Asahi Photoproducts has launched a new plate in the pinning top dot technology (PTD) family, the AFP-TSP (Top Soft Pinning) for paper, folding carton and corrugated board applications.
The plate can also be used for all flexible packaging such as aluminium or film substrates.
According to the company, PTD technology facilitates clean ink transfer and prevents ink accumulating on the plate surface and on shoulders in screen areas. This results in fewer stoppages for plate cleaning, reduced press downtime and improved machine OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness). AFP-TSP plates allow the kiss-touch pressure setting, thus extending plate life and further reducing downtime and increasing margins.
The new medium hard plate comes in four thicknesses with Shore A hardness ranging from 48 to 69, and complements the harder AFP-TOP plates launched last year. The plates are tailor-made for paper and higher quality corrugated board applications with water-based inks. They are also compatible with solvent and most UV-curable inks.
A specially engineered Asahi polymer chemistry creates a low plate surface tension, which causes ink to form a globule and remain on the dot without running down the shoulders. This creates a higher ink profile with a large contact angle and high pinning point that delivers cleaner ink transfer from plate to substrate.
‘The new plate perfectly complements the harder AFP-TOP plate for high quality screen work within one job,’ said Dieter Niederstadt, technical marketing manager. ‘AFP-TSP and the harder AFP-TOP provide the perfect solution that can encourage brand owners and retail chains to transfer their work from other printing technologies to flexography.’
