Printing Machinery: How To Care For The Rollers
What are current best practices when it comes to making rollers last longer? Lowering your costs can be a direct result of improved roller life. So who wouldn’t want that?
What are rollers? What are they used for? In the printing and machinery industry, there are different types of this component. Some are made of steel while others used in the packaging and printing industry are rubber coated. Their main purpose is to apply adhesive or ink and, additionally, for paper transportation.
Why Do Rollers Need “Care”?
These components are frequently are put into some pretty strenuous circumstances so caring for them might not seem like anything of importance. But why subject them to adverse conditions before you even use them? When they’re being stored, they should be stored properly. That way, when it comes time to use the stored rollers, they will be in pristine condition.
Rubber rollers awaiting use should be stored in temperatures no higher than 90°F and no lower than 60°F. They should be stored in an area where no work takes place and out of extreme temperatures, direct sunlight, and free from airborne contaminants. You do not want your rollers to develop a flat spot or “take a set”. This is why some rollers are supported at the journals, but some can be stored on a flat surface. It all depends on the roller. If they have to be stored flat, they are wrapped in bubble wrap or placed on foam and should be rotated every month approximately 90°.
Rollers must be protected from bending and twisting, or other stresses, if they have low temperature properties that make up the roller coverings. When handling these types of rollers in temperatures less than 40°F, extreme care must be taken. Severe temperature changes can affect smaller rollers before they will affect larger ones.
Additional Considerations And Precautions
In addition to the care listed above it should be noted that rollers should never be used in an environment that they were not made for. When you finally do use your rollers, keep a performance record on all of them. In the future, this may help make decisions about purchases and also assist in maintaining an accurate record of maintenance.
An extremely important consideration would be to think about applying a thermal spray process to your rollers to extend their life expectancy.
Using Thermal Spray Coatings To Protect Rollers
The performance of the above stated rollers can be affected by debris saturating the ends or bearings. It is simply a natural consequence of the rollers being subjected to adhesives, ink, and other debris. With many types of printing machinery, these rollers included, thermal spray is used to coat parts with aluminum alloys, steel, or some other material. Not only can thermal spray coatings head off wear before it starts, it can also restore certain components.
A&A Coatings can make your rollers last longer with surface finishing/thermal spray coating. Contact us today if have questions or would like to find out more about what thermal spray coatings can do for you and your business.
