Roll Up Your Sleeves

"The most common mistake by far is that, regardless of method, anilox rolls are not cleaned frequently enough," observes Mueller, who adds that there is no easy frequency formula—the appropriate time frame can depend on inks used, line screen count, length of time in the press and other variables. Printers' best bet is to simply integrate anilox roll cleaning into their regular maintenance routine, she says.

Marro believes convenience will foster cleaning motivation. "If you are using a tedious method that requires cleaning one roll at a time...you will wait for a problem to clean," he says. "And then you miss the objective of cleaning, which is to be running with clean rolls all the time."

It might take the trouble of a close examination to determine the best cleaning approach. "Have the proper tools to evaluate your anilox," Temple states. "I would encourage anyone with a large inventory of rolls to invest in a microscope so they can see what's happening."

At the same time, the definition of a clean roll may soon come down to a numerical value. Heffer predicts that new volume testing procedures will allow stricter cleaning method standardizations. This may soon enable printers to achieve volume consistency throughout a monthly cleaning cycle, and from plant to plant.

Zapping Away Contaminants

Fresh on the market is a laser anilox roll cleaning process developed by Datasphere, in which a "softened" laser beam heats and removes ink, polymer plate material, ink additives and even embedded metal from the surface of the roll. Laser cleaning is said to restore a ceramic roll surface's rewetting ability, which can be sapped by ink additives for release and scuff-resistance.

Laser cleaning is designed to be a saving grace to rolls returned for reengraving that "just got to the point where they wouldn't print," says Datasphere President Jerry Jenkins, who patented the anilox laser engraving process. "This is something that you do when you decide that the roll cannot be cleaned with a standard process," he adds. Many rolls get to this point of no return because printers add water to water-based inks, reducing ink ph and releasing additives and other contaminants onto the roll.