Strictly speaking, no. But it can be significantly more cost-effective in the long run…particularly when it comes to Doctor Blades.
Whilst there are constant demands on companies to source their consumables at ever-lower prices, buying the cheapest doctor blades can have a significant and detrimental impact on your print quality.
Put simply, cheap doctor blades won’t last very long before wearing out; impurities in the steel could damage your anilox rollers; they’ll struggle to deal with abrasive inks and UV coatings…all of which will increase machine down-time, anilox repairs and overall job costs. In other words, buying the cheapest is a false economy.
So, by investing in better quality doctor blades, you will be saving money and reducing print costs in the long run. The best example of this is purchasing ‘gold’ doctor blades which have been proven to last up to five or even six times longer – as long as they are properly set up and correct operating procedures are observed, of course. Click here to find out more.
To come back to the opening question above, the reality is that ‘gold’ blades do cost more than conventional steel, but with a significantly longer operational lifespan (and all of the other benefits outlined above), the higher price is definitely worthwhile.
