The Energy Elite Pro was launched at the start of the summer this year and is aimed at the more demanding, longer-run markets such as consumer magazine and catalogue printers. Here, the thermal plate’s durability beyond the standard 100,000 run length is a key selling point as it can cope with longer runs if the printer takes on a much longer catalogue or one-off magazine job.

"For printers who might have a job once in a while of 250,000 magazines or catalogues, they’ll need a plate that can handle this so they don’t have to keep swapping backwards and forwards," say Ralph Hilsdon, head of pre-press product marketing at Agfa.

The plate is also likely to appeal to packaging printers as, although they typically have shorter runs, they are more likely to use aggressive UV inks.

What’s new?

According to Agfa, the Energy Elite Pro plate is an all-round improvement on their Energy Elite plate that has been on the market for several years. Hilsdon says that the stability is improved on long runs, as is its unbaked run length on both UV and non-UV jobs.

"Basically, it lasts longer on the press," says Hilsdon, "and it’s also slightly improved from an ecological point of view as it uses less chemistry at the processing stage. Because it has an increased bath life of up to 7,000sqm and lower replenishment rates of 50ml/sqm, chemical waste is also reduced."

Agfa says the higher sensitivity means the plate can also be imaged faster, although this will of course depend on the speed of the platesetter. "Let’s say your platesetter did 30 plates per hour before, it might do 31 with the Energy Elite Pro, but that’s only if the platesetter is capable of going at the higher speed," says Hilsdon.

"The improvement is to do with the changing of the components," adds Hilsdon. "We actually refer to it as a recipe – it’s like a cake. Better ingredients come along and you change other ingredients and ratios. The Energy Elite Pro is based on the same principle as the Energy Elite, but it’s an improved version."

How does it work?

Like its predecessor, the Elite Pro is a dual-layer plate, which Hilsdon says gives it a higher resistance to UV inks than simpler single-layer plates. Whereas simpler plates are covered in minute latex spores –with the image created by a laser melting those spores and a simple cleaner clearing away the non-imaged areas – the dual-layer plates have to go through a chemical processor with developer, finisher and gum. This makes the plate more robust and suitable for more "aggressive" printing environments. It can be used for even longer print-runs if baked.

What training and support is available?

Agfa employs application specialists whose job it is to first ensure the platesetter is properly calibrated and linearised and that the density in the processor is right, then to work with the press operators to ensure all the settings are correct. The amount of training and support needed to help printers switch from their old plate to the new depends on the printer, says Hilsdon.

"Some printers are very proficient so you could almost post the plate to them and they’d be okay," says Hilsdon. "But for others, it’s even more crucial that we have experts working for us who can help them get the best out of the product. The specialists also make sure that the chemistry levels on the processor are turned down from the old plate, so the new plate delivers on being more environmentally friendly."

What is its sales target?

Because Agfa is only just phasing in this new plate, Hilsdon says sales predictions are difficult to make, but the manufacturer intends that the Energy Elite Pro will, in time, supersede all Energy Elite plates.

What platesetters is it compatible with?

The Energy Elite Pro is designed for use with a wide variety of thermal platesetters and processors, including Agfa Graphics’ recently introduced high-speed Avalon N8-80XT.