PADERBORN, Germany—Zecher GmbH, an international manufacturer of chrome and ceramic anilox rollers, announced the installation of LaserEcoClean, an innovative laser cleaning system that gently eliminates all ink and varnish residues, unlike conventional deep-cleaning methods, at its facility in Paderborn, Germany.
Regular deep cleaning of operational anilox rollers is of crucial importance when it comes to high-quality printing. According to Zecher GmbH, however, conventional procedures remove only part of the accumulated residues concerned. The manufacturer of anilox rollers has therefore taken on this challenge and carried out various tests in collaboration with the LaserEcoClean company.
The outstanding results obtained have led to the installation of the laser cleaning system at Zecher, expanding the portfolio of cleaning services offered by the company. “Microscopic imaging reveals that the inner recesses of the cells on cleaned rollers are barely distinguishable from those of a brand new roller,” said Jörg Rohde, head of applications technology at Zecher GmbH. “After the cleaning process, the pick-up volume of the anilox roller can once again be used to its full extent, and printers benefit from the same uniform inking performance as before.”
They can also be absolutely sure of the reliability of laser cleaning’s effect on the surface of the roller, which remains wholly unharmed by the cleaning process, according to Zecher GmbH. “As a relatively low-power laser beam is used, the temperature of the ceramic surface is well below the material’s melting point, which prevents any damage to the outside of the anilox roller.”
Laser cleaning is therefore enjoying growing popularity, thanks to both optimized printing performance and the eco-friendly nature of the process itself, which involves no consumables, hazardous waste or harmful chemicals. As this innovative cleaning option meets the increasingly stringent environmental requirements of the printing industry, its role is expected to become more and more significant, according to Zecher GmbH.
For more information visit www.zecher.com.