96 | Plate mountingmounted and has to be done manually, or “It is this repeatability and operator the register mark model has to be entered into the mounter’s database manually, independence that attracts label manufacturers which reduces automation and increases to this technology, as reducing remounts and mounting time. The precision to which the system recognizes the registration mark is increasing productivity of operators leads to a fundamental, because, if the recommended tolerance by the manufacturer is 0,6mm, faster workfow”for example, but the registration marks of the plate are 0.3mm, as is the case in many plates, the automatic mounter does not recognize the register mark of the plate and it cannot be mounted automatically. Therefore, the smaller the tolerance of the recognized register mark size, the better. The Heaford ‘Label AutoMounter’ automatic mounting machine, for example, recognizes down to 0.25mm register mark diameter.Also, the type of register mark or microdot can affect its recognition, or not, depending on the technology. In discussions with the technical department of a leading plate manufacturer, they reported that in mid and wide web applications most of their customers now use negative microdots, and although these are typically larger, the tolerances of each manufacturer are still the difference between a truly automatic mounting machine and one that has to be stopped for the mounting machine to be reprogrammed to recognize the register mark. With negative microdots, some automatic mounters recommend 0.6-1mm minimum microdot diameter, while the Heaford AutoMounter recognizes The Label AutoMounter from JM Heaforddown to 0.40mm diameter negative microdots. Although in the label industry register crosses are more common than machine and, while the AutoMounter does One of the important features in the microdots, ensuring an automatic mounter the critical work, they can prepare the other use of automatic mounting machines is can automatically mount smaller register elements in the process.’ their ease of use. Richard Martinez says the marks is essential. Many customers around the world ease of use of the Heaford AutoMounter The other big advantage of automatic have invested in this type of automatic was the frst big surprise. ‘I think the slogan mounting machines over traditional mounting, and although they have a higher at the show was something like “so easy mounters is that while the mounter is initial investment, they typically have a to use your boss can mount”. I assumed mounting a plate, the operator can do return on investment of approximately those were just marketing words, until I other tasks in the pre-press process, such as 12-18 months, as they signifcantly reduce actually used it,’ reports Martinez. ‘Actually, preparing subsequent jobs or removing used or eliminate re-mounts, stopped printing everyone in our factory has been trained in plates from a used sleeve. These tasks are presses, whilst enabling faster job start-up how to use it. We’ve been using it since day important when we determine ‘mounting and increasing the effciency of their one without any dedicated operators and times’, because mounting time is not only operators. Antonio Oliveira comments: ‘We it has been absolutely accurate each and the physical time to mount the plate, but have drastically reduced the number of every time.’also the time needed for each step of the remounted plates, all plates are accurately It is this repeatability and operator process, such as removing used plates, mounted together, preventing remounting independence that attracts label cleaning, preparing plates, taping the sleeve, and helping us to achieve better color manufacturers to this technology, as entering data into the mounter for jobs matching for critical registration jobs.’ In reducing remounts and increasing or recalling repeat jobs, mounting of the Prakolar the AutoMounter replaced three productivity of operators leads to a faster plates, and transferring the mounted plates traditional mounting machines, and also workfow. So, if you are thinking of investing to the press. reduced mounting times by 20 percent. in a new plate mounter to service multiple These time savings can be even greater. presses, either cylinder or sleeve based, Critical work E-Z Stick Labels of Santa Fe Springs, automatic mounters should be considered Antonio Oliveira of Prakolar Rotulos Brazil California, which also installed a Label in your capital expenditure.(part of the Sato Group), which installed AutoMounter in 2018, has achieved a 75 an AutoMounter in 2018, says: ‘Today, my percent reduction in plate mounting times operators do not have to worry about the since its installation. According to owner For more information about JM precision of the mounting to be done, Richard Martinez, it is already saving about Heaford’s Label AutoMounter, they only have to position the plate in the 50 hours of work per week. go to www.jmheaford.com labelsandlabeling.com