Kodak has launched a new addition to its Sonora process free plate range – the Sonora X – which is said to be able to handle up to six times longer press runs than the current Sonora XP plates.
The plate is said to be more robust thanks to a proprietary enhanced anodizing and coating technology that allows it to cope with highly automated or fast-paced operating environments. It should be suitable for any application where unbaked processed plates are currently used, including large commercial sheetfed printers, heatset and coldset web printers, offset packaging printers, and printers using UV and low-energy UV. There’s also a newspaper version, Sonora X-N for medium and large newspaper printers.
Brad Kruchten, president of Kodak’s Print Systems Division, commented: “SONORA X delivers a breakthrough for process free technology. The dramatic improvements to run length and handling enable the market fit for process free to expand to up to 80% of the market, thus making Sonora X truly mainstream.”
Kodak is forecasting the trend to process free plates to continue and anticipates that 30% of the company’s plate volume will be process free by 2019.
Both Sonora X and X-N should be available by the second quarter of this year. Further details from Kodak.com
Leave a Reply