Practical experience in label printing: "Inkspitting"

Practical experience in label printing: "Inkspitting"

02.03.2016

In our series "Practical experience in label printing," we address everyday challenges in label printing and how to solve them. In this issue, we focus on the topic of "cloudy" print images in screen printing.

Problem identification:

Fine color splashes across the entire print width (in the direction of machine travel), which are also visible on the surface of the anilox roller.

Troubleshooting:

• Reduce machine speed
• Increase or decrease squeegee pressure
• Set squeegee angle flatter
• Insert the screen roller offset by 180°
• Clean the screen roller thoroughly
• Reduce paint viscosity with additives
• Add antistatic additive to the paint (3–5%).
• Check that the squeegee system is correctly assembled
• Use a different squeegee type
• Change color series (concentration of color pigments may be too high)
• Inadequate surface finishing during the manufacture of the anilox roller. In this case, the anilox roller must be reworked by the manufacturer.
• Use anilox rollers with a different cell geometry.
• Use special squeegee against "ink spitting" from Gallus (only valid for chamber squeegee system)!

Gallus order numbers: EM 280: 185714, EM 410 S: 1070404, EM 510 S: 1070403, RCS 330: 185715, RCS 430: 189326