Agfa Graphics has followed its Attiro clean-out unit for chemistry-free violet plates with a 'top-speed' VHS version.
Plate throughput is increased to "up to three metres/minute" enabling it to handle plates from platesetters imaging at up to 400 plates per hour, such as the newest Advantage N-TR VHS, four of which have been sold to the Boston Globe.
Attiro and Attiro VHS share a three-section "cascade" design concept in which concentrated gum cascades from the third section into the second and later into the first. It is effectively reused three times, resulting in minimal gum consumption, allowing users to save on maintenance and gum. Agfa claims full maintenance is only required after 8,000 m². The new clean-out unit will be available in early 2016.
A new chemistry-free violet plate N95-VCF and improved features for the Advantage N platesetters and Arkitex Production workflow software are also to be released at the World Publishing Expo next month. The company says more than 70 per cent of its newspaper customers have switched to chemistry-free plate technology.
• A new version of the Arkitex Production workflow has an HTML5-based browser interface. and includes a new web-based planning tool. New features include the ability to adjust image position on-the-fly in a template, and 'press knowledge', which gives an operator a press-oriented view of a production run.
Arkitex Enhance provides add-on products for quality enhancement, also providing better cost control, improved print production efficiency and print quality. It includes IntelliTune image enhancement, Veripress soft-proofing, OptiInk ink saving and Sublima screening. New is a standalone OptiColor Server, which provides automated colour transformations between print standards.