TECHKON SpectroPlate User Manual
Contents
1. 100 Cae ern AIR FMB FOGRA Measuring Bar for offset plates V 1 2 Atmentinn Aching n nat Sauce der en a Nec Gee Kc sun and cee conic jo iot Eig Maes nicht baer Dies Soren chi und Lacerunm dee y Bei fautes 180 ood Eom daz FMB 00115 Auswerteprotokoll FMB 00115 FMEBODITS Tone spectroPlate INFO Memo Calibration Sound Display Contrast Language E Measurement Units Date U3 02 2071 Time 13 55 40 White Calibration Screen Calibration AM Screen Calibration FM Target Values FMB AM 60 cm Target Values FMB FM 22 A Please place the instrument onthe Ceramic White Standard and press the green START button Press the red button to cancel Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter How to use SpectroPlate Sample offset plate Fogra FMB The 0 1 and 100 2 patches are not measured Protocol with list of measurement values White calibration To carry out a white calibration place the measurement device on the clean white standard which is part of the charging con sole see picture on page 9 Select Calibration and then White Cali bration from the menu device settings and follow the instructions on the device display The calibration is confirmed by an acoustic signal Page 15 SpectroPlate INFO Ca2. Software module Transfer curve esses Software module Export eese Software module Digital Technical specifications Manufacturer certificate EC Declaration of Conformity Registration card Chapter How to use TECHKON SpectroPlate 1 1 Product description TECHKON SpectroPlate printing plate measurement right on the spot Today in the age of Computer to Plate it is obvious Without quality control in pre press there is no guarantee for quality in print Thus the measurement of the right dot transfer on offset printing plates is a key segment of comprehensive process control in the printing industry However measurement is only useful if the appropriate measurement technology is applied Some years ago using densitometers on printing plates was common practice But densitometers are designed for measuring on printed papers leading to limits when reading on plates At present plate measurement devices based on microscopic image capture and processing are the established standard SpectroPlate unifies all advantages of this modern measurement technology in a compact hand held instrument This product series and all other TECHKON products are the result of many years of expertise in designing and manufacturing high quality measurement devices for the printing industry Our four TECHKON guidelines for perfect mea
3. Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter 2 Measurement functions Page 29 fogra Measuring Bar Plate Type ogra Measuring Positive Negative Plate _ Positively Reference Values Target Values Save Measurements as Target Val Tolerances Kodak TP Kodak ExThermo Kodak Sword Excel Kodak Sword Ultra Kodak Thermal Direct Kodak Thermal Gold Kodak Thermal News Gold Notice It is normal that during measurement of processless plates the measurement light on the sample area will be less bright than known from the measurement of conven tional plates Page 30 SpectroPlate All Vision has exactly the same menu functions as the Expert model The Start and the Expert version can be upgraded to the All Vision model via a hardware expansion If interested please contact us for details Selection of the plate type The processless printing plate types Fujifilm HD Pro T Ipagsa NP and Kodak Thermal Direct can be selected from the Plate type menu Plate types available only for All Vision will be displayed shaded in the Plate type menu of the Start and Expert models Before taking measurements the plate area to be measured has to be washed clean with a plate cleaner fluid or a dampening solution Procedure to clean the plate area Apply a thick layer of plate cleaner fluid on the area which has to be measured later and let it remain on the plate surface for approxima
4. 96 Dot Measurement The center displays the captured microscopic image 5 The right and lower corner contains the interactive soft keys 6 Zoom function 7 Device settings 8 Setting of the screen type 9 Measurement function 10 Plate type measurement conditions Menu Device settings The soft key with the tool symbol see picture above 7 opens the window for the device settings Within this window you can navigate with the Arrow buttons and select with the Enter button The red Escape button brings you back to the measurement mode opectroPlate INFO Memory Calibration Grid Sound Display Contrast Language Measurement Units Date 02 02 2077 Time 16 30 48 Reset TOT a Ss 99 N only SpectroPlate Expert and All Vision Page 12 Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter How to use SpectroPlate AWN CPECTHRO LATE START Software 4 08 04 05 7011 Hardware version 1 Serial number A707010 To reset all settings and memory values Menu Measurement functions Description of the device settings The SpectroPlate INFO screen shows the type of device Start Expert All Vision the software and hardware version as well as the serial number 2 Performing a calibration is described on the next page 3 Displays a grid array 4 Sound will activate an acoustic signal after each measurement 5 The LCD display contrast can be turned darker
5. ERES 3112 2616 airan ED Rat 3i12 3010 min 010 31 12 2010 adea e Tie a The image can be saved in different file 3 The digital ruler function is operated formats with the mouse pointer Select the start point with the mouse pointer and keep the The image resolution is always 1024 x 1024 left mouse button pressed Now move to pixels This will not be changed by different the end point and release the mouse button zoom factors The result is a triangle with horizontal ver 2 The original image is a 24 bit color file tical and resulting dimensions in micrometer The result image is a binary bitmap and the angle in degrees The triangle will not be part of the image data when the image is saved Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter 3 SpectroConnect Page 37 TECHKON Technical specifications Measurement technology High precision optical system with high resolution digital camera and digital image processing Image capture 1024 x 1024 pixels 16 million colors RGB uncompressed Measurement aperture Ix mm direct positioning with viewfinder real time image preview captured in LCD graphic device display Light source Homogeneous spectral broadband LED illumination Measurement time Approx second per measurement Calibration Factory made calibrated permanently to Fogra Measuring Bar FMB white standard in charging console Measurement range dot
