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 September 2019 • eBook
table of contents

11 23

FEATURES

3 Flexible Packaging Market Continues to Grow • David Savastano

Flexible packaging has expanded from the snack aisle to much more in recent years, and there is more to come.

6 The Changing World of Publication Inks • David Savastano

The newspaper and publication industry continues to contract.

8 Corrugated Inkjet Ink Market is Thriving • David Savastano and Anthony Locicero
Growing interest in customization, regionalization are leading to shorter runs in the corrugated segment.

11 Taking Care of Your Three Roll Mill • David Savastano

In order to achieve a perfect grind, the three roll mill must be operating at its best.

12 Three Roll Mill Safety • Jon Hatz

ANSI safety regulations for three roll mills were extensively revised in 2007.

14 Three Roll Mill Brands, Sizes, Endplate Types and Roll Configurations • Jon Hatz
Getting back to basics on leading manufacturers and designs for three roll mills.

16 The Importance of the Crown on Three Roll Mills • Jon Hatz

The shape of the crown plays a key role in how a three roll mill performs.

18 Repeatability and Three Roll Mills • Jon Hatz

For ink makers, it is critical that the product that ships this month is exactly the same as last month.

22 Roll Grinding - How Do You Know if It is Required • Jon Hatz

The common factor is that the product is not being ground as well as it once was.

2 INK WORLD • September 2019

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 FLEXIBLE PACKAGING INK
MARKET CONTINUES
TO GROW
Flexible packaging has expanded from the snack aisle
to much more in recent years, and there is more to come.

BY DAVID SAVASTANO, EDITOR

P ackaging has been the strongest printing market in re- 2021 at a CAGR of 7.76%.
cent years, and ink manufacturers are also seeing strong “Increased demand for consumer-friendly products which
growth. The two largest packaging markets are corru- are lightweight and easily transportable can be considered as
gated and flexible packaging. a major factor behind Europe’s high market share,” Mordor’s
In its 2016 study, “The Future of Global Packaging to 2020,” analysts reported. “Growing focus on sustainability, the increased
Smithers Pira projcted that the global packaging industry would need for extended shelf life, rising standards of hygiene and
nearly reach the $1 trillion threshold by 2020. consumer focus on the ease of use are the core drivers of this
“At $261 billion, board packaging (corrugated formats, market. Flexible packaging has superior barrier capabilities
folding cartons and liquid cartons) was the and can effectively protect the product from
material type with the highest value in moisture and oxygen.”
2015 – a position it will retain in 2020. In Billion-dollar printers such as Amcor,
2015, China overtook the US as the largest Bemis and Sonoco are among the leaders
national market for paperboard packaging in the flexible packaging field; the ongoing
and will account for nearly a quarter of global acquisition of Bemis by Amcor will form a
consumption in 2020,” Smithers Pira’s Paul company that reported a combined $13 bil-
Boyce and Jack Palmer reported. “Flexible lion in revenue in 2018.
format packaging – paper, plastics and foil In terms of inks, the flexographic ink mar-
laminates – expanded significantly over the ket has shown excellent growth in recent
last decade as technological changes have years, driven by water-based inks. Ink World
transformed the packaging type from a low- places the global market for flexo inks at more
cost industrial-use option into consumer- than $5 billion; water-based flexo is the lead-
grade containers with a vast variety of ing technology for corrugated printing, and
applications. The market for flexibles – and GREEN GIANT VEGGIE SPIRALS PRIMAPAK solvent-based flexo and gravure head up
particularly flexible plastics – will continue PACKAGE, PRODUCED BY SONOCO, RECEIVED flexible packaging. Sheetfed and flexo inks
to boom over the next five years.” THREE 2019 SILVER AWARDS – EXPANDING THE USE are key to folding cartons. Meanwhile, digi-
Flexible packaging has been growing OF FLEXIBLE PACKAGING, TECHNICAL INNOVATION tal inks are taking some initial market share
rapidly in recent years. According to the AND PACKAGING EXCELLENCE – FROM THE FPA. in packaging.
Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), (PHOTO COURTESY OF FPA) Ink manufacturers report that the flexible
the flexible packaging industry had $31.1 packaging market continues to enjoy strong
billion in sales in the United States in 2014, growth for a variety of reasons.
and is the second largest packaging segment in the US, behind Deanna Klemesrud, global marketing director, packaging
corrugated printing. inks for Flint Group, noted that a variety of factors influence
In its report, “Europe Flexible Packaging Market, Mordor this growth.
Intelligence places the Europe flexible packaging market at “Flexible packaging has the ability to seal in freshness, taste and
$28.22 billion in 2016, growing to $41 billion by the end of odor, occupies less space on a shelf, provides expanded aesthetics,

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 Flexible Packaging

and is lighter in weight affecting shipping costs before and after packaging interactions between the chemistry of old foods on
filling,” said Klemesrud. “Take for instance canned packaging – the inks create indicators that help know when to take foods off
cans are supplied to the food producer/filler in up to three pieces the shelf for safety reasons.”
plus a printed label; whereas with an FP pouch, “Flexible packaging continues to grow
you have one printed package which can be because of shelf appeal, convenience, and its
shipped flat and requires no construction. ability to keep food fresh,” said Joe Kubasiak,
Additionally, pouches can be produced with a market manager, flexible packaging for Wikoff
transparent window where consumers can see Color. “Multilayer films, re-closable pouches,
what’s inside and have peace of mind of the and fitments have made flexible packaging a
freshness and quality." convenient solution for today’s busy lifestyle.”
“A decade or so ago, flexible packages were “Flexible packaging structures are modular
limited to big brands heavily weighted to the and offer a wide variety of options,” added
snack aisle,” said John Pogatschnik, product William Allen, North America business
manager, narrow web North America at Flint manager – flexible packaging for ACTEGA
Group. “The cost and functional benefits of North America. “Converters can build
flexible packaging have enabled it to be one DOLE CRAFTED SMOOTHIE BLEND, PRINT- structures with the desired features of the
of the fastest growing packaging types. A stand- ED BY EMERALD PACKAGING, RECEIVED brand owner including visual effects, haptic,
up pouch uses half of the plastic raw material THE 2019 SILVER — SUSTAINABILITY soft or sand touch, barrier, product resistance,
than its rigid container counterpart and requires AWARD FROM THE FLEXIBLE PACKAGING and scuff resistance, coefficient of friction and
roughly 1/9 of the truck and warehouse space ASSOCIATION. (PHOTO COURTESY OF FPA) puncture resistance.”
for empty containers. These benefits reduce the Hisayuki Abe, president of Toyo Ink
cost for the entire value stream.” America, LLC, reported that growth in flex-
“Flexible packaging is not mainly expanding ible packaging formats for prepared foods like
against folding carton but against rigid packaging,” said Giuseppe meats and seafood outpaces rigid packaging.
Gianetti, director business development flexible packaging for “Flexibles use far fewer resources, take less space and are light-
hubergroup.“The reasons for this are related to its lighter weight, er in weight than rigids,” noted Abe.“They also offer high barrier
its easy storage before use as well as its adaptation to different protection as barrier properties can be tailored to meet product
shapes and packaging processes. In the end, this development is a shelf life and product needs. As consumer demand continues to
result of changed consumer behavior, growing urbanization, and grow for smaller and more convenient packaging formats, we
the increasing use of packages for products such as coffee, snacks expect to see flexible packaging, including multilayer laminated
and confectionary, fresh and convenience food, soft drinks and structures, make further gains. In line with this,Toyo Ink is work-
liquid detergents as well as pet food.” ing to expand its line of highly functional inks, adhesives and
Dr. Ralph Detsch, VP global technology at Siegwerk, said other food packaging materials that improve barrier properties.”
that in general, it can be said that an increasing interest in
new packaging materials and new requirements in packaging FLEXIBLE PACKAGING EMERGES
applications over the last years has influenced the overall Many years ago, it seems, almost everything was packaged in
development of the ink market. folding cartons. Even snack foods came in boxes. Flexible pack-
“With a continuously increasing demand, flexible packaging aging started appearing in the snack aisle with bags of chips and
has always remained one of the key growth drivers in the market,” pretzels, then with juice packs. Technological improvements
Dr. Detsch added. “Flexible packaging solutions are offering such as resealable bags and retort packaging have paved the way
high convenience, powerful protection features and overall the for expansion.
lowest carbon footprint.” “Flexible packaging has grown in the areas of single-use
Tony Renzi,VP, product management packaging inks, North pouches for baby food, yogurts and other children’s snacks,” said
American Inks, Sun Chemical, observed that three key trends Kubasiak. “The addition of the re-closable fitment has added
drive the growth in flexible packaging – sustainability initiatives, a new level of convenience for families on the go. Retort and
convenience, and smart packaging. products that require pasteurization are another growth area as
“From a sustainability standpoint, we’re referring to the opportunities for cost savings arise from shipping the lighter
trends in the market for key changes in the package itself, such weight packaging.”
as better barrier protection, lightweighting and recycling/ “Flexible and pouch packaging has made big strides in the
compostability,” said Renzi. “Convenience packaging has been area of user-friendliness with new and improved designs in seals,
on the rise since younger single households don’t tend to cook grips, zips and spouts,” said Abe. “Transparent films and integrat-
huge meals. This means packaging becomes more important to ed windows also make it easier to see packaged content, making
cook foods in. Coatings and inks can be used that trigger a color it an attractive, practical and convenient choice for consumers.”
change when meat or vegetables start to get old. These smart “The application moved from packaging solid goods to

