Doctoring Blade Selection
Coatings, proper setting of the blade, and properly selecting a doctor blade for your application/press will go a long way toward prolonging the life of the blade.
November 2006 by Chris Mc Loone
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Several factors contribute to long doctor blade life. Coatings, proper setting of the blade, and properly selecting a blade for your application/press will go a long way toward prolonging the life of the blade, as well as other press components such as anilox rolls.
Considering the plethora of coatings and materials available to printers, blade selection today goes far beyond simply considering price. According to Perry Lichon, president of Retroflex, “While blade materials should be judged by their ability to doctor, they should also be judged for ease of handling, blade life, impact on roll wear, and overall cost.”
According to Anthony Foley, vice president of sales and marketing for Tri-X Inc., steel doctor blades continue to be the blade of choice by flexo printers seeking the cleanest and most consistent wipe throughout the entire print run.
Marty Cansler, national sales manager, pressroom products at Max Daetwyler Corp., states that the company works with gravure printers that struggle with things like hazing, streaking, and dragouts, and flexo printers that struggle with anilox scoring, blade chatter, and limited blade life. “These issues bring us special challenges to develop a new doctor blade,” he says. “In many cases, this is done through special designs of tip configurations. While this has proved to effectively address many issues, conventional doctor blade steel often reaches its limits. By developing high-wear-resistant doctor blade coatings, we have been able to achieve results that have never been achieved before.”
The right blade for the right application
One trend in the doctor blade market is selecting specialized blades for specific applications. “Printers no longer use a universal blade throughout the process, and it is not uncommon for a plant to use steel, plastic, and coated blades within the same press.” Lichon adds, “With the ever-increasing selection of doctoring blades available, we feel it is unfair to the customer for suppliers to pigeonhole a certain blade for only a particular application. The buyer needs to strive for the maximum return on investment when choosing doctor blade material.” To that end, Lichon suggests printers ask their suppliers for a variety of blade materials to test. “This will allow you to obtain firsthand knowledge of each blade material’s performance when used for your specific application and conditions,” he says.
According to Paul Sharkey, president of FLXON Inc., doctor blades have been considered a commodity and were sold and bought as such until recently. “Price was the driving concern. However, over the past few years, an increasing number of flexographic and rotogravure printers have come to realize the importance of using the right doctor blade for their applications.”
Considering the plethora of coatings and materials available to printers, blade selection today goes far beyond simply considering price. According to Perry Lichon, president of Retroflex, “While blade materials should be judged by their ability to doctor, they should also be judged for ease of handling, blade life, impact on roll wear, and overall cost.”
According to Anthony Foley, vice president of sales and marketing for Tri-X Inc., steel doctor blades continue to be the blade of choice by flexo printers seeking the cleanest and most consistent wipe throughout the entire print run.
Marty Cansler, national sales manager, pressroom products at Max Daetwyler Corp., states that the company works with gravure printers that struggle with things like hazing, streaking, and dragouts, and flexo printers that struggle with anilox scoring, blade chatter, and limited blade life. “These issues bring us special challenges to develop a new doctor blade,” he says. “In many cases, this is done through special designs of tip configurations. While this has proved to effectively address many issues, conventional doctor blade steel often reaches its limits. By developing high-wear-resistant doctor blade coatings, we have been able to achieve results that have never been achieved before.”
The right blade for the right application
One trend in the doctor blade market is selecting specialized blades for specific applications. “Printers no longer use a universal blade throughout the process, and it is not uncommon for a plant to use steel, plastic, and coated blades within the same press.” Lichon adds, “With the ever-increasing selection of doctoring blades available, we feel it is unfair to the customer for suppliers to pigeonhole a certain blade for only a particular application. The buyer needs to strive for the maximum return on investment when choosing doctor blade material.” To that end, Lichon suggests printers ask their suppliers for a variety of blade materials to test. “This will allow you to obtain firsthand knowledge of each blade material’s performance when used for your specific application and conditions,” he says.
According to Paul Sharkey, president of FLXON Inc., doctor blades have been considered a commodity and were sold and bought as such until recently. “Price was the driving concern. However, over the past few years, an increasing number of flexographic and rotogravure printers have come to realize the importance of using the right doctor blade for their applications.”
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