6. Warranty Recycling Digital MicroScope TECHKON SpectroPlate dH N NC E TECHKON GmbH Wiesbadener Str 27 D 61462 K nigstein Telephone 49 0 6174 92 44 50 Telefax 49 0 6174 92 44 99 E mail info Qtechkon com http www techkon com The device is compliant with EU directive 89 336 EWG concerning the electromagnetic compatibility EMC and is provided with the CE label The device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules and is RoHS compliant class 9 The supplied AC adapter is according to regulations UL IP 40 IEC 950 and VDE EN ECIO The device is maintenance free The measurement aperture has to be kept clean from dust It can be cleaned with clean compressed air and an optics brush We recommend a functionality check up every 24 months at the TECHKON service center which includes the issue of a new manufacturer certificate The warranty for TECHKON products is 24 months starting with the date of purchase The warranty is invalid if the damage is caused by improper use of the device Only original TECH KON spare parts and accessories are to be used The device is according to 14 ElektroG registered under the EAP no DE 98280049 Devices for disposal can be sent di rectly to the manufacturer Calibration SpectroPlate is factory side calibrated A white calibration adjusts the digital camera module The screen calibration is for exact adjustment of dot percentage measurements towards
7. The already listed reference steps can be edited with a simple double click on the reference value to be changed Not required reference values can be erased with the delete key SpectroPlate settings EFTUEJE och drena tentia Dna onera carmi ari E TETT a mag Cur 1 E ESE 3 tbt Chine pa Dp rome Te mah Theale Caron L D eese 2 8 7 122 re Pri Har Witter ames 7 Sangi 12502486 imei peur T pa XXI i Tarp nim 7 Tant Feu 5 oe a WARE Me 5 areas ag AQ 29 12 TI 103 i0 ZU 20 epe terre uF Mia TED Le mE Ph PEL Ere _ T aedl er i Specirozlabe A4L VISCON ACHEI 34 Manual SpectroPlate Chapter 3 SpectroConnect 3 5 Software module Transfer curve This module is for displaying the transfer curve The curves can be built up by single measurements with SpectroPlate connected With SpectroPlate Expert or All Vision complete transfer curves can be recorded remotely without the PC connection The data transfer can be carried out later Transfer curvae xu zi JA Emme vela Der aede Dorem 98 99 o d nv I 2 Cures color VE ipi 20 6
8. Save Measurements as Val Tolerances Target Values 1 Target Values 2 Target Values 3 Target Values 4 Target Values 1 an ee 2 45 45 0 90 90 075 5 5 0 50 50 0 35 95 0 10 10 0 55 55 072 88 88 072 20 20 02 60 5004 ____ 30 3007 70 70 0 4 40 40 07 80 8002 Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter 2 Measurement functions First the type of gradation wedge has to be described In this case it consists of 2 5 10 26 20 98 patches With the Arrow buttons you can define the reference value and by pressing the Enter button it will be put into the right location within the list Deleting a reference button works accord ingly Selecting with the Arrow buttons and removing it by pressing the Enter button Optionally target values and tolerance ranges can be edited The memory has four sections for target values Just scroll between the values with the Ar row buttons and select one with the Enter button A small pop up window opens where you can edit the new value using the Arrow buttons Page 23 Analog to the setting of the target values you can define new tolerances fogra Measuring Bar Plate Type Measunng B arim Positive Negatrve Plate Reference Values Target Values Save Measurements as Val Tolerances 20 2 60 22 __ __ 30 2x 70 ESA ao 22 e0 e2x This function will store an already measured
9. The entry level model Start is for dot percentage measurements on all popular types of printing plates film and CMYK print The Expert version additionally features the recording of complete transfer curves and the possibility to analyze geometric objects within the device The Start version can easily be upgraded to the Expert model by a post purchase upload from the PC The All Vision version measures precisely on low visible pro cessless offset printing plates SpectroPlate Start SpectroPlate Expert dot measurement same as Start and additionally Screen angle in Dot transfer curve e Screen frequency in l cm and Ipi Dot gain curve Geometrical analysis diameter SpectroPlate All Vision same as Expert and additionally distance in micrometer and mils Memory for 100 data sets Measurement of chemistry free Average measurement processless plates with very low visible contrast Contents of delivery Measurement device SpectroPlate Carrying case Charging console with white standard AC adapter with universal plugs for Europe UK and USA This manual with ISO 9000 compliant certificate USB cable for PC connection CD with software SpectroConnect The carrying case protects SpectroPlate and parts Accessories Software upgrade from SpectroPlate Start to Expert Hardware upgrade to All Vision Replacement parts charging console with white standard rechargeabl
10. 0 0 100 0 Screen ruling range AM 30 150 75 380 Ipi FM 10 70 microns Measurable media Offset printing plates CtP and conventional film in transmission and reflection printed paper CMYK ER ATE LATE Memory 100 data sets only Expert and All Vision version Repeatability t 0 5 76 Display High contrast LCD graphic display 240 x 160 pixels 16 gray levels contrast ratio adjustable Power supply Rechargeable Ni MH battery controlled recharge via charging console with AC adapter 100 240 V 47 63 Hz approx 10 000 measurements per battery charge battery level control Communication port USB Dimensions 190 x 65 x 65 mm Weight 530 g 1 2 Ibs Software SpectroConnect System requirements Microsoft Windows XP Vista or 7 Contents Measurement device charging console with white standard AC adapter with universal plugs carrying case USB cable CD with software SpectroConnect manual with ISO 9000 compliant certificate Specifications can be subject to change without notice Specifications valid for standard device with 3 mm aperture All mentioned trademarks and copyrights are recognized SpectroPlate SpectroDens SpectroJet SpectroDrive SpectroCheck InkCheck and TECHKON are registered trademarks of TECHKON GmbH Manufacturer certificate applicable for ISO 9000 documentation Device Serial Number Manufacturer Certification Maintenance
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12. curve as target values A free assignment of the measured curve to one of the four sets Pais of target values is possible Positive Negative Plate Reference Values Taraet Values fogra Measuring Bar Tolerances Target Values 1 Target Values 2 Target values 3 Target Values 4 Page 24 Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter 2 Measurement functions After all settings are done we can start with the measurements on the gradation wedge Dot Transfer Curve The wedge is measured patch by patch The and the 100 patch are not measured these are the fixed corner points of the curve In our example the first measurement is on the 2 patch then follows the second measurement on the 5 patch 2 3 4 measurement A faulty measurement can be undone by pressing the red Escape button The last measurement will be deleted and the device is ready to measure again A m E ra 3 4 KE 88 4 1 6 13 ZH After all measurements are done the soft key Transfer curve 1 in the upper right corner can be activated This will switch the display to the mode where the complete curve is shown esse Erw io en eo Em The Arrow buttons allow navigation from value to value The gray shading marks the area of values within the tolerance range Measurement values out of tolerance are marked as crosses Difference between measurem
