purchasing an exposure unit for polymer

I am considering two different exposure units for purchase for the letterpress classroom;

a UVAC-600 Series offered by Printex
http://www.printexusa.com/site/auxiliary.php

or a UV-1218 Vacuum exposure unit offered by Diversified www.diverprint.com/supplies/pad-printing/plates/plate-making/plate-expos...

if anyone has experience with either I would appreciate hearing about it. Thanks

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What are the prices on these?

UVAC 600 $1695.00

UV-1218 $2900.00 comes with washout tray and wash out plush and gallon of PW 8100 Developer (?)

So this is a chemical washout? I own an Anderson Vreeland Orbital Vlll which is larger and uses water for the washout. Ask what the toxicity of the chemical and what ventilation would be needed?

Consider using PPletterpress for more information on platemaking.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PPLetterpress/

Yeah, not all photopolymer plates are the same. Pad-printing is I think an intaglio process using a softer plate. The developer may be a detergent, which are commonly used with soft plates, as for intaglio, rubber-stamp, etc.
The harder plates used for our kind of letterpress printing (as opposed to label printing, flexo, newspaper, whatever) are water-washout. And though I have made plates on a plush unit, and it works, most units intended specifically for letterpress use brushes.

I will be using water washout plates - KM 152 maybe (something else to research ) What steel backed plates do you use ? The students will be using them for making type as well as some line drawing.
The Anderson Vreeland is a great unit just more that the budget allows. I don’t know enough about the plates and exposure needed to know if either of these units will work.

Please tell me more

I think either one of those units would work. The trick is washing it out effectively without mechanical brushes.

jlerner

I don’t think these will work out for you especially since A&Vs and the like, which are much more in tune with current practices, are not of a different era, don’t cost all that much more, and will do the job.

Gerald
http://BielerPress.blogspot.com