PremiumSetter – user-friendly cutting-edge technology

The compact all-rounder

Direct is better – as demonstrated to perfection here. Direct laser engraving of elastomers makes the production of flexographic printing forms an entirely digital process. Reducing printing form production to just two process steps – laser engraving and cleaning – significantly cuts the workload involved. This means less manpower is needed and results in a reduced footprint.

The compact design of the HELL PremiumSetter series also helps in this respect. These engraving machines are available in various engraving widths with single-, dual-, and four-beam laser technology and clever cylinder equipment for plates and sleeves. This enables both prepress service providers and print shops to customize their system configurations, tailoring them to the various job types and volumes. Thanks to this versatility, PremiumSetter users are perfectly equipped for the future.

One, two or four lasers

The S1000 and S1700 laser engraving machines are equipped with a choice of one or two engraving lasers. The lasers are housed in an optical head and precisely coordinated. With two lasers, the engraving speed is doubled.

The new S3000 can be extended to four lasers. In this case, two optical heads equipped with two lasers each split the layout across the cylinder to double the engraving speed once again.

For all kinds of printing forms

The PremiumSetter couldn’t be easier to operate. A vacuum cylinder keeps the elastomer plates securely on its surface. The suction air ensures full contact is maintained between the plates and the cylinder surface during engraving, even at high speeds. Adhesive tape is also used to keep the plates in place.

On sleeves, the PremiumSetter perfectly handles both seamless sleeves and plate-on-sleeve technology, i.e. plates mounted onto the carrier sleeve. The air mandrel remains in the PremiumSetter cantilever to save time and effort during sleeve changes. The engraved sleeve is simply removed from the free end, supported by a cushion of air, and a new one is fitted. Appropriate adapters are used for different diameters.

FastForward saves even more time

Three Fast-Forward options further boost the productivity of the HELL PremiumSetter. The fast cross-feed functions result in an average time saving of over 20% and, depending on the layout, savings as high as 80% are possible.

ActiveFastForward uses a cutting tool that removes the unlasered sleeve surface to a depth of 1 mm in the non-printing areas. And with PassiveFastForward, the laser simply skips the solid areas and the areas between the plates in the printing form.

The principle of a removable elastomer layer is used for coating plates. In this case, the HELL PremiumSetter performs a fast crossfeed in the large non-printing areas. After engraving, the top layer is removed manually from the carrier foil.