The correct care of your anilox rollers will support your business profits

The cell formation, on an anilox roller, will impact the way the ink is delivered on to the plate and print quality provided. Obviously a new anilox roller will deliver the right consistency of ink and provide excellent print quality. However, during the print production, cells within the anilox roller becomes clogged with ink and the roller will gain a build-up of ink residue.

Contaminated cells will have a direct impact on the ink deposited onto the printing plate.

It is for this reason that correct anilox care is essential. Ink build up in the cells will result in the deterioration of your print, leading to increased print issues and rejects. Costing your business time and money.

Understanding your print issues and challenges to continue to support your needs

Working closely with customers to ensure consistency of anilox condition has been a major part of Print Tech Solution’s business over the last 19 years. Acting as an extension to your team, we will support and guide you, in implementing the correct maintenance procedures and what cleaning solutions to use.

We will ensure your investment in anilox rollers is cared for correctly. Alongside the maintenance and cleaning solutions, we will support you with operator training and regular onsite audits.

Building your operators’ knowledge and capabilities around the care of the anilox roll is an intrinsic part of our support service to you.

Alongside a good maintenance programme is training. Building the competence of your operators, regarding anilox rollers, will significantly improve the consistency of print. That will reduce print rejects and increase productivity. A situation every printer strives to achieve.

The peril of not having the correct maintenance for your anilox rollers will cost your business time and money.

Issues, when anilox rollers aren’t cleaned and cells become contaminated with ink residue:

    • Incorrect amount of ink will be deposited onto the printing plate.
    • Print will become inconsistent.
    • Density of the printed colour will reduce.
    • Print operators will boost colour strength of the ink to compensate.
    • Operator actions will compound the problem as high viscosity inks tend to dry significantly faster.
    • Increase costs as ink colour pigment is an expensive part of ink formulation.

The overall costs involved in compensating for a dirty anilox roller is a significant amount, which can be avoided.

This problem will usually affect printers using water-based inks, as they are formulated to withstand tough environments and will dry readily both on the surface and within the cells of the anilox roller, causing contamination and reduced cell volume.

Anilox roller care should be part of your print maintenance process.

Your anilox care schedule should include:

    • Daily or ‘between-print run’ inspections and wash down of anilox rollers
    • Monthly deep clean and inspection
    • Monitoring anilox rollers, utilising a CellScope, to check for any damage and excessive blockage of the cells.
    • Regular detailed anilox roller audits, with report findings documented and actions progressed.

Print Tech Solutions provide regular audits, which not only includes the inspection of your anilox rollers, but also the surrounding systems and core elements, including the doctor blades, ink chambers and pipes and end seals.

Working with our customers we strive to ensure consistent high-print quality is achieved.

Our experience shows that a lack of knowledge and insufficient training can lead to sub-standard maintenance being implemented. This will impact your print quality. Too often we have seen, a lack of regular maintenance and unsuitable cleaning solutions used, which leads to damage to the cells of the anilox rollers, as well as the ink chambers, rubber rollers, pumps and pipes.

Benefits of regular and correct cleaning of your anilox rollers, will result in:

    • Consistent print quality
    • Correct transfer of ink to plate
    • Reduced print rejects
    • Reduced wastage
    • Reduced production downtime
    • Efficient and higher productivity
    • Pro-longed anilox roller life

We know that schedule downtime of print production is something that needs to be kept to a minimum, but not cleaning and maintaining the anilox rollers correctly and inspecting their condition regularly will cause more production downtime and print rejects, resulting in waste and reduced productivity.

Are aim is to ensure your anilox rollers provide you with the best print possible.

If you would like help with your care and maintenance programme or support for your print operators, then contact us now to book your site press assessment.

For further information contact the Print Tech Solutions team on T: 0161 366 6286 or E: sales@print-techsolutions.co.uk