Amount of ink transferred with anilox roller
The amount of the ink transferred with a roller is one of the most important parameters in flexo printing. Ink transfer depends not only on the volume, but on the configuration of the roller cells. Many printing companies have come across a situation when a new anilox roller with high ink transfer factor does not deliver the specified performance. The ink releasing capability is influenced by many variables: ink density and flow, cell shape, wall roughness and upper edge profile, printing speed, etc. Not many paint consumers (for example, those who buy UV-curable paints) will contact the manufacturer to carefully select an appropriate solution for their anilox rollers. For this reason, it is important for anilox roller manufacturers to take the customers' needs into consideration and also to ensure daily, weekly and deep cleaning of the printing rollers.
The volume of the anilox roller cells is the usable capacity of a unit area ofthe engraved surface, square inch or square meter, and is respectively expressed in BCM (billion cubic micrometers) or sm3/m2 (BCM multiplied by a factor of 1.55).
The higher the cell volume, the higher the optical density of the a solid print patch, the more saturated the colour and the thicker the varnish layer. Lower cell volume rollers deliver a thinner more colourful ink film, which is good for printing quality and efficiency.
With time, however, an anilox roller volume falls due to wear, blockages and cleaning procedures. Dirty and blocked cells are not a permanent damage, they can be remedied. The wear, however, is irreversible and when the volume falls due to wear, it can affect the ink coat intensity.
