Thermal Plates -- The Heat is On

Plate manufacturers are experimenting with several other kinds of techniques involving phase changes and chemical coatings. The concept is to trigger a physical or chemical change to a substrate to make the plate ink-receptive.

There are two approaches to phase change plates, and both involve a special coating on a metal plate. The first is a thermally alterable coating applied to an aluminum base. On-press, the unimaged layer is removed by a fountain solution to reveal the water receptive aluminum layer. The second is to use a special coating on a metal plate. After being exposed in the thermal platesetter, the plate changes from being water-receptive to ink-receptive.