Vaccuum system for removing ablated particles from media mounted in an internal drum platesetter

A vacuum system (100) can remove ablated particles (33) from an internal drum platesetter which has a drum (10) for supporting a photosensitive medium (28), a carriage (20) moveable in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the drum (10), and a laser (24) mounted onto the moveable carriage (20) for generating a beam (26) to create an image on the medium (28) during movement of the carriage (20), the beam (26) ablating particles (33) of the medium (28) during creation of the image. The vacuum system (100) includes: a vacuum head (50) fixedly attached to the moveable carriage (20), and having at least one chamber (60, 62, 64, 66) for receiving the ablated particles (33) through one or more openings (54) located proximate to a periphery (55) of the vacuum head (50); and an exhaust system connected to the vacuum head (50) and including ductwork (44, 112), at least one fan (110, 120) and at least one filter (124), for extracting the ablated particles (33) from the at least one chamber (60, 62, 64, 66) of the vacuum head (50). The vacuum system (100) also includes a hose (44) capable of expanding and retracting in length to accommodate the movement of the vacuum head (50), and an internal duct support system for supporting the hose (44) during expansion and retraction to prevent sagging of the hose (44). A swivel connection can be located at one or both ends of the hose (44) to accommodate rotational movement of the hose (44) during expansion and retraction.