Plates, Blankets and Chemistry

KBA Planeta Printing These items should all be on hand when the machine arrives. The company that sells you the machine should provide the size of the plates and blankets. The critical elements here are what type of blanket bars the press has and the PIN system it has.

The two most common types of systems to secure the blankets are barred and straight cut. Barred blankets will come from your supplier with aluminum bars on each end. Thus there is not a need for blanket bars. However, the blanket cylinder will have to be outfitted for this. Barred blanket systems are the predominant type for Asian and European machines. The machine will come with blanket bars when originally sold, however, if they are not part of daily use they invariable get lost and are not shipped with the machine. If the machine is outfitted to take straight cut blankets, with the use of blanket clamps, you will need a full set for every unit plus some spares to be able to quickly change a damaged blanket. You want to inquire about this.

PIN systems are another very important item. Most Komori machines are outfitted with the Komori KPS PIN system. In order to use this system you will need a plate punch. Very often second hand machines do not come with a plate punch. It would be a mistake to assume that it does. Most shops utilize one punch for multiple machines. Thus if one machine is sold off the printer will not give up the punch because he needs it for his other presses. The other thing to keep in mind is even if the press does come with a punch that is for the KPS pin system, most likely that punch will only provide for the punching of plates. This will not address stripping concerns for your pre-press department. Also do not assume your existing punch will work for this press. If the press is coming with a punch try to get as much information about it as possible in order to ascertain it’s appropriateness for your situation well in advance. Have a piece of mylar puched on it and sent to you. This way you can get a first hand look at what it does early.

Many late model machines are outfitted with Automatic plate changers, or Semi-automatic plate changes. With this feature you will also need a “plate bender”. There are ways around the punching of plates just to get going but there cannot be any sort of printing or even testing without the plate bender. Some plate benders also punch the plates and some do not. Benders are critical, and very important if you have purchased a machine with plate changing capabilities. Be aware, a plate bender is very expensive.

Find out how the blankets are attached. If it is with blanket bars, how many sets will come with the machine? If the machine takes blankets that are bared, you need to know that and order some.
What type of PIN system does the machine have?
Does the machine come with a punch?
What is the ramification of this for pre-press purposes?
Does the machine come with a plate bender if it has automatic plate changers?

Heidelberg Presses

How can I find out more information?

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