Microtech systems' ImageAutomator

Emedia Professional, June, 1999 by Hugh Bennett

microtech systems' ImageAutomator

synopsis: Combining cutting-edge 8X recording with optional color thermal transfer printing and an alignment system for completing silkscreened discs, Microtech's ImageAutomator is an excellent CD duplicator that offers a lot of bang for the buck. While not as much a turnkey solution for centralized network disc creation as Rimage's Producer 2000 Protege and Autostar systems, the ImageAutomator is without peer in customized corporate and commercial environments. It's also important to note that, unlike some companies who introduce products and quickly move on to the next one, Microtech has strayed committed to the ImageAutomator for several years now and continues to upgrade and improve the system for the benefit of all their customers.

a darling of the corporate and commercial worlds, Microtech Systems' ImageAutomator is an ingenious solution for small and large-run unattended CDR disc duplication, creation, and enterprise network recording. Although available for several years, the latest version of the ImageAutomator extends Microtech's policy of continuing improvement by integrating the latest industry advances in its high-powered system. The latest ImageAutomator combines cutting-edge 8X recording with optional color thermal transfer printing and an alignment system for completing silkscreened discs.

handling it like a pro

Any good automated CD production system has a solid robotic disc-handling system at its core and the ImageAutomator is a good automated CD production system. A curious beast that looks like a cross between a ceiling fan and a baseball pitching machine, the ImageAutomator's CD handler is a model of flexible modular design. As physically massive as ever, it consists of a rotary pick-and-place robot arm mounted on top of a 24-inch high hexagonal tower from which is hung a series of detachable stations. This flexible design allows the system to be configured with different combinations of production equipment mounted at each station, be they CD-Recorders (or DVD-Recorders when they become available), printers, buffers, disc spindles, or other units as they suit the application.

Configurations of the standard CD handling system include three removable 200-disc spindles (input, output, reject) and one of three different printers currently available including Rimage's thermal transfer monochrome, the new color Prism Perfect Image CD Printer, and Primera Technologies' Signature II color inkjet. [See Hugh Bennett's Prism sidebar in his Rimage Producer 2030 Protege review, p. 86--Ed.] Since printing may be a significant system bottleneck, the CD handler also accommodates a buffer cup to hold discs awaiting labeling.

Thanks to its unusual architecture, the CD handler offers a great deal of flexibility when it comes to installing CD recorders. For example, it can accommodate large form Factor or even caddy-loading recorders, as easily as standard tray-loading 5.25-inch half-height recorders in "6-Pack" clusters. Until recently the CD handler was equipped with the Matsushita (Panasonic) 4X/8X CW-7502S but these have been replaced by Plextor's state-of-the-art 8X/20X max PlexWriter 8/20 recorders. [See Hugh Bennett's March 1999 review, p. 64-Ed.]

Numerous equipment combinations may be ordered but for most situations Microtech offers several off-the-shelf system configurations. The entry-level Model 100 comes with two to six recorders and one printer, the Model 105 includes three recorders and one printer, and the top-of-the-line Model 200 accommodates from one to twelve recorders and two printers.

the soft side: ImageMaker MJ software

The nerve center for the ImageAutomator's CD handling system is Microtech's Windows NT 4.0-based ImageMaker MJ (multijob) CD-R production solution. Configurations vary from model to model but the system Microtech provided for testing consisted of a 233MHz Pentium II PC, 64MB RAM, 17-inch monitor, two 9GB SCSI A/V hard drives, and a Plextor 12/20Plex CD-ROM drive housed in a sturdy ten-bay tower.

Centralized system control is offered by the main ImageMaker MJ system software, which is in turn supported by several secondary applications including MasterMaker for disc premastering and DiscPrint for labeling. Although the interface is a little non-standard in places, the system software is easy enough to use. Since multiple tasks can be performed by the system either sequentially or simultaneously the main control screen is divided into separate job cards (from one to twenty) to rationalize the work.

Job cards are filled out on the screen as needed and contain all the relevant details regarding tasks that need to be performed including defining the source material, number of discs to be recorded, read-back verification, hardware allocation, and labels to be printed. CDs can be duplicated disc to disc or from images already loaded onto the hard drive, and most logical formats are supported. Discs can also be created from scratch using local or network files via the supporting MasterMaker software that authors basic logical formats including ISO 9660, Rock Ridge, CD-DA, and mixed-mode.