Anilox roller cleaning
The challenge of anilox roller cleaning was there since the moment this technology appeared and is still as relevant as before – more so, due to higher line screens and volumes it becomes more and more pressing, as the risk of damaging a roller during cleaning grows considerably.
There is no universal answer to the question “Which system is better?”, because different types of equipment and paint systems require different solutions in terms of price/quality. The main prerequisite though is to use them right. Any cleaning system may damage a roller, if it is misused. It is the misuse of the systems that leads to damage and often to the loss of a costly anilox roller. Many times I saw rollers damaged by aggressive chemicals, soda, ultrasound and even laser. But it is not that the methods are inherently bad (some of them are more risky than the others). Each time the after analysing the situation I came the a conclusion that all the adverse effects were preceded by the abuse of the instructions provided by the cleaning system manufacturer.
For printing companies operating one machine with 10-30 anilox rollers it is not reasonable to invest in special equipment. Chemical cleaning with solutions of different strength is economically viable. When a company operates 2-3 machines with over a hundred anilox rollers, then it is time to think about process automation that would save time and money. In this case, automated jet washing machines and ultrasonic washing systems are used.
