Good Anilox Roll Care Can Improve the Bottom Line
For obvious reasons, it is important that the storage system itself does not contribute to anilox damage, especially when placing or removing the anilox from the storage unit. For metal racks, this means any metal surfaces that could come in contact with the anilox face must be shielded with rubber or foam. Upright supports and the frame are usually eligible to provide this unwanted contact, so look there first. There are a number of ways available to pad the storage unit. For racks with pegs, you can slip slightly longer ink tubing over the pegs and then you have a simple barrier to prevent contact with the engraved face of the anilox. Make sure the pegs are to the inside of the frame, or the anilox will surely rest on the frame itself. Sleeve racks should have rubber or plastic bump-stops that prevent the sleeve from striking a support or weld at the back of the unit. Sleeve racks can get too crowded for the available space, especially if loading sleeves that have a larger diameter than intended for the rack. You do not want any anilox sleeves coming in contact with another anilox sleeve. Short slide-out extensions can be made to ensure the sleeve cannot drop on the sleeve below without clearance. If your journalled aniloxes require hoists to remove and install at the storage system, locate the system so it is centered to help prevent the possibility of contact from the pendulum movement of the heavy anilox.
- Companies:
- Harper Corp. of America