Maintenance of printing machines

Upkeep procedures and technical working of machines that produce printed graphical material.

maintenance of printing apparatus
maintenance of printing machinery
maintenance of printing system
maintenance of printing equipment
maintenance of printing technology
maintenance of printing machines

knowledge

sector-specific

Maintenance of printing machines is an essential knowledge of the following occupations:

3D printing technician: 3D Printing technicians assist in the designing and programming of products, ranging from prosthetic products to 3D miniatures. They may also provide 3D printing maintenance, check 3D renders for customers and run 3D printing tests. 3D printing technicians can also repair, maintain and clean 3D printers.
Prepress technician: Prepress technicians prepare printing processes by formatting, setting and composing text and graphics into a suitable form. This includes the capture of text and image and processing it electronically. They also prepare, maintain and troubleshoot printing presses.
Digital printer: Digital printers work with machines that print directly to the medium, without an intervening plate. Digital printers usually use laser or inkjet technology to print individual pages without lengthy or labour intensive technical steps intervening between the finished digital product and the print.

Maintenance of printing machines is optional for these occupations. This means knowing this knowledge may be an asset for career advancement if you are in one of these occupations.

Flexographic press operator: Flexographic press operators use flexographic relief plate to print on almost any material. The relief plate is inked and pressed onto the material to be printed.
Imagesetter: Imagesetters process images and graphic templates by using phototypesetting machines. They optimise the templates for the best possible result by determining the right arrangement of text and image on the print sheet. The product is then set onto photo paper or film.
Paper stationery machine operator: Paper stationery machine operators work with machines that perform one or more operations on paper to make it suitable for specific markets, such as punching holes, perforating, creasing, and collating with a carbon coated sheet.
Reprographics technician: Reprographics technicians are responsible for the full or partial process of reproduction of graphical documents through mechanical-driven or digital means, such as photography, scanning or digital printing. These activities are commonly performed for purposes of maintaining archives or other structured catalogues.
Gravure press operator: Gravure press operators work with gravure presses, where the image is engraved directly on a roll. They set up the press and monitor it during the operation, taking care of safety and resolving problems.
Sign maker: Sign makers design and develop signs for a variety of uses such as flyers, traffic signs, billboards and business signs. They use different materials and techniques and if necessary they install the sign on site. Furthermore they also perform maintenance and repairs.
Screen printer: Screen printers tend a press that presses ink through a screen. Industrial screen printing is often used to print on materials that are hard to use with other processes, like rigid plastic surfaces.
Lithographer: Lithographers make and prepare metal plates to be used as the original in various printing processes and media. Plates are usually laser-etched from digital sources with computer-to-plate technology, but can also be made by applying types of emulsions to the printing plate.
Typesetter: Typesetters ensure that printed text is correctly set and visually pleasing. While typesetting was originally done manually and later employed techniques like linotype and phototypesetting, almost all typesetting is now done digitally using design programs or specialised typesetting programs.
Scanning operator: Scanning operators tend scanners. They feed print materials into the machine and set controls on the machine or on a controlling computer to obtain the highest resolution scan.
Prepress operator: Prepress operators create a prepress proof, or sample of what the finished product will look like. In many printing contracts, the client at this stage decides whether the print can go through as planned. Since the printing processes for proofs are different from those used in the final process, proofs are always an approximation.
Offset printer: Offset printers handle an offset press in order to print an image. The offset press transfers an inked image from the plate to a rubber blanket before to print it onto the printing surface.

References

1. Maintenance of printing machines – ESCO