13. Before measuring make sure that the measurement aperture is free of dust In case it has to be cleaned use oil free clean compressed air or an optics brush The suitable reference for check up measurements is the offset sample plate Fogra Measuring Bar FMB from the research institute Forschungsgesellschaft Druck Fogra e V Munchen It includes two percentage wedges one periodic AM screen one non periodic FM screen and a documentation with a protocol listing reference values taken with a laboratory instrument by the institute TAT comm ru Fogra Measuring Bar can be ordered over the internet at www fogra org Fogra Forschungsgesellschaft Druck e V Streitfeldstr 19 D 81673 M nchen Germany Phone 49 0 89 43182 160 Fax 49 0 89 43182 100 www fogra org We recommend to make five measurements per measurement patch and take the average value in order to level out measurement deviations caused by inhomoge neous percentage patches due to the production process of the FMB The averaged measurement results of SpectroPlate have to be within the following tolerances AM screen periodic t 0 5 76 FM screen non periodic 10 If the measurement results are out of tolerance make a white calibration and try again If the values are still out of range it is necessary to perform a screen calibra tion on a Fogra Measuring Bar FMB Page 14 Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter How to use SpectroPlate
14. brush used for cleaning photographic equipment Clean the device casing and the display window only with a soft cloth and a non aggressive plastic cleaner Never use alcohol or chemically aggressive solvent based cleaners which can destroy the surfaces The same procedure is valid for the white standard which is integrated in the charging console If the white standard should be defective it has to be replaced completely Should the display window show small scratches these can be polished out with special display polish greases as they are available for mobile phones and other elec tronic equipment as well The charging contacts at the bottom of the device and on the charging console can be kept clean with a soft cloth or a cotton bud soaked with metal contact spray Please do not stick any labels at the bottom of the device This could lead to faulty measurements because the direct contact which is important for the correct optical field of depth might not be maintained Page 18 Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter How to use SpectroPlate Error handling Should SpectroPlate do not work properly first check if all instrument settings and measurement conditions are set correctly Next perform a white calibration on the white standard which is integrated in the charging console and try again to perform measurements A device reset sets the device back to factory settings Stored measurement values reference tar
15. dots The right dot percentage value is an important quality control criterion because is determines the amount of printing ink transferred to the paper and thus influences directly the color appearance 27 1 2 L cm 152 Ipi 3 4 4 Image mode Flashing arrow Original image live image Pause symbol Result image binary image after image processing N Dot percentage Screen ruling screen frequency Screen angle Battery status zoom factor image mode Microscopic image Zoom function The zoom function shows the image on the LCD display with a zoom factor of up to 4 Just select one of the zoom icons and press the Enter button to decrease or increase the zoom factor gradually The current zoom factor is indicated under 4 Device settings Setting of the screen type The AM setting uses AM calibration data and the FM setting FM calibration data accordingly For hybrid screens use AM setting Measurement function 10 Plate measurement conditions The device will show a real time live image until the green measurement button is pressed Then the image calculation delivers within a second the measurement values and the display turns to the result image The display turns back to the live image automatically after five seconds or when the device is moved to another sample Manual SpectroPlate Chapter 2 Measurement functions Pag
16. or brighter 6 Sets the menu language of the device 7 All measurement values get a time and date stamp This information will be visible when the data is transmitted to the PC software SpectroConnect 8 A reset puts the device to factory set tings Attention All stored measurement values and recently made calibrations will be deleted Only the factory set calibration values are still valid When the soft key in the left section of the lower bar of the display is activated a windows opens where you can select the measurement functions The measure ment functions listed below are describe in chapter 2 36 Dot Measurement 7e Dot Measurement Dot Transfer Curve Dot Gain Curve Geometrical Analysis Index of the measurement functions dot measurement p 21 2 Dot transfer curve p 23 3 Dot gain curve p 26 4 Geometrical analysis p 27 Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter How to use SpectroPlate Page 13 Calibration SpectroPlate is factory side calibrated A white calibration adjusts the digital camera module The screen calibration is for exact adjustment of dot percentage mea surements towards the reference plate Fogra Measuring Bar FMB The calibration remains permanently and the devices are long term stable This means that there are no time intervals for re calibration necessary To ensure the correct operation of the device we recommend to perform check up measurements once a month
17. the reference plate Fogra Measuring Bar FMB The calibration remains permanently and the devices are long term stable This means that there are no time intervals for recalibration necessary To ensure the correct operation of the device we recommend to perform check up measurements once a month The suit able reference for check up measurements is the offset sample plate Fogra Measuring Bar FMB from the research institute Forschungsgesellschaft Druck Fogra e V M nchen It includes a documentation with a protocol listing reference values taken with a laboratory instrument by the institute Fogra Measuring Bar can be ordered over the internet at www fogra org Fogra Forschungsgesellschaft Druck e V Streitfeldstr 19 D 81673 Telephone 49 0 89 43182 160 Telefax 49 0 89 43182 100 http www fogra org We recommend to make five measurements per measurement patch and take the average value in order to level out measure ment deviations caused by inhomogeneous percentage patches due to the production process of the FMB The averaged measurement results of SpectroPlate have to be within the following tolerances AM screen periodic 0 5 FM screen non periodic D 61462 Konigstein Place Date Signature EU Konformitatserklarung EC Declaration of Conformity D claration de Conformit de la CE Dichiarazione di conformita CE Hersteller TECHKON GmbH Manufacturer construct
