Tag: Ink Spitting

  • 3 Ways to Conquer UV Ink Spitting in your Pressroom

    3 Ways to Conquer UV Ink Spitting in your Pressroom

    Ever seen your perfect print job turn into a messy, chaotic artwork? If you’re a label printer, you’ve probably faced the nightmare of UV ink spitting. But don’t worry, we’ve got the solutions you need to reclaim your sanity! 

    1. Start with Some TLC

    Ensure your equipment is in top shape. Clean the anilox roll, inspect the doctor blade holder or chamber, and lower the doctor blade pressure for a perfect wipe. Minor tweaks can work wonders. 

     2. Opt for New Anilox Roll Engravings

    Traditional engravings can hinder UV ink flow. Because UV inks have a viscosity of 5-7 times greater than that of water-based or solvent-based formulations, different anilox configurations may be required. New elongated hexagonal cell engravings, or even newer channeled engravings, can improve ink transfer and reduce or eliminate ink spitting.  

     3. Try a Different Doctor Blade

    Doctor blades are an easy variable to change when up against UV ink spitting. It’s a low-cost part with a big impact. TruPoint polymer doctor blades are a fantastic choice for handling UV inks. Why? Our unique MicroTip edge ensures consistent ink metering but more importantly, TruPoint polymer materials have a lower surface energy than steel.  

    This lower surface energy reduces the attraction of the UV ink to the doctor blade and allows for a cleaner ink transfer. Steel’s high surface energy attracts UV ink, causing it to accumulate on the backside of the blade and then release. This is UV ink spitting! Ink Spitting explained

     Taming UV ink spitting can be easier than you think. Regular maintenance and the right doctor blade can make all the difference. Don’t let ink-spitting drive you crazy; we’re here to help! 

     

    Request a Free TruPoint Doctor Blade Sample
  • New Polymer Doctor Blades with MicroTip Are Best for Applying Special Effects Coating

    New Polymer Doctor Blades with MicroTip Are Best for Applying Special Effects Coating

    Anyone who uses doctor blades for printing knows the range of options available today.  From the thickness of the material to the tip configuration, a doctor blade’s design has a direct impact on the job it will do.  While traditional tip options have ranged from straight to rounded to lamella, the new kid on the block, “MicroTip,” offers printers a smart choice when applying special effects coating.

    Special effects coatings are challenging

    More and more, packaging companies are using specialty coatings to differentiate their brands and create a tactile and visual experience for consumers.  However, special coatings such as glitter, grit, soft-touch, metallics and pearlescents present particular challenges for the printer.  These coatings have high viscosities and contain larger particles which make it difficult to accurately control the amount of coating

     

    being applied. (UV chemistries, common in specialty coating applications, have a viscosity of 5-7 times that of water and solvent-based formulas.)  This higher viscosity applies extra pressure to the metering blade, resulting in hydroplaning or “spitting” (especially at high line speeds), and increases coating consumption and waste.  In these cases, a customized blade solution is often necessary to control the lay-down of coating.

    New Polymer Doctor Blades with MicroTips can help

    Doctor blade manufacturers have found a way to make new polymer doctor blade materials that can overcome the limitations of steel in specialty coating applications.  By engineering a modified lamella tip, known as a “MicroTip”, on these materials, they have introduced a doctor blade product that offers the best of traditional plastic and steel.

    Why do they work?

    When used to apply special effects coating, steel blades are subject to accelerated blade wear from the coarse anilox engravings and corrosion from the harsh coating chemistries.  Today’s new polymer materials are compatible with all coating formulas and do what plastic blades are known to do best: last longer.

    MicroTip profilesThe blades can be engineered to a full range of size and profile combinations to optimize metering performance with the higher viscosity and large particulate formulas.  They range in thickness from .027”/.7mm to .050”/1.25mm to offer varying degrees of stiffness, rigidity and deflection.  These properties combined with the new MicroTip edge allow the blades to achieve a fine contact area with the anilox roll and deliver a fluid transfer of coating to the blanket with no spitting or slinging, even at high press speeds.  Add to this a range of MicroTips, (M10, M15 and M25) and these blades can be customized for a “perfect fit.”

    Doctor blade optimization for special effects coating

    The choice of blade thickness and tip will be determined by the anilox configuration, which is driven by the viscosity and solid load of the coating.  Typically, higher line screens and lower cell volumes will require a smaller MicroTip (an M10 or M15 for dull/satin/gloss coatings for example), but as line screens decline and volumes increase, a MicroTip providing a larger contact area (M15 or M25) will perform better.  By optimizing their next generation polymer doctor blades with the appropriate MicroTip, printers are able to achieve longer blade life in these applications than with steel.

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    If you’re a printer struggling with special effects coating, consider switching to a next generation polymer doctor blade with a MicroTip.  A magical combination of advanced material and tip might be just what you need to achieve a perfect lay-down of coating with longer blade life to boot.

    Request a Free TruPoint Doctor Blade Sample
  • UV Ink Spitting is a Dirty Habit

    blankAs competition for shelf space heats up, brand owners are looking to create more compelling-looking products. That means prettier graphics, more vivid colors and unique packaging. Today’s narrow web printers, also facing intense competition, are turning to UV inks and specialty coating formulas to produce higher print quality, speed up turnaround times, increase throughput and reduce downtime. Unfortunately, using a steel doctor blade to meter these chemistries often result in the UV ink spitting onto your print job, causing a speckled appearance. Where steel falls short, the TruPoint Orange® next generation doctor blade may be the solution in these applications.

    Eliminate UV Ink Spitting with TruPoint Orange

    The surface energy and flexibility of a steel blade can impede a smooth transfer of ink to the plate. The dyne level of a steel blade is higher than that of TruPoint Orange, causing the ink to have a greater tendency to adhere to the blade. With Orange, the characteristics of the material give the blade a significantly lower dyne level than steel, decreasing the attraction between the doctor blade and ink and facilitating a more fluid movement of ink to the plate.

    ink spitting steel doctor blades vs plastic doctor bladesAlso, UV ink has a normal viscosity of 5-7 times that of water and solvent-based inks, and its thixotropic properties (ability to thin out when agitated) make it transfer differently on press. This thicker consistency applies excessive pressure to a steel metering blade, often causing the ink to sling off, or “spit,” especially at high press speeds. The TruPoint Orange doctor blade prevents UV ink spitting. The blade’s tip provides enough stiffness to maintain a strong contact area with the anilox roll and prevent ink from sliding under the blade.

    Specialty Inks and Coatings Are Abrasive

    Specialty coatings and tactile finishes such as glitter, pearlescent, textures and soft touch, are being used to enhance the look of product packages, but the same challenging properties of UV inks also exist in these formulations. They have high viscosities and contain large particles, making it difficult to accurately control the volume being applied. These chemistries, and coarse anilox surfaces used to apply them, are extremely abrasive to steel doctor blades – printers consume blades faster which increases downtime and costs. TruPoint Orange next generation polymer blades are highly abrasion-resistant and chemically compatible with all ink and specialty coating formulas; they last longer and minimize press downtime for blade changes. Click Here to Read “5 Ways to Conquer UV Ink Spitting”

    As the industry evolves to keep up with the demands of the market, printers are faced with new challenges. The ink and coating formulas being used to make products stand out on the retail shelf and improve pressroom efficiency are difficult to meter with steel doctor blades. Due to its material properties and tip design, TruPoint Orange can help by reducing downtime and costs associated with UV ink spitting and accelerated blade wear.

    Request a Free TruPoint Doctor Blade Sample