Presensitized
Printing plate 1 by Mr. Bob Gumbinner
Presensitized
Plates:
In
late 1951 or early 1952, Mr. Halpern met with Elmer Deal of
Alumolith, which was making presensitized plates and arranged a
license with Mr. Deal, who had brought to 3M’s attention the US
Army BIOS reports about the German army use of the condensation
product of paraformaldehyde and paradiazodiphenyl-amine for printing
plates, to acquire his process for a 3 percent royalty on metal
plates and one cent for paper presensitized plates. This Diazo was
patented by Kalle in 1935. Fred Hozeny and I went to the Alumolith
plant in Alhambra, California and made sketches of the equipment and
details of the process. On returning we built the first tank line.
I do not recall this line. It must have been in the original 2
Ashburton Ave, building. Perhaps we took down one of the paper
coaters since our sales of paper plates was limited. We had erected
a small building along Alexander St. to house the gas supply for the
paper coater drying tunnels. Half of this we used for a laboratory.
Later, when we made subtractive plates, this half was made explosion
proof and used to make the coating solutions. About 1956 we enclosed
the west half of the second floor of 2 Ashburton and installed lab
benches.