As Flexo settles into the 21st century after surging ahead on the back of laser development, it is becoming more apparent that simply ‘cleaning’ the anilox is no longer good enough
The process has reached a pivotal point with increased screen counts and laser engraved plates pushing flexo into a new era. However underneath the drive for improved print quality lies a fundamental issue – cleaning the anilox, safely, fully and consistently.
Flexo’s new paradigm is ‘Anilox Control’- ensuring the roll is used in such a way to deliver the very best results through stringent care, maintenance and management. But with cell walls now down to 2-3µ wide, the choice of how to achieve this is thinning. What is actually meant by ‘clean’? The word has such a wide scope. If the roll is not returned to 100% of its full available volume, then it’s not clean, pure and simple. ‘Cleaning’ is simply inadequate if we want to take full advantage of our high-screen aniloxes. Why invest in a set of 1200lpi anilox rolls if you don’t have the ability to get them 100% clean on a regular basis? By keeping the anilox 100% clean you can gain control of the process, the output and as such, the profit, a mantra that is simplistic but very true.
The process of flexo is found in the pre-press. If you control what goes into the press you inevitably control what comes out and by consistently rendering the roll 100% clean, 6 tangible, cost-saving benefits will be achieved:
Read more Download the PDF – The Benefits and Potential of Anilox Control
