Quality Cleaning and Quality Printing go Hand in Hand

As the lines on the aniloxes are getting finer and finer, the need for quality cleaning is getting larger and larger; otherwise quality printing cannot be obtained.

Especially the new laser technologies present new challenges to the printers. The deeper cells can exasperate plugging issues. Plugged anilox rolls cause inadequate ink distribution, poor color densities, difficulties in getting the right color and waste of time, ink and substrate. Smaller cells mean a more delicate cell structure. Delicate cells are more easily susceptible to damages because of improper handling, doctor blade scoring and poor cleaning methods. Pads, abrasive cleaners and brushes are loosing their effectiveness in deep or small cells.

Anilox Roll Cleaning Systems Improving Print Quality

Because of the above mentioned issues the “Old Maxim” of how to clean anilox rolls does no longer work. Printers cannot wait with cleaning of their rolls until the aniloxes cannot perform anymore. The market is simply getting to competitive and uncleaned aniloxes cause inconsistent print quality, increased downtime, excessive waste and thereby loss of competiveness.

Delicate Aniloxe Cleaning Methods

Today everyone knows that the aniloxes need to be clean to get an optimal printing quality. Properly cleaned anilox rolls however also reduce set up time, reduce press downtime, minimize waste of ink and substrate, improve productivity and increase the roll life. Therefore it is a must to clean the rolls. Because of the finer lines it is also a must to find a safe, gentle and automatic cleaning method, that will cause no wear or tear on the delicate aniloxes.

The proactive approach to maintenance of the aniloxes and thereby also in the end to be more competitive is to:

• Clean the rolls after each job
• Keep a regular maintenance schedule on rolls
• Clean the rolls immediately after removal from the press and before storage
• Keep new rolls clean from day no 1. 

Flexo Wash uses a safe and gentle cleaning method that does not harm even the most delicate rolls. In fact the cleaning method offered by Flexo Wash means that you can both deep clean the rolls and wash them on a daily basis without harming even the finest rolls.  By using the Flexo Wash cleaning method quality cleaning and quality printing go hand In hand.