Introduction to

Flexographic Printing
Guillermo Rodriguez

[email protected]

Created using materials from different sources

5 main printing processes dominate the industry:
1. Offset lithography - Often abbreviated to litho in the UK & offset in mainland Europe
2. Rotogravure printing - Often abbreviated to gravure
3. Screen printing
4. Flexographic printing
5. Digital printing

Flexography is the most commonly used printing method for packaging followed by offset and
gravure. Flexography is used by the packaging industry mostly in corrugated board, flexible plastics
and labels.

The choice of process to manufacture a product is often a compromise between speed and cost. In
today's flexible marketplace, a product may often be produced by more than one process and the
complete set of marketing material produced by all of the processes.

A typical example would be for the first run of the product to be a digital print. Provided
everything was acceptable, the next production could be switched to gravure, flexo or litho.
Offset lithographic printing
Offset lithography is currently the most popular
of all the printing processes across all mediums.
The term offset is used because the ink transfer
mechanism relies on the ink being “offset” from
the image carrier onto a blanket before being
transferred to the paper.

The process is best suited to short/medium and

medium/long run lengths as it cannot match the
speed and the high volume of gravure. However,
the creation of litho plates is substantially easier than gravure cylinders. It is argued that it still can
achieve better quality than flexography.

Lithography was ideally suited for illustration and enjoyed a phenomenal popularity during the 19th
Century, especially for colour printing, which required a separate stone to print each colour.
Eventually, it was found that the image on the stone could be transferred, using a special starch-coated
transfer paper, from the stone to a metal plate that was used for the actual printing.

The first offset printing press was invented in 1903 by Ira Washington Rubel . It was operated in Rubel's
New York plant for a year before it was sold to the Union Lithographic Company of San Francisco for
$5,000. Finally, it was put to work in 1907. The Rubel offset press marked the beginning of a new
generation of lithographic printing presses that, in time, became the dominant printing presses.

Lithography works on the principle that oil and water don't mix together. The image area is grease-
receptive and attracts the ink while the non-printing areas are water receptive.

On the press, the plate is mounted onto the plate cylinder, the dampening rollers wets the non-
printing areas and prevents the ink from sticking to these areas while the image areas accept the wet
ink which is then transferred to the blanket cylinder. The paper picks up the image as it passes
between the blanket cylinder and the impression cylinder.
Sheet-fed offset printing has been used traditionally in folding cartons, web offset is used in label
printing and to some extent in flexible plastics printing and dry offset is the most common printing
method in metal packaging (aluminium cans, aerosol cans etc.) and in some rigid packaging
applications (plastic pots, plastic tubes etc.).

Ink: The ink roller train produces an even film thickness by the time it reaches the plate and consists
of alternatively hard and soft (rubber) covered rollers which operate in a rolling action.

The ink rollers that contact the plate cylinder are known as form rollers. Generally, increasing the
number of rollers increases the level of ink film thickness control at the expense of the increased press
complexity. More rollers can be a problem when the ink needs to be changing during a press clean up.

The quantity of ink supplied to the plate must be accurately controlled in order to produ ce the
required ink thickness. This is achieved using a series of ink keys, which lie in the ink duct. Also, the
dampening solution chemistry - controlling both the surface tension and pH - must be controlled
accurately. The damping solution also has the beneficial effect of cleaning any debris from the paper
(linting and picking) and can help maintain the temperature stability of the press, particularly during
long runs.

Plates: The images are either photographically transferred to thin plates or are transferred to the plate
directly from the computer to plate (CTP) using a laser. The plate may be negative (in reverse) or
positive, with each type having advantages for certain types of image, substrate and run length.

Blanket: The blanket (either compressible or non-compressible) is clamped into the blanket cylinder
under tension and transfers the image from the plate to the substrate.
Gravure printing
Of all the printing processes, gravure printing is the most suited to high volume quality printing. This
is based on the durability of the image carrier and the high press speeds which are possible.

Gravure is widely used in packaging: particularly flexible plastics, wrappers, folding cartons and label
printing. The print quality of gravure is excellent and it has recently seen improvement due to better
laser-engraving technology. Publication gravure is used for printing high volume and high quality
publications such as National Geographic, Sunday magazines, and other quality supplements.

Gravure's chief advantage over its main rivals is its higher speed (up to 900m/min), lower press costs
and press set up simplicity. Its main disadvantage is the costs associated with the manufacture of
relatively expensive cylinders.

Ink passes to the substrate from ink in a tray, in which the gravure image carrier cylinder rotates. This
rotation fills small cells in the gravure cylinder surface with ink. A doctor blade then meters the excess
ink from the gravure cylinder. The cells in the cylinder are then brought into contact with the substrate
at an impression nip contact. At this contact, the ink is transferred from the cylinder cells to the
substrate. The ink is then dried before passing to the next colour using inter-station driers.
The print cylinder is normally constructed on a dynamically balanced steel sleeve that is electroplated
with copper. Any vibrations can result in print problems, increased cylinder and doctor blade wear,
and in extreme cases can cause damage to the press.

The image is built from a series of small cells that are cut into the copper, the number and engraved
depth of the cells depends upon the digital data. Each engraving head contains a main engraving
diamond and also a system for removing any surface burrs, which may be formed as result from the
engraving process.

In order to carry out the engraving, the cylinder is mounted in a

specialised engraving machine where a number of stylus heads
are used to help speed up production. The angle, size and depth
of impact of the diamond stylus dictate the size and shape of the
engraving, with the diamond being chosen according to the
printing application.

The cell shapes are engraved on the cylinders for each of the process colours with a different
orientation in order to remove the possibility of more interference. The black is engraved at a finer
resolution as it contains most of the detail in a picture. As the shape of each engraving is different,
each process colour requires a new test cut to be made.

Changing the relative speed between the engraving diamond and the rotational speed of the cylinder
alters the shapes of the cells. This is carried out in practice by altering the speed of the cylinder.

As the copper surface of the cylinder is relatively soft, before printing the engraved surface is chrome
plated. This produces a harder surface that only wears slowly under the action of the doctor blade.
The chrome plating is applied electrochemically, which ensures that the coating is even over the
surface of the cylinder. To improve the surface finish of the cylinder, the final stage of the cylinder
manufacturing involves polishing the surface.

The cost of the various pieces of equipment required to manufacture a gravure cylinder mean that
most gravure cylinder production is carried out by dedicated companies who produce cylinders for
a large number of printers. This “out sourcing” can become a problem if production schedules are
tight.
The doctor blade is critical to the print quality. It has two functions to perform. First, it must meter
the ink in the cells and secondly remove any surplus ink from the non-image areas to prevent print
defects such as scumming.

The angle of the doctor blade is also important in maintaining the correct ink transfer characteristics
at the blade tip. The angle between the doctor blade and the gravure cylinder varies between cylinders
and is often 60°.

The distance between the doctor blade position and impression cylinder nip is important as it dictates
the degree to which the ink in the gravure cylinder dries before it is printed on the substrate. For a
given speed, the greater the distance between blade and nip, the greater the time the ink on the top
of the cell has to dry. Partially dried ink will have different release properties from the cell and may
change the ink transfer.

One problem - which occurs as a result of the constant high-speed pressure between the doctor blade
and the cylinder - is doctor blade wear. This alters the tip profile and can affect the ink transfer and
product quality. As a result of this wear, the doctor blade must sometimes be replaced.

Many modern presses incorporate automatic viscosity control units, which maintain the viscosity of
the ink by addition of exact quantities of solvent to the ink, reducing its viscosity. Alternatively, the
press minder maintains viscosity by manually measuring the viscosity and adding solvent.

Of all the printing processes, gravure requires ink with the lowest viscosity and as such, the
percentage of solvent used in the ink can be as high as 90%.

The inks are generally Newtonian in nature and either use water as a thinner or, more normally,
organic solvents. As the process is high speed, the solvents used are usually very volatile. This reduces
the amount of time required to dry the ink between printing units.

As the ink is volatile, the ink in the ink trough may lose solvent during a run through evaporation and
cause a colour change in the ink. In order to maintain the printed colour, the viscosity of the ink must
be kept constant during the production run.
Screen printing
The modern screen-printing process originated with Samuel Simon in 1907 in England. Screen-printing
has a unique place as it encompasses everything from one person operations, which print single prints
and short runs, to large industrial companies operating under clean room conditions printing millions
of units.

This wide range of operation is a result of process flexibility, which is largely due to the simplicity of
the process and the ability to print a wide range of different ink film thicknesses.
Printing covers everything from point of sale (POS), promotional advertising and packaging to product
decoration. Industrial applications include sensor printing, electronic circuit printing and backlit
displays. Curtains, fabric covers, T-shirts and other garments are typical products decorated by screen-
printing within the textile industry. Also, much flat artwork is screen printed.

Screen-printing is a widely used process for the production of print where a thick ink film is required
or where the substrate cannot be printed by any other process. There are three types of screen
printing presses. The flat-bed, cylinder and rotary.

The screen is the element that carries the image to be printed.

The mesh is generally constructed from woven polyester and has a warp direction (the straight
threads) and a weft direction (the threads that go up and down between the warp threads).

The mesh ruling is expressed as the number of threads per unit distance (usually expressed in threads
per cm). The thickness of the mesh is one of the controlling factors that dictates the maximum ink
thickness that can be printed; thicker meshes allowing thicker ink films.

During long runs there is a tendency for the mesh to lose tension. This can lead to mis-registration
and cause poor substrate release. Usually, the age of the screen is limited by this tension loss.

The role of the squeegee is to displace the screen to the substrate surface and to generate the
necessary pressure to transfer the ink through the screen.

Squeegees are generally made from a flexible polyurethane compound that can vary in hardness and
have different squeegee profiles that change the characteristics of the final print.

Since the screen-printing process can print on almost any type of substrate, the process is very flexible
and can generally be characterised as liquid inks having the consistency of honey.

There are two main ink types – conventional air dried and UV cured.

The quality of UV inks is far greater than air dried inks, because air dried inks start “drying in”. This
occurs because the mesh openings become increasingly blocked with ink, preventing the passage of
the ink. UV inks remain wet until zapped by the UV light, giving a consistent amount of ink, print after
print.
Of the three generic types, flat bed dominates with about 90% of all presses. The versatility of the flat
bed press comes from the fact that it can print almost any thickness of substrate with relatively simple
presses.

A cylinder press is used for printing on round or oval objects.