18. 2 EH Hane bem Make ES 2 En MG ome mm 012210 21 122000 gig D X12 3M 9215 381 Secetreriae EPEAT wes Clicking on the menu Characteris tic curves a pop up window appears where transfer curves can be added or deleted 2 Any number of transfer curves for Black Cyan Magenta and Yellow as well for up to four spot colors 51 S4 can be managed The Average values window shows the mean values out of selected curves The Job window allows the user to edit comments 3 Most settings can be made directly by mouse clicks 4 Single measurements carried out in the measurement function Dot ment will be shown as Samples Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter 3 SpectroConnect Trend curve Dok gain Table Comment target ak 2 bos ciens TEST 5 Complete transfer curves recorded with SpectroPlate Expert All Vision in the measurement function fransfer curve marked as Curves 6 Measurement data can be moved with the mouse pointer by Drag and Drop from one side to the other Also the display as a dot gain curve or as a numerical table can be selected Page 35 3 6 Software module Export Measurement data can be exported in any other Windows application e g Microsoft Word Excel or a RIP calibration software SpectroPlate works like the
19. PARTAPRES Dear Customer Thank you for using information provided on our website You can check the latest prices and place orders for products contained in this document by visiting our website at http www partxpres com Information contained in this document was provided by the product manufacturer or service provider Although great care has been taken to ensure correctness and relevance of the information PARTXPRES does not assume any responsibility or liability for the information contained herein Customer Service PARTXPRES TECHKON EE ATE LATE Manual Digital MicroScope SpectroPlate Software SpectroConnect manuals technical documentation and programs copyrighted Reproduction translation or transfer to an electronic medium in whole or in parts is prohibited TECHKON software is the intellectual property of TECHKON GmbH Purchase of the software grants the user a license for the use on one computer only Programs may only be copied for back up purposes TECHKON can not be held liable for any damages that may occur by the use of TECHKON products The TECHKON team takes great care in producing this manual Nevertheless we can not fully guarantee the complete absence of errors TECHKON GmbH and the authors can not be held liable neither for any possibly incorrect statements nor their consequences Product that are not made by TECHKON GmbH are mentioned for information purpo
20. act type of printing plate not be listed then select here the type which describes best 4 Measurements on paper Geometric dot percentage measurements on paper are only useful for a few specific applications The geometric dot percentage measured precisely by SpectroPlate is not comparable to the dot percentage value based on the Murray Davies formula mea sured with a densitometer Please note that the standards for measure ments on printed paper describe the use of densitometers and spectrophotometers 5 Film measurement reflection Simply place the film on a white backing and perform the measurement For gradations higher than 80 we recommend the mea surement on film in transmission mode 6 Film measurement transmission If a light table or light plate is available this is the method of choice Just place the film on the light table and perform the measure ment Page 17 1 5 Care and maintenance SpectroPlate is a highly precise optical instrument It is designed to work in harsh industrial environments However it should be handled with care Avoid mechani cal shocks heat dusty or humid environments Keep it always at a safe place for example in the carrying case Cleaning The measurement head with the optical system is sealed against dust and dirt Take care that the visible open measurement aperture is always free of dust You can clean the measurement aperture with oil free clean compressed air and a
21. all available and selectable modules Transfer curve 5 a n 4 saisir bewi ited gai Talla Corsen 0 122010 mimi iis SE maimo wmi 3147260 Maida 3i vio tiun 10 12910 wirio The menu bar includes functions known from standard Windows applications They comprise New Open Save Print and Quit 2 In this section the appropriate measure ment device can be selected 3 The measurement window shows either the last measurement taken or the measure ment values of a data set selected from the lower list Page 32 Ether rg o a lee Ina 3 1 2010 4 When SpectroPlate Expert or All Vision is connected the contents of the memory will be shown here 5 Active program module 6 Shows the list of available program modules They can be selected from this bar directly via mouse click After launching SpectroConnect it is pre set to display the module Transfer curve Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter 3 SpectroConnect 3 4 Software module SpectroPlate settings In this module device specific settings can be made Device settings All settings which can be made at the device can also be made with this software feature It is very convenient for typing numerical values of references and tolerances 2 Lock device Device functions can be locked and unlo
22. ate Page 19 Replacement of the rechargeable battery The rechargeable Ni MH battery has a high lifespan However after a certain time depending how it was used it will loose its capacity and it will make sense to replace it Only use original TECHKON SpectroPlate replacement batteries The use of other batteries is hazardous For opening the battery case you will need a Philips screwdriver type I Place the instrument upside down Put a soft cloth underneath the display to avoid any scratches Unscrew the battery 3 Remove the battery and pull the plug casing and remove it 4 When reassembling the new battery the black cable has to 2 Later when reassem point into the direction towards the charging contacts The plug bling do not tighten the has to clip into the socket You should be able to close the bat screw too much other tery case easily Otherwise please check the wire wise it might break 5 The image on the battery case door shows how the battery should be positioned Page 20 Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter How to use SpectroPlate Chapter 2 Description of measurement functions 2 1 Measurement functions of SpectroPlate Start dot measurement This measurement function displays the geometric dot area of a raster screen in percentage It is the ratio between the area covered with dots and the total area A value of 50 means for example that half of the total area is covered with
