ALVAR® skina - Roller Cleaning

During the cleaning of large-format printing machines, the excess water-based ink remaining on the central cylinder after printing is automatically detached from the cylinder and removed from the printing area using the cleaning system. Additionally, any remaining haze on the cylinder is also removed. Solvent-based inks or 2K inks, consisting of a binder, water, and a hardener, are mainly used for printing on films and paper webs.

To reduce or avoid the use of solvents, water-based inks are increasingly being employed. However, these cannot be removed with conventional methods, devices, or machines.

Due to the water-based nature of these inks, they tend to smear during cleaning rather than being completely removed. The residual ink haze on the cylinder partially transfers to the webs to be printed, becoming visible on the final product. This currently results in waste and complaints.

To clean the system, operators and maintenance personnel use various cleaning agents and tools in or around the machines. This necessitates regular and extended downtime with significant material consumption. The removal of dried ink with a spatula or similar tool, followed by cleaning with cloths and cleaning agents, is no longer necessary.