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 Flexible Packaging

liquid ones,” said Gianetti. “Besides, pasteurization, retortability, a look at recyclability and sustainability. Plastic packaging is
freezing, and modified atmosphere processes created the under fire for being single use and not particularly recyclable.
opportunity for additional applications, and barrier properties Companies throughout the flexible packaging supply chain are
often see the replacement of aluminum foil with special treated working to improve their products.
plastics (metallization, barrier films, and barrier coatings).” “Along with the concerns over the global usage of plas-
Mark Hill, VP and R&D director for tic drinking straws, food plates, cups and
INX International Ink Co., said that retort utensils, concerns over the types of flex-
packaging remains a niche area in the US. ible packaging substrates will continue to
“We see some growth in retort but that grow among consumers and brand owners,”
growth is slow; retort and mild retort may Knut Fenner, general manager of Colorcon
see some growth due to consumers wanting Inc., observed. “This will lead to renewed
more convenience-oriented products,” Hill requests for packaging that is more biode-
observed. “It seems to be that consumers gradable, more carbon friendly, etc. while
want the ease of use and ease of disposal still maintaining all of the barrier proper-
these days. Thus, easy to open, close, reuse, ties of current substrates.This will then lead
and disposal are finding their way into most to the need for inks and coatings that will
packaging these days.” provide more of the barrier and resistance
Klemesrud said that consumer behav- properties that are today built into many of
ior, safety, sustainability and aesthetics have the plastics used for packaging.”
played a large part in the growth journey of “We expect the market to be stable and
flexible packaging. growing and it will evolve as sustainabil-
“Consumer studies show that ity efforts of CGCs evolve,” Hill observed.
convenience is critical to people with “Plastics have been getting a bad rap of late
increasingly busy lifestyles. In the past, people MOLSON COORS – 12 PACK COOLER BAG, PRINTED due to ocean waste and polluted beaches.
would prepare dinners using fresh foods BY BEMIS COMPANY, RECEIVED THE 2019 HIGHEST Companies are looking to make their pack-
and ingredients. More and more, people ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, GOLD AWARDS FOR ages seem more natural and have them look
purchase pre-cooked food for simple and EXPANDING THE USE OF FLEXIBLE PACKAGING like paper, but have the durability and shelf
quick preparation, and flexible packaging is AND FOR PRINTING & SHELF IMPACT, AND A SILVER life of plastic. The next evolution will be
perfect for brands that offer convenient pre- SUSTAINABILITY AWARD FROM THE FLEXIBLE to make these packages easier to recycle so
cooked options,” Klemesrud said. PACKAGING ASSOCIATION. (PHOTO COURTESY OF FPA) they don’t become waste.”
Renzi reported that the flexible pack- Abe said that increased global awareness
aging industry is now seeing greater end of packaging safety and recycling trends will
use application diversity than before, which poses challenges continue to fuel demand for greener materials and technology.
for ink manufacturers. “With ongoing advances in mono-material packaging
“We’re seeing printers diversify their businesses by expanding and the delamination of multilayer packaging systems, we
into new flexible packaging structures and components as well as expect to see new materials and technology take packaging
new container labeling applications,” Renzi added. “This means design to new heights,” added Abe. “To meet the demand
new challenges for inks to perform in different conditions.We will for increased eco-advantages, Toyo Ink is not only work-
need ink systems that can allow for that type of business diversity ing to improve the end-of-life recovery of its packaging
in the future. Inks are being asked to do something new for con- systems, but is also focusing on delivering innovations in
verters. Having a solution to accomplish this challenge is key. eco-friendly water-based inks, electron beam (EB) inks, and
“Customers are also looking for innovation in the areas of highly functional products such as barrier coating agents for
lightweighting, interactivity, shelf impact, late-stage differentia- flexible packaging applications.”
tion, personalization, brand protection, shelf life and consumer “Flexible packaging still has room for improvement regarding
experience,” Renzi added. “Additionally, customers are always volumes and technology,” Gianetti said. “Applications and
looking for ways to improve press efficiency. Some printers are geographical areas still need to be explored.The rising importance
exploring the option of switching/expanding to the expanded of the circular economy, recyclability, bio-compostability, and
color gamut printing process because of the benefits of quicker eco-friendly products are powerful boosters for innovations.
changeover times and the ability to streamline the pressroom. At hubergroup, we attach great importance to sustainability,
Others are looking for inks that can be used interchangeably on therefore we see this as a real opportunity.”
multiple presses for a variety of applications.” “Printers, along with the entire value chain, are very con-
cerned about sustainability,” added Klemesrud. “Recyclability
RECYCLABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY and compostability are the #1 and #2 requests we are currently
No discussion of flexible packaging can be complete without getting in North America.” n