Rotary Presses area a relatively recent advancement with much of the research and development
coming from the Netherlands. The fundamental difference between a rotary press and the other types
is the frame design and the screen material.
Flexographic printing
The flexographic printing process operates by transferring ink from a (soft) plate to the substrate, the
raised areas on the printing plate forms from the image.

The ink is supplied to the plate by an anilox roller, which holds the ink in a number of tiny cells in its
surface. To control the quantity of ink a doctor blade meters the ink by running over the surface of
the anilox.

Printing plates are made from photopolymer, the choice being dependent on the application and cost.
This is usually supplied in flat sheets of un-reacted polymer. The quality of the print achieved on the
various substrates is dependent on a number of factors, choice of the plate type and plate imaging
are key to achieving correct print results.

Typically the relief may be up to 0.8mm in height while the total thickness of the plate is usually around
1.5mm, refer to image below. Photopolymer plates are UV photosensitive and when exposed to an
ultraviolet light through a high contrast negative, the UV cross links the polymers and hardens the
image. The unexposed portion of the negative is washed off in plain water, dried and post exposed.
The plate is ready for the press in less than thirty minutes.
CTP (Computer To Plate) applications rather than CTF (Computer To Film) are now more popular as
this removes the process of making a negative and any possible errors that can arise in transferring
the image from the film to the plate:

1. Expose the plate on its reverse side in order to form the back of the plate
2. Reverse the plate with negative film then expose the plate. This generates the dot/line image
as the exposed areas become polymerised
3. The plate is washed out to remove the un-hardened photopolymer
4. The plate is dried
5. Final finishing is achieved by a de-tack exposure

Once allowed to dry the plate is then ready to mount onto a plate cylinder, this is normally done using
a double sided adhesive mounting tape. The thickness and hardness of the tape must be suitable for
the images being printed. Harder tapes are used for solid areas of colours while softer tapes are used
for halftone images.

Registration marks ensure accurate mounting of all printing plates onto the plate cylinders for perfect
dot on dot registration. The plate cylinder is then mounted in the press. As both the plate and
mounting tape are deformable (squashable), excess pressure should not be applied to avoid excess
ink being transferred to the halftone dot on the plate.

The purpose of the anilox and doctor blade is to meter an even amount of ink to the flexographic
plate. The ink is held in the millions of anilox cells while the doctor blade runs over the surface of the
anilox removing any excess ink.
The anilox is normally manufactured from a ceramic compound whose hardness ensures long life and
is not prone to abrasion from the doctor blade. The anilox roll is manufactured to release a certain
ink weight from the laser engraved cells, so the size of the cells and resolution are important to the
colour on the final printed image.

There are two main types of ink supply and doctoring system used in flexography:

1. The open system in which the anilox rotates

in an open bath of ink and the doctor blade
meters the ink just prior to the ink being
transferred to the plate cylinder.

2. The chamber system encloses the ink using two blades within a chamber. The retaining blade at
the bottom acts as a seal while the doctor blade at the top performs the ink metering. The ink is
pumped through the system to maintain a constant supply of ink onto the anilox surface.

The advantage of the closed doctoring system is that there can be less ink required to "charge" the
system and there is significantly reduced VOC's. The prime disadvantage is the complexity of the
cleaning required between ink colour changes.
The ink used in flexography is generally of low viscosity and must be kept consistent during a print
run in order to maintain print quality.

The main source of variation of the ink is an increase in the viscosity as the solvent or water
evaporates from the ink. With this in mind, many modern presses incorporate automatic viscosity
control units, which maintain the viscosity of the ink by the addition of exact quantities of solvent to
ink, reducing the viscosity. Alternatively the press minder maintains viscosity by manually measuring
its viscosity and then adding more solvent.

Both water based and solvent-based inks are used in flexography. Solvent-based inks are easier to dry
and generally possess better transfer characteristics on low surface energy substrates such as
packaging films.

In recent times UV cured links have the advantage of reducing VOC’s (Volatile organic compounds:
that easily become vapours or gases), allowing immediate curing of the ink and maintain a constant
viscosity through the production run, as no solvent is lost.
Digital printing

The basic process shown above is laser printing, which is one of the most popular commercial
methods for producing full colour prints.

Digital printing really refers to any printing process where the image is created by computers. This
maybe anything from an inkjet printer, which applies little dots of liquid ink in a controlled pattern
through a print head consisting of small holes using either electro static repulsion or vascular action.
Or a direct to plate printer that creates temporary plates for each that is run over the press.

This diagram illustrates an indirect process where the image is transferred indirectly using an
intermediate carrier (the transfer belt in this case)

Speed is the dominant factor which limits the digital print when compared to traditional printing and
its relative costs. However improvements in press speed are continually being seen.

As the digital press needs no film, no plates and has zero start up time, i t's become a serious
contender when down time is over-long, or stoppages for colour correction occur on a conventional
flexo press.
This diagram illustrates a direct process without the use of an intermediate transfer system.

Electrophotography is the generic term given to the application of an image to the substrate through
the use of an electric charge. A charge is applied to a photoconductive drum. This provides an even
charge across the width of the image carrier. The image is then created using a laser or LED. For this
reason they are often referred to as laser printers. The charge is removed in the areas that the laser
exposes.

Toner is then transferred to the charged area of the drum. These toners can be either liquid or powder
and are specially formulated for both size and charge. The image is then transferred to the substrate
by electrostatic charge and pressure. The toner is 'fixed' to the substrate using heat or pressure while
the photoconductive drum is cleaned by removing any toner remaining and charge. This allows the
image to be created on a 'clean' photoconductive drum.

One drum laser printing diagram.

The most common form of electrophotography is laser printing. The technology required for laser
printers grew from that developed from photocopying machines with the primary difference between
them being the way in which the image is created on the drum. In laser printing the image is
transferred by a scanning laser, while photocopiers focus a reflection of the scanned image.

Although the laser printer and office photocopier are currently the most obvious examples of electro-
photography, this method of printing is increasingly becoming important in the production of short
run personalised full colour documents by a process known as digital offset. In this process the four
colours are transferred from individual drums via offset rollers to the substrate using either a four or
one drum configuration.

The one drum configuration (shown on this slide) being similar to the way a CI (Central Impre ssion)
press is manufactured, having coloured drums around a central impression cylinder to maintain
accurate registration
Magnetography is similar in principle to electrophotography with the image being created
magnetically. A schematic of the system is shown on the slide.

The imaging cylinder is made to be variably magnetised. The magnetic image is transferred to the
cylinder, via a head. The toner is then transferred to the drum. The image is transferred to the
substrate at a high pressure nip contact. The image is 'fixed' to the substrate using heat. The cylinder
is cleaned mechanically to remove any remaining toner and magnetically to provide a 'clean' drum for
the next print. Magnetography is most commonly used in the printing of personalised direct mailing,
bar codes, lottery scratch cards and bank statements.

Continuous ink jet systems operate by electrically

deflecting a droplet from a stream of droplets when a
dot is required to be printed. Ink is supplied to the
chamber with a nozzle at one end and a piezo electric
crystal at the other.

Applying a suitable voltage continuously excites the

piezo electric crystal. The voltage causes the crystal to
extend and contract in such a way that when the crystal
is extended the volume of the chamber is reduced by
the volume required to produce one droplet.

A droplet is thus forced out through the nozzle at one

end of the chamber. The continuous stream of droplets
passes through a set of electronically signalled
discharge electrodes that may deflect the droplet to
one side where it is directed onto the substrate.
Droplets, which are not directed towards the substrate,
pass through a gutter back to the reservoir via pump.
Continuous ink jet printers are most commonly used in applications where the quality of the final
image is not crucial such as a product numbering or automatic mailing.

The quality of the print is generally lower than drop on demand as the flight path of the droplet can
be affected by a number of parameters, such as small turbulent disturbances in the air.

The drop on demand piezo electric ink jet

differs from continuous ink jet by virtue that the
production of the droplets is controlled
digitally. When a dot is required on the
substrate the piezo electric crystal is excited
and the droplet forms directly above the
substrate.

The quality is generally higher than that

produced by continuous ink jet as the flight
distance and complexity of the droplet is
reduced. The system produces droplets that are
approximately 30 microns in diameter at a
frequency between 10 and 20kHz.

Bubble jets differ from drop on demand

printers simply by the method by which the
droplet is produced. Instead of physically
reducing the volume of the chamber by piezo
effects, the droplet is forced through the nozzle
by the expansion of gas within the chamber.
This gas is produced, by locally boiling the ink
using a high speed digitally controlled micro
heater.

The technology on the inkjet head results in

droplets being formed of approximately 35
microns, at a frequency between 5 and 8 kHz.
Because of this, the thermal printers are not
able to print at the same speed as the piezo
electric drop on demand.
 Identifying the printing process
Mai n poi nts

Flexo has suffered over the years from printers adding to much
pressure causing the thick outer lines called Halo. These days
we advocate a kiss impression.

A kiss impression is NOT like when you grab your partner for a
passionate smooth after returning from a hard days work; but
rather the kiss you reserve for your granny when she pops
around for a cup of tea at the weekend. A gentle kiss.

Look for:

o A 'halo' effect
o 'Squash' effect
o Colour bleed possible with ethanol, but not UV links
Gravure - because gravure is engraved at specific angle to the
axis of the roll it cannot produce a true straight line. You can see
this under a magnifying glass as a series of saw-tooth edges
somewhat similar to the jaggedness you can sometimes see
with a bitmap image.

Look for:

o Saw-tooth edges (cell patterns distinctive at the edge of

the image area)
o Streaking (due to poor doctor blade)
o Dot skip (due to poor ink transfer)

Litho - Is the best of all prints and has a uniform flat colour with
clean edges.

Look for:

o Uniform ink film.

o Scumming dots visible under magnification.
o A soft edge to print dots.
Setting a Web fed Press
Modern flexography uses highly sophisticated and expensive machinery. Machine down-time is costly,
so it's important to keep it to a minimum - and one key element is to reduce machine setting time. An
essential element of this is careful planning.

Obviously setting the machine between jobs is something that can't be avoided, but there are things
you can do to make it as smooth an operation as possible. First, plan the jobs carefully to reduce the
number of anilox and colour changes. Have the materials ready at the machine before the previous
job has finished so you don’t waste time locating the materials you need.

