Nearly all Flexo Wash systems started with a customer who had a problem they could not solve on their own. Our recently developed new Ink Cartridge Cleaner is no different.
Automated ink dispensing systems revolutionized offset printing by monitoring the amount of ink used and reducing waste. However, recycling or reusing these ink cartridges proved to be impossible until now, leading to most cartridges being sent to the landfill after only one use, wasting money and resources.
Fortunately, an enterprising Flexo Wash friend and customer developed a method for disassembling the ink cartridges, allowing them to be cleaned and refilled. The piece of the puzzle that was missing was an efficient means of cleaning them. Thus, the Flexo Wash Ink Cartridge Cleaner was born, allowing printers to disassemble, clean, refill and reuse the cartridges. Now, working with their ink suppliers, thousands of ink cartridges are no longer filling up our landfills and are efficiently reused many times over with a strong return on investment. Going green does not usually cost less, until now.
Flexo Wash recently unveiled its new Ink Cartridge Cleaner at Printing United Expo in Atlanta.
This cleaner is a great solution for cleaning empty, but dirty, offset ink cartridges. Ink is washed from the dirty cartridges so that they can be recycled and reused.
This Ink Cartridge Cleaner has options to clean 6, 10 and 14 cartridges per cycle. It operates with a wash, drain and rinse cycle. Cartridges are placed in holders and cleaned with custom spray nozzles on the inside and outside during the wash cycle. Operator places three components removed from the cartridges in baskets for cleaning.
The newly cleaned cartridges are then refilled with ink and put back into the press.
Patrick Potter states “this patent pending process and technology is going to revolutionize offset cartridge printing. Now thousands of used cartridges will not head to landfills when they are perfectly good for reuse, they just needed to be cleaned and reset. As the printing industry focuses on sustainability, this is a big step forward for our entire industry and for printing as a whole. “
Benefits:
- Environmentally sound cleaning process
- Ink cartridges can be reused and refilled with ink for multiple uses
- No more single use ink cartridges headed straight to the landfill
- Pair with Flexo Wash Filtration Unit to reduce the amount of liquid waste