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 THE
CHANGING
WORLD OF
PUBLICATION
INKS
The newspaper and publication
industry continues to contract,
while consolidation, raw materials
are important concerns.
BY DAVID SAVASTANO, EDITOR
T he printing industry has changed greatly over the years,
and as it evolved, so has the ink industry. Decades ago,
the offset ink market - led by heatset, sheetfed and
coldset inks – were the dominant ink technology, with liquid
inks far behind. Publication gravure inks were used in long run
magazine production. Packaging was led by sheetfed offset inks
used for folding cartons.
Times have changed. In North America, CR/T, a subsid-
iary of Quad/Graphics, and Flint Group are the last remain-
ing publication gravure ink producers, while Siegwerk and Sun
Chemical are the primary publication gravure ink manufactur-
ers in Europe. Heatset and sheetfed ink manufacturers have
consolidated as well.
The magazine and catalog industries have declined in the
face of the Internet, driving down the long run magazine mar-
ket that used to thrive. Consider this information from Statista’s
report, “U.S. Magazine Industry - Statistics & Facts,” found on
https://www.statista.com/topics/1265/magazines/
“The estimated aggregate revenue of U.S. based periodical publish-
ers has fallen sharply in the past decade from 46 billion U.S. dollars
in 2007 to around 28 billion in 2017. Americans spent an average of
24 minutes reading magazines on a daily basis in 2010. This figure
is forecast to decline to 15 minutes by 2018. Although the time spent
with magazines is declining, the number of magazine readers in the
U.S. has seen a slight increased since 2012.The number of magazines
in the U.S. has also stayed fairly constant over the years, varying from
around 7,100 to 7,300 since 2008.”
6 INK WORLD • September 2019
Keith Machinery eBook 0419.indd 6
NOTE: LINE BREAK INDICATES SWITCH TO ESTIMATED CIRCULATION. NO DATA FROM 1941-44
AND 2010. TO DETERMINE TOTALS FROM 2015 ONWARD, RESEARCHERS ANALYZED THE
YEAR-OVER-YEAR CHANGE IN TOTAL WEEKDAY AND SUNDAY CIRCULATION USING AAM
DATA AND APPLIED THESE PERCENT CHANGES TO THE PREVIOUS YEAR’S TOTAL. ONLY
THOSE NEWSPAPERS THAT REPORT TO AAM ARE INCLUDED. AFFILIATED PUBLICATIONS ARE
NOT INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSIS. WEEKDAY CIRCULATION INCLUDES THOSE PUBLICATIONS
REPORTING A MONDAY-FRIDAY AVERAGE. FOR EACH YEAR, THE COMPARISON IS FOR ALAL
NEWSPAPERS MEETING THESE CRITERIA FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDING DEC. 31 OF THE
GIVEN YEAR. COMPARISONS ARE BETWEEN THE THREE-MONTH AVERAGES FOR THE PERIOD
ENDING DEC. 31 OF THE GIVEN YEAR AND THE SAME PERIOD OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
SOURCE: EDITOR & PUBLISHER (THROUGH 2014); ESTIMATION BASED ON PEW RESEARCH
CENTER ANALYSIS OF ALLIANCE FOR AUDITED MEDIA DATA (2015-2016).
SOURCE: PEW RESEARCH CENTER
It is interesting that the number of magazines remains
steady, although magazine usage has declined. The two larg-
est U.S. magazines by circulation, AARP The Magazine and
AARP Bulletin, both have more than 20 million in circula-
tion. Meanwhile, weekly magazines like Time, Newsweek, U.S.
News and Word Report and TV Guide, once giants in the field,
have either shrunk or disappeared from newsstands altogether.
Newspapers have been hit the hardest. The Pew Research
Center reported newspaper industry trends in its recent
Newspapers Fact Sheet, published June 13, 2018:
“Newspapers are a critical part of the American news landscape, but
they have been hit hard as more and more Americans consume news
digitally.The industry’s financial fortunes and subscriber base have been
in decline since the early 2000s, even as website audience traffic has
grown for many. The estimated total U.S. daily newspaper circulation
(print and digital combined) in 2017 was 31 million for weekday and
34 million for Sunday, down 11% and 10%, respectively, from the
previous year. Declines were highest in print circulation:Weekday print
circulation decreased 11% and Sunday circulation decreased by 10%.”
To put that in context, total weekday circulation of U.S.
newspapers reached a high of more than 63 million in 1984,
and still was more than 50 million as of 2007, according to the
Pew report. It is not a surprise that many newspapers have gone
out of business in recent years, driven by economics as well as
former readers getting their news from different sources.
Also not surprisingly, the publication printing industry has
consolidated dramatically as well. RR Donnelley and Quad/
9/13/19 10:01 AM

