Plate Manager

The new, intelligent plate storage system from NELA is the basis for the automated plate loading of printing presses, as it fulfils three important requirements that must be met in highly industrialised printing companies to ensure a smooth process: The printing plates for the next job must firstly be ready on time, secondly complete, and thirdly undamaged at the right machine.

Plate Manager works like a high rack in which the ready-to-print offset plates are stored one by one in individual compartments until they are needed for printing. The printing plates are identified by barcode, so Plate Manager knows which plate is where at all times. A large display allows the operator to quickly recognise which print jobs are already complete and where plates are still missing. The output of the plate sets is job-related and can be triggered directly via the press control system.

The modular concept offers many options for plate transfer, for example storage in plate trolleys or transfer to fully automatic transport systems. The capacity of the plate storage and the plate transfer can be customised to the specific needs of the printing operation.