23. cked with this feature functions Locked functions will appear in shaded gray on the LCD display 3 Device update New device software can be uploaded into the device There are two different types of files to upload Device update loads the new version of device software Device upgrade upgrades from SpectroPlate Start to Expert 4 Device display This shows the device display on the computer screen All measurement buttons can be remotely operated by the mouse pointer The screenshot can be saved This is a very useful feature for product trainings SpectroPlate settings 3 4 Deane tetbrgs Lek device functions Device updabe Device dapisy FEM Piece cick on the Buttons nte left mage Eo make settings C Det Tranter Curve C2 Dot Gain Curve C Geametrical ness Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter 3 SpectroConnect Page 33 3 4 Software module SpectroPlate settings The software module SpectroPlate settings allows to select the plate type 1 the table of target values 2 and positive or negative plates 3 directly First click on the soft key Measurement conditions 4 in the lower right section of the displayed image A new section opens below the image which contains the three pop up bars for plate and target adjustment There are different possibilities to edit a selected table of target values 5 New reference steps can be added at the last line of the table
24. displayed The measurement unit can be either micro meter or mils depending on the setting done The soft key Sliding rule 2 activates a function which allows to make microscopic distance measurements The dotted lines are the left and right refer ences to determine distances The flashing line can be moved with the Arrow buttons It gets locked by pressing the Enter but ton Now the other line flashes and can be moved The red Escape button or optionally the green measurement button lead back to the measurement mode The soft key Sliding rule can be selected from the measurement function dot measurement and Geometrical analysis Measurement functions Page 27 SpectroPlate Expert and All Vision can save up to 100 data sets The measured data can be managed within the device and can be transmitted to the computer as well Show values Delete Delete all Sample 2 S ample 3 Save Show values Save autom 4 Delete all Save automatically 2 Access to the memory menu is via the soft key Device settings or as a shortcut by pressing the red Escape button and then the Enter button Saves the last measurement done 2 Saves every measurement when activated which is indicated by a check mark Confirming Save 1 by using the Enter button opens this window By navigating with the Arrow button all data sets can be displayed A data set consists
25. e 21 27 1 L cm 152 Ipi Dot Measurement 60 L cm 75 0S9 RU The 0 reference for the screen angle display is parallel to the front side of the device 2 2 Additional functions of SpectroPlate Expert Dot transfer curve For quality control of a printing plate the knowledge of the entire dot transfer for the whole gradation range is of great importance It has to be analyzed how the different dot sizes and number of dots between 0 and 100 76 are transferred geo metrically on the printing plate This transfer characteristic is drawn in a transfer curve The horizontal axis lists the reference values in and the vertical axis the measured dot percentage values If the measurement values are on a 45 line it means that it is a linear 1 1 dot transfer In order to record a complete dot transfer curve all measurement patches of a gradation wedge have to be measured gradation wedge consists of consecutive measurement patches e g 10 76 20 76 30 76 Page 22 Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter 2 Measurement functions Before you can start measuring specific settings have to be made fogra Measuring Bar Plate Type Positive eqative Plate Target Values Save Measurements as Target Val Tolerances Reference Values s epos 4074807 J n 20 40 60 0 100 fogra Measuring Bar Plate Type Positive Negative Plate Reference Values
26. e battery Offset printing plate reference Fogra Measuring Bar FMB can be purchased at Fogra Forschungsgesellschaft www fogra org Page 8 Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter How to use SpectroPlate 1 3 Design of SpectroPlate SpectroPlate is a solidly designed measurement device which is very functional and easy to use It is compact in size the buttons can be reached with the right index finger when the device is held with the right hand The LCD display is inclined towards the user so the display information can be read clearly SpectroPlate can be easily positioned on the measurement sample The measurement sample is illuminated uniformly by spectrally white LEDs The viewfinder helps selecting the right positioning of the measurement aperture Additionally the magnified live image in the LCD display verifies the validity of the right spot to measure Device label Charging contacts with serial number Device base Visible measurement Battery case aperture USB connector Green for PC connection measurement button also for Navigation buttons switching on Right hand grip Backlit device zone display Ceramic white standard Connect the plug of the AC adapter 1 There are three adapter plugs for different with the charging console 2 The AC countries To change an adapter plug just adapter can be used universally for 100 pull it off the AC adapter and push in the 240 V and 47 63 Hz Use only
27. e taken without the device connected to a computer When connecting the device to the PC later all stored measurement values will be transmitted instantly in one row The software requires a computer with a free USB port and a completely installed Microsoft Windows XP Vista or 7 operating system 3 2 Installation It is important to carry out the following steps in the right order to make sure that the USB device driver will be installed properly Make sure that the device is not connected to the PC Insert the SpectroConnect CD into the CD drive of the running computer You will find the CD at the back of this manual 2 The installation routine will start automatically Follow the steps of the installation until it is completed 3 Now after the installation was finished successfully you can connect the device with the USB cable to the computer Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter 3 SpectroConnect Page 3l 3 3 Overview The application will be installed in the Windows program files section in the folder TECHKON GmbH TECHKON SpectroConnect b gt Software symbol SpectroConnect After starting the program and selecting the SpectroPlate icon in the upper left corner the main screen Transfer curve will appear It is divided into three logical segments On the left side the contents of the device memory on the right side the active program module and at the bottom the program module bar which lists
