In flexographic printing, the cells of Anilox roller are inevitably blocked by ink skin, paper paint or paper wool or other dirt, which affects the quality of printing and the normal use of Anilox roller, so it must be cleaned in time. There are 5 methods, but the points that should be paid attention to are the same, that is, to re-clean the effect, but also to avoid damage to Anilox roller.

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1. Chemical cleaning method
Dissolve the ink skin clogged in the Anilox roller mesh with caustic soda solution, and then rinse with high-pressure water jets. When cleaning, put the Anilox roller in a closed tank, while rotating, rinse with hot lye, then clean with high-pressure water spray, and finally blow dry with compressed air. In the meantime, lye and clean water are respectively recovered and filtered. The advantage of this method is that the damage to the Anilox roller is small, and the cleaning effect is good, especially for the fine cells with more than 1000 lines per inch.
Second, the "sand blasting" method
The "sand" particles are sprayed to Anilox roller with compressed air to drive out the dirt such as ink skin from the mesh. "Sand" is not real sand particles, but small particles with a hardness lower than that of the Anilox roller surface, which is sprayed from the spray gun to the rotating Anilox roller by means of compressed air. The following points should be mastered during operation: the spray gun and Anilox roller should be kept at a certain distance, and they should be vertical, (do not deviate, otherwise the cell wall will be easily damaged). The movement speed of the spray gun and the rotation speed of the Anilox roller should be controlled properly and kept stable. The pressure of "sand" blasting should also be controlled properly and constant. Too light will result in poor cleaning effect, and too heavy to damage Anilox roller. Therefore, this method is not suitable for daily use, and is only suitable for interval use.
Three, drying soda powder method
Similar to method two, but using specially formulated baking soda powder as blasting "sand", it is non-toxic and soft, not easy to damage Anilox roller, and has a good decontamination effect. The air pressure during spraying should not exceed 40 psi. This method is not only provided by a dedicated service station, but also can be carried out within the company, especially on a large flexographic printing press.
Four, low temperature method
Dry ice particles made of liquid carbon dioxide are used as spray material, and spray gun to Anilox roller at 80-100 psi air pressure. The advantage of this method is that it is environmentally friendly, but the disadvantage is that the particles of dry ice are usually larger than 0.04 inches, and it is not easy to spray into the cells below 200 lines.
Five, spray plastic particles method
This method is often advertised as a non-wearing method for ceramic Anilox rollers. Similar to other spraying methods, the Anilox roller is placed in a closed groove to rotate, and the spray gun moves at a certain distance, angle and speed. If polyethylene particles are used, the injection pressure is approximately 60 psi. The plastic particles are soft, but the edges are sharp. When sprayed on the surface of the cell, they will pop out, and the dirt in the cell will be taken out. Then an air washing chamber separates the plastic particles from the dirt carried out. Now, the plastic particles can be recycled again. The latest development of this method has been applied to the Anilox roller cleaning with 1000-1500 lines per inch engraved by YAG laser.