Fountain Rollers vs. Anilox Rollers: Important Differences

The flexographic printing process is filled with a number of important components, each of which are essential in ensuring that final printed products look exactly the way they’re supposed to. Among these components are fountain rollers and anilox rollers (also known as fountain rolls and anilox rolls respectively). Though different in both form and function, these two components are both vital to the flexographic printing process. In this article, our flexography specialists here at Flexo Wash have created a short guide on the key differences between fountain rollers and anilox rollers and both components’ overall importance and role in the flexographic printing process as a whole. We’ve also included information on why keeping both of these components clean is an absolute must, and how our state-of-the-art automated flexo washing machines can help you optimize the cleaning process for fountain rollers, anilox rollers, and other flexography components. Read on to learn more, and contact our flexography experts directly at 502-592-5797 today!

Fountain Rollers

We’ll start with fountain rollers, since their job begins earliest in the flexo printing process. In a flexo printing system, the fountain roller is in direct contact with ink from the ink the ink fountain. Ink is transferred onto the fountain roller so that the fountain roller can apply a specific amount to the anilox roller in the next step of the printing process. The amount of ink transferred to the fountain roller is regulated by a device called the fountain blade. The rotational speed of the roller itself also plays a role in how much is transferred to the anilox roll and the flexo plates. A fountain roller that turns through a longer distance will transfer more ink to the surface of the anilox roller, and a longer amount of contact between the anilox and fountain rollers also affects how much ink is sent through the system.

Anilox Rollers

Next are the anilox rollers. Anilox rollers perform a vital step of the flexographic printing process and are in large part what makes flexography unique. After ink is transferred by a fountain roller in a flexo system, the anilox roller meters the ink that will then be transferred onto the flexo plate. Anilox rollers have engraved cells with specific volumes meant for carrying certain ink amounts. These cells determine thickness and can only be seen with a microscope. Ink thickness, in turn, determines several aspects of the final printed product, including color definition and opacity.

Keeping Your Fountain Rollers and Anilox Rollers Clean with Flexo Wash

Both fountain rollers and anilox rollers play vital rolls in flexography. When either of these components is not working correctly, the whole system suffers. One way this can happen is through improper cleaning. If fountain rollers and anilox rollers are not cleaned frequently, dried ink can build up and can cause a number of problems for printing accuracy and quality. If the rollers are not cleaned properly, they can wear down prematurely or break altogether. To ensure that you give your fountain rollers and anilox rollers the best washes possible, we advise investing in machinery to do the job right. When we say right, we mean efficiently, affordably, and properly. At Flexo Wash, we proudly design and manufacture a number of machines designed to clean anilox rolls, fountain rolls, and other parts of the flexographic printing process. We proudly carry products for both narrow-web products and wide-web products. Built with state-of-the-art features including gentle and efficient cleaning hardware, specialized cleaning solutions, open and closed circuit options, powerful microprocessors, and touch-screen interfaces for custom cleaning, our machines are excellent for any printing team looking for time- and money-saving roller washers that really work.

Explore our website to learn more about our many great products, and contact our team directly at 502-592-5797 today!

Never Skip A Cleaning — Work With Flexo Wash

Never Skip A Cleaning — Work With Flexo Wash for Effective and Efficient Flexography Cleaning

If you work in flexographic printing, you know how important your machines are to the overall success of your business. From anilox rolls and plates, to gravures and other flexography products, each mechanical component of your system needs to be working at its best in order for you to produce high-quality printed materials. When one of these components is not working the way it’s supposed to, it can compromise quality on your production line, costing you precious time and money. In flexography, the most common cause of faulty components and poor production is dirtiness. As an ink-intensive process, flexography printing is perpetually at risk of ink build-up at virtually every step of production — which is why cleaning your plates, rolls, slides, gravures, and other components as frequently as possible is of the utmost importance. At Flexo Wash, we proudly design and produce a selection of machines designed to streamline and optimize the flexography cleaning process for virtually every component imaginable. We’ve put together this short guide to show you why cleaning your flexography products is so important, and why working with us will not only give you the best results possible, but also save you time and money. Read on to learn more, and contact our flexography experts at 502-592-5797 today!

Flexography Cleaning: A Tale of Dedication and Delicacy

As stated above, cleaning the components of your flexography printing system is vital in ensuring optimal quality for your printed products and saving you time, money, and headache in the long run. Since the number one source or dirt and subsequent damage to components such as anilox rolls, screens, plates and gravures is ink — and since ink touches all of these components on every print run — it’s important to clean these components, ideally, after every run. On top of that, it’s also vital to use the correct cleaning equipment and chemicals so as to not damage your flexography components. Since every component is somewhat different in the way should be cleaned — and since all of the aforementioned products require considerable delicacy during washing — it can be quite a time-consuming venture to clean your flexography products on your own. For best results, and to save your yourself considerable time and hassle, it’s a wise choice to consider automation.

Comprehensive Component-Specific Solutions

Here at Flexo Wash, we proudly design and manufacture a wide range of flexography washing machines for high-quality component-specific cleaning. With options for both narrow web and wide web flexography equipment, our comprehensive selection has automated solutions to fit virtually any printing set-up. For anilox rolls, we offer a full line of roll cleaning machines that can remove all traces of dust and ink from rolls of any size in a matter of minutes. Simply place your rolls into the chamber and let the machine handle the rest. For plates and screens, we offer a comprehensive line of machines designed to effectively and efficiently clean each of these components respectively. The links given will lead you to our narrow web washing machines; for wide-web plate washers click here, and for wide-web sleeve washers click here. In addition to these flexography cleaning machines, we also offer a wide range of machines designed to clean gravures and other components of the flexography printing systems.

Find the Right Fit for Your Flexographic Printing Enterprise

If you are looking for a fast and fool-proof way to clean your flexography equipment the right way, there is no better choice than our automated cleaning equipment here at Flexo Wash. Our component-specific machines save users the hassle of finding the right cleaning chemicals and other equipment, all while ensuring that flexography parts are thoroughly washed in a fraction of the time it takes to wash them by hand. Save yourself time and money, and stop worrying about damaging your expensive printing equipment during cleaning — let our machines handle the process for you! Virtually every product in our extensive line comes standard with a state-of-the-art microprocessor and user-friendly touch-screen interface for custom cleaning options so you can get the perfect wash for your products.

Interested in learning more about which of our machines may be right for you? Browse our selection right on this site, or give our team a call directly at 502-592-5797 today!

Reduce Downtime with New Flexo Wash Anilox Sleeve Cleaner

Would you like to cut your press downtime in half?

Flexo Wash has a new Anilox Sleeve Cleaner that will do just that.

Wide web converters are always looking for ways to reduce press downtime and costs.  The new Flexo Wash FW 992XL Anilox Sleeve Cleaner will clean TWO wide web anilox sleeves at the same time in about 15 minutes.