Selection and maintenance of anilox rollers

How to correctly select the anilox roller, how to maintain the anilox roller, etc. These issues are more critical for users. Anilox roller is an important part of flexo printing machine, and it has a lot to do with flexo printing plate and ink. When choosing anilox roller, the following factors should be considered.

1. Ink type. The inks used in flexographic printing usually include water-based inks, solvent-based inks, UV inks and varnishes. Different ink types have great differences in the ink transfer of the anilox roller. Even if the ink of the same nature, its quality and adhesion viscosity are different, there will be differences when transferring ink.

2. Printing plate materials. At present, flexographic printing mostly uses resin printing plates, but some still use rubber printing plates. The plates of these two materials have different adsorption properties to ink. In resin printing plates, there are also inked plates and non-ink plates. It will have a great impact on the ink transfer quality of the anilox roller.

3. Plate type. Solid full plate (glazing), low screen line and high screen line layer printing all have very strict requirements on the screen line and ink transfer amount of the anilox roller. A slight error will lead to the decline of printing quality or printing failure.

4. Printing substrate. Paper, plastic film, and corrugated cardboard have differences and effects on ink adsorption and color. The adsorption of plastic film to ink is poor, and the ink transfer amount of the anilox roller is required to be lower, and the ink transfer amount of the paper is required to be higher.

5. Scraping method. The ink scraping method also has a certain influence on the ink transfer effect of the anilox roller. When making anilox rollers, tell the manufacturer the specific squeegee method: rubber roller squeegee, forward or reverse squeegee, closed squeegee system.

During the use of the anilox roller, its maintenance is very important. In the past, many people did not pay attention to the maintenance of anilox rollers. Or improper maintenance. In particular, there is no correct understanding of the cleaning of the anilox roll, and many quality problems occur. After several years of development, everyone has gradually realized the importance of maintenance and cleaning of anilox rollers to improve printing quality, especially for printing plants engaged in narrow and wide flexo printing. The maintenance of the anilox roller includes the following parts:

1. When replacing the anilox roller, protect the roller surface of the anilox roller, and use a leather cover for storage.

2. The replaced anilox roller should be cleaned in time.

3. Place a magnetic filter in the ink tank to prevent metal impurities from scratching the anilox roller.

4. Select high-quality scraper and blade type, it is recommended to use plastic scraper, which can better protect the anilox roller.

5. Use a mesh microscope to detect the mesh. If wear and blockage are found, measures should be taken in time.