Expert Beginner Tips To Maintain Laser Engraving Cylinder
If you are in the gravure printing industry, one of the technologies that you must have adopted is then laser engraving of cylinders. It is a technique that is making printing more efficient by improving the process of creating printing images. But one of the things that you must get right is maintaining your laser engraving cylinder.
Laser engraving can damage your gravure cylinders with the heat produces by the laser beam. That’s why it important to ensure proper maintenance. Here are best hacks for beginners to maintain laser engraving cylinders:
Thorough Cleaning
This is the most common maintenance tip that is provided by the manufacturer. In fact, it is a basic thing that you don’t to be told by anyone. Some of the inks may have a corrosion impact on the cylinder material. Make sure that you are cleaning the cylinder with mild water or recommended fluid immediately after the printing is complete.
Get The Right Material
Make sure that you have invested in good quality material for the laser engraving cylinder. There are so many materials that are used for the construction of cylinders. One of the most widely used materials is stainless steel. This metal has so many properties that make it stand out, such as high hardness and strength. Its resistance to rusting also makes it ideal for a laser engraving cylinder. That’s how you maintain the material in good condition.
Use A Good Mask
If the substrate that you are engraving can be affected by the soot produced during engraving, it is important that you get a mask. In other cases, the material being engraved might be too thin that it damages the cylinder. You need to apply a mask to the cylinder to reduce the laser beam’s intensity in such cases. That’s you maintain the cylinder in good shape.
Substrate Thickness
The other important tip when it comes to maintaining your laser engraving cylinder is substrate thickness. This is an important factor to consider because think substrates can cause damages to the gravure cylinder. You must understand how to balance thickness and laser beam intensity.
Proper Machine Setting
Lastly, you must understand safe machine settings. The beam intensity plus the cooling and exhausts are some of the things you need to consider. Most of the cylinder damages are caused by the use of the wrong machine settings. So, learn how to set the machine.