2.1 Intro to Flexography Flashcards
flexo originally called
aniline printing
what % of labels use flexo
90%
finishing operations only consist of
rewinding
a significant challenge in flexo prepress is
predicting and correcting distortion which occurs when mounting plate to cylinder
Distoriton affects
dots (halftone) , shapes, line widths, typeforms
distortion is most noticeable with
small diameter plate cylinders
flexo inks are
low-viscocity
solvent/water/UV based
colorants = pigments or dyes
what type of colourants is insoluble in flexo ink
pigments
what type of colorant is soluble in ink
dyes
ink must be selected with close consideration of substrate used…T or F?
TRUE
flexo substrates include
paper, film, foil, board
flexo was originally created for
packaging
flexo products are generally________ or ______
rewound (roll-to-roll) & sheeted
A _______ will form the printed product into its final form
converter
Flexo plates must be _______ or ______
molded & photopolymer
molded plates are made by
pouring liquid gun into a mold
plate is cured, hardened and removed from mold
TIME CONSUMING PROCESS
photopolymer plates are
light sensitive
non-image ares are washed away
PREMEDIA LAB PROJECT
an alt. to plates are _______ used for _________ (e.g. Wallpaper)
seamless design rolls & continuous repeat images
diff types of plates are available based on……
durometer (hardness)
polymers
inks
applications
durometer means….
hardness
plates are mounted to plate cylinder using 2 sided tape aka
stickyback (cushioned or non-cushioned)
plates mounted off press to cylindrical ______
sleves (slide onto plate cylinder)
REDUCE MAKE READY TIME
repeat length is determined by the
PLATE CYLINDER
flexo presses are available in four configurations
central impression (CI)
Stack
in-line (IL)
sheetfed corrugated
flexo print unit (print station) consists of 4 main parts
fountain roller
anilox roller
plate cylinder
impression cylinder
flexo inking system is ______ compared to litho inking system
shorter
there is no _______ in flexo inking across the plate
zonal control
chambered doctor blade metering has no ____
ink fountain roller, the anilox roller turns in the ink
-uses doctor blade & containment blade
the heart of the flexo inking system is also known as
the anilox roll
anilox rolls control
inking to plate
anilox rolls may be
chrome steel chrome ceramic mechanically engraved laser engraved
largest product catergory for flexo is
corrugated board
flexible packaging (growing fast)
newspaper & book apps are emerging
in 2014, flexo internation estimate is (%)
25%