Do as many if the setting up processes in parallel as possible - that means for example, changing the
substrate at the same time as cleaning the rolls: and dealing with different print units simultaneously.
Bringing in extra manpower - setup teams - can help you achieve this.

Doing the job right - as well as fast - also reduces downtime. So check your works order to make sure
you have the correct materials for the job, and make sure that your wash down is thorough to save
wasting time later on.

Always follow you machinery supplier's recommendations for operations, sequence and settings.
And follow your supplier's and employer's safety recommendations at all times. The setting process
varies depending on your machine type. Although there are similarities, web fed and corrugated
machines differ in their detail.

Setting a machine could be compared to a medical procedure. It shou ld be a smooth,

precise operation carried out to a high standard, involving excellent teamwork.

Here's a flow chart of the process that takes you through the process one step at a time.
Be prepared
While the previous job is still running, get all the materials ready for the next job. Including pallet
labels. Don't wait until the previous job has finished, or you'll be wasting valuable machine time. Here
are the main items you'll need to hand.

o inks/blade housing
o ink pumps/ink tanks / ink pipes
o plates cylinder or sleeves
o anilox rolls
o substrate/rewind cores
o ocumentation/previous run records
o proofs/colour swatches/pass samples

Also you need to prepare the ink. Set the ink viscosities in the buckets to a few seconds above those
required. Because the shearing action of the pump and the higher temperature cause the ink viscosity
to reduce you will need to set the viscosity higher than specified.

Change Substrate
To save down time, the material for the next job can be spliced onto the end of the previous order
and run through to the rewind before the press stops.

First splice in the substrate for the new job and run it through the machine. It may be possible to splice
in a reel of make-ready material of the same thickness so you don't waste good material in the set up
process.

Then change the web alignment and tension systems to reflect any changes in web width or substrate,
if necessary change the web path.

Washing Down / Clean Up

Washing down, removing ink from the units is important. Any colour left in the pipes and tanks from
the previous job will mix with the new colour, contaminating it.
If you're changing from a lighter colour to a darker colour then you can do a quick clean. Going from
a darker colour to a lighter one requires a more thorough clean.

Planning the sequence of jobs and the colours to be used in each unit is important if you want to cut
down time.

For UV machines, because the inks are thick, a thorough wash down is always required - usually by
replacing components like blade housings and ink trays so the old ones can be cleaned off-line. First,
drain the ink from those units whose colour needs changing. You'll need to refer to the machinery
manufacturer for cleaning procedures, but the general cleaning process is described in the following
paragraphs.

If you have an auto-wash system, then just start it up and the whole system will be cleaned. If you
don't have auto wash, you'll need to clean anilox rolls by hand, and replace trays, inks tanks, pipes
and blade housings from the machine with clean ones.

Have the clean ones standing by - don't wait for the one you have removed to be cleaned, or again
you'll be wasting time. Then put clean trays, blade housings, ink tanks and pumps and pipes in each
unit.

Change Cylinders
First, change the plate cylinders or sleeves ensuring you have the correct ones in each unit. Make sure
the dirty ones are cleaned and stored correctly. Then change the anilox rolls if different screen counts
and volumes are needed for the new job, again, making sure the dirty ones are cleaned and stored
correctly.

Wind the units in to mesh and pre-register - this can be a manual or automatic process. Finally, ensure
the pressure settings are correct - they may be automatically recalled, but be sure they are the right
ones!
Ink Up
Once the cylinders and substrate have been changed, you're ready to ink up. Begin by putting the
correct ink in each unit. Set the blades for each unit, making sure that all the blades are in contact with
the anilox rolls. You saw how to do this in the Metering Module of this course.

Start the anilox and start pumping ink for each unit in turn. Adjust the pump speed until the stream
of ink being returned to the tank is about the thickness of a pencil.

Then check the blade pressures and cleanliness of the wipe for each unit. And finally, check and adjust
viscosity. You may have to set the ink ready beside the machine some while before, and the viscosity
may have changed, if - for example - the temperature has changed.

Run and Adjust

Always start with safety. Check all guards are in place, there are no loose parts or tools left in the
machine and nobody is working where they could be injured when the machine starts. When you're
satisfied that it's safe to do so, start machine at slow speed. Modern presses can run at over 600
metres per minute so you run slowly during set up to avoid wasting materials.

Pressure should be as low as possible as if pressure is too high halos can develop. Also if the pressure
is too high the leading edge of the plate thumps into the anilox roll and can wear very quickly.
 1. First, achieve contact between anilox, print cylinder and substrate. Auto-mesh machines will
do this automatically, but otherwise, you'll need to: advance the anilox to the print cylinder
until the plate is covered with ink and then advance the print cylinder to substrate until all of
the image is printing.

2. Reduce anilox pressure until the image (line pointing to image) disappears from the substrate.

3. Advance the anilox, making sure the image reappears across the web at the same time. This
means that the anilox is parallel to the print cylinder and ensures pressure is the minimum
necessary to get the whole image printing.

4. Then do the same as with the print cylinder to substrate - backing off and advancing until the
image prints with a minimum pressure.

While the pressures are being adjusted another member of the crew can check and adjust the register
for each unit. You've made your pressure and register adjustments, and now you need to check that
they've worked.

Stop the machine to take a sample and inspect it carefully to ensure that it matches the proof and
specification: Use a densitometer to measure densities and dot gains. You should match them to those
achieved in your press fingerprint test. And check special colours using the procedure given in the Inks
module. Then, if your sample inspection shows that it's needed, adjust pressures, registers or inks.

As you saw in the Inks Module, maintaining the correct viscosity is important for consistent quality.
Viscosity can vary during the course of a job, so you need to monitor it regularly

Record
At the end of every job there is one important step that's easy to overlook, record keeping. Job records
help you set up quickly on re-runs and act as a permanent record if there are any problems with the
job. You'll need to record what was produced and how.

On new jobs record: ink viscosities (and any other adjustments made to the inks), pressure settings,
print sequence, the anilox roll specification used in each unit and run speed. Also record how many
metres were printed, remembering to deduct any areas of waste. Waste will need to be identified in
the reel, you'll need to print extra to compensate. A percentage over-run will probably have been built
into the job specification.

Record production times for monitoring down time, and record any problems that have ari sen during
the job. Finally don't forget to save and label a sample from the end of every reel.
 Types of Flexo Press
Mai n poi nts

Sleeve technology has greatly improved performance of modern flexographic presses. The sleeves are
light weight and can be used for both the anilox and plate cylinders. The print jobs are prepared off
the press with the plates being mounted and correct anilox for the image collected.

The make ready time is then greatly reduced and the components can all be loaded by hand in many
cases. A flexographic printing press usually comprises from 2 to 8 stations where each station is
designed about the principles described in the preceding section.

These can be laid out in up to three configurations:

1. Central Impression (CI)

2. In-line
3. Stack Press

The reason for the designation is self-explanatory, however there are advantages & disadvantages
associated with each type of press.

Central Impression Cylinder

As the name suggests the central impression (CI) cylinder press has a large central impression cylinder
around which each print station is located as a satellite. The web passes around the central impression
cylinder with each colour being printed in turn. Inter-station driers are used to cure the ink between
print stations to ensure wet on dry printing.
A distinct advantage of this type of press is that registration is excellent, as the web is held over the CI
drum between print stations. There is then less chance of the substrate being extended between the
print stations.

The press speed of central impression presses can generall y be increased beyond that of the other
press types. The main disadvantage of this type of press is that it is not generally possible to print on
both sides of the substrate without a second CI station.

In-Line Press

The in-line press is a combination of individual units with a small distance between the print heads. It
is popular in the narrow web industry for labels. Each colour is printed on the web fed substrate.
Sheet feed machines are available.

Each colour has an individual impression cylinder against which the plate is pressed. An advantage of
the in-line press is that it can be incorporated with other printing technologies (such as rotary screen
or gravure) and additional colours/processes can be added by simply adding another station.

Additional in-line processes that can be added include die cutting and foiling. Drying of UV links can
be carried out between each print station, ensuring a small footprint for the press. The major
disadvantage of the in-line press is the cylinder size is limited which limits the image size and repeat
length.

Stack Press
The stack press passes the web substrate through a series of print stations which may be located a
significant distance apart if required with each print station containing it's own impression cylinder.
The web may be reversed allowing the web to be printing on both sides in one pass through the press.

The web may be routed to allow sufficient time for ink drying and the stations are sufficiently well
spaced to allow large repeats and images on are diameter plate cylinders. The disadvantage of the
press is that it cannot maintain such close registration on extendable films due to the web run length
between the first and last printed colour.

The majority of material printed flexography has some form of post processing in order to produce
the final finished goods. This 'converting' is not generally completed in line with the press as each
application has its own requirements.

Corrugated Press

1. The Post-Print Corrugated Press. This is a sheet fed press machine that prints onto the
substrate after it has been formed into boards. The corrugated sheet flows through the
press in one straight line, between the printing decks and the sheet is held in place by
rollers.

The corrugated industry is still dominated by older presses that need an engineer to change the
anilox rolls. Newer presses are robust and give excellent register to fine tone -work. The main
advantage of the corrugated press is the die cutting and converting that can be accompl ished in line
after the printing section.

2. Pre-Print Corrugated Press. This corrugated press prints the top sheet only so that much
more detail can be achieved in the graphic and half-tone work. To do this a CI press is used
to print the image and then the finished printed roll is placed in the corrugator and formed
into single boards and then converted into boxes.
Tape Features
The primary function of mounting tape is to stick the plates to the print cylinders and hold
them firmly during the printing process.

As well as holding the printing plate firmly

in place the tape can also provide a
cushioning effect against the pressures the
plate is subjected to during use.

Your choice of tape will be influenced by the

type of image to be printed, print speed
and adhesive characteristics required.
There are various features you need to be
aware of, thickness, adhesion and tack,
density and foam type. For the best tape
for your operation consult your tape
supplier.

Mounting tape is a double-sided adhesive tape usually 200mm to 700mm wide supplied on
a roll. Some tapes are solid vinyl but most are cushion (foam) tapes. The tape is applied to the
print cylinder first and then the plate is positioned on the tape. The tape is generally wrapped
around the entire circumference of the cylinder.

Print cylinders were made to accommodate a certain plate and tape thickness known as
undercut. It is important the correct thickness is used for your printing press specification.
One side of the mounting tape adheres to the sleeve and the other to the back of the plate -
polyester material.

