Precautions for Using Printing Rollers

* Printing rollers primarily transfer ink on offset printing presses. Therefore, daily cleaning of the rollers must be thorough. Otherwise, the surface layer of the roller, along with the pigments and resin, will easily oxidize, forming a smooth and hard film, causing surface vitrification and affecting ink transfer. If not cleaned regularly, the roller surface will become uneven over time, affecting its use. Therefore, the rollers should be cleaned and stored properly when the machine is stopped.

* During offset printing, the "excessive water and ink" can cause ink emulsification, forming a hydrophilic base on the smooth roller, leading to ink deinking. The solution is to scrape off the emulsified ink, clean the deinked roller with gasoline, and then polish it with a mixture of 5% sodium hydroxide solution and pumice powder. Metal rollers (or hard rollers) should also be treated accordingly. Hard rollers can also be polished with fine wet sandpaper while the machine is sprayed with water, but care should be taken not to stay in one spot, otherwise the roller will be damaged. The fundamental solution is to control the pH value of the fountain solution and maintain a proper water-ink balance.

* Prolonged use and aging of rubber rollers, coupled with chemical corrosion, can cause the rubber to deteriorate and crumble. Such rollers should not be used, as they will severely impact print quality.

* To ensure uninterrupted production and printing quality, spare ink rollers are essential. However, avoid storing too many to prevent aging. The storage environment for rubber rollers is the same as for blankets. Additionally, rubber rollers should be stored straight at the journal, and their surfaces should not touch each other or other objects to prevent deformation.

* Rubber rollers should not be stored near large electric motors or generators. The large amounts of ozone produced by these devices can cause the roller surface to age and crack.

* In cold weather, if the ink is unevenly applied, add appropriate auxiliary materials to the ink. Do not use infrared heaters or similar devices to heat the ink rollers, as this will prevent oxidation.