India-based packaging solutions provider Uflex has achieved low ink GSM for rotogravure printing.
The company has optimized cell structures of laser engraved rotogravure cylinders, which will result in around 20-25% less ink consumption compared to electro-mechanically engraved counterpart.
Laser engraving provides better flexibility towards varying cell shapes and structures for the rotogravure cylinders compared to electro-mechanical engraving that produces conventional cell shape, resulting in low ink GSM while printing on the substrate.
Initially, the ink will be taken by the cylinder and transferred on to the substrate. The rotogravure cylinder is immersed in the ink sump.
During the process of printing, the recessed (engraved) cells will pick up the ink, and the substrate gets inserted between the impression roller and the gravure cylinder.
Later, the ink will be transferred from recessed cells to the substrate by capillary action, enabling to achieve low ink GSM for rotogravure printing.
The using laser engraved rotogravure cylinder with modified cell structures will help in lower solvent consumption for preparing the ink for printing.
It will also result in better printability, in addition to the lower power consumption by the printing press.
Uflex cylinders business joint president P.K. Agarwal said: “On the laser engraving set-up, our team has been able to create various modifications on honeycomb cell structure, line cell structure, TB cell structure and others which in turn during the print run render solid backgrounds, coating with high & low depths, other specialized coatings, vignettes, half tone images among several others.
“Typical cross-sections of an electro-mechanically engraved cylinder having conventional cell structure and a laser engraved rotogravure cylinder having modified/ optimized cell structure are shown herein below.”