Graphics have acquired numerous printers over the years. RR
Donnelley recently split into three companies, with Quad/
Graphics in the process of acquiring the LSC Communications
group, which would form a company with combined revenues
of approximately $8 billion. As they are reportedly the only
companies that produce publication gravure printed maga-
zines, that is causing some anti-trust concern.
THE PUBLICATION INK INDUSTRY
Publication ink manufacturers are seeing similar trends. Bill
Miller, who recently retired as COO CPS Inks for Flint
Group, said newspaper publishing continues to decline sharply,
while heatset end uses are in a slower decline. Still, there are
opportunities.
“The continued shift from print to online communications
drives these trends, but there is still significant value in these
markets,” Miller said. “For example, catalogs continue to drive
store purchases, direct mail still garners higher response rates
for marketers than online promotions alone, and sheetfed mar-
kets are stable, even growing. In addition, the consolidation of
many news and heatset printers offers greater share opportu-
nity to suppliers who gain that business.”
“This past year has been most challenging for newspa-
pers, particularly with the newsprint tariffs, tight paper supply
and material increases,” said Mike Dodd, president, US Ink (a
Division of Sun Chemical). “The market has shown a con-
traction of high single to low double digits. Overall the large
publications have been the most challenged. There are excep-
tions, but in most of those cases, it has been due to adding
publications to their pressrooms that have closed their facili-
ties. Activity over the past year in the heatset market has been
more stable. We have not experienced the anticipated mid-sin-
gle-digit decline forecasted for this market. As with last year,
regionally focused printers had growth opportunities. Several
have shown significant increases in volume.”
“As reported in the past, the decreasing demand for publi-
cation inks also continued this year,” said Joern Bartelheimer,
VP publication gravure, EMEA for Siegwerk. “There are no
growth segments of note that could be considered as bright
spots. The ink market is still shrinking even though slightly less
than the years before and there are no significant changes to be
expected going forward. Continuing price increases and short-
ages especially for paper will also adversely affect the further
development of publication printing.”
Consolidation is occurring in the heatset and publication
gravure printing segment, led by the Quad/Graphics/LSC
Communications merger.
“Even though the trend of consolidation with both print-
ers and ink producers will continue, it only has a very lim-
ited impact on Siegwerk’s publication gravure business so far,”
Bartelheimer said. “In the end, the fittest companies will sur-
vive - or the ones which manage to have their added value
funded by customers.”
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Keith Machinery eBook 0419.indd 7
Publication Inks
RAW MATERIALS
The cost of raw materials is also a significant concern, particu-
larly carbon black and pigments.
“Feedstock cost and supply disruptions continue to im-
pact raw materials for publication inks this year,” Jeff Shaw,
chief supply chain, quality & business improvement officer,
Sun Chemical, said. “Crude oil has increased over 60% from
a year ago, applying direct pressure to key raw materials such
as distillates, ink oils, and carbon black. As geopolitical tensions
increase, crude oil values could escalate to even higher levels
going into 2019. Pigment intermediates and finished pigments
continue to be under pressure from environmental assessment
legislation in China, causing supply disruptions and volatile
price increases. It is not anticipated that this will subside in the
short term and may continue at least through 2019. Also, the
implementation of trade tariffs has already impacted 2018 costs
and will escalate further in January 2019.”
Flint Group CPO Michael Podd said crude oil cost increas-
es, which remain at high levels, are a serious concern.
“These affect oils, solvents, vehicles, carbon black, and many
other raw materials and feedstocks used by Flint Group, and
they also affect fuel costs for transportation, which carriers are
no longer willing to absorb,” Podd added. “Freight costs have
increased for other reasons as well – specifically a drastic lack of
drivers and equipment shortages.
“The U.S. government imposed tariffs on 5,745 imports
from China, including many materials used in printing inks,
pigments and feedstocks,” Podd said. “The current 10% in-
crease will rise to 25% in January 2019, causing a significant
impact on raw materials in the entire printing ink supply chain.
REACH regulations have also affected availability and costs of
UV, HUV and LED inks worldwide, which compounds the
already short supply of these energy-curing materials.”
“For publication inks, it’s just a very small number of raw
materials that need to be monitored in terms of availability
and price development,” Bartelheimer said. “Most important
are pigments in this context. Due to stricter environmental
regulations put in place by Chinese authorities and unexpected
plant closures, pigment prices have increased significantly dur-
ing 2018. Additionally, carbon black prices have risen linked to
higher intermediate prices and limited availability. These in-
creases have not only affected publication gravure but also a
wide range of other ink industries. So far, we don’t expect any
significant relief in availability and price level in the near term.
“At Siegwerk, it is always our objective to minimize the risk
to our customers due to potential supply shortages by having
sufficient alternative suppliers and materials for the manufac-
ture of our products and solutions,” said Bartelheimer. “We are
constantly looking for new sources for used, as well as alterna-
tive materials suitable, to replace existing ones... [and] alternate
feedstocks and origins from different parts of the world to en-
sure our supply chain remains stable.” n
9/13/19 10:01 AM
 CORRUGATED INKJET INK
MARKET IS THRIVING
Growing interest in customization,
regionalization are leading to shorter
runs in the corrugated segment.
BY DAVID SAVASTANO, EDITOR
AND ANTHONY LOCICERO, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
D igital printing brings numerous advantages, including
the ability to customize and regionalize products.This
is seen in markets as diverse as wide format to direct
mail. While corrugated printing has typically been used for
more high volume products, inkjet is playing a growing role.
With that in mind, some leading digital press manufacturers
invested in the corrugated market years ago, and they report that
the move has been a good one.
“Regarding run lengths, our customers have proven that digi-
tal is not just for short-run anymore,” said Dave Prezzano, VP
and GM of HP’s Americas Graphics Solutions. “PageWide is ad-
dressing the mainstream volume applications previously reserved
for analog processes. For example, we have one converter who
produced a two-million-piece box campaign, which deployed
an amazing 29,000 different design variations. We have another
converter producing as many as 100,000 digitally printed boxes
for the same client each week.”
EFI introduced its Nozomi digital corrugated press at drupa
2016, and has sold more than 15 machines to date.
“The corrugated packaging industry is a growing sector and
is the largest opportunity for inkjet printing, with more than 200
billion square meters manufactured per year worldwide,” said
Raimar Kuhnen-Burger, regional marketing manager, Industrial
Printing, EFI. “EFI has more than eight years of knowledge in
high-speed single pass printing machines with our Cretaprint
ceramic tile printers and Jetrion label presses. Plus the Fiery
Blade technology offers the processing bandwidth necessary for
high-speed presses while EFI’s productivity software is used by
many companies in the packaging industry worldwide.Thus, le-
veraging and combining all that knowledge for a growing sector
of the printing industry was a logical step.”
“Our experience in digital printers, especially the inks and
printheads, and the motivation for any print process to incorpo-
rate digital solutions is what led us to invest in the development
8 INK WORLD • September 2019
Keith Machinery eBook 0419.indd 8
EFI’S NOZOMI INKS. (SOURCE: EFI)
of digital solutions for the corrugated market,” said Becky
McConnell, product marketing manager, FUJIFILM North
America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division. “The growth
potential for that industry and a changing marketplace with
consolidations and localization/versioning of campaigns being
proven successful help corrugators/converters see the value in
what a digital solution can bring to their business from fast turn-
around to a diversification of the solutions that they bring to
their customers.”
“Many of our current customers already use their Océ
Arizona printers for producing corrugated boxes and displays,”
Patrick Arthur Donigain, senior marketing specialist for Canon
Solutions America, Inc., said. “Although they already felt that we
delivered the best solution on the market, we received a lot of
feedback on how we could make the production of corrugated
displays and boxes even more efficient.”
The digital corrugated specialists all reported that they are
seeing strong growth in their segment.
“EFI’s time to market was remarkably short as we showed
the first Nozomi prototype at drupa 2016 and installed the first
commercial printer just one year later at Hinojosa Packaging in
Spain,” said Kuhnen-Burger. “Since the initial commercializa-
tion, we’ve sold more than 15 Nozomis.”
“Sales have been excellent,” Donigain said. “Customers re-
ally appreciate the extremely high print quality that the Océ
Arizona series printers achieve. Océ VarioDot technology, which
allows variable dot sizes to be used within the same print, opti-
mizes print quality by using small dots in areas containing pho-
tographic images and larger dots in areas containing flat colors.
This allows the production of photographic-quality images with
smooth flat areas of color within the same print.”
“Corrugated converters see the benefits that the Onset has to
offer, not just from printing on corrugated boards, but the ability
to produce different applications to help drive high-profit jobs
9/13/19 10:01 AM

