Daily maintenance of anilox rollers

As an indispensable part in flexographic equipment, ceramic anilox rollers need to be maintained during operation. Common cleaning methods include wire brushes, chemical cleaning agent soaking, sodium bicarbonate drying and cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning, etc. The cleaning methods that cannot be used are also briefly introduced.

Correct daily cleaning and maintenance methods

1. Daily cleaning of wire brushes

First wipe the ink with solvent, then apply the surface of the ceramic anilox roller with a special chemical cleaning agent, and use a special stainless steel wire brush with a wire diameter of 0.07 mm to clean the mesh.

2. Soak and clean chemical cleaning agent

Use a special ceramic anilox roller mesh chemical cleaning agent to soak the roller for 1 to 48 hours, and then spray the solution to the rotating ceramic anilox roller through a high-pressure spray device moving axially along the roller, clean the residual ink in the mesh, and finally rinse with clean water and blow dry.

3. Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) drying and cleaning system

The principle of spraying dried sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) powder to the ceramic anilox roller at low pressure hits the residual dry ink in the mesh can effectively clean the ceramic anilox roller.

4. Ultrasonic cleaning

The roller is immersed in the chemical cleaning solution and rotated slowly. The ultrasonic generator vibrates the solution, producing countless micro bubbles that hit the mesh. The bubbles explode under pressure to hit the mesh wall to achieve the purpose of removing residues in the mesh and thoroughly cleaning the mesh. Pay attention to using appropriate ultrasonic intensity, frequency, time and solution temperature to prevent excessive cleaning and damage to the mesh of the ceramic anilox roller.

The following cleaning methods are strictly prohibited

1. Steam spray wash

It can damage the surface of the anilox roller carving, causing corrosion of the steel body.

2. Burn

The flames sprayed from high temperatures can seriously damage the surface of the ceramic, causing the anilox roller to deform and leave traces on the ceramic.

3. Acid and its chemical substitutes

This is the worst way to try to clean the rollers. Many acid compounds can seriously affect ceramic spraying and corrode the shaft head and steel body, and the acid can also affect the health of the operator.