The two sides of the tape have different adhesive properties. You need to make sure you
stick the tape the right way around. As tape comes off the roll the exposed side (openside)
should be stuck to the sleeve.

There are different levels of plate side adhesion, make sure you have the correct one for your
process. Tack describes the initial adhesion when coming in contact with the plate backing,
this may have an impact on the ability to move the plate around for positioning/registering in
the correct place.

High tack makes this more difficult as it grabs the sleeve quickly, a lower tack enables easier
repositioning. The adhesive forms the required bond between the sleeve, tape and plate - this
is variable dependent on the tape chosen. The adhesive forms a bond able to hold the plate
in position throughout the print run.

Density

The cushioning effect of tapes is important. It means that under pressure the tape compresses
rather than the plate and this reduces dot gain and excessive plate wear.

See the Fingerprinting Module of this course. Cushioning also helps to mask any unevenness
in the cylinder/sleeve due to damage - cut marks etc.

Tapes range from firm (recommended for solid images) to soft (for fine tone images). For
mixed/combination images there are tapes of medium density.

You may need to compromise slightly on either the solid or tone print performance or
alternatively split the tone images and solid images onto separate plates.

Foam Type

The cell structure in foam tapes can be open or closed. They have different recovery rates
(ability to compress then bounce back at different press speeds). High print speed requires a
fast recovery rate.
Ink types
Solvent-Based Inks
This is the most common type of ink used by Flexible Packaging producers. Solvent based inks dry
through evaporation with hot/warm air being used to assist drying times. This increase in
temperature can also help improve ink adhesion to the substrates.

The speed at which solvent based inks dry allow very fast press speeds to be achieved. The fast
evaporation characteristics are a result of the volatile solvents used in the composition of the inks.
Solvents that evaporate from the inks during the print process need to be replaced so as to maintain
the correct compositional balance in the ink recipes.

NOTE: The highly flammable nature of Solvent based inks means that they can fall foul of solvent
emission legislation, as well as creating a safety and general fire hazard for employees.

Water-Based Inks
Water based inks are most commonly used on paper and corrugated board applications.

The higher surface tension associated with WB systems enables the ink to sit on top of the paper fibres
thus avoiding potential penetration and strike through issues.

Water based inks dry through a combination of absorption and evaporation, again assisted by hot air
dryers, but do need higher energy levels due to the low volatility of water in comparison to solvents

UV Energy Curable Inks

The ink is 100% solid and thus contains no volatile
ingredients (no VOC's - Volatile Organic Compounds).

The ink deposited on the substrate undergoes a curing

process as opposed to a drying process. The curing
process is activated but UV lamps acting on photo-
initiators within the ink and a chemical bonding takes
place.

The ink has a high cost but much lower volumes are
used to achieve the required colour. There is also a
problem with recycling materials printed with this ink as
it is difficult to break down.
% Breakdown of Inks:

WHAT'S AN INK?
An Ink provides the colouring matter to enable the design of the package to come alive. It also has to
comply with the end use specification for the packaged product.

These three basic ingredients when combined in the correct proportions can yield a simple basic
printing ink. However, the complexity of packaging structures and end use specifications means that
further modifications are usually required.

These modifications may take the form of plasticisers to improve flexibility, waxes to increase surface
slip and abrasion resistance and adhesion promoters used to improve the basic ink adhesion to
particular filmic substrates.

Flexographic Inks contain three main basic ingredients:

1. Colourants - Pigment (or Dyes)

a. Provides the colour characteristics to the ink.
2. Resins
a. Coats the pigment particles and binds them to the substrate.
3. Solvents/Liquid Carriers
a. Dissolves the resin that binds the pigment particles to the substrate.

The first requirement for ink is that it must print having a consistent quality with high colour strength
and a good gloss. Having printed it must adhere to the substrate. It must dry adequately especially
when overprinting further colours. When lamination is being used it must withstand being laminates.
Inks for food packaging must have good solvent release.
Why Viscosity Matters
The viscosity of an ink is a measurement of resistance to flow. In layman's terms it indicates how thick
the liquid is. A thick ink has a higher viscosity than thin ink. Changing the viscosity of an ink affects the
colour strength, so it's important for the printer to set and maintain it.

Viscosity is usually measured by dipping a viscosity flow cup into the ink, lifting it out and timing how
long it takes for the cup to empty through the hole at the bottom.

Diluting the ink with water or solvent will reduce the viscosity and colour strength. This may be
especially important when printing over another colour.

As well as a weak colour, the result may also be a mottled appearance, known as poor lay, and low
adhesion - so the ink may peel off. Instead of taking the viscosity too low, an alternative is to reduce
the colour strength by adding ink with no pigment, known as medium.

Adding more neat ink increases the viscosity. When ink viscosity is too high, you'll have too strong a
colour - but that's not the main problem. Ink will build up very quickly around the edges of the printing
plate - and you'll waste time stopping to wash them frequently.

This demonstrates that the viscosity of the ink is directly related to the colour strength on the finished
print. Ideally, ink is formulated to run within a specific viscosity range, but variations in anilox rolls,
machines and substrates mean that in practice operators adjust viscosity to achieve the required
colour.

Problems with water-based inks

Foaming is a common problem with water based
ink, air bubbles get trapped in it and turn into a
'mousse' which doesn’t flow well through the
pipes. When this happens, ink won't return to the
bucket and can overflow from the tray.

There are three main common causes of foaming

that an operator can influence:

1. The ink pumps may be running too fast,

introducing air as fine bubbles
2. Ink may be falling vertically and splashing,
introducing air
3. Over-dilution by adding too much water

Avoiding Foaming

 Slow down the ink pumps

 Move ink return pipes
 Measure water additions
 Add chemical defoamer

One way is to slow down the ink pumps until they do only what is necessary to get the ink to the anilox
roll and back to the bucket. Also, you can move the ink return pipes so ink doesn’t fall vertically.
Problems with solvent-based inks
We now look at the one particular problem with solvent-based inks - evaporation. Solvent based inks
are normally used to adhere ink to films and metal foil.

There are two main solvent families, alcohols and esters.

For printing on different films, an ink supplier may recommend using alcohol based ink or a mixture
of alcohol and ester. Knowing when to use a mixture of solvents, and maintaining the solvent balances
critical to the ink's performance. If too much of a faster drying ester is added, the ink may dry in the
anilox cells at slow press speeds, or damage the printing plates.

Solvent based inks are used on film and metal foils because they are volatile - in other words
they evaporate very readily.

This is necessary since in these cases the substrate is non-absorbent, so evaporation is needed for the
ink to dry. What happens when the solvent evaporates? The ink becomes more viscous and the colour
strengthens.

As the solvent evaporates, the ink viscosity increases and changes the colour. It's vital to check and
adjust the ink viscosity frequently, especially if the press room temperature is high. Some machines
measure viscosity automatically, but however it's done, if you're using a mixture of solvents, you must
keep the proportions correct.

Problems with ultra-violet inks

They do don't dry by evaporation because they are non-volatile but instead are 'cured' on exposure
to ultra-violet light from special lamps. This has two interesting results:

1. The first is that the press can be left without being washed up because the ink won't dry. But
UV ink does cure in direct sunlight so the presses should be shielded from bright sunlight.
2. The second result is that any spilled ink will not dry, so it should be wiped up immediately.

UV inks are very viscous and most won't flow through a viscosity cup. Generally they contain more
pigment than other flexo inks. This means that you can achieve much less ink on the plates, so the
print is sharper.

They're temperature sensitive, so they must be kept within a certain temperature range. Contact your
supplier to find out what this is.

You've already heard how water-based and solvent-based inks are cleaned from flexographic print
unit. Although UV inks don't contain water or solvent, most can be washed up with a small amount of
water containing an appropriate detergent. Contact your supplier for their recommendations.

Drying problems
Sometimes ink doesn’t dry fast enough and sometimes it dries too quickly - either way it's a quality
problem that needs to be resolved. In this section you'll find out how to determine whether the ink is
drying or curing correctly, and what to do about it, if it isn't.

First you need to know how each type of ink dries. Water based inks on paper dry by absorption, but
if they're used on non-absorbent substrates they dry mainly by evaporation. Solvents evaporate very
readily and UV light triggers a chemical reaction in the ink to cure it.
Let's look first at the problem of ink not drying. The symptoms mainly arise from the fact that ink from
one unit hasn't dried before it reaches the next. So you can see why it's important to have driers
between each print unit.

Wet ink may transfer onto the path rollers that guide substrate through the machine. This re sults in a
repeated pattern of ink smears on the print. The ink can also react to the filmic material that it is being
printed onto.

Small areas of substrate may be exposed where colours are over printed. This is caused by picking.
The first colour fails to dry and doesn’t adhere to the substrate. Then the second ink lifts it off,
exposing the substrate below.

If ink from a print unit isn't dry, some ink may be transferred to the printing plate of a following unit,
then back to the anilox roll and finally into the ink supply. This contamination affects the colour. When
ink isn't dry by the time it reaches the re-wind unit, the back of the printed sheet sticks to the surface
print, when unwound for slitting the ink on the face of the print is pulled away.

Pinholes are small holes in the top layer of ink that allows the colour beneath to show through. They
can occur if the bottom layer of the ink is still wet, and the top layer fails to adhere to it. This is known
as poor trapping.
What about UV inks? Strictly speaking they don't dry, they are cured. You can get the same symptoms
as for water and solvent based inks, but the main test for poor curing are smell and touch. If the ink
smells cheesy, or feels tacky, then it hasn’t cured properly. The tests for this are all subjective but do
involve more than a quick sniff and feel. Other tests are being developed, so contract your supplier
for the most up to date and accurate tests.

An alternative test for UV curing is the slip test. Two print samples are tilted, as shown in the diagram.
The angle at which the top one begins to slide is noted.

Which of these two angles do you think indicates that the sample is properly cured?

If you can tilt the sample steeply before slippage occurs, then the samples may be tacky. In other
words the ink is not cured. The shallow angle indicates the ink is fully cured.

Ink drying too quickly

With water and solvent based inks the most common symptom is that the finest tone work disappears
from the print, and the printing plate feels rough when you stop the press and touch the plate. This is
because the ink has dried on the plate before it contacts the substrate. Remember never to touch
moving parts of a machine. You may be able to decrease the drying speed by reduci ng the viscosity or
changing the solvent mix but you may need to contact the ink supplier to re -formulate the ink.

