Prepress
ASPECT GRAPHICS TAKE ON SCREEN AS PART OF GROWTH VENTURE
Wednesday 16. July 2008 - An £800,000 investment programme that is designed to increase print capacity has seen Aspect Graphics, the reprographics division of the AE Simmons Group in Chelmsford, installing a Screen PlateRite 4300S, SAL4300II autoloader, stacking system and Trueflow v5 upgrade.
The Screen system replaces a thermal CTP system that Aspect Graphics has been using for the last seven years. Through upgrading its facilities, the division has found its platemaking capacity has increased from 15 plates per hour to 21 plates per hour.
The boost in plate production is necessary to keep the print room at partner Simmons Printers running to maximum capacity as the company has replaced an existing press with a new Heidelberg CD 74 as part of the same investment programme; a move that is expected to increase print production for the AE Simmons Group by 15 percent.
Keith Williams, reprographics manager at Aspect Graphics, says: “The main reason for installing new CTP equipment came about because we wanted an automated system that would modernise our processes. Our existing CTP system had to be manned constantly as there was no means available of installing a feeder or stacker. We are therefore thrilled to have the new Screen system on board as we can leave it running after hours because of its ability to feed up to 100 plates without intervention.
“The fact the Screen PlateRite system is so much faster than our original machine, coupled with the fact we are regularly leaving it to run overnight, means we have comfortably increased Aspect Graphic’s plate output by a third.”
Although processing conventional Kodak Electra Excel plates at the moment, Aspect Graphics is considering further increasing capacity and streamlining its processes by imaging processless plates in the future. Mr Williams comments: “The fact that we have the option of transferring to a processless operation in the coming months gives us the security of knowing that we will be able to cope with whatever is thrown at us; be it the need for more plates per hour; a push to gain more precious space in an already overcrowded studio by getting rid of our processor; or a change in policy whereby the use of chemicals in platemaking is phased out for the environments sake. At the moment the AE Simmons Group is content in getting to know the limits of the new equipment it has recently installed before it starts testing new consumables and procedures.”
The divisions operating under the AE Simmons Group work collectively to produce magazines, brochures and general print mainly for the building and construction industries and the organisation consists of prepress, litho printing and digital output.
Work is produced on two four-colour Heidelberg CD74s and a smaller format black and white Heidelberg 52 and the company’s Kodak Nexpress digital system. A design studio and finishing suite completes its service offering. Aspect Graphics was established in 1980 and employs five people out of a team of 30 working for the Group in total.