into the mix,” McConnell said.
“HP offers a wide range of printing solutions for central-
ized and decentralized printing,” said Prezzano. “The market
adoption of HP PageWide technology has been extraordinary,
and there is a growing backlog of customers ready to take the
next step in digital printing with HP. With HP PageWide’s true
water-based inks and fluids, reliable printhead performance, and
consistent color quality, our converters have been able to capture
new brand clients with new applications they were not able to
previously address.”
KEY ADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL
PRINTING FOR CORRUGATED
Faster turnaround time, lower costs and fewer production steps
are among the important benefits digital printing brings to the
corrugated market.
Prezzano said that faster turnaround time and cost savings are
important advantages.
“Digital printing eliminates many of the traditional labor-
intensive steps required for conventional printing, such as plate
making, long setup times and proofs,” Prezzano said. “Another
advantage is lower cost, especially for shorter runs and frequent
design changes.While the unit cost of each piece might be high-
er than with other forms of printing, when the added costs of
setup, waste, and additional labor are factored, digital printing
provides lower per-unit costs.”
McConnell noted that the advantages of digital printing all
support the possibility of profitable short runs.
“Without pre-press, plate production and make readies, jobs
can get produced and out the door quicker,” McConnell said.
“Also, the ability to print direct to board and not laminating
helps throughput increase and makes turnaround faster. Other
benefits of digital printing are not having to stock overprints, as
well as reduced waste.The lack of minimum order quantities that
comes along with digital can give print providers with a digital
printing solution a competitive edge.”
BOXES PRINTED ON AN HP SCITEX PRINTER. (SOURCE: HP)
inkworldmagazine.com 9
Keith Machinery eBook 0419.indd 9
Corrugated Inkjet Ink Market is Thriving
THESE BOXES WERE PRINTED ON THE OCÉ ARIZONA 6100 HIGH FLOW VACUUM SERIES
PRINTER. (SOURCE: CANON)
“A single pass high speed press is a perfect solution for inno-
vative print products in a variety of areas from packaging to POS
and even beyond,” added Kuhnen-Burger. “With the Nozomi’s
white ink, customers are able to transform more and more hum-
ble brown box jobs into powerful marketing pieces on shelves in
markets almost everywhere.”
Donigain noted that the desire of marketers to better connect
with customers has driven their need for shorter runs of region-
alized or personalized corrugated product.
“Unfortunately, most box and display manufacturers do not
have the capabilities to profitably fulfill these short-run needs,”
Donigain added. “As a result, many box makers are turning away
work, outsourcing it, or printing it at a loss. Digital print allows
marketers to improve their sales by designing more targeted cor-
rugated packaging or displays, while at the same time allowing
corrugated box and retail display manufactures to make a profit
producing these shorter runs.”
Prezzano also pointed to the benefits of personalization.
“Digital printing adds the ability to use variable data for per-
sonalization, customization and micro-segmentation,” he said.
“Using information from a database or external file, text and
graphics can be changed on each piece without stopping the
press.Variable data also enables serialization through the integra-
tion of viewable or invisible marks and codes, allowing for secu-
rity, authentication and track-and-trace applications, which can
save money and add to brand value.These allow for new applica-
tions like customized free-stand displays, personalized primary
and even secondary packaging.”
Industry executives report that there are numerous corrugated
markets that are ideal for digital printing, and as for ideal run
lengths, these can reach millions of prints, depending on the
level of customization that is required.
“Depending on the dimensions of the product, the sweet spot
for run lengths is typically one to 1,000 boxes or retail displays,”
Donigain noted. “Customized one-off products can be ganged
9/13/19 10:01 AM
 Corrugated Inkjet Ink Market is Thriving
up on one board in order to optimize production speeds.”
Prezzano said that with PageWide technology, there are vir-
tually no limits to the addressable corrugated packaging and dis-
play applications, even adding food packaging capabilities.
“With zero UV-reactive chemistries in our water-based
PageWide inks, converters can address a wider range of food,
beverage and sensitive applications,” added Prezzano. “With no
odor in these inks, the addressable range of sensitive packag-
ing applications extends from pharmaceuticals, pet foods, toys,
diapers and cosmetics. Our customers also appreciate the high
quality and cost performance on a wide range of coated and
uncoated media.”
Kuhnen-Burger pointed out that the Nozomi has been de-
veloped with different use case scenarios in mind, from corru-
gated packaging to displays for POS and beyond.
“The customers today use the Nozomi mainly for print-
ing on corrugated boards, but even go beyond this with prints
on thinner and even non-paper based substrates offering many
unique opportunities,” said Kuhnen-Burger. “There is no gen-
eral sweet spot for run lengths as with Nozomi you can print
from one to tens of thousands of units, depending on the job.”
CREATING INKS FOR DIGITAL
CORRUGATED PRINTING
Of course, it is one thing to develop presses that print cor-
rugated, but formulating inks to meet the needs of corrugated
converters is equally critical.
Kuhnen-Burger said that creating inks for a single pass,
high-speed printing machine differs a lot from creating inks
for shuttle-based printers, even if it is the same technology as
UV LED.
“For Nozomi, such an ink needs to be able to be cured at
75 meters/min, adhere to the coatings, achieve the full gamut
(with up to 97% Pantone matching), be odorless and be highly
flexible due to the later converting/finishing. EFI’s knowledge
about single pass UV LED inks for the Jetrion label presses was
key to develop the right ink,” Kuhnen-Burger observed.
Donigain noted that curing on a porous media like that
used in liners can be very tricky.
“It is important that ink volume and suction is controlled
as to not allow the inks to penetrate too deeply,” Donigain
said. “If the inks penetrate the liner too deeply, they may not
cure fully.”
Prezzano said that HP has invested billions of R&D dollars
to develop its own inkjet printheads, media handling, drying
and media coatings.
“It might be easier to buy ink formulations from another
vendor, but HP believes it is critical for the writing systems,
media coatings and inks to work in harmony with one an-
other,” Prezzano added. “That strategy is paying off for HP
and our PageWide customers and allows the introduction of
new valuable solutions to the market. For example, in 2018 HP
10 INK WORLD • September 2019
Keith Machinery eBook 0419.indd 10
upgraded its PageWide T1100 Series to include faster speed
and the expansion from four-color to six-color sets. Now with
orange and violet added to CMYK, our customers can address
a much broader range of the Fortune 500 brand color gamut.
Plus, our water-based HP inks and pre-treatment fluids can ad-
dress an extensive range of food-related corrugated packaging.
These HP inks and fluids meet strict demands such as Nestlé
Guidance, Swiss Ordinance, USDA, EuPIA and other leading
industry standards.”
A CORRUGATED DISPLAY FOR SOCCER BALLS. (SOURCE: HP)
OUTLOOK FOR DIGITAL PRINTING IN CORRUGATED
The corrugated market looks like an ideal area for growth in
the coming years, and the digital printing specialists see good
opportunities ahead.
“The corrugated printing market is a multibillion-dollar
business and is still growing,” said Kuhnen-Burger. “There is a
growing market for highly decorated corrugated packaging in
small batches and that’s where the digital printers shine.”
“Based on the amounts of corrugated products we see our
customers producing, we are very bullish on digital print in the
corrugated market,” Donigain said. “Digital is just in its infancy
and we see signs that the volume of pieces produced digitally
will be increasing rapidly over the next decade.”
“The growth potential for the corrugated market in the
coming years is very exciting - with printing technology and
where it stands to today, and the need for short run and cus-
tomization, we are going to see a lot of exciting things happen-
ing in this market,” McConnell added.
“The addressable market for digital corrugated packaging is
currently valued at $3.5 billion and set to grow approximately
60% over the next five years,” said Prezzano. “You can easily see
why we are excited about the future.” n
9/13/19 10:01 AM
 TAKING CARE
OF YOUR THREE
ROLL MILLS
There are a lot of different things that can happen to three
roll mills, and proper care can keep them running perfectly.

DAVID SAVASTANO, EDITOR

T hree roll mills (TRM) play an essential role in the pro-

duction of inks. The ink must be perfectly smooth; ob-
viously the ink cannot have clumps of pigments in the
middle of it. In order to achieve a perfect grind, the three roll
mill must be operating at its best. TRMs are also powerful ma-
chines, and must be operated safely for the health of all.
According to Wikipedia, a three roll mill consists of a feed
roll, a center roll and an apron roll, rotating at different speeds.
The material flows between the rolls, becoming more refined.
In the pages that follow, Jon Hatz, president of Keith
Machinery, will provide advice on the care of your three roll
mills. The topics he discusses are varied, from three roll mill
safety and leading manufacturers and designs of TRMs to more A ROLL SET FOR A DAY 14" X 30" MID PRODUCTION TRM.
technical information on care.
As is the case with any equipment, the care given to the
TRM is key to its performance. For example, the crown, or ink they produce must be consistent from shipment to ship-
the shape or the rolls, is critical to the performance of the mill ment. This requires a number for actors, including apron knife
and roll pressure plays a role in how much crown is required. pressure, roll speed, product temperature and roll pressure.
Repeatability is of great importance to ink companies, as the If the condition of the rolls has declined, there are steps that
can be taken to recondition the rolls. It will be obvious to the
ink manufacturer that the time has come to recondition the rolls,
as the material is not being ground as well as before. This hap-
pens over time, but can be caused more rapidly by rolls being
allowed to run dry, causing vertical burn marks. Corrugation, or
the creation of horizontal lines typically caused by water-based
products, are another example of damage to rolls that will need
to be fixed. The options include sending out the rolls for grind-
ing switch in a new set of rolls, remanufacturing the TRM or
switching in a new TRM. From there, the rolls can either be
rebuilt or remanufactured.
There is a lot that goes into the care of a three roll mill. If you
take care of your mills, you will produce refined products, which
ANTHONY MK II 6" X 8". is ultimately what your customers are seeking. ■

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 THREE ROLL MILL SAFETY
The ANSI safety regulations for three roll mills were extensively revised in 2007,
and reissued with slight changes in 2017.

BY JON HATZ • KEITH MACHINERY CORP.

