Ultrasonic Anilox Roll Cleaning Systems

Among the many recent improvements in flexographic technology, few are more significant than the ceramic anilox roll. Ceramic anilox rolls don’t wear out, they carry more ink than a comparable cell count chrome anilox roll and, most importantly, permit the use of doctor blades. Gradually, the superior print quality of the ceramic anilox roll is lost as its cell volume is reduced by the buildup of a microscopic film. The lower effective cell volume results in reduced color density and loss of print quality. Other visible effects of the film are light streaks, wavy lines, low color spots and even the streaks that were previously attributed to gear chattering.

Ultrasonic cleaning is now recognized as being the most successful method of removing ink, coatings and adhesives from engraved rollers. However, it is extremely important to select an ultrasonic cleaning system which is specifically designed for ceramic rollers and a system which will clean without damaging the fine screen cell walls.

Ceramic anilox rolls cannot be properly cleaned with conventional mechanical methods. The ceramic cell cavities are far smaller than even the finest brush bristles. Although blast systems can clean coarse anilox rolls, only ultrasonic cleaners can thoroughly and safely clean the fine count anilox rolls being used today.

Conversource distributes Alphasonics, Sonic Solutions and Daetwyler ultrasonic cleaning systems. Click on the logo for complete information on each product line.