The Murray Pioneer located in the South Australia Riverland town of Renmark has became the first newspaper in South Australia to upgrade their existing Agfa CTP system to use the new :N92-VCF chemistry-free plate technology.
The Murray Pioneer and sister company JC Irving have recently made the modifications required to switch their existing :Advantage Xs CTP system to run Agfa's :N92-VCF chemistry-free violet photopolymer plate. With a simple low-cost upgrade, the existing VPP68 processors have been modified to function as clean-out-units eliminating the need for investment in new equipment, according to Agfa.
Agfa also outlines that with the modifications complete, the processors now run in a closed-loop setup without the need for any plumbing or drainage for waste. The only water required is for rinsing of the rollers when the gum is renewed. Agfa adds this move to chemistry-free means no more developer and replenisher are required and instead, a simple wash-out gum (VCF Gum) is used.
Steve Marshall, Agfa's newspaper manager, Oceania says, “With :N92-VCF, the newspaper industry can now significantly reduce their costs. Beyond the savings and environmental benefits, violet chemistry free (VCF) offers a far more consistent plate by removing all the processing variables of platemaking.
"The :N92-VCF plates produce an exceptionally strong image contrast and there's absolutely no on-press contamination.”
The :N92-VCF is Agfa Graphics’ latest addition to the range of photopolymer offset plates for the newspaper industry. Like other violet offset plates, it is sensitised for violet lasers emitting at 405nm but, instead of requiring a chemical developer for processing, :N92-VCF is Agfa Graphics’ first violet plate designed for chemistry-free operation, according to Agfa.
The Murray Pioneer is the parent company for a group which includes six newspapers, and a commercial printing company, JC Irving, of Berri.
The groups' newspaper interests include The Murray Pioneer (Riverland), The Loxton News, The River News (Waikerie), The Border Times (Northern Mallee), The Bunyip ( Gawler, Barossa & Light) and The Mid North Broadcaster.
