Flexographic Printing Machines

Flexographic printing, often referred to as flexo printing, is a process that is used for printing on to basically any material; it is a modern version of a letterpress.

This process which is used to print packaging materials uses printing plates that are made from rubber or plastic, this material means that the process is flexible

Although it used to result in a relatively low quality print, recent advancements have meant that flexographic printing is now the most commonly used printing process in narrow web printing thanks to its flexibility, its high quality and its reliability.

The inks used in flexo printing are either water-based or solvent-based, but are either way very thin, this means that they dry quickly which makes this printing process ideal when several colours are used.

These printing machines essentially work by the substrate being fed through a series of rollers, the desired image is printed onto the material through the use of a printing plate, almost like a rubber stamp; with each colour having its own station.

At each inking station there are four rollers; an impression cylinder, a plate cylinder, an anilox cylinder and a fountain cylinder. The bottom cylinder (the fountain cylinder) is partly in an ink tray so that it draws ink from the tray as it rotates, this ink is then passed onto the anilox cylinder which contains lots of engraved cells which allow the ink to be received in measured quantities. This cylinder also uses a doctor blade to remove excess ink, ensuring an even coating of ink. The ink is then deposited from the anilox cylinder onto the flexible printing plate where it is then ready to be applied to the substrate.

Flexographic printing allows for high speed printing in large volumes and so is very economical, so it’s no surprise that it is a very popular form of printing.