It’s a Fine Line
“Improper mounting results in a slow makeready and
machine downtime as the plate is re-mounted,” says Mark Gibis, vice president of sales for Doyle Systems. “Also, re-mounting the plate increases the risk of accidental stretching.”
Doyle Systems offers a plate-mounting machine that holds the plate in place once it is in register to prevent stretching. “The operator can use the two adjusting wheels situated on the right and left hand side of the plate-bed to ‘swivel’ the plate bed for perfect registration,” Gibis explains. “Because the bar is still holding the plate precisely in position, the operator can then remove the backing on the tape and press the plate onto the cylinder. The holding bar prevents the plate from shifting while the operator tacks it down, achieving perfect registration every time.”