Steel and polymer doctor blades differ in three key areas: safety, anilox protection, and blade life. Steel doctor blades are rigid, inexpensive, and provide excellent initial metering, but their hard metal edge scores and damages anilox roll surfaces over time. Steel blades also create a significant safety hazard: lacerations from handling steel doctor blades are one of the most common pressroom injuries.
Polymer doctor blades, such as TruPoint blades from Flexo Concepts, are made from engineered plastic materials that are softer than the chrome surface of anilox rolls. This means polymer blades clean the roll surface without scoring it. Polymer blades also eliminate the pressroom safety risk of sharp metal edges and typically last two to four times longer than steel blades in comparable applications. The trade-off is that polymer blades cost more per unit — but the extended life and anilox protection produce a lower total cost of ownership.
