CTP - Computer to Plate

Winnipeg Free Press selects NELA for complete plate automation

Wednesday 02. June 2010 - NELA is pleased to announce that it has received an order from the Winnipeg Free Press in Winnipeg, Canada. As part of their prepress modernization and resulting switch from analog to CtP, they will receive an inline plate automation system from NELA later this year.

Winnipeg Free Press will fully automate their plate production during the third quarter of 2010. The project will include implementation of a new work flow, three violet CTP imaging devices with processors, and three NELA VCP vision punch benders connected to a NELA high-capacity 18 bin sortation system. Once implemented the system can produce over 650 press ready plates per hour.

NELA’s VCP vision punch bender utilizes dual cameras to optically register each plate prior to punching and bending.
The vision system ensures plate to plate register of each and every imaged plate. NELA’s traffic controlled automated conveyor
will transport press ready plates from the plateroom to the NELA 18 bin sortation system located in the press room.
A 2D barcode on the plate is utilized with NELA’s NPS software to automatically sort the plates based on customer defined sort criteria.
Plate information is provided by NPS to the work flow system for closed loop plate tracking.