Purple Laser CTP Features

Violet laser is not violet laser:

The first thing to clarify is that violet lasers are not argon lasers, and many people have been mistaken for violet lasers that are the same argon lasers that were a decade old. In fact, this is a completely different kind of exciting technology. Argon laser is an early gas laser. It is bulky and requires a huge amount of energy to excite argon to produce a blue laser. The laser tube has a short life and high selling price. Early argon scanners used argon lasers. Purple laser uses the latest laser diodes and solid-state purple lasers, which consumes very low energy, has a long life and is stable. So violet laser is not only outdated technology, but the latest technology.

1. The origin and development of violet laser:

The violet laser generator was first developed by Japan's Nichia Corporation. The field of application of this laser was not printing but appliances. In the home appliance industry, violet laser is also called blue laser. Nowadays DVD players in the market use such lasers. It increases the capacity of traditional DVDs from 4.7GB to 27GBe.

As of September 2005, only one supplier in the world supplied violet laser diodes. This is a Japanese company “Nichia”. Nichia was founded in 1998. The original R&D concept was to develop infrared rays and red color that are already quite common in the market at that time. A diode laser with a shorter laser diode wavelength aims to further increase the storage capacity of the optical disc. Nichia was the first to successfully develop a violet laser with a wavelength of 391-420nm. Since the shorter wavelength laser has a smaller laser spot, it can be written under the same density of storage media with a better optical lens. More information.

The following table shows the laser head wavelengths used in different disc formats and their relationship to storage capacity:

Optical Media Types and Wavelength Storage Capacity (Single Side)
CD, CD-R, CD-RW 780nm Infrared Diode Laser 650 MB
Home DVD 640nm Red Diode Laser 4.7 GB
Professional DVR (developing) 400nm violet laser diode 30 GB

Since the production and application of Nichia's violet laser diodes have not yet been universally popularized, the diodes are still selling at a high price, but they are still not universally available. However, this price is relatively affordable compared to the CTPs of industrial products. Therefore, the price is currently purple. The most widely used field of laser diodes is the CTP industry.

Nichia said that in the next five years, the price of violet laser diodes can be reduced to acceptable levels for home appliances.

Since the wavelength of the violet laser is close to that of the conventional PS plate, some CTP equipment manufacturers also hope to transplant this technology into the printing industry. The earliest application of violet laser CTP equipment is at 200. Decades of the year were debuted by Agfa and Fuji. At the time, the laser head power was only SmW. There have been more than 10 companies that have launched violet laser CTP equipment at the drupa exhibition in 2004. Some other plate manufacturers have also introduced a plate that matches the equipment. In addition to Japan and Asia, now Japan's Sony, Panasonic Sanyo, Toshiba and other companies are also involved in the development of purple laser generators.

Violet laser generator has also greatly improved in the past few years The power of the violet laser generator has been developed from the just-introduced SmW to the current 60mW. Germany's Krauss AG has announced that it has introduced the latest equipment based on the 100mW laser d This kind of development is far from reaching its end. When the laser head power exceeds 150mW, it is possible to realize flush-free like the thermal technology.

2. The advantages of violet laser

High resolution

Due to the shorter laser spot generated by the short wavelength, it can provide a higher resolution and also represent a higher printing quality, the output resolution can reach 250l/inch

Small size, fast speed

Because of the smaller laser spot generated by the short wavelength, the volume of the reflective lens of the laser head can be reduced, and the smaller laser head volume means that the rotational speed can be increased. With the high-sensitivity silver salt plate, the laser head speed can be as high as one minute. At 55,000 rpm, the laser sweep speed is 5,078 km/hr when converted to the circumference of the inner drum, which is equivalent to 4.26 times the speed of sound.

At such a fast rate, even a single laser beam can produce 22 full-print plates per hour (1030800mm/2400dpi), which is the highest output on the market today.

Bright yellow safety light can be used

Thanks to the use of a purple light source and a corresponding light-sensitive material, it is possible to operate under a bright yellow safety light, approaching a bright room operation, and increasing ease of use.

Stable quality, further enhance the drum performance

The laser diode light source is stable and the laser spot is strong, which can produce high-quality dots and improve the printing quality. Although the current cost of the violet laser is still high, because the inner drum model only uses a single laser, the total cost of the CTP is limited, but the outer drum model is often used because it is limited by the rotational speed of the plate cylinder. Laser beam to compensate for the speed of the defects, so the cost of replacing the new purple laser has become relatively significant. Therefore, at present, the CTP on the market is the first to use the violet laser in the internal drum type.

Easy maintenance and quick replacement

Due to its small size and high degree of modularity, the violet laser diode is easier to maintain and replace, and can shorten maintenance hours and increase the number of hours of production.

3. The life of violet laser

It is also often mistaken for the short life of the violet laser. In fact, it is also misdirected by the argon laser because the working principle of the argon laser is that the laser tube is constantly lit, because it requires a large amount of starting energy to excite the argon gas. Lasers, therefore, cannot be controlled in a circuit-controlled mode to switch on and off, but instead use a constant-bright tube and then use lens deflection to control the laser spot, so the average lifetime is only about 2.5 years, and the effective production hours are also very short.

However, the violet laser is totally different. Because it is a diode, it consumes very little energy. Therefore, when it is not in operation (starting but no exposure), the laser is not bright, and only the laser light is exposed, so it can effectively extend the laser lifetime. Currently, the lifespan of violet diodes is approximately 3,000 hours. Take the 1,030,770 version as an example, 100 plates are produced per day, 250 days a year, and 3,000 hours are equivalent to 3.5 years. This is a good return on investment. Not inferior to the infrared diode laser.

4. Application Status of Purple Laser in CTP

At present, there are Agfa, BarcoGraphics, KrauseBiagosch, and Purup-Eskofot vendors that use violet lasers for CTP platesetters. The plates used are silver salt plates. Agfa and Mitsubishi Papers are currently offering silver salt plates. The silver salt version is a mature and stable technology, and is currently the most widely used digital version in the world. Its high-definition features can just take advantage of the short wavelength of violet lasers, so the output resolution can reach 250 l/inch, plus silver salts. The high-sensitivity features of the plate only require 2.5μjoules of energy to be sensitive, while the 2.5μjoule energy is only equivalent to 5% output power of the 5mW laser head produced by TuiOptics. It can be seen that the current violet laser is used together with silver. The salt version is a temporary choice, and the perfect match is not an exaggeration.

5. The future development of violet laser

Due to the many advantages of violet lasers, several well-known home appliances and semiconductor manufacturers have successively invested in R&D, such as Sony, Sharp, Sanyo, etc. Many input investors means that future products must be more diversified, and more advantages will be developed. , And the price will be reduced due to competition and popularity, with the current development of violet laser is taking off, will not be eliminated in the short term. At present, in the application of CTP, Nichia is also working hard to increase the energy of the laser. The goal is to produce a 30mW (now 5W) product that is used for plates other than the silver salt version, such as the Photopolymer version. Six times the output energy, so it is still technically difficult.

6. Purple laser CTP is good or thermal CTP is good

When operators invest in CTP, there are still many factors that are actually considered. The thermal CTP system is also continuously improving. Because each has its own advantages that cannot be replaced, it also exists in the market to meet the needs of different customers. , so basically there is no absolute best CTP system, but only the system that best suits your operating environment. However, because of the many advantages of violet lasers, this product has achieved market acceptance at the launch of Drupa 2000, and has created an impressive sales volume. We also hope that the development of science and technology will continue to bring more benefits and business space to the printing industry.