A s many of you know, my company (Keith Machinery,

or KMC) has been selling and servicing three roll
mills (TRMS) for well over 50 years. When I was ap-
proached by Ink World to write a monthly column concerning
all things to do with TRMS, I felt that I should first discuss the
soon approaching deadline for getting production size TRMS
into full ANSI compliance.
However, before I begin my first column, I would like to
offer this invitation and this promise. If you have a question re-
garding TRMS, please email that question to me (jon.hatz@
keithmachinery.com), and I promise to answer it. It is my inten-
tion to have your questions drive the content of future columns.
And now, here I go with my first column.
The ANSI safety regulations (ANSI B65/NAPIM 177.1-
2017) for three roll mills were extensively revised in 2007, and
then reissued with some minor changes in 2017. KMC refers to
these regulations as ANSI 2017, and they require that all TRMs
purchased for use in the USA (after January 1, 2008) be fully
ANSI 2017 compliant.
To be fully ANSI 2017 compliant, the TRM must have a
WASHUP MODE (a very slow speed used when cleaning
the rolls), EMERGENCY BRAKING, NGSIS (Nip Guard
Safety Interlock System) that monitors mill functions to insure
that when the rolls are being cleaned, the WASHUP STICK
(in-running nip point guard) is in the feed nip, and the mill
is in WASHUP MODE, and a feed roll safety cable assembly
(required for production size TRMs with roll length greater than
14”).
The NGSIS senses the position of the feed nip and the
apron nip (whether they are open or closed), the position of
the endplates (whether they are down for running, or up for
cleaning), the position of the WASHUP STICK (whether it
is in its home position, or in the feed nip), and the position of
the WASHUP MODE SELECTOR SWITCH (whether
it is set for normal running, or it is set for the very slow
roll speed used when cleaning the rolls). In addition, ANSI
2017 also provides a detailed procedure for the cleaning of
any TRM.
ANSI 2017 grants Grandfather Status to TRMs that were
in operation prior to January 1, 2008. Basically, these grandfa-
thered three roll mills are legal to run, so long as they are fully
ANSI 1997 compliant, with the addition of a feed roll safety
cable for production size TRMs. Grandfathered Production Size
TRMs must be brought into full ANSI 2017 compliance prior
to January 1, 2020. Grandfathered Lab and pilot size TRMs (roll
length of 12” or less) continue to be grandfathered, with ex-
pected full compliance required at some point in the future.
Of course, all of the TRMs that KMC supplies, whether new
ANTHONY TRMs, or used (remanufactured) TRMs, are fully
ANSI 2017 compliant. The following photos show the KMC
standard fully ANSI 2017 compliant electrical package installed
on a new ANTHONY MKII 6”x 8” TRM, installed on used
(remanufactured) KENT 6”x 14” TRM, installed on a used (re-
manufactured) DAY 14”x 30”TRM, and installed on a used (re-
manufactured) LEHMANN 16”x 40” TRM. As can been seen
in these photos, KMC typically attaches the main electrical box
to the mill frame (motor side), with everything pre-wired from
there. Electrical hook up is then just a matter of bringing power
to the main electrical box. n
Jon Hatz is president of Keith Machinery Corp./Anthony
Manufacturing. He can be reached at jon.hatz@keithmachinery.com

12 INK WORLD • September 2019

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 Three Roll Mill Safety

ANTHONY MK II ANTHONY MK II 6”x 8”,

6”x 8”. with a KMC standard
fully ANSI 2017 compli-
ant electrical package
installed, left.

KENT 6”x 14”. KENT 6”x 14”, with a

KMC standard fully ANSI
2017 compliant electrical
package installed, left.

DAY 14”x 30”. DAY 14”x 30”, with a

KMC standard fully ANSI
2017 compliant electrical
package installed, left.

LEHMANN 14”x 30”. LEHMANN 16”x 40”,

with a KMC standard
fully ANSI 2017 compli-
ant electrical package
installed, left.

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 THREE ROLL MILL BRANDS,
SIZES, ENDPLATE TYPES,
AND ROLL CONFIGURATIONS
Getting back to basics on leading manufacturers and designs for three roll mills.
BY JON HATZ • KEITH MACHINERY CORP.
I regularly receive calls from three roll mill (TRM) opera-
tors, requesting parts or service on an existing TRM, but
when I inquire as to what TRM they have, many times
they don’t know, and I have to request photos to establish the
correct brand or size. So the purpose of this second column is
to get back to basics. As in my previous column, I would like
to offer this invitation and this promise. If you have a ques-
tion regarding TRMS, please email that question to me (jon.
hatz@keithmachinery.com), and I promise to answer it. It is
my intention to have your questions drive the content of these
columns. And now, here I go with my second column.
FIGURE 1:SIZES FOR THE MAIN BRANDS OF THREE ROLL MILLS.
In North America, more than 95% of the TRMS now
in production are the following brands: DAY, KENT,
LEHMANN, ROSS, ANTHONY (manufactured by
KMC), and BUHLER. Other brands are COX, MOLTENI,
GERMAN LEHMANN, MERCURY, INOUE, and other
manufacturers in China, Korea and India. Photos of some
widely seen TRMS are shown below the size/brand table.
14
Keith Machinery eBook 0419.indd 14
The sizes for these main brands (roll diameter x roll face
length in inches) are as follows in Figure 1:
FIGURE 2: FROM LEFT, DAY, ANTHONY AND KENT STYLE ENDPLATE SYSTEMS.
There are three types of endplate systems employed on
TRMS, and for the purposes of this discussion, I will call these
KENT style endplates, DAY style endplates, or ANTHONY
style endplates. Drawings of each end plate style are shown in
Figure 2.
KENT style endplates ride just above the surface of the roll.
These are designed to allow a small amount of product to migrate
under the endplate, thereby fully coating the roll ends, until the
product transfers to the apron roll. As these endplates wear, more
product will migrate outward, and to mitigate against “spitting”,
the endplates can be moved inward toward the center of the roll.
As these endplates never actually come in contact with the roll,
they generate less heat than other types of endplates, and so this
design is best for very heat sensitive products. This design also
has the benefit of easy installation, as this design does not require
fitting with ground glass. KENT style endplates do not allow for
mixing in the feed nip.
ANTHONY style endplates (also used on BUHLER TRMS)
ride on the undercut of the rolls, and seal by the endplate press-
ing against the vertical side of the roll. As these endplates do
INK WORLD • September 2019
9/13/19 10:01 AM
 Three Roll Mill Brands, Sizes, Endplate Types and Roll Configurations

actually contact the roll, they do gener-

ate more heat than the KENT style end-
plates. This design also has the benefit
of easy installation, as this design does
not require fitting with ground glass.
ANTHONY style endplates do allow
for mixing in the feed nip.
DAY style endplates (also used on
LEHMANN TRMS) ride on the bevel
of the roll, and these endplates must be
“lapped” onto the bevel, making a wa- FIGURE 3: FROM LEFT, HORIZONTAL CONFIGURATION, INCLINE CONFIGURATION AND VERTICAL CONFIGURATION.
ter-tight seal. As these endplates do ac-
tually contact the roll, they do generate
more heat than the KENT style endplates. This design is not difference. The inclined configuration requires slightly less
ready to install, as they do require fitting (lapping) with ground floor space than a horizontal configuration, and the verti-
glass. DAY style endplates do allow for mixing in the feed nip. cal configuration requires slightly less floor space than the
There are three basic roll configurations on TRMS. More inclined configuration. Both the inclined configuration, and
than 95% of the TRMS in North America have rolls in a hori- the vertical configuration, have the feed nip (in-running
zontal plain. The remainder have rolls on an inclined plain, or a nip) at a lower level than on a horizontal configured TRM.
combination that is normally referred to as a vertical TRM. The theory was that this feed nip location allowed for easier
As far as the product is concerned, there is absolutely no feeding of product into the feed nip. On the other hand,
many operators feel that this low location of the feed nip
has some definite safety drawbacks, as compared to the
horizontal configuration. Drawings of each roll configura-
tion are shown in Figure 3. ■

ANTHONY 4” X 8” ANTHONY MK II 6” X 8” DAY 14” X 30” LEHMANN 13” X 32”

KENT 9” X 24”

BUHLER 16” X 53”

DAY 5” X 12” ROSS 6" X 14" ROSS 6” X 14”

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 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE
CROWN ON THREE ROLL MILLS
The shape of the crown plays a key role in how a three roll mill performs.

