Anilox Cleaners
The point of pain at Flexo-Graphics was that the method used to clean anilox rolls “broke down too often and too fast.” Due to this unreliable cleaning system, Flexo-Graphics employees spent a few hours per day cleaning rolls by hand. Two employees were dedicated to the manual cleaning of the anilox rolls, trays and parts. They used a combination of solvents and other cleaners but were having a hard time getting everything truly clean.
Tim McDonough of Flexo-Graphics reports, “Our eyes were really opened when an ink vendor showed us how dirty our ‘clean’ anilox rolls were, despite all the time and effort put into cleaning them.”
At Tapecon, since the purchase of the new 2×2 Anilox Roll Cleaner, dirty anilox rolls have never come up as a problem. “This is a testimony to the new system because before, it was a pain point,” according to Director of Operations Michael Gerbera. The cleaner is able to remove obscure inks from anilox rolls with success.
He describes his new system with a common analogy: “If you walk into a messy room, you realize it’s messy. If you walk into a clean room, you don’t realize it’s clean and that’s because you expect it to be clean. That’s the way it is when the anilox cleaning system is working. You expect it to work and for your anilox rolls to be clean. It just works and you expect that every time.”
Catapult Print was suffering from downtime woes as well. According to Chris Mountain, factory manager, “We have strict tolerances for color matching; we match all of our inks to the Pantone digital library and our target is under 2 Delta E. We were noticing weaker colors and spitting issues. This was causing at least a few hours of downtime a week, as we always take the time to make things right before the job is printed.”
When Catapult put a state-of the-art anilox cleaner to the test with its dirtiest anilox, which was badly stained, “After about 20 minutes, it came out like brand new.”
Plate Washing
At Steinhauser, manually washing flexographic plates by hand had become a daunting task, according to CEO Tara Halpin. “We were having a significant number of remakes of plates and the costs were through the roof. Simultaneously, the process we were using was not effective, was a safety hazard and was causing excess cleanup around the presses.”
Halpin has a sense of humor about her prior cleaning processes: “When we think back to the way we cleaned plates before our plate washer was put in, we literally laugh out loud. The image of a handmade spindle over a barrel to hold the plate on its cylinder while the pressman cleans it with alcohol and sprays it dry with an air hose, comes to mind.”
Typical machines are controlled by a microprocessor with a user-friendly touchscreen to adjust the wash programs. After the print job, all plates are placed on a conveyor belt, which automatically takes them through the entire wash process. Two types of rinsing systems are available: open and closed circuit. Plates are placed into the plate wash machine where the soft, moving brushes and cleaning solution deliver an efficient, gentle washing of the plates. The rinse water removes the final ink and solution residues and then warm air leaves the plates completely dry and ready for immediate use.
Parts Washing
Flexo-Graphics’ McDonough says, “In 2019, we added our second UV converting line. We had two helpers cleaning ink pans, blades, rollers per shift. Needless to say, this was becoming a bit time consuming and not a productive use of time in a tight labor market.”
The expanded UV production “tipped the scales in the way we cleaned our press parts.” Consequently, 18 months after buying an anilox cleaner, Flexo-Graphics purchased an additional cleaning system: the PK 200 WR parts washer. Results were immediate. McDonough said, “Upon installation, we were able to free employees to perform more of the press helper role they were brought on to do, rather than spending a shift cleaning pans. This led to more productivity on our servo presses and much faster cleaning of press parts.”
Catapult Print decided to buy a parts washer after seeing the great results from the anilox cleaner. Before, it had a specific employee who was responsible for manually cleaning chambers and other press parts throughout the day. Cleaning parts was taking an entire shift. By automating this process, the printer was able to better use this employee’s time in other capacities.
Mountain says, “To others considering investing in a cleaning system, I would fully recommend and ‘go for it!’ This has been one of the best decisions we’ve made regarding machinery and we are very happy with the investment.”
Modern parts washers make it possible to wash doctor blade chambers, ink trays, ink sumps and other removable press parts used with all types of inks, varnishes, etc. Units can be customized according to specific needs. They can be made with a moving nozzle arm, which ensures a more dynamic liquid flow, a higher pressure and thus an improved wash result. Manufacturers offer models built to clean with solvents, alkaline liquids, eco-friendly liquids and distillable eco-friendly liquids.
Options and accessories now available list out like this:
- Trolley with slide-in grid for easy handling of parts.
- High performance rotating nozzles for ink buckets
- Flexible jets to focus spray on difficult-to-clean items
- Racks for ink trays, cylinders and doctor blades
- Cleaning of hoses
- Automatic rinse at end of wash cycle—open system
- Automatic rinse at end of wash cycle—closed circuit
- Extra tank, pump and jets for two cleaning liquid
- Distillation systems and complete piping between parts washer, tanks and distiller
- Wastewater treatment unit
Deciding Factor
As the narrow web label and package printing industry has evolved over the years, the common thread with the converter’s decision to buy a cleaning system, or any technology for that matter, is solid return on investment.
When Steinhauser and Flexo Wash began talking about the plate washer, quick and simple calculations determined that it would pay for itself in eight months. According to Halpin, ROI “was the deciding factor for me. When my team brought it to my attention and I saw the numbers, I knew we had to make the purchase.”
Flexo-Graphics has “a history of investing in equipment to improve efficiencies and the anilox cleaner and parts washer fit that bill.” Mountain explains, “The amount of labor and machine time we have saved allowed us to easily realize a return on investment inside of 12 months on both the anilox cleaner and the parts washer.”
As the demands for print quality continue to increase, so do calls for the modernization of the cleaning process. Automation of the cleaning process is the most effective way to ensure a zero-downtime environment. ROI associated with automation is always quick and very beneficial to the converter.
Today, cleaning with a combination of liquid and high-pressure water for 10 minutes to 20 minutes is performed fully automatically. Similarly, cleaning with a laser means no waste, takes 30 minutes to 50 minutes and is fully automatic. Preset programs cater to different cleaning needs.
By consensus of printers interviewed for this article, units are considered fast, safe and agile. Deep cleaning is accomplished with little to no wear and tear, often on a closed loop system.
In 2020, challenged by COVID-19 labor concerns, more narrow web converters have turned to automation as a way to deal with labor shortages. In fact, at this juncture in time, a higher percentage of converters than ever before has automated some portion of its cleaning process. Their objective: extend the lives of anilox rolls, sleeves and plates, even press parts by deploying a cost-effective tool designed to gain an edge on the competition.
Editor’s Note: This article was contributed by Flexo Wash.