Hal Hinderliter

Pressroom consistency
December 12, 2007

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Question: I just found out that our second shift mixes its fountain solution differently than our first shift, which I feel might be contributing to inconsistent results in our pressroom. Would a mixer be worth the investment?

Answer: Every input to the print manufacturing process has some influence on the quality of the final product, and fountain solution is no exception. As the printing industry tries to wean itself away from harmful VOC-producing chemicals, fountain solutions have become more challenging to use. Fortunately, pressroom chemistry vendors have been diligently working to improve the effectiveness of their products.The following is additional perspective from two of our industry's many pressroom chemical manufacturers:

Amerikal’s answer encompasses equipment, training & process management
Bob Danielson, Sr., President of Amerikal Products Corporation, maintains that “Installation of a highly accurate and consistent chemical proportioning system is the way to go. However, it’s critical that any proportioning system used to automatically fill a fountain solution management tank be activated by the proper automatic level system, rather than a simple float.”

“You can install reliable, quality equipment but the manual addition of chemical(s) and or altering mixture ratios will negate your process. This means that if the use of chemicals and procedures are established by a shift-to-shift vote then you increase the variables in your manufacturing process. You must maintain control of your manufacturing process, which means establishing a uniform standard for all shifts and operators to follow. Each and every supplier should be held accountable to the same manufacturing standard, including raw materials such as ink and fountain solution.”

Mixing it up with RBP Chemical
As noted by Dennis Mason, senior executive at Mason Consulting, “The typical pressroom is a witch’s brew of inks, plates, paper, and fountain solution that can be hard to control. One effective defense against this is the Concept21 system from RBP Chemical Technologies. Concept21 is based on a mixing device that meters water and two different chemical components to create a fountain solution that is unique to a specific combination of press, paper, ink, and plate.”

“When one of these pesky variables changes, the press operator can dial in a different mixing formula to bring everything into balance before the press begins to roll. This requires some analysis and recording what has worked in the past, but making those variables constant is worth it, and the result is predictability from crew to crew and job to job. The RBP Concept21 is currently available for use on web presses, and the company promises that a sheetfed version will be ready soon.”

Posted by Hal Hinderliter on December 12, 2007 | Comments (0)