Plate Registration

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Configuration Tables | Drawings | Electrical | Registration Pins | Matching Registration / Punch Table Setup | Parts | Service Notes | White Paper

Electronic registration allows the device firmware to detect the correct registration of the metal printing plate to the registration pins on the imaging drum. An electrical circuit is completed by the metal printing plate touching two registration pins at the same time.

The operator of a Semi-Automatic device, or the load mechanism of an automatic device, slides the printing plate into the open leading edge clamp during the load sequence. If the plate size and location are correct, the plate will contact one driving pin and the correct sensing pin. The firmware will detect the correctly positioned plate, and go to the next step in the load process.
For details on the registration types, see the Operator Guide for that device in the Media Orientation and Dimesions section.

Design Drawings

707-00180A  DWG (4 sheets)

• Sheet 1: 4-pin, single plate, 4570 & 5570
• Sheet 2: 4-pin, single plate, 5183 & 6383
• Sheet 3: 6-pin, dual plate, 4570 & 5570
• Sheet 4: 6-pin, dual plate, 5183 & 6383

Service Notes

• The registration probe assembly on the backbone can be replaced if the spring probes are damaged. Individual probes can also be easily replaced by gently pressing the probe into its socket.
• The spring probes that make the electrical connections between the backbone and the drum are rated for more than 2 million cycles and were chosen because they are sealed against dust. However, they can be easily bent if accidentally pushed sideways or hit by a solid object.
• The contact block on the drum or the points of the probes may wear from repeated contact.
• Placing registration stickers on the Magnus VLF load table

Parts

Item	Stored Service Parts	Reference	Notes/photos
Registration Probe Assembly    Registration probe    Registration continuity switch	500-02855A 11-1122C 500-00855A	BOM (FRU) | DWG BOM | DWG BOM (FRU) | DWG	Installed on the LEC backbone. See also the Registration page.
Individual probes	194-00013

Registration Pins

There are two standard registration pin layouts:  4-pin and 6-pin.

The different drum diameters do not affect the registration pin layout, just the maximum plate cutoff length allowable. The minimum plate cutoff lengths available also vary:

• For landscape imaging on automatic machines, the minimum plate cutoff is 482.16mm [19 in.]
• For landscape imaging on manual machines, the minimum plate cutoff is 393.7mm [15.5 in.]
• For portrait imaging on either manual or automatic machines, the minimum plate cutoff is 875mm [34.4 in.]

The pins are slightly staggered to ensure that the plates only contact two pins at a time. This causes a slight plate rotation on the drum which is corrected by the device when the plate is imaged.

There are two rows of edge detect strips (grooves), one near the leading edge clamps and the other about halfway around the drum. These allow the imaging head to accurately locate the side of the plate. For landscape mode, only the edge detect strip near the leading edge clamps needs to be covered, while for portrait mode both strips must be covered.

Note:  The home edge of the plate must be over one of the grooves for the edge detect to work properly.

6-pin registration kit:  518-00226B  BOM

The 6-pin registration system is used for single or dual plate operation in either landscape or portrait mode.

Dual Plate Loading in Portrait Mode

Different sets of pins are used for each range of plate sizes, ensuring that both edge detect strips are covered for all plate widths. See design drawing 707-00180 DWG to set up the plate punch to register as closely as possible to the same points used by the Creo device. Note that the side registration pin on the punch will be on the opposite side from landscape mode.

When imaging positive plates in portrait mode, the plate clamping system overlaps the plate by several millimeters. The plate cannot be imaged in these areas, which will be on the sides of the plate when it is on press and will unfortunately pick up ink. This is not a problem when imaging in landscape mode as the plate edges clamped are the same ones that are clamped on the press.

Dual Plate Loading in Landscape Mode

There are three options: large, medium and small. The plate is not centered on the pins for the offset large option. This may affect the accuracy of the punching, depending on how the punch is set up. See design drawing 707-00180 DWG.

Single Plate Landscape Mode

Only pins 3 and 4 are used in this mode. The plates should be centered on the pins. See design drawing 707-00180 DWG.

Three of the six registration pins are drive pins (pins 1, 2, and 4), and the other three are sensor pins (3, 5, and 6). Only one drive pin is active at a time. Any one of the sensor pins can be triggered if contact is made through the printing plate to the active drive pin. Only an active drive pin can provide a current path for a sensor pin.

