Flexographic Plate Quality Management
COURSE OVERVIEW:
Flexographic plate is apprehended as a heart of the flexographic printing process that influence the print result and production efficiency. Unacceptable color matching to proof, insufficient density, uneven ink laydown, narrow color gamut, lack of print brilliance, inconsistency in process, Unpredictability of results job-to-job, and run-to-run are the emerging challenges to printers in order to meet the demands of brand owners and customer in the competitive market. This two day training session addresses various topics on flexo plate process from prepress to final plate production and to print production at customer end by standardizing the process parameters to variables, back exposing to finishing, quality testing to mounting, cleaning to storage and staging through hands-on activities accompanied with case studies, presentations and discussion and at the end participants will leave the class with a strong understanding of the fundamentals and advance levels of flexo plate quality management skills and be able to troubleshoot a variety of plate related issues upon return to their respective facility.
TRAINING CONTENTS:
- Flexographic printing, photopolymer plate, composition, structure and footprint on print consistency during production run.
- Flex plate processing steps, back exposure, main exposure, washout & thermal drying, post exposure and impacts on print.
- Important factors (Relief depth, imaging quality, exposure conditions, polymer saturations, drying, mounting and plate handling).
- Flexographic plate digital Imaging, laser plate imaging, Imaging resolution, high definition Imaging and SEM analysis.
- Flexo plate dot shapes, dot gain analysis, area cover analysis, Shore A, Swelling properties, hasen swelling paramters, swelling degree, plate & solvent compaibility.
- Impact of pH, solvent compatibility, temperature, ozone, oxygen saturation during plate processing and reflection on final print quality.
- Flexoplate processing steps and physicochemical properties, Elastic deformation, Roughness, Surface free energy, Surface properties, durability.
- Measurment of surface frr energy, Roughness, topography, Coverage values, Optical density, plate thickness, hardness, effect of various wash out conditions, bump curve.
- Important photopolymer plate issues (swelling, waviness, shrinking or cracking, premature wearing, tackiness, relief variations, delamination, irregular polymerization, pinholes and shorten the run length etc……
- Generic approved set-ups, labels, flexible Packaging, corrugated preprint and post print for water base and solvent based inks.
- Best practices and tips for photopolymer plate mounting, tape application, edge sealing, plate de-mounting, cutting, handling, cleaning, storage and stacking to maintain high plate performance.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
- Plant Management
- Print Supervisor | Manager
- QHSE supervisor | Manager
- NPD supervisor | Manager
- Quality Control Technicians
- Ink and chemicals suppliers
- Prepress and Graphic Designers
- Ink room technicians / Ink matchers
- Printing & Packaging Technologists.
- Sales and Customer Service Representatives
- Printers/laminators/ slitters Operators and Helpers
- Those new to the prepress and flexographic printing industry
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Understanding of flexographic printing, elements, importance of flexoplate, composition, structure and influence on print run.
- Better understanding of flexographic plate processing steps, critical parameters, and how to standardize these variables.
- Identify the various factors that affect the flexographic plate during and after processing to maintain it performance.
- Able to measure and standardizes the surface frr energy, Roughness, topography, Coverage values, Optical density, plate thickness, hardness, effect of various wash out conditions, bump curve.
- Able to eliminate of flexographic plate after recognizing the defects that influence the print quality during the production run
- Able to standardize the flexographic plate specifications with anilox as well as doctor blade specification for print production.
- Increasing brand owner satisfaction and loyalty resulted to increase printer competitiveness, profitability and press productivity.
- Able to implement the best practices and tips for flexographic plate mounting, de-mounting, cleaning, handling, storage and stacking in order to maintain it quality at workplace.
- Implement the SOPs, checklists, machine centerlines, ISO and OSHA standards in prepress & flexographic printing industry.