Blocking in the reel can also be a symptom of ink drying too quickly. The ink surface is skimmed but
the under-lying ink is still wet. As well as being a symptom of inadequate drying, picking can also be
linked to ink drying too fast. As the ink dries, it adheres to both the substrate and the plate. As a result
paper is torn away, leaving exposed areas.

Over-cured UV inks have poor adhesion to the substrate, can be difficult to over-print and are brittle.
The amount of UV exposure needs to be reduced by decreasing the power.
Ink formulation
Colour variations in repeat orders are usually caused by changes in:

 Substrate
 Plates
 Anilox specification or cleanliness
 Machine cleanliness

Only very occasionally does the problem lie with the ink. The commonly held belief that the colour of
ink is always wrong is due to the fact that if anything from the list above has changed the easiest way
to fix it the problem for the printer is to change the ink specification, it really is quicker in time to
change the ink rather than clean the anilox or change it. A false economy in the longer term.

Example of record sheet

Anilox Rolls

The function of the anilox is to transfer the correct amount of ink to the printing plate. As the anilox
rotates it transfers ink to the reprinting plate which in turn transfers it to the substrate. The metering
system (doctor blade) removes surplus ink from the anilox roll. The anilox has millions of tiny cells
engraved in its surface that hold a specific amount of ink.

Manufacture
The cells in the anilox are vital to its function, these are engraved into its surface. This section looks at
how anilox are made, the materials used and the types of engraving.

The surface of the anilox is made from a ceramic coating due to its hardwearing nature under constant
pressure from the doctor blade.

Ceramic anilox are in-fact steel or aluminium bases coated with ceramic. If produced correctly
ceramic is a hard wearing material. This is an advantage once the roll is in use as it makes the anilox
surface and engravings long lasting.

The cup shaped cells need to be engraved by laser. When the surface of the cell wears, the depth of
the cells decreases.
As the ceramic wears the width of the cells walls also thicken. Both of these factors reduce the amount
of ink that is applied to the printing plate by physically reducing the depth and volume of the ink
transferred because the anilox is physically carrying less ink but also increasing the surface tension in
the cells which does not allow a smooth transfer of ink out of the anilox cells and onto the printing
plate. But because ceramic is such a hard wearing material this only happens very slowly and so the
amount of ink applied is more or less constant over a long period.

The disadvantage of ceramic anilox is that pigment particles may become trapped in the cells and
this reduces their volume, this problem is caused by the nature of the surface of ceramic and many
printing inks.

The issue of keeping anilox engravings clean is often increased by finer (smaller) cells that trap ink in
them. A good sealant on the surface of the anilox and modern engraving technologies can make anilox
less likely to plug with ink.

Hardness, Porosity
Two of the key factors that determine the durability of ceramic anilox are hardness and porosity. These
two factors can affect the print quality and the lifespan of the ceramic. Anilox rolls are coated with
chromium oxide by using a plasma spray. Differences in hardness and porosity arise due to the
techniques of applying the plasma coating to the roll and also in the material itself.

Hardness can be measured on two numerical scales, Vickers or Rockwell.

The principal of the Rockwell Test is to place the indenter into position on the anilox surface where
minor load (shown in blue) is applied and a zero reference is established. Then the major load (shown
in red) is applied for a specified time period (dwell time). The major load is then released leaving the
minor load applied and the resulting Rockwell number represents the difference in depth from the
zero reference position as a result of the application of the major load. In both cases the higher the
number the harder the ceramic coating. The hardness should be ascertained when ordering anilox.

Low quality ceramics can have voids in between the ceramic particles, particularly if the chromium
oxide grain size is large, the result is a porous anilox roll. This does not mean the anilox will become
softer or lighter in weight but instead will wear badly, particularly when used with a doctor blade. Ink
may also become trapped in the fissures of the ceramic surface affecting ink transfer.
Additionally the steel or aluminium base may oxidize or corrode as ink can seep through the ceramic
coating and ingress between the base and the ceramic.

A good quality coating should not cause these problems however a nickel coating can be applied
between the ceramic and the metal base to guard against oxidization or corrosion when printing with
more troublesome inks and coatings:

The first picture shows the normal anilox cells engraved, the second picture shows the blister
appearing and starting to disturb the ceramic coating, the result is the ceramic coating of which the
laser engraved cells are within being pushed into the path of the doctor blade. You can see the increase
in land area as the cells are being worn away.

The third picture shows what is happening at the centre of the blister and as you can imagine at this
stage very little colour is being transferred to the print. The graphic underneath shows what is
happening at each stage between the steel core and the ceramic coating.

The anilox at this stage cannot give clean consistent print, the only remedy is to refurbish the anilox
by stripping away the old ceramic and starting again. Applying a sealant to the surface of the new
anilox reduces porosity and so improves ink transfer and cleani ng properties.
Specifications

This section looks at how anilox are specified, you will discover how their characteristics effect
performance.

There are a number of factors you need to consider when ordering anilox, their physical characteristics
are described by the terms: screen count, cell depth, cell shape and volume.

NOTE: When you are thinking about anilox specifications it is important to involve your ink supplier,
changes in anilox will require changes to your ink formulations.

Linked Cells

Linked cells can be used on ceramic anilox, they are designed to allow
fine detail to print as well as good coverage of large solid areas.

Ceramic anilox

Fine Detail and good coverage

Cup shape

The cup shape cell is the result of laser engraving and so is only found
on the hard ceramic. The cup shape is less susceptible to variations
in the volume through wear.

Laser Engraved

Less Variations in Volume

Screen Angle
In this section you'll find out about the anilox screen angle and its relationship to the printing screen
angle.

You may remember that the main variable affecting the performance of the anilox are cell depth, cell
shape, volume and screen count - but there's one further variable: screen angle. Cells are engraved
into the surface of the anilox in a spiral pattern around the base. The angle that the line of cells makes
with the axis of the roll is called the screen angle.

Laser engraved in the sequence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 will result in an anilox engraved at an angle of 30°
to the anilox axis

Laser engraved anilox engraved in the sequence 1, 2, 3 will result in an anilox engraved at the
conventional angle of 60° to the anilox axis. Because the cells are engraved apart from each other the
classical honeycomb shape is formed.

Different engraving styles have different screen angles. It is important that you and your plate supplier
are aware of this when ordering new styles of anilox engravings.
Related to land area is another factor, cell wall width. This is expressed as a percentage o f the cell
opening, typically it's about 10%. The high cell wall width goes hand in hand with a large land area.

Plate Screen Angle

You may have heard the term screen angle used in connection with plates as well as anilox. Plates
have a screen angle - the angle the rows of dots on the plate make with the axis of the print cylinder.

It's more important that screen angles on the plate and the anilox are different to avoid a Moiré
interference pattern. Below is what Moiré interference pattern looks like and below you can see how
it appears on a printed job.
Screen Count
Printing plates and anilox both have screen counts and the relationship between them matters.

You should already know that the anilox screen count is the number of cells per linear centi metre or
inch and the printing plate screen count is the number of dots per linear centimetre or inch. The ratio
between them is called the screen count ratio

Consider these two pictures showing two different screen count ratios.

When the plate engages the anilox ink is transferred to the plate. If this ratio between the printing
plate dots and anilox cells is wrong and a coarse screen count anilox with wide cells was used with a
plate with very small dots, the dots would dip right into the cells. This coats the side of the dots when
the printing plate is pressed against the substrate.

Consider the diagram opposite. The good copy on the left is open and clean while the copy on the
right shows what happens to all the extra ink from the sides of the dots as it is transferred to the
substrate. The result is a dirty print and fine tone work could fill in.

The anilox with six cells to every one dot on the plate prints cleanly as the smallest dots are too big
to dip right into the cells. The ink coats only the image area of the dot and so the print is clean. While
the four cells to every dot the smallest dot would still be able to dip into the cells so an even higher
ratio could be required to prevent this. To combat this the anilox cells are normally made smal ler and
more numerous than the printing plate dots.
What is an ideal screen count ratio?

Ratios as low as 3 to 1 might cause moiré interference patterns, so you'll need to go higher.
Depending upon the plate screen count and the minimum dot size, ratios of between 5.5 to 1 and
7.5 to 1 are used regularly.

Higher screen count ratios could be achieved by having more cells per centimetre or fewer dots per
centimetre, both of which may cause quality problems. So screen count ratios above 7.5 to 1 are
generally avoided, although anilox will still operate outside these guidelines.

Screen Count Selection

It is important to choose an anilox screen count that is appropriate to the job in hand. Now we look at
how to choose the most appropriate one.

So what factors would influence your decision on anilox screen count? The key factor is the type of
job: heavy solid, line and text or tone work. The diagram shows the ranges for each of these.

Mottled print

As you learnt, fine lines and text require a high anilox screen count. You need small drops of ink to
avoid filling in the fine detail. On the other hand, for heavy solids you need more ink so a courser
screen count is appropriate, but the coarser the screen count the more mottled the appearance of
the print. Within the ranges shown for heavy solid and line and text jobs, you have some latitude in
your choice of anilox screen count. However for tone work the choice is more critical.
Anilox screen count = Plate screen count x Ratio

Here's an example:

Step 1: Plate screen count is 40 dots per cm or 100dpi (dots per inch)

Step 2: Required count ratio is 6.5:1

Step 3: Required anilox screen count

= 6.5 x plate screen count

= 6.5 x 40

= 260 cells per cm (approx. 650 per inch)

Volume
The volume of ink transferred from the anilox to the printing plate is crucial factor in the flexographic
print process. Anilox cells come in various shapes, sizes and arrangements.

The next slide will show you how the cell depth to opening ratio affects the amount of ink transferred
to the substrate.

Consider the cells in these two anilox, one with narrow deeps cells and one with wide shallow cells.
Both anilox have actually the same volume, but which one do you think transfers more ink to the
printing plate?
The wide shallow cells release a greater proportion of their contents to the printing plate, but some
of the ink gets left behind at the bottom of the narrow deep cells so less is transferred to the plate. In
addition deep cells will be more difficult to clean so the cells will become plugged with ink and transfer
even less.

For the best release characteristics the ratio should be 28%. It's acceptable to go up to 35%, but over
40% or under 23% is not recommended. Anilox will work outside these gui delines but they do not give
the best result. To calculate the ratio between the cell depth and cell opening in microns using this
formula:

In the illustration above let's say the Cell Opening is 100

microns and the cell depth is 28 microns deep. The formula
now becomes this:

That was easy. Now you try the three examples below and
see which comes the closest to the ideal of 28%

The volume of ink transferred from the anilox to the printing plate is a crucial factor in the flexographic
print process. Having selected the anilox screen count appropriate to your industry sector and type
of print, you now need to consider the other most important factor about the anilox, its volume:

First you need to decide what strength or density of colour you require on the substrate. When you
know that, you can determine the anilox volume required to achieve it.

