Use of an impression roller is the second main difference between gravure presses and other web-fed machines. The purpose of the impression roller is to push the paper against the gravure cylinder to transfer ink from the image wells. The major considerations for impression rollers are coating and hardness, pressure, and electrostatic assist. Coating and Hardness Most impression rollers are formed from a steel core coated with rubber or a synthetic material, such as Du Pont’s Neoprene. Rubber hardness is measured by a Shore durometer. Values are given in Shore A readings. Hardness increases as Shore A numbers get larger. Different types of paper or substrates require different degrees of hardness for the impression roller. Material such as cellophane might require 60 Shore A, but kraft paper or chipboard might need 90 Shore A.Pressure Ink transfers to the web by pressure of the impression roller. Pressure might vary from 50 pounds per linear inch (pli) to 200 pli. More pressure does not always give better image quality, however, the amount of pressure the operator sets is determined by previous tests for the kind of paper being printed. Whatever setting is selected, it is critical that uniform pressure is applied over the entire length of the cylinder. The area of contact between the impression roller and the cylinder is called the nib width, or flat (figure below). The amount of nib width is determined by the hardness of the impression roller and the amount of pressure. The nib width is important because it is the area of image transfer to the paper or plastic web. The nib width is adjusted to give the bestquality image on the web stock.Electrostatic Assist A great advantage of the gravure process is that it allows high-quality images to be printed on low-grade papers. Problems do occur when the paper surface is coarse and imperfect, however. Ink transfers by direct contact. If a defect in the paper prevents that contact, then no image will transfer. The Gravure Research Association (now part of the Gravure Association of America) designed andlicensed a special device, called an electrostatic assist, to solve this problem and improve image transfer. With electrostatic assist printing, a power sources connected between the cylinder and the impression roller (figure below). A conductive covering must be added to the impression roller, but the cover causes no special problems. An electric charge is created behind the web, which forms an electrostatic field at the nib width. The charge pulls the ink around the edges of each well, which causes the ink to rise and transfer to the paper. Most presses are now equipped with electrostatic assist devices.
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