Master These 6 Tips to Easily Maintain Your CTP Platesetter

CTP platesetters are precision equipment, and their accuracy directly determines the precision of printing screens, making them a crucial prerequisite and key factor for high-quality printing. Kodak CTP platesetters, in particular, can achieve a maximum printing screen accuracy at the 10μm level. To maintain the accuracy and stability of platesetters, regular maintenance and upkeep are essential management tasks. In this article, the author explains the key points of platesetter maintenance from six dimensions, using the Kodak Trendsetter 800 as an example to provide a detailed guide on the maintenance and care of CTP platesetters. In practice, the following summarized experience is also largely applicable to the maintenance of platesetters from other brands.

Environmental Requirements

The CTP plate-making machine is a high-precision device and needs to operate in a constant temperature and humidity environment. The indoor temperature should be controlled at 23±2℃, and the humidity at 55%±5%. The room should maintain positive pressure to prevent dust from entering the equipment, and the floor should remain clean and tidy, mopped daily. Staff entering the room should wear slippers, and visitors must wear shoe covers.

Maintenance of the Laser Head

01/ Lens Cleaning

To maintain the laser head lenses, use a hex key to open the cover of the plate-making machine, remove the safety pin, and take off the baffle. Manually turn the lead screw to rotate the laser head lens to an appropriate position. Use a clean silk cloth with a small amount of alcohol to wipe off dust from the lens repeatedly until it is completely clean.

02/ Base Lead Screw Maintenance

Laser head base lead screw maintenance should be performed approximately every six months. Clean the dust and dirty oil off the base track with a regular clean cloth. After cleaning, apply new special lead screw oil. Rotate the lead screw, moving the laser head back and forth on the base to evenly spread the oil on the track and lead screw.

03/ Coolant Refilling

The coolant for the laser head should be checked every three months. If the level falls below the minimum, it should be refilled promptly. To do this: use a hex key to open the rear cover of the CTP machine, unscrew the cap, and add an appropriate amount of coolant. Ensure not to exceed the maximum level. A flashlight can be used to observe the minimum and maximum marks on the coolant container. Note that adding coolant must be done when the machine is powered off.

Maintenance of the Cylinders

Dust on the surface of the CTP machine cylinders should be wiped clean with non-woven cloth weekly, and check for any paper residue on the surface. The head and tail clamps on the cylinders should be checked every six months for wear and damage. The air holes and grooves on the cylinders should be cleaned once a year using special pin needles (including straight pins and threaded pins) to remove dust and residue, ensuring all air holes are clear so that the printing plate can be evenly attached to the cylinder surface. Dust and residue in the grooves can be scraped off with an aluminum sheet, followed by thorough cleaning with a clean cloth. Finally, use non-woven cloth for the final cleaning of the entire cylinder.

Maintenance of the Filtration System

01/ Filter Replacement

To maintain the filtration system: use a hex key to open the rear cover of the plate-making machine, unlock the latch, remove the rear baffle, take out the old filter, replace it with a new one, secure the fastening, and reinstall the baffle and rear cover.

02/ Laser Head Dust Collector Maintenance

The laser head dust collector contains a cylindrical filter that should be checked every three months. If the surface of the filter is dirty, you can rotate it to continue using it. When the entire filter becomes dirty, it needs to be replaced with a new one.