The maintenance of the printing machine should start from the following aspects.
- Choice of environment
Due to the particularity of the plate-making process, the plate-making environment has relatively high requirements. The plate-making workshop is required to be well sealed and avoid direct exposure to strong light. This can prevent dust and prevent exposure and light leakage during the storage of the PS plate or the printing process. If there is a lot of dust in the air during the printing process, larger particles of dust may fall on the surface of the PS plate or adhere to the surface of the film due to the electrostatic adsorption of the film. During the air extraction process before exposure in the printing machine , it will directly affect the tightness of the PS plate and the film. After development, it can be observed that the PS plate is partially weak or has grainy dirty spots, which affects the reproduction of the original screen line density. It can be seen that the sanitary conditions of the environment have a great impact on plate making, especially color plate making.
- Installation requirements
When we purchase a new plate printing machine, we need to check whether the packing list, instruction manual, and certificate of conformity are complete when opening the package. According to the installation instructions, install the frame of the plate maker and the attached devices. When installing the lamp, do not touch the glass body of the lamp with your hands to avoid dirt sticking to the lamp and affecting the luminous efficiency and service life of the lamp. The plate printing machine should be placed stably to avoid deforming the casing and affecting the performance of the plate printing machine. Uneven placement of the printing machine will also increase the noise. Install the power cord and air switch according to the power consumption of the plate printing machine provided by the manufacturer. A certain amount of leeway must be left after converting the power consumption of the air switch and the printing machine, because the grid voltage always fluctuates within a certain range, and during the peak and trough periods of power consumption, the voltage in the grid will change significantly. The power of the printing machine itself is relatively large, and ordinary printing machines do not have the function of automatic voltage stabilization. The maximum current allowed by the air switch should be 5A higher than the nominal value of the printing machine. Domestic plate printing machines mostly require three-phase four-wire power supply, and there is also a certain proportion of single-phase power supply. If the vacuum pump is a three-phase motor, the phase sequence must be adjusted. The method is: after the neutral wire and live wire are connected respectively, turn on the power and try the direction of the air pump. The vacuum gauge should quickly rotate in the opposite direction. If not, the phase sequence of any two live wires should be readjusted. After the cables are connected and adjusted securely, you can operate the plate printing machine according to the operating instructions.
- Influence of humidity and temperature
The printing machine is a machine with a high degree of photoelectric integration. It has specific requirements for the relative humidity, temperature and vacuum of the environment. The relative humidity of the environment should not exceed 70% and the temperature should be 25°C. The exposure vacuum The temperature should not be lower than 0.08Mpa. If the humidity and temperature in the room are high, it will have a great impact on the stability of the control circuit of the plate printing machine. The increase in humidity will reduce the service life of the integrated circuit and the reliability of the working circuit, thus causing the plate printing machine to malfunction. The failure rate increases; at the same time, it has a negative impact on mechanical parts and accelerates the degree of mechanical wear. High humidity will have a negative impact on the closeness between the PS plate and the film. When the humidity increases, oily diffraction ripples will be produced between the offset plate and the PS plate, causing the air between the blanket and the glass plate to be unable to be completely discharged, and the PS will be developed after exposure. The version is weak. Most of the vacuum pumps of domestic printing machines are oil-type vacuum pumps. The water vapor inhaled by the vacuum pump gradually accumulates as time increases. After fully mixing with the oil in the pump, it forms a creamy liquid, which reduces the suction capacity of the vacuum pump. It is recommended that the vacuum pump oil be replaced every two months to ensure the normal operation of the plate maker. In our country, the north-south latitude span is large, and the temperature and humidity vary greatly throughout the year. Coastal areas mostly have a humid climate, and the water vapor contains a lot of salt. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the temperature and humidity according to the local climate and environmental conditions. Install air conditioning indoors (heating equipment is required in the north in winter) to adjust the temperature and humidity required in the plate making room. Secondly, the altitude difference between the east and west is large, and the atmospheric pressure has a significant impact on the exhaust capacity of the vacuum pump. In the west, the exhaust time should be appropriately extended or a vacuum pump with excellent performance should be selected to improve the printing quality.
- Care and maintenance of electrical appliances
In plate-making machines, intelligent control has become the mainstream in today's plate-making machines. In strong currents, AC contactors or intermediate relays are often used to control the terminal light source and the motor operation of the vacuum pump. Due to the vibration caused by the suction and release of the AC contactor, the crimping wires on some terminal blocks are loosened and the integrated block pins on the circuit board are in poor contact. Therefore, professionals must cut off the power supply of the printing machine to tighten and crimp. tight. The photoelectric sensor should always be wiped with absorbent cotton dipped in alcohol to facilitate its reliable operation. Special attention should be paid to areas with rodent infestations. Rats particularly like the smell of polyethylene wire insulation, making nests there and chewing on wires. Therefore, strict precautions should be taken and regular inspections should be carried out to reduce unnecessary losses and hidden dangers.
- Glass maintenance
The glass finish, flatness, and transparency of the printing machine are different from ordinary civilian glass, and there must be no scratches or bubbles on it. During use, do not place any debris on it to avoid scratching the glass. To wipe the glass, use absorbent cotton soaked in alcohol or lint-free cotton cloth to maximize its service life.
- Maintenance of rubber cloth
The blanket is one of the main sealing systems of the printing machine, and its performance directly affects the quality of the printing machine. When placing or removing the PS plate on top of the printing plate, be sure to handle it gently to avoid the edge of the PS plate scratching the rubber sealing strip and affecting the function of the vacuum system. Generally, after purchasing a new printing machine, it is better to put a layer of velvet cloth or thin woolen cloth on top of the rubber cloth of the printing machine. Firstly, it can improve the ventilation of the rubber cloth, and secondly, it can avoid the rubber cloth from being blown out when air is being pumped. The pattern is printed on the glass, reducing the operator's labor intensity of frequent wiping.
Huida Print-All Technology company is an advanced and professional manufacturer of producing printing plates, mainly sales CTP, CTCP, and PS plates as well as offering ODM/OEMs, especially for the offset. For more information, please click the official website link here: https://www.huidaoffsetplate.com/.