As you may know from the Repro Module, we need to achieve certain densities of colour for accurate
colour reproduction in tone work. Once you know the colour density required, you can determine the
anilox volume needed from a graph, like this one here.
From this chart you can see that to achieve a colour density of 1.5 you'd need an anilox volume of 5
cubic centimetres per square meter. As you'd expect the higher the volume of ink applied the higher
the colour density on the substrate. Other factors such as ink strength affect colour density as well.

The actual curve, appropriate to you, depends on a number of factors such as substrate, ink type,
printing type and cell depth to opening ratio.

For example, the weaker the ink the more of it you'll need to apply to achieve the correct density. You
can see that to achieve a colour density of 1.35 you need a volume of 3.8, with a strong ink, but for a
weak ink you'd need as much as 6.5, but using more ink would fill in fine detail and flood tone work.
The aim is to use low volumes of high strength ink.
But sometimes you do need to use high volumes dependant on the type of job. Heavy solids require
a higher colour density and these can only be achieved with a higher volume of ink. For example, to
achieve a colour density of 2.5 for heavy solid work you'd need an anilox volume of just over 13 cubic
centimetres per square meter. Bur for fine lines and text requiring a density of say 1.8, you only need
a volume of about 7.

Print Quality
Print quality is affected by the various anilox characteristics and how to choose the best anilox for the
job. Anilox rolls are specified by their screen count, cell depth, volume, cel l shape and screen angle.

1. Screen Count: The number of cells per linear inch or cm

2. Cell depth: The distance from the top to the bottom of a cell
3. Volume: The volume of ink (in cc or CM3/M2) per square metre of anilox surface
4. Cell shape: The shape of a cell in the anilox roll
5. Screen Angle: The angle of the engraved cell pattern relative to the longitudinal axis of the
anilox roll

A high screen count means that there are lots of cells to the centimetre. That may mean that each cell
has a small volume - but it's not always the case. Consider these two specifications of anilox volume.
 Consider this print sample with large solid areas of print.

For good coverage of solid areas, sufficient ink needs to be applied.

This is achieved through a course screen count and high volume anilox.
On web fed presses, the anilox should be changed to suit the job.

But for corrugated changing the anilox can be time-consuming so a

compromise anilox has to be used to suit most jobs.

This print sample is a complex design, looking rather like a

photograph. This is called "tone work".

Just as you need a fine pen for small writing, so you need small cells in
the anilox for detailed printing - and this means a fine screen count.

But less ink is required than for the solid areas of print you saw in the
last screen, so a low volume roll is appropriate.

This print sample has a fairly fine level of detail.

Although this image may appear complex, the graphics are small areas of
solid colour and fine lines known as "line-work".

This is less difficult to print than tone work.

For reasonably fine detail the cells must not be too large, so a medium screen count is appropriate.
But good ink coverage in the solid area still requires medium volume. However - if the print were
instead a mixture of fine detail and solid areas - a compromise anilox specification is required.
In summary, always choose an anilox with appropriate screen count and volume. The screen count
should be sufficiently fine to allow for the level of detail. The correct volume is crucial as too high a
volume might give a strong colour, but will flood the fine detail.

On the other hand, too low a volume will give a weak colour and poor coverage on absorbent or rough
substrates. The general trend in the industry is for increasing screen count and decreasing volume for
improved quality.

So far we have used terms like "high screen count" or "low volume" to describe the anilox
specifications. What is actually "high" or "low" depends on what sector of the industry you're working
in. The figures shown are a good indication of appropriate values but will vary depending on ink
substrate.

Lower volume anilox give better fine detail, but they could produce weak colours since less ink is
applied to the substrate. This can be compensated for by increasing the ink strength.

The main variables associated with flexography are: anilox, substrate, plates, inks and repro. Don’t
change anything in the isolation. Talk to your suppliers all together before changing an y of the
elements.
Maintenance
With use, dry ink may become trapped in the anilox cells. In this section you will discover the problems
this can cause and find out how to maintain the anilox. Whatever anilox you choose, it is vital that it
delivers a consistent amount of ink to the printing plate through its lifetime.
We've seen how wearing of the anilox roll reduces the volume of the cells. This reduces the amount
of ink the anilox roll can carry to the printing plate. There is another cause of volume reduction -
plugging of the cells with dried ink, as you can see here.

How are Anilox Maintained?

This is primarily a problem with ceramic anilox because of the nature of the material.

You can tell that the cells are becoming plugged when the print is a weaker colour because plugging
reduces the depth of the cells which ultimately reduces the anilox ink carrying capacity, so less ink is
applied resulting in a weaker colour. Or when anilox remains discoloured even after washing down.
These discoloured areas remain plugged with stubborn ink and require a more aggressive deep clean
than originally given.

In order to reduce the need for several timely cleaning attempts to return an anilox to its original
specification, it is advised anilox are cleaned every time they exit the press. This will not only reduce
downtime but also reduce potential anilox damage such as scoring.
Printing Plates
How plates work
As their name suggests - flexographic printing plates are made from a flexible material. Originally
flexographic plates were made of rubber. The majority of modern printing plates are made of
photosensitive photopolymer.

An example of the synthetic elastomer used would be polyisoprene or butadiene. Monomers and
photo initiators combine with U.V. light with a wavelength of 365nm to form the graphic content
within the raw material. The non-image area is removed (this process is known as washout) to reveal
the 3D feature of the plate.

The plate is mounted with double sided tape onto the print cylinder. When the machine is running the
print cylinder turns and the printing plate receives a measured amount of ink from the anilox roll,
which is transferred to the substrate.

The image on the substrate is normally the reverse of the image on the printing plate. However, if
you're printing on the underside of a clear substrate then the image is not reversed.

We've seen that the flexible printing plates are mounted onto the print cylinder. This can be a time
consuming procedure. An alternative method is to use a rigid sleeve which quickly slides over the
print cylinder.

The sleeve can be used with normal plates or covered with rubber or photo-polymer, and engraved
or exposed to create the required image. This has the additional advantage of being seamless, so it is
especially useful for continuous design, for example - wallpaper.

The plate itself has raised areas above the floor level of the plate. It is these raised areas that receive
ink and apply it to the substrate. Plate manufacturers produce a variety of different plate types for
different applications. Plates also need to be highly accurate in their thickness.
This is a coating on the back of the polyester backing film, usually containing a dye or coloured pigment
for the purpose of absorbing light rays, thus preventing their reflection from the back surface of the
film base to form haloes and changes the image shoulder profile s.

How plates are specified

Plates have various characteristics to suit different applications and are specified in terms of four
factors: Material, depth of relief, shore hardness and plate thickness.

1 - Material

Various manufacturers produce plates using a range of materials that have different properties like
resistance to ozone or solvents or high resolution for fine detail. Each plate material has different ink
release characteristics that affect the print quality. Flexographic printing plates can be made from
photopolymer or rubber materials.

Most plates, these days, are made from photopolymer. This is a synthetic material that is made to
react to ultra violet light. The plate starts life either as a solid sheet of material or a liquid resin.

To create the relief design features the plate is exposed to ultra violet light through a mask (called a
negative). The plate is exposed from above through a negative of the image and from below to form
the base. The parts which are exposed to light harden and the unhardened material on the top surface
that has not been exposed is washed away.

For solid sheet plates a solvent or water is used.

For liquid resin plates the unhardened liquid is recovered for future use and the plates are washed in
water.

Alternatively, the plate can be imaged by a laser which is controlled by a computer so that no negative
is used. To create a digital plate the image is ablated into the black layer (LAMS) on the surface of the
plate using a laser controlled by computer.
2 - Depth of Relief

This is the height of the raised part of the image above the surrounding floor level of the plate, created
by exposure to ultra violet light.

First the back of the plate is exposed. The amount of exposure time determines the thickness of the
base of the plate. This exposure is measured in seconds and is used to start the polymerisation
process. This exposure sets the photosensitivity of the
plate.

Then the top of the plate is exposed through a negative.

The light enters from all angles creating the angled
shoulders that supports the raised edge.

But what is the right depth of relief? Let's look at what

would happen if the depth of relief were too large or too
small.

In theory, the depth of relief could be extremely small, but we don't live i n a perfect world and any
inaccuracies in the plate or irregularities in the substrate would cause the plate and substrate to
contact where they're not supposed to. The result is that there is ink where there should be none.

Too Small Too Large

On the other hand, if the depth of relief is too large then any small isolated raised areas in the printing
plate are vulnerable. They may get lost during manufacture or they may distort and flex during printing
because the image is not supported.
To avoid this, relief depths should be as small as possible for fine work. There's no single best value
for the depth of relief, it depends on the plate thickness and what is being printed. As we've seen,
irregular surfaces need a greater depth of relief.

3 - Shore Hardness

This is known as shore hardness and is measured in degrees shore. The higher the number, the harder
the plate. Shore hardness is relative to the plate thickness. As the plate made of the same resin the
gets thinner the relative shore hardness increases.

For most applications such as flexible packaging, sacks, preprint and cartons, plates of 50° (shore A)
are widely used. These are relatively firm plates. However, rough substrates such as recycled papers
and corrugated boards require softer plates of as low as 25° (shore A) to allow the plate to distort into
the uneven surface.
4 – Plate Thickness

The two plates are made of the same material,

so they have the same shore hardness.

As you can imagine, thicker plates have more

material to squash into and can distort more
under pressure. Effectively thinner plates are
harder and give a much sharper image.

A trend - especially within the corrugated

industry - is to move away from thicker plates
and use thinner plates with a cushioning
underneath the plate. Another advantage is in
the cost of using less of the costly
photopolymer material.

Thickness Variation
Accuracy of the printing plate is vital to the quality of
the finished product. In this section you'll discover the
problems caused by variations in plate thickness.

It's very important for high quality printing that the

plate thickness is constant right across the plate. High
and low spots on the plate can arise from misuse or
poor manufacture.

If the pressure against the anilox roll and substrate are

just right for the high spots, then the low spots won't
quite touch them. You can see here that a low spot on
the plate just fails to connect the anilox roll, it won't
pick up any ink and so this will show as an area of
missing print on the substrate.