28. ent value and target value 2 Soft key Transfer curve Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter 2 Measurement functions Page 25 Dot gain curve The measurement function Dot gain curve is closely related to the function previously described Dot Gain Curve Now the difference between measured dot value and reference value is drawn ina graph In this example the measured dot area is 45 4 ona 50 reference patch Thus the dot gain is 45 4 50 4 6 In this special case the dot gain is a dot loss because the value is negative Dot percentage reference value dot gain Page 26 Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter 2 Measurement functions Geometrical analysis SpectroPlate Expert can be used as a digital microscope as well Microscopic small structures can be viewed on the LCD display and can be transferred as high resolu tion image files to a PC Geometrical Analysis Left and right reference of the sliding rule 2 Soft key Sliding rule 3 The zoom function 3 can be used to view the object in the right size Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter 2 The measurement function Geometrical analysis evaluates the geometrical proper ties of circles The smallest and the largest diameter are analyzed and displayed If there is a certain number of circles within the sample area the average value of all circles captured for the smallest and largest diameter will be
29. eur costruttore Adresse Wiesbadener Str 27 Address adresse indirizzo D 6 1462 K nigstein erkl rt dass die Produkte Declares that the products d clare que le produits si dichiara che il prodotto Typ SpectroPlate Type tipo Verwendungszweck Optische Messungen Intended use utilisation pr vue uso previsto Optical measurements mesure de la optique misurazione ottico bei bestimmungsgem er Anwendung den grundlegenden Anforderungen gem EU Richtlinie 2004 108 EC entspricht und dass die folgenden Nor men angewandt wurden Complies with the essential requirements of the 2004 108 EC Directive if used for its intended use and that the following standards has been applied r pond aux exigences essentielles du Article 3 de la directive 2004 108 pr vu qu il soit utilis selon sa destination et qu il r pond aux standards suivants soddisfa tutti i requisiti della direttiva 2004 1 08 EC qualora venga utilizzato per l uso previsto e che le seguenti norme siano applicate angewendete Norm 55022 2006 Ausgabe 2008 05 Applied standard standard appliqu Al 2007 norma applicata issue dition pubblicato EN 55024 Ausgabe 2003 01 1998 A1 2001 A2 2003 66 6 HL19 0 03 XEL LA Jo ui0330q y UO Jequunu 195 a 1104 58 79 19 4
30. ference values from the list of the FMB protocol into the table in SpectroPlate Now perform the AM or FM measurements on the FMB plate Setting the plate type SpectroPlate will carry out optimized image calculations depending on the type of offset printing plate used Therefore the type of printing plate has to be selected Also for measurements on film or printed paper the right setting has to be made first foara Measuring Bar Plate Type ogia Measunna Bar Positive Negalive Plate Positive g Reference Values Target Values Save Measurements as Target Val Tolerances Aluminium plate blue Polyester plate Paper Offset K Paper Offset C Paper Offset M Paper Offset Film Reflection Film Transmissian AGFA Aluva N AGFA Amigo ALFA Amin TS Your plate is not in the list Please contact us This list is permanently updated when new plates appear on the market Plate type is shaded Upgrade to the All Vision model See chapter 2 3 for details Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter How to use SpectroPlate Select wether the plate has positive or negative processing properties The dot per centage value will be shown as dot increase or decrease accordingly Select the type of printing plate you use 2 Fogra Measuring Bar This setting is to be used for the check up measurements on the Fogra Measuring Bar FMB only 3 Aluminium plates Should the ex
31. get and tolerance values will be deleted If you have made a specific calibration the data will be lost as well After a reset the device will work with the factory set calibration values which reference to the Fogra FMB If the reset procedure in the settings window is not possible a hardware reset has to be carried out The battery plug has to be unplugged for a couple of seconds an then to be connected again How to unplug the battery is described on the next page Warranty The warranty for TECHKON products is 24 months starting with the date of purchase The invoice is the certificate of warranty The warranty is invalid if the damage is caused by inadequate use of the device Should a TECHKON product do not work according to the specification please contact us before sending us the device In most cases we can solve the problem over the phone or via E mail Inspection intervals TECHKON SpectroPlate is maintenance free We recommend to validate the complete functionality of the devices in a 24 months time interval in the TECHKON service center We offer a complete device check as a service package Please con tact us for details For a flat fee the device will be cleaned checked and recalibrated In case a repair or exchange of components should be necessary we will inform you Please send the device always securely in the carrying case with complete accessories Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter How to use SpectroPl
32. he Start version of SpectroPlate certain soft keys will be not select able and are shaded in gray These are the functions which are only available for the Expert and All Vision model Pressing shortly on one of the Arrow buttons 1 will move an active cursor from soft key to soft key around the frame An active soft key is indicated by inverse appearance By pressing the Enter button 2 a function behind a soft key is selected and a selectable menu appears Within such a menu again the navigation is done via the Arrow buttons and the selections are made with the Enter but ton The red Escape button 3 is for canceling any procedure and for closing open menu windows in order to return to the measurement mode Arrow buttons 2 Enter button 3 Escape button Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter How to use SpectroPlate Page 11 Notice The following instruction describes the use of the Start version of Spectro Plate It applies to the Expert and All Vision model as well Supplementary func tions of Expert and All Vision will be explained in the following chapter in detail Thanks to the interactive device menu settings are very easy to adjust The display is divided logically into the following segments The left side shows the measurement results Dot percentage nim 2 Screen ruling screen frequency 60 Lem di 3 Screen angle 152 lpi 4 Battery status zoom factor image mode
33. keyboard Pressing the measurement button will place the measurement value automatically at the location where the cursor is 3s TCS Sorri Conert ux Druid Export Em medie you oa Egret eae aian Pro Ina Ta cerca qum lad na Ta peel _ _ _ _ poc a Lene Tha meamrmmet valor dias raini Ha Erid hoiti Sep aih bc Pes Eee ge another icine ird cane lha Sebo Cone E Paesi de 1 chat ai be trammi edi Dust ac Loin hear at cer Timm Lu perceriawpe Doe eee tema Agere abe rmt Abe l Here is defined which data will be trans 2 The Export window can also be used for mitted how it will be formatted and what testing data transmissions type of spacing between the measurement data will be This example shows the following Five measurements have been made One data set consists of dot percentage screen ruling and screen angle and the delimiter is a Tab followed by Return Page 36 Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter 3 SpectroConnect 3 7 Software module Digital Microscope In this module the captured image is displayed The image resolution of the microscopic image is 1024 x 1024 pixels io TLR Serim Crane De Ge Chr Digital Microscope MALS Ain 31422000 maii L3 3012 2000 Lure
