Daetwyler SwissTec India (DSI) and Flint Group India jointly organized a technical seminar on 19 December 2014 at Hotel Cidade De Resort in Daman. The seminar which was attended by more than 65 representatives of different firms targeted the press operators, printing supervisors, quality control managers, production managers and cylinder makers. It discussed vital elements of flexography and the gravure industry which included doctor blades, cylinders and inks.
Mangesh Bhise, senior manager, sales and technical support, Daetwyler SwissTec India, spoke about doctor blades and their applications in gravure printing and urged users to focus on total cost while selecting doctor blades. During his presentation, Bhise said, Proper set-up and usage of doctor blades on the printing press ensures that you get longer life and excellent wiping action from the doctor blade.
He also gave doctor blade mounting tips which indicated that the blade holders must be kept clean there should be no ink sedimentation between the blade and the holder; care must be taken to ensure that the blade fits firmly without undulations. Once the blade is mounted on the holder, the lamella should face upwards and be visible; screws should be tightened from the middle outwards the distance between the support blade tip and blade holder must be about 10 to 20 mm. The support blade should be clean and uniform, and mounted on top of the doctor blade; to allow flexibility and proper lubrication, the thickness of the support blade should be a minimum of 0.5 mm to 0.6 mm approximately; in order to provide more flexibility to the doctor blade at the cylinder ends, the edges of the support blade must be tapered. This will help the blade from cutting at the cylinder ends and will enhance blade life as well as printing cylinder life.
Flexography and gravure converters looking at the doctor blades and printed samples. Photo PSASanjeev Bansal, technical director of Flint Group India introduced different types of ink systems available for gravure and flexography applications, present trends and future innovations in inks to add value to total print productivity. In his speech, Bansal said, The ink technology has evolved over a period of time. Today, there are different types of inks available for different applications. Users emphasize on inks which are eco-friendly and simultaneously cost-effective. If the converter has the Ink Management System at its premises, then it is easy for him to match or show different combination of inks to his customers. Moreover, he does not have to wait for the manufacturer to supply the desired grade of ink.
Nitin Apte of Diadeis Alia explained the importance of cylinder making and various parameters affecting print quality. Kishore Sarkar, vice president sales for East and South East Asia at Daetwyler SwissTec Switzerland, highlighted various printing problems in gravure and flexography and suggested suitable remedies based on his years of experience in the industry.
Concluding the event, Upal Roy, managing director of Flint Group India said, It is very important for us to reach the converters so that they are made aware of the latest development in gravure and flexography. It is vital for us to share the technicalities of the process so that the converters are aware about the problems and their solutions.