If the operator increases the pressures so that the low spots do

touch, the higher areas of the plate will be squashed. This
causes distortion of the image and filling in of fine detail. The
plate itself will become dirty and will wear.
Thickness variation may be the result of plate misuse, but it may also arise during manufacture. In
order to prevent problems with high and low areas, a tolerance should be agreed with the supplier.

Thickness tolerances are ideally plus or minus 12.5 microns or half of one thousandth of an inch.

In the corrugated industry, the substrate is very uneven and so greater tolerances are acceptable,
around twice as large as for non-corrugated.

A constant plate thickness is very important for high quality printing.

One way of overcoming slight inaccuracies in plate thickness is to use a cushioned mounting tape to
stick the plates onto the print cylinder. The give in the tape can also take up slight inaccuracies in the
print cylinder, impression cylinder and substrate.

The firmness of the cushioning in the tape will affect the print quality. There are different tapes that
are suited for printing general purpose, tone and solid work. But for corrugated work, the double sided
mounting tape is used to stick the plate to a carrier sheet and not directly to the print cylinder. These
tapes are solid, robust and must be of guaranteed accuracy since there is no cu shioning effect.
Irregularities in mounting tape and poor working practices can result in apparent highs and lows.
Care of Printing Plates
Very small inaccuracies in the printing plate can affect the quality of the final result. So even though
plates are flexible and robust, careful handling and storage are vital.

We now look at how plates should be handled and cared for to prolong their life and give best results:

- Plates should be stored in a cool, dry environment away from. Smaller plates can be laid flat
in a box or filing system, or stored in black plastic bags. Larger plates for corrugated work
should be hung up. Plates shouldn't be piled high or the bottom ones could get crushed.
- Because plates must be accurate in thickness, they must be handl ed carefully. It's easy to
make high spots by folding or kinking them or low spots by squashing or walking on them.
Once the ink sets, it's more difficult to get it off and can cause cleaning issues.
- Ink starts to dry on the plate immediately after the press stops. Volatile components in the
ink begin to evaporate, leaving behind the solid components of the ink. The time in which ink
dries on the plate is dictated by the volatility of these ink components. Generally, solvent-
based ink formulas dry faster than water-based ink formulas. Such factors as ambient
temperature and humidity may have effects on the ink drying.

Cleaning plates correctly is important for maintaining good print quality and long plate life.

There are two basic parts to cleaning a plate. One is the physical action when the plate is actually
scrubbed with a brush. The other part is the chemical action when a cleaner is brought into contact
with the plate.

Plate cleaner may be in a liquid or powder form. Some are concentrates that need to b e diluted with
water. Always follow the safety and usage directions on the container. When the plate is wetted with
cleaner, the ink film will dissolve and becomes easier to remove with brush agitation. When cleaning
plates, wet the plate with cleaning solution and allow the plate to soak momentarily prior to brushing.
To prevent plate damage during the cleaning process, avoid plate soaking for an extended time and
only use recommended plate cleaner.
Mounting and Proofing
Process
This module covers the principles of mounting in
flexography, the types of mounting system and
how mounting is carried out. First in this section
we'll explain what mounting is and introduce you
to the basic concepts.

Mounting is the process of applying printing

plates to the print sleeve in a predetermined
position to ensure the image on each plate fits
with the other plates to be printed - this is known
as registration.

Precision mounting is critical for producing good

quality print which is in the register and has a direct impact on minimising waste. The mounting
process needs to deliver the same accurate result each time a job is mounted, consistent accuracy is
the target. For simplicity we'll refer to print sleeves throughout this module but you can substitute
cylinders if these are used in your operation.

Generally plates are mounted directly onto the print sleeve but for corrugated operations, plates are
mounted onto a carrier sheet that is fixed to the print sleeve in the press when required, it is removed
and kept in storage between print runs. You'll find out about carriers in the corrugated section of this
module.

Accuracy
There are two key areas to achieve effective plate mounting,
positioning the plate correctly and achieving a good bond.

Positioning is achieved by correctly lining up register marks that

are common to each plate in the set. The skill is to plan carefully
exactly where these marks should be. A variety of marks can be
used, register crosses and micro dots. You'll find out more about
these later.

A good bond is achieved by means of special mounting tape.

Accurate positioning is essential or the images of each colour will not be superimposed correctly, they
will be out of register. The diagram illustrates what happens to the print if one plate is too far forward
in relation to the other and if one plate is too far to one side.
Types of registration marks
These are various types of mark used for aligning the plates correctly:

Registration crosses are commonly used but need to be positioned in waste areas as they are easily
seen on the print, they can also be used as a guide for aligning the print to a bag or box structure if
this is required.

Micro dots as the name suggests are tiny dots on the plate, usually about a quarter of a millimetre
across in labels and flexible packaging but 1mm diameter in corrugated. Since they are so small they
don't have to be in waste areas as they are not easily seen.

On most mounting machines the dots or crosses on the plates are lined up using magnifying cameras,
the higher the magnification the greater the accuracy.

Register crosses are more common in label and corrugated printing where waste and hidden folds are
normal, the microdot is common in flexible packaging where waste is kept to a minimum and no un-
required marks are to be seen on the packaging (example meat, dairy and hygene).

The location of registration marks, whether crosses or microdots, is essential to the success of plate
mounting. If they are incorrect, mounting can be difficult, time consuming and inaccurate, so they
need to be planned carefully. The marks should be positioned symmetrically

Always have a pair positioned in the middle of the plate in line with the sleeve axis. It is also
recommended to have two more pairs, one at either end so a simple rotation and check under the
cameras confirms the plate has not twisted when it was laid/stuck down.

Pre-register
As well as accurately aligning the plates in the cylinder axis
direction, you need to make sure that they're correctly positioned
in the print direction.

Many modern presses have an automatic pre-register function to

rotate the print sleeves to a datum position on each print unit. If
you line up the registration marks on the plates with the datum lines on the print sleeves, these
systems automatically get the print in register before the press starts.

Other systems have a manual pre-register function that is lined up with the key way and datum. Ensure
that you're fully conversant with your register system and the mounting machine works within it.
If you're using multiple plates on each sleeve accurate mounting is even more critical. With a single
plate you can adjust the whole sleeve position to fine tune register. However with multiple plates the
relative positions of the plates, one to another has to be accurate.

If it's possible - stagger plates around the sleeve to reduce the impact of vibration or "bounce" that
can happen when the leading edge of the plates are in line.

The demand for higher quality work, shorter runs and quicker press changeover has led to the process
being developed so operators can be easily trained to complete the process using a range of tools such
as tape mounting aids, job data bases which drive the cameras and sleeve to the exact required plate
position, fine plate adjustment, plate laydown rollers, automated register check and accurate on
mounter cutting systems for plates and tapes.

Machinery ranges from simple plate location devices with guides to aid positioning to machines that
put both the tape and the plate onto the sleeve automatically. The main requirements of the entire
process are accuracy and consistency.

Pin Bar Mounting

Pin bar mounting is quick, easy and cheap. The pin bar itself is a metal bar, clamped onto the print
cylinder shafts; a series of pins are arranged along its length.

Holes in the plate are drilled to match the pins and simply hooking the plate onto the pins, the plate
is accurately positioned on the cylinder. For this to work the holes need to be drilled in the same
position in each plate, so that all the plate's line up with each other.

The first plate is put on the drilling machine, lining up the centre mark with the centre camera. The
outside cameras are then locked into position over the marks. The plates are then punched. The holes
in the negative are lined up with the holes in the polymer, using pins in the exposure frame and the
plate is exposed as normal.

So each plate is created with holes in exactly the same position. The plate is laid over the pins on the
bar and the lower half is smoothed onto the mounting tape on the cylinder. Then the plate is lifted off
the pins and the upper part of the plate is applied to the mounting tape. The plates are then exposed
and made in the conventional way.
Register Mark Mounting
The most common form of mounting is register mark - also known as video mounting. In this section
we'll find out what it is and how it works.

Register marks are either crosses or micro dots. Micro dots as you may recall are tiny dots on the plate,
usually about a quarter of a millimetre across. As the dots are so small and can be positive or negative
they can be positioned within the image area on the plate. The micro dots are used as register marks
to align the plates in the mounting operation.

When the print is run the register marks should print on top of each other indicating that the plates
are correctly aligned. The register marks on the plate are lined up using magnifying cameras.

Printed micro dots from a production run are nominally at x60 magnification.

To align the plates accurately a mounting system using video cameras is required. Each print sleeve is
transferred to the mounting system in turn.

Each sleeve is fixed in the mounter by a clamping system and mounting tape is then applied to the
sleeve.

The high magnification video cameras (positioned on a precision machined camera beam) are moved
into the required postion for the plate to be mounted, accurate measuremnt of this setting is critical.
The plate is then adhered to the sleeve using a mounting tape (see item 5) and the complete unit
removed from the mounting machine.

The next sleeve is loaded and the plate mounted in position by positioning the register marks on the
plate based on the previously fixed camera positions. This ensures that every plate is mounted in the
same position and thus the print is in register.
The same principle is applied for multiple plates across the sleeve and so either two cameras per plate
are used or two cameras are used which move into the correct position driven by servo motors and
camera setting software. To step plates around the sleeve to minimise risk of bounce is done either
machanically using an index disc or by use of stepper motors to drive and lock it in pos ition.

Each plate is mounted on a double sided adhesive tape - there are many types of mounting tape and
it is important to use the correct thickness and hardness. Adhesive type also needs to be correct for
your mounting process (see Tape Features)

The tape is applied to the sleeve being careful to lay it on without trapping air underneath it (must be
flat to sleeve). A small strip of the tape liner is removed to leave the adhesive exposed initially.

The plate is carefully positioned over tape, usually by hand so that the register marks are seen directly
below the cameras.

The cameras provide an enlarged visual display indicating whether or not the register marks are
correctly positioned in line with crosshair targets. If necessary the plate position is adjusted.

Once the plate is accurately aligned, it's pressed onto the strip of exposed mounting tape. The rest of
the tape liner is then removed or a plate support table is moved so that the remainder of the plate
can be laid onto the sleeve. This is done with each sleeve in turn so that all the plates register correctly.

