller, use a clean cloth to wash it in warm water, wring it out, wipe the rubber roller from the middle to both sides, and repeat it many times until the dust, small shredded paper and other dirt on the rubber roller are thoroughly cleaned. Special attention should be paid to the last set of rubber rollers output by the printing plate that is easy to stick to the metal dust generated by the hole punch, which must be wiped clean regularly, otherwise the rubber roller will be damaged by metal dust wear and tear over time.
02/ Roller surface
When cleaning the surface of the drum, use a clean cloth to wash and wring it out, and thoroughly wipe off the dust and gelatin on the surface of the drum. After wiping with a cloth, there may be hair loss, you can use a flashlight to irradiate the surface of the drum to carefully inspect and remove the cloth hair on the drum.
03/ Enter/Publish Platform
The enter/publishing platform is generally maintained once a week. Clean the dust and paper scraps on the platform with a cloth, and use a cloth dipped in alcohol to clean the conveyor belt, regularly check the wear and tear of the belt, and replace it in time if it is found to be seriously worn.
04/ Maintenance materials
For the maintenance of plate making machines, material selection is extremely important. When it comes to wiping parts, waste fabrics must not be used at will, professional wipes, cotton swabs and alcohol should be used, and corrosive materials such as white electric oil and natural water should not be used.
As the old saying goes, "If a worker wants to do a good job, he must first sharpen his tools." The maintenance and maintenance of CTP plate making machine needs to be persisted and meticulously implemented every day, weekly, monthly, and every year to ensure the stability of plate making quality.
Through the maintenance and maintenance of CTP plate making machine, after more than ten years of high-intensity operation, the surface of the equipment is still as good as new, and it can still produce high-quality printing plate outlets to meet the production requirements of high-precision printing products. This high-quality maintenance and maintenance work not only extends the service life of the CTP plate making machine, reduces the number of equipment failures and repairs, saves a lot of maintenance costs and equipment update costs for the company, but also significantly improves production efficiency and creates benefits for the company.