OMG BRAIN IS FULL CANT LEARN ANYMORE

[Plecostomus]

Ok.

I switched jobs again not that long ago... went back to a previous employer that treated me very well but had to lay me off due to lack of work.

They have a huge backlog now so they gladly hired me back...

...on one condition. I have to learn the rotogravure printing press process and be ready to implement what I learned starting Monday.

I have watched four videos, read three books and went across town to watch a Rotogravure press operate. Then I watched another video and read two more books.


OMG OW MY BRAIN.

Either I've overloaded my brain or I have a helluva tension headache. Either way I could use some mindless entertainment... Which way to TNZ?

 

[RoJoHen]

You had to learn how to do what now?

 

[Plecostomus]

You had to learn how to do what now?

Learn how the rapidly rotating spinny thing coated with ink makes an image on the rapidly moving web of stuff that we turn into things that people trade money for.

...or am I still being too technical?

 

[RoJoHen]

Define "things that people trade for money."

Newspaper? Novels? Illuminated manuscripts? Puppies? Is it a puppy printing press?

 

[Plecostomus]

Puppies? I didn't realize you could print on puppies... I just run them through the lamination machine.

What I am really doing:

It's a press that prints on enormous webs of styrofoam that get converted into cups, plates, trays, egg-cartons and other food presentation items.

In this case they managed to land a huge contract for styrofoam egg-cartons... and the customer wants their brand-logo and "proper egg safety warnings" printed on the carton.

Rather neat stuff actually I'm looking forward to it.

...just don't try to learn the entire process in two days.

 

[RoJoHen]

Puppies? I didn't realize you could print on puppies... I just run them through the lamination machine.

What I am really doing:

It's a press that prints on enormous webs of styrofoam that get converted into cups, plates, trays, egg-cartons and other food presentation items.

In this case they managed to land a huge contract for styrofoam egg-cartons... and the customer wants their brand-logo and "proper egg safety warnings" printed on the carton.

Rather neat stuff actually I'm looking forward to it.

...just don't try to learn the entire process in two days.

I can't help thinking that the environment must hate your job.

Otherwise, neat!

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Just replace the safety warnings with, "CARTON IS EDIBLE, TOO! TRUST!" and watch the fun unfold.

 

[backstept]

rotogravure is different from the offset presses used where I used to work
it uses an engraved cylinder instead of a photo-exposed plate (the cylinder is probably also photo exposed but I dunno)
the place I worked at used nylon plates and only did 8.5x11 or smaller formats (business cards, envelopes, letterhead etc)
rotogravure presses can use reels(rolls, webs, whatever), and they're much faster and obviously work on more than just paper
we just did paper where I worked at

 

[Plecostomus]

I can't help thinking that the environment must hate your job.

Otherwise, neat!

Traditional methods of blowing foam (that's what the process is called) used fluorocarbon gasses or a petroleum gas such as pentane. Fluorocarbon has been outlawed, so most large-scale producers like PACTIV (Hefty brand) use the pentane process.

In recent years there has been a shift away from pentane because that too is bad for the environment. The plant I work at uses a process in which we carbon dioxide that is condensed out of the atmosphere.

We end up with a product that is more dense and more brittle than competing products but we don't have to pay environmental impact fines and fees and the CO2 is free unlike the pentane... which costs money.

So yeah, it's not exactly great for the environment... still consumes epic levels of power and generates a waste-stream but we're getting better.

 

[Guartho]

Brain and brain! What is brain!?

 

[Plecostomus]

rotogravure is different from the offset presses used where I used to work
it uses an engraved cylinder instead of a photo-exposed plate (the cylinder is probably also photo exposed but I dunno)
the place I worked at used nylon plates and only did 8.5x11 or smaller formats (business cards, envelopes, letterhead etc)
rotogravure presses can use reels(rolls, webs, whatever), and they're much faster and obviously work on more than just paper
we just did paper where I worked at

I'm told we'll be running at a speed of three meters/m. That's quite a bit faster than the extrusion process that makes the foam web.

 

[iguana_tonante]

You mean... people work for a living? That's, like, awful!

 

[backstept]

I know! what's the world coming to?

 

[Plecostomus]

Ok so I went out got ripping drunk and now I have room to learn more about printing.

Of course I woke up next to this sketchy Greek chick with one leg and poofy hair, insists she's my wife but I honestly don't remember. Ah well.



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