News

That Fuji’s Luxel P-9600 has racked up more than 2,000 violet installations worldwide is proof of the product’s success since its launch at Drupa 2000.

Targeting the B1 commercial print market, it has a top speed of 27 plates per hour (pph) at 2,400dpi, but unlike thermal systems, says Steve Cookman, product support manager at Fujifilm “the Luxel P could image faster at lower resolutions, for example 34pph at 1,828dpi and 45pph at 1,219dpi”.

Radically taking Fuji’s plate production from 7pph to 27pph, the Luxel replaced Fujifilm’s Celix 8000 CTP and was available in three configurations: manual, semi-auto or fully-automatic. Users could upgrade on-site to higher configurations as their production requirements changed. “The fully automatic configuration supports many hours of unattended operation – it can handle up to 300 plates online across five independent cassettes,” adds Cookman.

Manual and semi-automatic devices allowed manual loading and an even wider selection of plate sizes. These configurations were also less expensive.

“The fully automatic unit worked in a daylight environment, requiring only red safelight for cassette loading with manual and semi-automatic needed to be housed in safelight rooms,” explains Cookman. All configurations could deliver up to 27pph in the dual beam mode, a technological first and an optional feature of the Luxel P-9600.

Optical innovation
Rival machines at the time were Agfa’s Galileo, Purup-Eskofot’s DMX, Creo’s Trendsetter, the Scitex Lotem and Screen’s PlateRite. But one of the Luxel’s strengths was dual beam imaging, which was, and still is, unique to Fujifilm. Through a patented optics arrangement, the manufacturer was able to combine two data paths through two laser beams that doubled the imaging speed, with each rotation of the spinner writing two lines of data.

It was first implemented in Fujifilm’s Luxel F-9000 filmsetter launched at Ipex 1998. It then went one step further with three imaging beams achieving 38 eight-up flats per hour. Today, multi-beam imaging resides in the Luxel V-8 CTP range of devices where two independent violet laser diodes combine to produce speeds of up to 50 B1 pph.

Fuji ceased production of the photopolymer Luxel P-9600CTP in June 2002, replacing it with a violet laser diode-based Luxel V-9600CTP. Violet introduced benefits of lower cost, higher reliability and bright yellow light working for manual and semi-automatic systems at speeds of up to 32pph.

The use of two laser diodes in place of a single diode split beam gave the system greater resilience to diode failure, as systems could still image with one diode. Many customers chose to upgrade and convert their P machines to V allowing them to take their earlier investments forward with the technological advances.

Spare parts support from Fujifilm is still available. Although its five-year obligation has technically finished, the similarities between the P and V units are enough to ensure a supply of engineering expertise.

Secondhand Luxel P-9600CTPs are rare to find on the market. Although several are still in use, most were upgraded to violet. The violet systems retain a high value, particularly given the advent of the Pro-V plate. The latest incarnation of the Luxel P is the Luxel V-8, which will cost around £63,500 for a manual and from £99,000 for a fully automatic device. A three-year-old Luxel V-9600CTP will cost around £40,000 including a processor for a manual and £60,000 for a fully automatic.

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SPECIFICATIONS
V-9600
Format size
1,160x960mm max
Speed 27 B1 pph at 2,400dpi
Output resolutions 1,219dpi to 3,657dpi
Options Manual, semi-auto or fully-automatic configurations
Prices
New Luxel V-8 fully automatic from £99,000
Semi-auto: from £67,000
Single cassette automatic: from £84,000
Used Luxel V-9600CTP three years old
Fully automatic: £60,000 (inc. processor)
Manual: £40,000 (inc. processor)
Semi-auto: £45,000 (inc. processor)
What to look for
• General wear and tear