Diagnostic LEDs are provided for 24V DC, 12V DC, the three drive pins, and the three sensor pins.

The 4-pin registration system is used for single plate operation in either landscape or portrait mode.

Single Plate Loading in Portrait Mode

Different sets of pins are used for each range of plate sizes, ensuring that both edge detect strips are covered for all plate widths. See design drawing 707-00180 DWG to set up the plate punch to register as closely as possible to the same points used by the Creo device. Note that the side registration pin on the punch will be on the opposite side from landscape mode.

When imaging positive plates in portrait mode, the plate clamping system overlaps the plate by several millimeters. The plate cannot be imaged in these areas, which will be on the sides of the plate when it is on press and will unfortunately pick up ink. This is not a problem when imaging in landscape mode as the plate edges clamped are the same ones that are clamped on the press.

Single Plate Loading in Landscape Mode

Only pins 3 and 4 are used in this mode. The plates should be centered on the pins. See design drawing 707-00180 DWG.

The four pins used in 4-pin registration have the same connections as pins 1, 2, 5, and 6 of the 6-pin configuration. This connection scheme allows the electronics and cabling to work for both 4-pin and 6-pin registration without alteration.

The electrical connection between the drum and backbone is made with pogo-pin spring probes mounted on the backbone, which contact the contact block mounted on the home end of the drum. There are six spring probes, one for each registration pin.

The probe assembly is the mounting block that holds the six spring probes, their wiring, and a connector on the backbone.

Matching Registration / Punch Table Setup

Landscape Plates

The punch table setups used for the Trendsetter VLF (280, 504 and 697 mm) can, in most cases, be used for Magnus VLF plates.

Pin Spacing	Used for Trendsetter VLF Plates	Can Be Used for Magnus VLF Plates
280 mm	394-726 mm wide	up to 610 mm wide
504 mm	727-888 mm wide	611-907 mm wide
697 mm	889-2032 mm wide	908-2108 mm wide May also be used for single plates from 889-907 mm wide (but not for dual plates)

When making modifications to a punch table, refer to the Magnus VLF registration system design drawings (707-00180A).

Portrait Plates

Special considerations must be made when imaging portrait plates on the Magnus VLF:

• Positive plates imaged in portrait orientation on the Magnus VLF will have areas at the sides of the plates that will pick up ink on press.
• Extra pin locations must be added to a punch table that has been set up for Trendsetter VLF plates. The pins must match the fixed locations of the edge detect strips (10 mm and 864 mm); otherwise, the image may be skewed on press.
• Portrait plates use a third registration point that is on the opposite side from a landscape plate. This third point must be added to the punch table in order to match the Trendsetter VLF registration points. However, if the customer chooses not to adjust the punch, it is usually easy to adjust most presses to accommodate the different third registration point.

When making modifications to a punch table, refer to the Magnus VLF registration system design drawings (707-00180A).

White Paper

Plate registration on Kodak devices, 719-00328A

Electrical

Small circuit board to provide isolated 12V DC and to contain the driving and sensing circuitry that interfaces the registration pins to the MCE.

Connect between the MCE and 6-Pin Registration Board, and between the 6-Pin Registration Board and the Probe Assembly.

• 24V DC is provided by the MCE to power the Six-Pin Registration Board. The 24V DC is isolated from the registration pins by a 12 Volt isolated DC-to-DC converter.
• Current between pins (through registered printing plate) < 3 mA.
• Resistance from one registration pin through the printing plate to the other registration pin can be as high as 500 kOhm.

Three relay driver outputs on the MCE are used to select which driving pin is active. They are isolated from the registration pins by opto-couplers.

• Three electronic registration sense inputs on the MCE are used to detect registration. They are isolated from the registration pins by opto-couplers.
• There are no sensors other than the sensing circuits of the Six-Pin Registration Board and the MCE.
• There are no other actuators required because the probe assembly sits on the backbone and engages whenever the leading edge clamps are opened.

Probe, Pin, and Signal Configuration Tables

4 pin registration, not dual-plate capable

Table definitions...

6 pin registration, dual-plate capable