Flexo printing, or flexible printing, has a relatively unique and efficient working principle. Here are the detailed steps of flexo printing
Inking process:
When printing starts, the ink roller (usually a rubber roller) in the ink tank is stained with ink.
Then, the ink roller transfers the ink to the ink transfer roller (anilox metal roller).
Then, the ink transfer roller further removes the excess ink on the surface of the ink transfer roller to ensure the uniform distribution of the ink.
Ink brushing:
After the above treatment, the ink transfer roller brushes the ink evenly and stably on the surface of the plate cylinder. This plate cylinder has a resilient, raised image plate adhered to it.
Substrate and printing:
When the substrate (such as paper, plastic film, etc.) passes between the plate cylinder and the impression cylinder, the image on the plate is transferred to the substrate under the action of pressure.
In this way, a clear image is obtained on the substrate.
Flexo printing gets its name because it uses a flexible and soft plate. This plate not only reduces the cost of plate making, but also shortens the plate making cycle, and can meet the needs of general packaging printing. In addition, flexographic printing also widely uses non-toxic water-based inks for printing, so it is also called green printing.
