¿Qué es TruPoint Green?
TruPoint Green is a next generation polymer doctor blade for corrugated printers producing mid-level graphics.
¿Por qué TruPoint Green TruPoint?
UHMW has always been the “standard” doctor blade used in corrugated applications. However, as graphics requirements grow, many printers are finding that UHMW can’t meter their mid-level line screen anilox rolls effectively. Corrugated printers are reluctantly turning to steel in these applications even though steel blades don’t last as long and can easily cut press operators.
TruPoint Green is a blade that can handle these metering requirements while delivering the added benefits that polymers are known for – longer blade life and a safer alternative to steel.
¿Por qué no funciona UHMW en estas aplicaciones?
UHMW is fine for basic graphics, but it lacks the precision for the higher graphic requirements today’s brand owners expect. Why? Because of the contact area between the blade and the anilox roll. A general rule of thumb is the smaller the contact area, the better the metering (or, the larger the contact area, the lower the metering quality).
Cuando se recibe del fabricante, una cuchilla nueva de UHMW toca el rodillo con una pequeña superficie de contacto. Pero a medida que la cuchilla se desgasta, el área de contacto se hace muy grande, llegando a duplicar el grosor de la cuchilla.
The large contact area is made worse by the poor mechanical creep characteristic of UHMW. “Creep,” or “spring memory,” is the ability of a material to maintain its shape under force. For doctor blades, it represents how well a blade is able to maintain its original shape after being flexed. (View the Doctor Blade Mechanical Creep infographic to learn more)
UHMW has poor creep; it relaxes under a constant load and doesn’t spring back very well. In fact, it loses 70% of its reaction force in the first 30 minutes of being used and 78% of its force over a 14-hour period. To maintain blade contact with the anilox roll, press operators have to increase pressure as the blade loses its elasticity. This increased pressure further increases the contact area and restarts the creep cycle (while accelerating blade wear). Ink film thickness grows, and printers end up with dirty print and ink waste.
Quién creó TruPoint Green?
TruPoint Green was created by and is exclusive to Flexo Concepts. Being a doctor blade innovator, the company set out on a two-year journey to develop a product that could function as a drop-in replacement for UHMW with the right amount of creep to maintain contact area in these mid-level graphics applications.
¿Cómo fue TruPoint Green TruPoint?
Flexo Concepts started by developing a material that was stiffer than UHMW but with enough flexibility to achieve a good contact area with the roll, better mechanical creep and superior wear properties. After two years of testing and refining, the company found the solution it was looking for: a custom compounded material that combines two different polymers. In lab tests, our engineers were happy to find that the material demonstrated better stiffness and only half the creep of UHMW and a much lower wear rate than that of steel! As a result, press operators see better print quality and don’t have to stop their presses as often for blade adjustments and changes.
¿Dónde estaba TruPoint Green TruPoint?
The proprietary material was developed and extensively tested in Flexo Concepts’ state-of-the-art Doctor Blade Innovation Lab in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Our customers spent over a year conducting additional trials of TruPoint Green in their plants to help us refine the material.
Es TruPoint Green "green"?
Además de proporcionar una solución de hoja eficaz en aplicaciones gráficas de nivel medio, Green también ayuda a los impresores a a reducir su huella de carbono¡! El principal polímero utilizado para fabricar Green se crea a partir de monóxido de carbono recapturado de una acería. Si este vapor se liberara a la atmósfera, se descompondría en dióxido de carbono, un conocido gas de efecto invernadero.
En resumen, TruPoint Green ofrece una opción de cuchilla para impresores de cartón ondulado que buscan un sustituto directo de UHMW que mida tan bien como el acero. Con mejor rigidez, resistencia a la fluencia y vida útil de la cuchilla, Green es la mejor alternativa a UHMW y al acero en aplicaciones de serigrafía de línea media.
Entonces... ¿Cuándo TruPoint Green estará disponible?
¡Ya está disponible! Visite www.flexoconcepts.com/green-doctor-blade para obtener más información.
