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Why are our plates getting all scratched up?
March 5, 2008

Question: Why are we having such great difficulty with scratching on plates? Our pressmen have to hone plates on most jobs. 

Answer: First, you need to rule out some of the root causes of scratches. 

Is the pressroom clean? 

Are the scratches straight lines or zig-zag lines? A zig zag is usually a sign of hard particles, usually metal shavings from rags. 

Are the plates coming from the plateroom interleaved of paper taped to the face of the plate? 

Some plate catchers on processors are not meant to stack plates – check yours. 


Proper Handling
Now, you are ready to look at handling in both the plate room and pressroom. Are the plates being transported vertically? (They should be.)

A Great Little Trick
There is such a thing a scratch-resistant finisher. This product is made and sold by RBP Chemical Technology, Inc. Some plate manufacturers question it, but I've found printers that love it – mainly those that have scratching problems. 

Readers, please e-mail your questions to Ray. 

Posted by Ray Prince on March 5, 2008 | Comments (0)