BY JON HATZ • KEITH MACHINERY CORP.

T he question that I am asked most often regarding three

roll mills (TRMS) has to do with the shape (CROWN)
of the rolls, and so this will be the subject of this col-
umn. As in my previous columns, I would like to offer this
invitation and this promise. If you have a question regarding
right shows what the operator would see when the crown is too
small (or the TRM is running too cool, or both).
So, why does a roll need to be crowned? The first part of

TRMS, please email that question to me (jon.hatz@keithma-

chinery.com), and I promise to answer it. It is my intension to
have your questions drive the content of these columns. And
now, here I go with my third column.
As it happens, Keith Machinery (KMC) is the owner of FIGURE 1: A CYLINDRICAL ROLL, LEFT, VS. A CROWNED ROLL.
the oldest TRM in North America. This TRM was manu-
factured in Germany in 1872, and it has stone rolls. I can
imagine that this TRM was used to manufacture paint, and the answer has to do with what the crown is trying to ac-
in my mind’s eye, I can see the operator putting his liquid complish, and simply put, the object is to have the roll surface
vehicle and powder pigment onto the TRM, much like of the roll perfectly fl at at the nip. Simply put, this allows the
we might do today. Over time, the rolls would heat up do product to “see” the same thing throughout the length of the
to friction, and when the paint became too hot, the TRM nip. Another way of saying this is that the exact same grinding
would be turned off for the day, with production begin- will go on at the left side of the nip, as at the center of the nip,
ning again the following morning. as at the right side of the nip.
Over the next 50 years, TRMS evolved, first with solid I am sure that you have all heard that the amount of crown
iron rolls, and then by the 1920s they had water cooled is product dependent. What this really means is that different
iron rolls that needed to be crowned. When a roll is said products require more or less roll pressure, to achieve the desired
to be CROWNED, this means that the roll is not a per- fineness of grind. Roll pressure and crown are directly related.
fect cylinder, with the diameter at the center of the roll More roll pressure requires more crown, while less roll pressure
larger than the diameter at the ends of the roll. On modern requires less crown.
TRMS, the diameter at the center will be a few tenths of a As can be seen in Figure 3, as the operator increases roll
thousandths of an inch larger than at the ends. This is not
something that you can see, or even measure with a tape,
but without this shape, a TRM will not run as it should.
Figure 1 shows both a cylindrical roll and a crowned roll.
Let me begin this discussion with what the TRM operator
observes while the product is coming off the apron, as illustrated
in Figure 2. The drawing on the left shows what the operator
would see when the crown is too large (or the TRM is running
too hot, or both).The drawing in the center shows what the op-
erator would see when everything is correct.The drawing on the FIGURE 2: FROM LEFT, TOO MUCH CROWN, CORRECT CROWN AND TOO LITTLE CROWN.

16 INK WORLD • September 2019

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 The Importance of the Crown on Three Roll Mills

pressure, this pressure is directed at the roll ends, where the bear- graph looks like. ■
ings are. Pushing on a cylindrical roll (a roll that does not have
a crown) in this manner causes the roll surface at the nip to
become very slightly concave. Beginning with a roll with the
correct crown for the pressure applied, this deflection will cause
the roll surface at the nip to become perfectly straight.The draw-
ing below shows how force applied to the roll ends affects both
a cylindrical roll and a crowned roll.
The second part of the answer has to do with water cooling.

FIGURE 3: ROLL PRESSURE AND CROWN ARE DIRECTY RELATED. FIGURE 5: A TYPICAL ROLL PROFILE GRAPH.

Figure 4 illustrates this point. The drawing on the left shows a

typical roll, and as you can see, there is much more metal at the
ends of the roll, as compared with the middle of the roll. If the
roll started as a perfect cylinder, and if it heated up uniformly,
the diameter would increase uniformly, and so it would remain
a perfect cylinder. But when cooling water is allowed into the
annular space inside the roll, this water will cool the center of the
roll more efficiently than the ends of the roll.
The drawing on the right shows what that cylindrical roll

FIGURE 4: ADDING COOL WATER TO A CYLINDRICAL ROLL.

(a roll that does not have a crown) will look like, after the
center of the roll “shrinks” more than the ends. In this case,
the surface of the roll would be slightly concave. For the pur-
poses of this discussion, the roll is crowned, so that when the
cooling water shrinks the roll center, the roll will become a
perfect cylinder. As the rolls on a Kent TRM are different
from the rolls on a Day TRM, which are different still on a
Buhler TRM, etc., the amount of crown required, even for
the same product (same pressure), differs from manufacturer
to manufacturer.
And finally, when a qualified roll grinding company is
grinding a roll, they will check their work with a system that
will check both the size of the crown and the shape of the
crown. Only when the roll profile is exactly as it should be, will
the roll be passed on for use. Figure 5 shows what a typical roll

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 REPEATABILITY AND THREE ROLL MILLS

For ink makers, it is critical that the product that ships this month
is exactly the same as the product that shipped last month.

BY JON HATZ • KEITH MACHINERY CORP.

R ecently, I had conversations with two customers,

and both of these conversations got into the sub-
ject of REPEATABILITY, as it relates to products
produced on a three roll mill (TRM). As I get these questions
often, repeatability will be the subject of this column. As in
my previous columns, I would like to offer this invitation and
this promise. If you have a question regarding TRMS, please
email that question to me (jon.hatz@keithmachinery.com),
and I promise to answer it. It is my intention to have your
questions drive the content of these columns. And now, here
I go with my fourth column.
When I refer to repeatability, what I mean is that the prod-
uct that ships this month is exactly the same as the product that
shipped last month. When this subject has to do with a TRM,
and although QC checks can vary from one company to anoth-
er, the standard check is to use a grind gauge. If the criteria for

FIGURE 2: THE WATER SIDE OF A TYPICAL REMANUFACTURED TRM.

FIGURE 1: AN ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC APRON SET ON A TYPICAL TRM. FIGURE 3: AN HMI SCREEN SHOT OF THE DISPLAY THAT DEALS WITH THE ATC.

18 INK WORLD • September 2019

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 Repeatability and Three Roll MIlls