34. lanatory Several menu languages selectable Aesthetically appealing and ergonomic functional design Lightweight and compact fits like a glove Direct secure positioning on the sample Solid rugged design works well in harsh industrial environments No mechanically moving parts therefore no wear and tear i e maintenance free Measurement time approximately second Immediately ready to use after switching on Highest absolute accuracy thanks to direct reference to absolute standard Fogra Measuring Bar FMB Devices factory made calibrated permanently to accredited reference FMB No time consuming calibration necessary High resolution CMOS color matrix sensor e High precision optical system Made in Germany Homogeneous spectral broadband LED illumination Sophisticated image calculation and powerful signal processing Mobile portable unit also for remote use without PC Quickly rechargeable high capacity batteries with charging console Upgrade from Start to Expert version via firmware upload from the PC USB port for the speedy transfer of measurement data to the PC Comprehensive software SpectroConnect included Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter How to use SpectroPlate Page 7 1 2 Performance packages and packing list Three different performance packages SpectroPlate is available in three different types of performance packages
35. libration Sound Display Contrast Language English s Measurement Units Date Time DT 20 White Calibratian Screen Calibration AM Screen Calibration FM Target Values Fh AB Aly b i C am Target Values Target Values FMB AM 60 cm Ref nM Ref AM Ref AM 2 RA 40 36 473 70 72 5 3 82 45 41 174 80 77 8 Fo 8 3 50 45 5 4 90 88 12 12017 32 55 51 674 95 33 572 30 26 774 60 56 874 93 96 074 beni Calibration creen Calibration AM Target Values FMB AM 60 cm Target Values FMB FM 22 urn A Please place the instrument on the Ceramic White Standard and pressthe green START button Press the red button to cancel ELA Hop ast 2073 30 26 7 251471214 Calibration procedures for AM screen FM screen are carried out separately By selecting Calibration and then Target Values FMB AM 60 cm or Target values FMB FM 22 um from the menu device set tings you get a window where you can edit the reference values Edit the reference values from the list of the FMB protocol into the table in SpectroPlate Now perform the AM or FM measurements on the FMB plate Select Calibration and then Screen Cali bration AM or FM from the menu device settings Place the measurement device on the clean white standard which is part of the charging console see picture on page 9 to carry out a white calibration Edit the re
36. mpletely charging an empty battery will take approximately four hours SpectroPlate has a regulated charging management This means it will power charge an empty battery so the device can be used again after a few minutes On the other hand there is no overcharging of full batteries You can park the device on the charging console when not in use This way it is guaranteed to have always an operational measurement instrument at hand Up to 10 000 measurements can be carried out with one battery charge Page 10 Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter How to use SpectroPlate How to measure After switching on SpectroPlate it is instantly ready to measure No calibra tion is to be carried out Just position the measurement aperture above the area to be measured and press the green button shortly with your right index finger Within one second the resulting measurement value will appear on the display of the device Please make sure to perform measurements on flat surfaces only The measurement aperture has to be directly on the sample without any distance in order to ensure the correct field of depth of the optical system On the bottom of the device there are anti slip rubbers which prevent the device from being moved during a measure ment Device settings with the display menu The SpectroPlate display is divided logically into a section where the measurement results are displayed and a frame of soft keys Notice In t
37. nd discover any soiling or exposure errors now that the structure of the raster dots is visible A specific strength is the image transfer of uncompressed high resolution files to the PC where they can be stored edited or sent over the internet Geometric sizes of dots or lines can be retrieved in micrometer or mils dimensions The supplied Windows software connects the device to a PC Measured values and transfer curves are displayed and stored The display of comparisons to target val ues the data export to Microsoft Excel and the compatibility to RIP applications are additionally useful functions of SpectroConnect An exceptional feature is the enlarged view of the microscopic images All devices are factory made calibrated to the official reference Fogra Measuring Bar FMB resulting in high long term absolute accuracy and an excellent inter instrument agreement Additionally time consuming calibration procedures prior to measure ments are obsolete The technical specifications are listed on the last pages of this manual Page 6 Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter How to use SpectroPlate All advantages at a glance Gree TRO LATE Accurate measurements on all popular offset plate types For AM FM Hybrid from low to high res screening Measures film in reflection and transmission Can be used as Digital Microscope e Measurement on CMYK print With digital ruler 4 Operation self exp
38. of the information shown in the gray box Up to 100 data sets can be saved If the memory is full the first entry will be overwritten Deletes single data sets 2 Deletes the complete memory Data sets can be selected and deleted by using the Arrow buttons and the Enter button Page 28 Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter 2 Measurement functions Average measurement Average measurements are useful when the measurement patch is not uniform Then it is advisable to measure at different spots of the measurement patch This function requires SpectroPlate Expert or All Vision in the measurement mode dot measurement Dot transfer curve or Dot gain curve Soft key for average measurement 2 Start average measurement activates the average mode 2 The number of measurements to be made stop Average measurement 3 will be displayed Number of measurements 4 3 Stop average measurement cancels the average mode 4 Up to 9 measurements can be set 2 3 Additional functions of SpectroPlate All Vision SpectroPlate All Vision is a special version of the SpectroPlate series for the measurement of chemistry free processless printing plates with a very low visible contrast A specific spectral distribution of the measurement light source enables precise measurements on these modern printing plates PECTRO LATE ALL VISION Software 4 08 04 05 2011 Hardware version 1 Serial number A707010
