Plate clamps

Discussion in 'Heidelberg Printing Presses' started by prepper, Feb 13, 2012.

  1. prepper

    prepper Member

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    Location:
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    We have a 72SP, about '94 model I think, we were film based until we got a Screen CTP machine about 2 years ago, we used to hand punch the plates with Bacher punch and they had 2 little round holes in the plate about an inch off the edge, one on either side that our pressman used to line up to some register marks on the cylinder when mounting the plates.

    The platesetter does not have these holes and we have since sold the punch, pressman has complained ever since that he has nothing to line up plates by when mounting. I'm trying to understand how the clamps work on this particular press but not getting much from them. Mechanic was in last week and mentions that there are stops on the clamps, but I didn't get to talk with him much about it, so I'm wondering if you use those targets on the cylinder to line up your plate and set your stops and that is the main reason for them or are they for lining up every plate you mount?

    The guys that set up the platesetter for us said that no platesetter has those holes at all, so everyone else is doing without them also. The punch we sold has recently become available again and our pressman is asking us to buy it back for around a $1000 and punch all plates for him and I'm just trying to determine if this is something we should do or not?

    Thanks for any help and also if Heidelberg Guy reads this, any chance you could send me one of those PDF manuals so I could read about the clamps for myself?
     
  2. Meny

    Meny Senior Member

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    hello plate clamps USA :)

    you should have 2 pins on each cylinder to put in to the Bacher 2000 punched holes - then you are aligned.
    if your press is from 1994 , you should have them.... so i fail to understand your point.

    But let me go another path..... it is about time you got a pres that has Autoplate , and you can change a set in minuts , get them right in seconds and save time = money.

    Manual plate loading is good for places with very cheap labor , not for the USA 2012...

    Sorry for thuis , but the world has gone forward - if you calculate the time you save , you will shortly be able to buy a new press , so start with a rather new 2nd hand with AUTOPLATE :)

    Good luck

    God bless America
     
  3. Data

    Data Senior Member

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    Surely you have locating pins on the front plate clamp to take a similar punched plate as below?

    [​IMG]
     
  4. prepper

    prepper Member

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    Yes, we have the Bacher punch and pins to sit the plate onto, the question I have relates to the clamps themselves I guess, the clamps are adjustable or moveable right? So the pressman hangs the plate, tightens the clamps then when done removes the plate and has to set the clamp back to a beginning position and they had been telling me that is by eyeball? Anyway our punch had 2 additional holes that are not on the plates in your photo, there was an additional hole on each side, above and to the outside of the 2 Bacher punches, those were simply round 1/8" holes that when the plate is mounted on the cylinder you can see targets that are on the cylinder thru those two holes.

    I've always tried to understand this "floating" clamp concept because it makes no sense to me at all, so when the mechanic mentioned stops on those clamps, I kind of thought that must be the way it works? You unmount a plate, return the clamps to that stop position and mount the next one. I'll try to post a pic tomorrow.

    Newer press would be nice but we are a small non-profit shop so time saved doesnt neccesarily translate into money saved for us.
     
  5. Data

    Data Senior Member

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    Yeah no need to put up a picture, I recognise the plate holes you refer to.

    Basically all ive ever done is zero the three plate nuts (fully off tension), put the front of a cut off plate in the clamp and adjust/align to the target pins you mentioned using the main clamp locking nuts (not the plate nuts) That align clamps to cylinder. Then i used to take up slack and turn on three flats on the plate nuts, mount plate and once tightened at back tighten one more on front clamps so i had over 1mm backward movement if needed. 1 flat =.30 on cpc. Obviously you will need to also check where the cylinders are themselves on the scale to match unit to unit.

    You should be able to mount a plate just as fast as a modern machine that loads one plate at once. Where the newer machines come into play is that the first print is closer and no manual adjustment needed. (or so they tell you)
     
  6. pa printer 3

    pa printer 3 Member

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    Well prepper I think your operator is pulling your chain.......I see no reason to be having this issue with this punch system. I think you need a new pressman not a new press
     
  7. mrheidelberg

    mrheidelberg Senior Member

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    It is very straight forward to set the clamps up as there are a couple of small adjusting bolts about 8 inches in from either side on the front clamp, i do not understand why your pressman cannot see these and make a small adjustment to get the clamps aligning with each other.

    Regards.
     
  8. pa printer 3

    pa printer 3 Member

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    Exactly Mr H'berg.........do not understand the problem here.
     
  9. turbotom1052

    turbotom1052 Senior Member

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    as mr Heidelberg said the 2 locking bolts on the gripper clamp will get your plate clamps square when you back them off all the way to the stop. then all you need to do is before hang in each plate make sure the gripper clamp goes to its home position before you place the plate in the clamp. As long as your getting your plates imaged square there should be no problem in hanging the plates square. I have seen some guys scribe "HANG MARKS" on their plate cylinder and have prepress image the hang marks on the very edges of the plate just to be sure the plate hangs in the correct position but to me this shouldn't be needed.
     

  10. spike

    spike Senior Member

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    the pins are there for a reason ican understand the pressmans frustration if he can hang the plates onthe bullseyes

    that are on the cylinder he can work from center. make a couple of plate moves your off center for the next form
    no guide holes for the pins he is chasing **** around our plate setter lotem is not dead on. the pins help!
     
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