Perth’s Percival Print & Packaging says its Fujifilm ZAC lo-chem plates installed last year have reduced costs and maintenance as well as lowering chemical use.
“I would say this is the best plate production system we have ever used,” says Percival co-owner David LeRoy. “We are saving at least 40 litres of chemistry per month and beyond that we have noticed maintenance has been greatly reduced, with few if any processor breakdowns due to tarring and contamination. About twice a year a Fujifilm technician will come in and clean the system and the rest of the time it is fully operational, so our uptime has improved too.
Percival Print & Packaging’s 22 employees produce folding cartons, commercial print, posters and trade finishing work for customers across Australia and internationally, including major corporate brands in the pharmaceutical, food services, promotional and retail industries, as well creative design studios, medical and educational material suppliers and advertising agencies.
“Many of our packaging customers are extremely pro-active on environmental matters so any improvements from their supply chain are welcomed,” says LeRoy. “We were quite surprised at the savings in chemical use. This is achieved by monitoring the plate image area and replenisher bath so that exactly the right amount of replenisher is used and not a drop more.”
ZAC software is at the heart of calculating the correct amount of replenisher to use, based on actual need and not the traditional estimation method, which invariably results in over-replenishment. Inside the ZAC processor, an EDCA (Entropically Driven Colloidal Assembly) sensor constantly monitors target and actual conductivity, sending instructions to the replenishing system software.
Percival’s ZAC plateline is feeding both of its busy multicolour presses – the B1 KBA and the Heidelberg B3 - and there are few if any re-makes.
Percival Print & Packaging has serviced Western Australia’s business community with packaging and commercial print products for more than 40 years. Established in 1972 by George Percival, the business is today co-owned by David LeRoy and Rod Jenkins.