39. ses only and such statements do not represent trademark infringement All registered trade marks are recognized TECHKON products and product names are registered internationally under several intel lectual patents and trademarks Specifications can be subject to change without notice Version 1 5 May 2011 You can reach us at the following address TECHKON GmbH Wiesbadener Str 27 D 61462 K nigstein Germany Telephone 49 0 6174 92 44 50 Telefax 49 0 6174 92 44 99 E mail info techkon com http www techkon com Welcome We welcome you among the worldwide community of users of TECHKON products We are happy that you have selected this high quality measurement instrument It will be a valuable tool for your day to day quality control tasks With this manual we invite you to learn how to use SpectroPlate The manual is divided into three chapters Chapter How to use TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter 2 Description of measurement functions Chapter 3 How to use the Windows software SpectroConnect For the first steps we recommend to read chapter in particular paragraph 1 4 You will be fascinated that after only ten minutes you will know how to work with SpectroPlate The second chapter will show you detailed insight into the measure ment functions and chapter 3 is about the Windows software SpectroConnect which is part of the package Please get the device registered by using the detachable registration card
40. surement technology are consequently applied Easy and quick operation 2 High measurement accuracy 3 Robust engineering and reliability 4 Ergonomic and functional design The measurement accuracy of a plate measuring device is determined by the quality of the optical system and the performance of the image processing algorithms SpectroPlate meets the highest standards in this respect The sample is illuminated uniformly with spectral broadband light The microscopic image is captured by a precision optical lens system and a high resolution CMOS color matrix sensor with high dynamic range The processing of the detailed color image is performed by a powerful graphic signal processor and sophisticated imaging algorithms All relevant quality parameters for correctly manufactured printing plates are shown on the LCD display Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter How to use SpectroPlate Page 5 Thanks to the excellent image capture quality and the ingenious graphic calculations SpectroPlate can read precisely any screen size and screen technology FM AM or Hybrid screen The spectrally white illumination and dynamic color evaluation permits reading all kinds of plate types and coated surfaces SpectroPlate lets you see things normally hidden to the human eye It shows the raster dots ona film or a printing plate in large magnification on the device display or optionally on a computer screen It lets you visually judge printing plates a
41. tely minute Then wipe it off the applied area with a soft cloth Do not apply too much pressure while wiping it off in order to avoid that particles will be attached to the surface In a final step wash off remaining cleaner fluid and particles by using a soft cloth and pure water or solvent water which is used in the printing press Be sure to make the measurements on the dry plate Manual SpectroPlate Chapter 2 Measurement functions Chapter 3 How to use the Windows software SpectroConnect 3 1 Software description PECTRO _ The supplied Windows software CONNECT SpectroConnect allows to transfer measurement data to the PC and to make device specific settings from the PC The measurement values can be dis played on the computer monitor Additional functions are the graphic display of transfer curves and dot gain curves including target values and tolerances and the possibility to transfer the measurement values directly into other Windows applica tions e 2 Microsoft Word Excel or RIP software A very useful feature is the graphical display of microscopic high resolution images directly on the computer screen When using SpectroPlate Start the device has to be connected to the PC via the USB cable when making measurements The values will be instantly visible on the computer screen SpectroPlate Expert and All Vision has an internal memory of up to 100 data sets This means measurements can b
42. the original new one Make sure it is connected firmly TECHKON SpectroPlate AC adapter The use of other power sources is hazardous Manual TECHKON SpectroPlate Chapter How to use SpectroPlate Page 9 1 4 Working with SpectroPlate Switching on and off SpectroPlate is switched on by pressing the green measurement button It is imme diately ready to measure If no button is pressed within two minutes the device will switch off automatically Switching it on again with the green measurement button will show on the display the last measurement done There is no button to turn SpectroPlate off Charging The battery status is displayed as a battery symbol in the lower left corner of the LCD screen when the unit is turned on When the battery turns empty the battery symbol starts to flash In this state several measurements still can be obtained but it is time to put it on the charging console Charging starts automatically by placing the device on the charging console Please keep the charging contacts at the bottom of the device and on the charging console clean To avoid scratches always use a soft cloth or a similar soft material If oxidized we recommend to use a cotton bud soaked with metal contact spray Five seconds after placing the device on the console the display will show a clock and an animated battery symbol When the symbol displays a full battery the charg ing is completed and the battery is fully charged Co
43. which is the last page of this manual That way we can keep you updated about product news Please visit us as well on the internet at http www techkon com You will find useful information about the complete product range and new soft ware versions Do you have any suggestions for improvements or do you require information that goes beyond the contents of this manual We will be glad to hear from you Your suggestions or questions make an important contribution to the continuous optimi zation of our documentation and products Your TECHKON Team Content Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 Chapter 2 2 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 4 3 5 3 6 3 7 Appendix How to use TECHKON SpectroPlate Product describ oM uspe dai Md Performance packages and packing list Design of SpectroPlate eese teens Working with SpectroPlate eese Care and maintenance eese eere tete entrent Description of measurement functions Measurement functions of SpectroPlate Start Additional functions of SpectroPlate Expert Additional functions of SpectroPlate All Vision How to use the Windows software SpectroConnect Software descriptiOD cene aont ba Oca sd WAYS CULPA OND cT DV SEV OW Software module SpectroPlate settings
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