ROTOGRAVURE INKING SYSTEMS

Surface of the cylinder –completely covered with ink to ensure that

all the cells are filled to capacity – to prevent the evaporation of the
ink
Types of inking systems:
1. Immersion Gravure ink system
2. Waterfall Gravure Ink wetting
3. Premetered wetting system
4. Fountainless wetting system
Immersion Gravure Ink System

The GC received a coating of ink

as it passed through the ink
trough in the ink pan or
immersion wetting system
It is used today with very slow
speed and short run gravure
presses
ADVANTAGES:
It is easier to clean
DRY ANGLE: The angular distance from the point of db wiping to the
place where the cylinder is once again covered with ink is called the dry
angle
WET ANGLE: The angular distance for which the surface of the GC is
covered with ink or coating is called wet angle
It is best to have the smallest possible dry angle on gravure presses
which use solvent inks and coatings for the following reasons:
1.The shortest distance between db wiping and the printing point will
prevent any of the ink in the cells from evaporation and having a higher
than normal viscosity
Increased viscosity will have a detrimental effect on the amount of liquid
deposited on the substrate and the overall printing quality
2. Not all of the ink in the cells is extracted in the printing nip,
and the smallest residue left in the cells must not be allowed to
solidify
Therefore the smallest angular distance between the wiping and
the printing nip, and between the printing nip and the rewetting
point is the best for all types of solvent based liquids
DISADVANTAGES: The surface of the rotating GC becomes
covered by a boundary layer of air and this prevent the liquid
from filling the small gravure cells
* Foaming problem
INK APPLICATOR OR WATERFALL WETTING SYSTEM

The principal wetting

device is a tube which
extends across the face of
the GC and it is known as
Ink applicator
It extrudes a stream of
liquid onto the rotogravure
cylinder at a point which is
as close to the printing nip
as possible
The excess liquid falls down the surface of the rotating GC and collects
in a sub-pan under the cylinder
The level of the liquid remaining in the sub-pan is maintained so that
only a small section of the gravure cylinder passes through it
This is the secondary cylinder wetting device
Sometimes the sub-pan is lowered so that the cylinder does not pass
through the ink bath – not recommended
The sub-pan and the ink applicator must have adjustable mounting
positions so that they can conform to the various gravure cylinder
diameters
ADVANTAGES:
1. The lips of the applicator are positioned very close to the surface
of the GC about 0.25mm away
This deflects the vast majority of the boundary air layer, and allows the
ink to fill the small cells at very high printing speeds
The ink falls out of the ink applicator because of gravity when the
speed of the gravure press id 300 m/min or less. Hence this system is
called a waterfall or gravity-flow wetting system
The ink flow is pressurized, and hence the air boundary layer
becomes thicker as the speed increases, and the thicker air layers offer
greater resistance to penetration by the ink
The dry angle is reduced when an ink applicator is used
Faster evaporation solvents is used hence no worry about ink drying
in the cells after the cylinder has been wiped by the DB
Small part of the GC passes through the bath in the sub-pan and so
the foaming problem is reduced
Higher printing speeds with fewer printing problems than immersion
wetting system
DISADVANTAGES:
The time required to clean or replace the components when
changing jobs
Poorly designed ink applicators can become clogged, which will
starve one section of the cylinder for ink
Do not use applicators which have small holes as holes can become
clogged more easily than a slot
The normal viscosity of gravure inks is less than 1000 centipoise,
but the gravure application system is versatile enough to use liquids
which have higher viscosities
Inks and coatings with the viscosity of up to 4000 centipoise have
difficulties in filling the cells accurately with either the pan or
applicator wetting systems
ROLLER OR PREMETERED WETTING SYSTEM

Utilizes a rubber
covered roller to apply
and premeter the liquid
onto the surface of the
gravure cylinder
The fountain or the
doctor roller rotates
inside the ink bath at a
slower speed than the
gravure cylinder, and this
minimizes the foaming
problem
 A layer of ink or coating is deposited on the surface of the GC and the
pressure of the rubber roller forces it into the cells
 Consistent cell filling with viscous inks and coatings
 The doctor roller is driven at a slower speed than the gravure cylinder
and this reduces the forces acting on the DB by wiping most of the
surface liquid off the GC after the cells have been filled
 A thin ink layer remains on the surface of the gravure cylinder after
the slower turning doctor roller removes most of the ink
 This serves two purpose:
1. It helps lubricate the gravure cylinder-rubber roller nip
2. It keeps the ink in the cells covered until the cylinder is wiped
clean by the DB, and this assures cleaner wiping at lower blade
pressure when high viscosity liquids are used
 Premetered gravure wetting system is recommended when inks and
coatings of higher than 1000 -1500 centipoise are to be used
 All gravure printers wish to use aqueous inks and coatings to
replace or supplement their solvent based liquids
 Water based liquids have several major advantages over solvent
based liquids:
1. They do not polluter the air
2. They are less expensive, even when compared to using
recovered solvents
3. They cannot burn
DISADVANTAGES of WBI:
1. Poor adhesion to plastic films
2. Curling and puckering of cellulose webs due to water migration
3. Serious ink foaming problem
The immersion, waterfall and premetered cylinder wetting systems
increase the foaming problem of water based inks and coatings
FOUNTAINLESS GRAVURE SYSTEM OR FOUNTAINLESS WETTING SYSTEM

Cylinder wetting system

which will minimize the
foaming problem is referred
to as fountainless gravure
system or fountainless
wetting system
The cylinder does not pass
through an open pan, as
this creates foam due to the
agitation of the liquid and
the entrapment of boundary
air
The fountainless gravure system wets the cylinder with a very deep
ink applicator, about 75-100 mm deep rather than 6 mm
The applicator has two stainless steel or plastic wiping blades, one on
the top and another on the bottom
The top blade acts as a boundary air layer deflector, and the lower
blade prewipes the surface of the cylinder.
The blades act as containment surfaces for the liquid and this
prevents it from being agitated
The liquid leaking out of the bottom of the applicator is collected in
the pan under the cylinder and returned to the reservoir
Conventional DB is used when printing with fountainless gravure
system and the bottom applicator blade is a reverse angle type
The reverse angle DB cannot wipe the surface of the GC as cleanly as
a positive angle, but the fountainless gravure system does not use a
positive angle DB when some types of coatings are being applied
 COMPARISION OF VARIOUS INKING SYSTEM

•Overflow inking system is more recommended:

• 1. more liquid is supplied to the wetting units than is taken
away by the printing cylinder
• 2. keeps the ink well mixed and maintains a more uniform
density and consistency
•Ink fountain and tanks should always be covered and hence a well-
designed ink fountain covering system be included with all gravure
printing presses
•The design of the ink covers is more complicated
•The inking system must contain a well designed ink shield system
which prevent the ink from being slung off the cylinder into the
work area, and from entering the operating parts, such as bearings
and doctor blade