Details:
Summary:
Rotogravure printing is used to produce high speed, high quality printed product. One of the key parameters in controlling the process is the doctor blade. This removes ink from the non-image areas and meters the ink in the cell. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the doctor blade performance and investigate the difference between the set and wipe angles. Doctor blades have been collected from commercial printing operations and cross sectional analysis performed to evaluate the blade tip. These results show the amount of wear undergone and from this the actual wiping angle can be obtained. The data has then been used in a simplified numerical model to evaluate the contact between the doctor blade and cylinder. The results show both the deflection of the blade and the sensitivity of the system to changes in the doctor blade load. A parametric study has been carried out on the doctor blade evaluating the doctor blade and process settings on the blade setting.