Flexo plate mounting equipment includes many options to increase efficiency. These include tables to
lay the plate on to make manoeuvring the plate into position simpler, lay down rollers to eliminate by
hand smoothing or hand rollers for the applying of pressure to adhere the plate onto the tape, tape
application options, plate and tape cutting options and moving cameras, replacing multiple camera
mounting systems.
Tape Features
The primary function of mounting tape is
to stick the plates to the print cylinders
and hold them firmly during the printing
process.

As well as holding the printing plate firmly

in place the tape can also provide a
cushioning effect against the pressures
the plate is subjected to during use.

Your choice of tape will be influenced by

the type of image to be printed, print
speed and adhesive characteristics
required. There are various features you
need to be aware of, thickness, adhesion
and tack, density and foam type. For the best tape for your operation consult your tape supplier.

Mounting tape is a double-sided adhesive tape usually 200mm to 700mm wide supplied on a roll.
Some tapes are solid vinyl but most are cushion (foam) tapes. The tape is applied to the p rint cylinder
first and then the plate is positioned on the tape. The tape is generally wrapped around the entire
circumference of the cylinder.

Print cylinders were made to accommodate a certain plate and tape thickness known as undercut. It
is important the correct thickness is used for your printing press specification.

One side of the mounting tape adheres to the sleeve and the other to the back of the plate -polyester
material. The two sides of the tape have different adhesive properties. You need to make sure you
stick the tape the right way around. As tape comes off the roll the exposed side (openside) should be
stuck to the sleeve.

There are different levels of plate side adhesion, make sure you have the correct one for your process.
Tack describes the initial adhesion when coming in contact with the plate backing, this may have an
impact on the ability to move the plate around for positioning/registering in the correct place.
High tack makes this more difficult as it grabs the sleeve quickly, a l ower tack enables easier
repositioning. The adhesive forms the required bond between the sleeve, tape and plate - this is
variable dependent on the tape chosen. The adhesive forms a bond able to hold the plate in position
throughout the print run.

Density

The cushioning effect of tapes is important. It means that under pressure the tape compresses rather
than the plate and this reduces dot gain and excessive plate wear.

See the Fingerprinting Module of this course. Cushioning also helps to mask any unevenn ess in the
cylinder/sleeve due to damage - cut marks etc. Tapes range from firm (recommended for solid images)
to soft (for fine tone images). For mixed/combination images there are tapes of medium density.

You may need to compromise slightly on either the solid or tone print performance or alternatively
split the tone images and solid images onto separate plates.

Foam Type

The cell structure in foam tapes can be open or closed. They have different recovery rates (ability to
compress then bounce back at different press speeds). High print speed requires a fast recovery rate.

Laying plates and tapes

As well as ensuring that the plates are correctly positioned, you'll need to make sure there is a good
bond to the print cylinder. In this section you'll see how this is done.

Cleanliness is vital during the mounting process of the plate as if poor it will have a negative effect on
the work flow of the printing operation and give poor quality print results.

In order to safeguard the best possible adhesion of the mounting tape any trace of grease, dust or ink
and adhesive residue has to be avoided.

Clean the sleeve or print cylinder prior to mounting. E.g. with an isopropanol -water mixture. Some
cleaning products are not suitable as they attack/degrade the adhesive - this can cause plates to lift
or became very difficult to remove

Isopropanol (Isopropyl alcohol or IPA - not the beer) is a common name for a chemical compound. It
is colourless, flammable and with a strong odour. Isopropanol becomes increasingly viscous with
decreasing temperature. At temperatures below -70C isopropanol resembles maple syrup in viscosity.
First the plate mounting tape is attached to the sleeve or cylinder. This can be done manually which
requires experience or by using a range of tape application units either on the plate mounter or a
separate unit. It is easiest to mount the adhesive tape axially to the sleeve or print cylinder so as to
achieve a straight edge.

It is recommended pressing the adhesive tape as flat as possible with a rubber roller to avoid the
formation of folds and bubbles.

In some instances it is possible for air to be trapped between the tape and sleeve creating bubbles.
This shouldn’t happen if care is taken applying the tape but if it does the bubbles can be pricked by a
sharp knife and the offending area pressed flat again. Care must be taken to not damage the sleeve
during this process.

Some manufacturers sell micro channel tape which assists the exclusion of air during application.

Wrap the tape right around the print cylinder or sleeve, overlap the edge then cut through both
layers of the tape against a cutting guide using a very sharp knife, then remove the guide. Many
modern mounting systems incorporate cutting devices to do this.

If the plate requires a wider surface, two mounting tapes are attached to the sleeve or print cylinder
butting each other. Make sure to work very accurately and avoid any spaces, gaps or an overlapping
of the adhesive tapes - this would have an impact on the print image later on.
The plate mounting tape is protected by a filmic cover - the liner. In order to support a firm adhesion
of the mounting tape on the sleeve, the liner should be pulled off at as small an angle as possible.

If feasible attach the plate immediately afterwards as performance of the unprotected adhesive
layer can be negatively impacted by dust.

Prior to attaching the plate it should be cleaned of dust, grease or other contamination by means of
a suitable solvent.

In order to ensure superior attachment or adhesive - a consistent grip on the sleeve or the print
cylinder respectively, the solvent should be completely dry if at all possible before the plate is
mounted.

As an option the edges can be treated with a primer so as to increase the tack along the edges and
avoid so-called edge lifting.

The micro dots on the plate need to be aligned with the register marks on the monitor. Once this has
been achieved the plate can be accurately attached to the adhesive tape.
TIPS
Subject vibration marks

Often when the leading edge is too firm - has a solid image, vibration marks may appear - a
phenomenon which does not allow productive press speeds. If at all possible this should be
counteracted by arranging the plate printing halftones and process work close to the le ading edge of
the plate or if possible by staggering the plates or image around the sleeve so an area of print is
always in contact with the substrate.

Subject multi-yield prints

When processing multi-yield prints it is advisable to stagger the individual printing plates on the
cylinder.

Subject print image

Make sure not to put motives or halftone wedges on the leading edge in order or avoid undesired
flaws in the print image.

Fixing the plate

Use of a roller as the plate is mounted to the adhesive tape minimises the chance of air entrapment.
Make sure to carefully apply pressure to the edges where the plate meets. The adhesive tape or
each other to minimise risk of ink/solvent ingress. Roll over to ensure adhesion.

In case of an extended delay between mounting and printing, the plate should be wrapped in an
expandable and lightproof Polyethylene film in order to protect it from light, contamination and
other external contaminants.

The plate edges are occasionally sealed in order to prevent edge lifting during longer-lasting print
jobs or potential ink/solvent contamination caused by cleaning the surface of the print plates.
The easiest and safest way is to protect the edges with a single -sided adhesive tape. This measure
requires sufficient distance between the edges of the plate to enable taping or sealing.

If the distance between the plate edges is too tight they can also be fixed with a hot melt or liquid
glue.

Extended adhesive tape is removed so as to avoid contact with the print substrate and risk of it
picking up dust/dirt.

Carefully trim off the adhesive tape along the outer edges of the plate with a sharp knife. Take
extreme care not to damage the sleeve surface.

Removing the plate and tape

First, to remove the plate from the sleeve there's a risk that the plate may tear or kink, so this has to
be a smooth controlled action. Lift one corner then gently lift the whole edge of the plate across the
cylinder direction.

Do not grip too tightly as this creates a wavy edge to the plate. Then peel the plate off the tape
without jerking it or kinking it. When the adhesion to the tape is very high it is possible to reduce the
pulling force required and maintain control by "walking" the plate off by directing the pulling action
to the left, then right, then left etc.
Always be aware of potential of the plate kinking. Keep looking ahead for cuts or angles in the plate
as these will tear easily, do not rush. Don’t forget to clean the plate before you store it.

Then strip the tape from the sleeve. Again this needs to be done smoothly. In extreme cases you can
carefully cut the tape into smaller sections for removal - care needs to be taken to not damage the
sleeve.

Stubborn remnants of tape can be removed from the cylinder plates by rubbing but don’t use anything
sharp.

Every bit of tape needs to be removed - this is a much easier job if the plates and sleeves/cylinders are
perfectly clean and rust free at the start of the process.
Fault Finding
Every hour of downtime on a sophisticated printing press can be costly.

Systematic Approach
If things do go wrong having a systematic approach to fault finding is the most efficient way of
minimising waste and downtime. If you know anything about flexographic printing you'll appreciate
that for any given fault there are numerous possible causes and cures.

Here is a print fault and the five main groups you can investigate.

A systematic approach means that you investigate the most likely cause first. This module will help
you do this for the most common faults so you can put things right efficiently.

Getting it right first time is the key to an efficient operation and the way to do this is to be methodical.
That way you have to have a set of rules to follow and are less likely to miss out crucial steps that will
help to prevent faults arising.

Create standards
First, create standards for your materials and press conditions. For each type of job, for example -
printing water based inks on coated paper - you should have a set of material standards:

 plate type
 paper make
 ink densities

Also a set of machine standards, for example:

 anilox specification
 impression pressures
Fingerprint
The fingerprint provides the data that allows artwork to be reproduced to match the printing press
capabilities thus ensuing colour targets can be achieved and repeated. Fingerprint periodically to
ensure the standards are being maintained.

It’s important to confirm the data from the fingerprint is applied correctly to the printing plates. This
must be done with a fingerprint validation test. Ensure the printing press is set up as the original
fingerprint, i.e. mounting tape, plate anilox, ink formulation, target ink densities and dot gain. The
printed result should match the validation proof.

Repro and Plates

The full colour proof supplied by the repro house prior to plate manufacture needs to be checked to
ensure it matches the customer's specification. Any errors in the proof will show up as errors in the
plates, and plates are expensive. Once the proof has been approved and signed the printing plates can
be produced

Recreate standard conditions

Once the plates are made, the job is nearly ready to run. But first, for every job you need to recreate
the standards for the machine and materials. The plates were made to work with these standards and
deviation from the standards will affect the print.

Print with care

Run the print job, remembering always to take care of your machine and materials. Cleanliness and
condition can have major effect on print quality.
Keep a record
Finally, keep a record for the job. If you need to rerun it or investigate why it was unacceptable then
having accurate records will save a lot of time. The best starting point for a rerun is to repeat what
you did last time and you can only do this if you know what you did.

Record:

 Plate life / usage

 Ink formulation
 Anilox roll specifications and condition
 Materials
 Machine settings

Following a systematic process will help you get it right first time and that's always better than
finding a cure when it's gone wrong.

Example