It is not a secret anymore that the anilox is the core of the flexo printing industry. Without a clean anilox you risk bad print quality, downtime and lost printing jobs. But is there a way to make sure your anilox is clean enough for printing every time?
There exist several different tools that can identify dirty aniloxes. However, you need to keep in mind that an anilox consist of millions and billions of cells that can be clogged by ink.
“Checking if every anilox you own is clean and ready for printing is impossible. You cannot look at an anilox with the naked eye and see built-up ink in the cells and you cannot use a tool because it is impossible to check every side of every anilox. It is simply too time consuming. Regularly cleaning is the only way to make sure your anilox is ready for printing.”
Daniel Yjord, Sales Manager at Flexo Wash with more than 25 years experience as a printer in the flexographic industry.
Properly cleaned aniloxes give you the best print quality and a constant output with no downtime. This means you will get an even higher output on your press and in return can do more print jobs.
Cleaning is staying ahead of the competition
If the anilox roll is the heart of the flexo printing process and critical to maintaining a well-run operation, proper cleaning, along with care and maintenance of your anilox inventory is essential to your survival. The absence of good cleaning practices will always lead to inconsistent print results and increased downtime.
Waiting to clean until the anilox return to the press machine is not an option. The market is too competitive and dirty anilox rolls cause inconsistent print quality – never store an anilox without cleaning it. However, it is very simple to turn your loss into a gain. Implementing regular procedures for cleaning of the anilox can benefit you in the long run.
Daniel Yjord continues: “When it comes to aniloxes and knowing if they are clean enough to do the print job – consistent cleaning is key. And you get true consistency through automatic cleaning. Also, with the newer inks, coatings and adhesives today being more difficult to remove, it is crucial to have a cleaner that can address all these components.”
The cleaning is often a weak link in the production, with too much valuable time being spent trying to clean aniloxes that never really gets clean. At Flexo Wash we are experts in both liquid and laser anilox cleaning technology. This ensures you competent guidance in choosing the best system for your specific needs.