passing the product is for the product to reach a particular fine- to keep the apron knife pressure constant. The standard way to
ness of grind, and if both this month’s product and last month’s do this is to have a hydraulic or a pneumatic apron set system.
product reached the same grind, then the product is the same. These systems will have a gauge to show pressure, and a regula-
Or is it? The answer is maybe. We know that the product tor to control this pressure. Figure 1 shows an electro-hydraulic
is no worse than an X grind, but we don’t know exactly how apron set on a typical TRM.
much better than an X grind it
is. Another way of looking at this ROLL SPEED
subject is the call that the ink The next parameter is Roll
maker may get from a printing Speed. There is no question that
customer. The customer calls to for some products, roll speed can
complain that the ink that he used affect the final product. As far as
last month worked perfectly on his repeatability is concerned, Roll
#2 printing press. The problem is Speed is not an issue, as even on
that this month’s ink is giving him older TRMS with single or two
problems. The reality may be that speed motors, the operator will
last month’s ink may have been just know what speed the product was
a little bit better than this month’s run at (High or Low Speed). For
ink, and that can be a big problem. more modern TRMS with vari-
To begin this discussion, let able roll speed, there is typically an
me assume that the raw materi- RPM indicator, and the operator
als that go into the product did can run the product at the same
not change. Let me also assume speed from month to month.
that the formula for this product FIGURE 4: TRM WITH A MANUAL-HYDRAULIC ROLL SET.
also did not change. And finally, PRODUCT TEMPERATURE
let me assume that the mixing And now we come to the ma-
technique to achieve the pre-mix jor repeatability parameters. The
did not change. If none of these first one is Product Temperature,
items changed, then something, and there is no question that pro-
or some things, have changed on cessing most products at different
the TRM. So, what can change on temperatures will affect product
a TRM from month to month? outcome. In this column I will
The answer to this question is the not discuss optimum temperature
APRON KNIFE PRESSURE, for any particular product, as the
ROLL SPEED, PRODUCT subject is repeatability. To begin,
TEMPERATURE, and ROLL almost all TRMS with Manual
PRESSURE. Roll Temperature Control will
have three inlet valves, allow-
APRON KNIFE PRESSURE ing cooling water to flow into
Let me begin with Apron Knife the annular space inside the roll.
Pressure. Basically, the apron knife FIGURE 5: TRM WITH A MANUAL-LOAD CELL ROLL SET. Allowing more cooling water to
should be set at the lowest pres- flow into the roll will lower prod-
sure consistent with scraping all uct temperature, and allowing less
of the product off the apron roll. water to flow into the roll will
It should be noted, that as the apron knife wears, the knife lower product temperature.
edge becomes uneven, and apron knife pressure will need to If the operator has a hand held temperature gun, and he is
increase to scrape all of the product off the apron roll. Although very diligent in monitoring roll temperatures, he will be able to
not a major product influencer, changing the apron knife pres- keep product temperature at the desired temperature as the batch
sure will affect the final project. TRMS with manual apron set is processed. Of course, this procedure requires a very diligent
leaves it to the operator to adjust the apron knife pressure, and operator, and operator that does nothing else but run his mill.
this negatively affects repeatability. For repeatability, the aim is The reality is that since operators do have other things to do,

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 Repeatability and Three Roll MIlls

TRMS with manual roll temperature control are not good at

repeating Product Temperature from month to month.
The “fix” to this is an Automatic Roll Temperature Control
System (ATC). These systems quite simple, and since all ANSI
2017 compliant electrical packages will have a PLC, adding this
feature is quite easy.
With ATC, the operator inputs the desired temperature for
each roll, and the system keeps the temperatures at these set
points. Although there are quite a few variations when it comes
to ATC, I will now describe how the KMC ATC system works.
To begin, we monitor the temperature of the water inside each
roll. As this temperature increases due to friction, the system al-
lows water to flow into a specially designed water pipe that sprays
water upward toward the top of the roll, which is the most ef-
ficient way to achieve heat transfer. Once the water temperature
DAY 14”X 30” MID PRODUCTION TRM. inside the roll falls to the low temperature delta, water flow stops.
In simple terms, the system maintains product temperature
within a very small temperature range of 1°F or 2°F. The KMC
ATC system also includes both a water pressure sensor and a
flow sensor. Figure 2 shows the water side of a typical remanu-
factured TRM, and Figure 3 shows an HMI screen shot of the
display that deals with the ATC.

ROLL PRESSURE
And now I come to the main parameter affecting repeatabil-
ity, and of course this is Roll Pressure. On older or simple
configured TRMS that have manual roll set, roll pressure
is controlled by “feel” and by “eye.” With a manual roll set
TRM, the operator turns a hand wheel, which is connected
to a hand wheel screw, and this screw is attached to the
bearing block. Turning the hand wheels in the clockwise

LEHMANN 16”X 40” LARGE PRODUCTION TRM WITH MANUAL-LOAD CELL ROLL SET.

LEHMANN 16”X 40” LARGE PRODUCTION TRM WITH MANUAL-LOAD CELL ROLL SET. LEHMANN 13”X 32” MID PRODUCTION TRM.

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 Repeatability and Three Roll MIlls

direction will first close the nip, and turning them more, will
pressurize the nip. The operator will “feel” the hand wheel
get harder to turn as more pressure is applied. Typically, the
operator will look at the bead of material on the feed roll to
determine how much pressure is being applied to the feed
nip, but obviously, repeating roll pressure from month to
month is a major problem.
There are a number of systems that have been used over
the years, to measure Roll Pressure. The vast majority of these
is use hydraulics, and these fall into two distinct categories. In
very simplified terms, with Manual-Hydraulic Roll Set, most
manufacturers have a hand wheel that “pushes” on hydraulic
fluid in a small hydraulic reservoir, and this hydraulic fluid
in turn “pushes” on the bearing block, and also on a gauge
which registers pressure. Such a system is a four-point adjust-
ment system, utilizing four hand wheels, exactly like a manual KENT 13”X 32” MID PRODUCTION TRM.
roll set TRM.
Another type of Manual-Hydraulic Roll Set is found on
Day TRMs, and this utilizes two hand pumps that are used to
send hydraulic fluid to hydraulic cylinders that close the feed
nip, and the apron nip. Such a system is a two-point adjust-
ment system, which does easily not allow adjustment of pres-
sure from side to side on the roll.
Although not found on many TRMS, there are also
Manual-Load Cell Roll Set systems, and these work in a
similar manner to a four hand wheel manual-hydraulic sys-
tem, except that instead of hydraulic gauges that read pressure,
there would be electronic indicators. The KMC standard for
these TRMS is to have two HMIs, one for the feed side, and
the other for the apron side of the TRM. Figure 4 shows a
TRM with a Manual-Hydraulic Roll Set and Figure 5 with a
Manual-Load Cell Roll Set. ■

ANTHONY MKII 6”X 8” PILOT TRM.

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 ROLL GRINDING - HOW DO YOU
KNOW IF IT IS REQUIRED
The common factor is that the product is
not being ground as well as it once was.

BY JON HATZ • KEITH MACHINERY CORP.

R ecently, I had conversations with three customers,

and these conversations got into the subject of roll
condition in general, and more specifically, how do
you know when a roll set needs to be ground. As I get these
questions every week, this topic will be the subject of my
column. As in my previous columns, I would like to offer this
invitation and this promise. If you have a question regarding
TRMS, please email that question to me (jon.hatz@keithma-
chinery.com), and I promise to answer it. It is my intension to
have your questions drive the content of these columns. And
now, here I go with my next column.
There are quite a few issues that will cause rolls to need
roll grinding, but all of these have a common factor, and that
factor is that the product is not being ground as well as it
once was.

VERTICAL BURN MARKS

The most common problem that KMC observes when roll sets
are sent to us for grinding are vertical bands (burn marks) that
can appear at one location or at multiple locations on the face
of the roll. The photo to the left shows a three roll mill (TRM)
with vertical burn marks. The most common reason for these
burn marks is that the rolls have been allowed to run dry.
Typically, at the end of the run, the operator will run out the
product in the feed nip, before opening the rolls for cleaning.
CAPTION
In most instances, the operator will catch this problem im-
mediately, and no harm will have been done. But sometimes
the operator may be distracted, and the rolls will “gall or tear”
were the feed roll and the center roll are running against each
other, with no product present for lubrication. Other causes
for these burn marks would be for some foreign substance to
pass through the feed nip. This could be shot from a horizontal
media mill, or it could even be a spatula passing through the
feed nip. Sometimes these vertical bands show as discoloration
only, and they can’t be felt. More often, the tear can be felt by
running a fingertip along the roll surface. Once a burn mark
appears on the feed or center roll, it typically transfers to the
other rolls in the roll set.

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 Roll Grinding - How Do You Know if It is Required

Once burn NORMAL WEAR

marks are present, As a TRM is used to grind product, the rolls will wear (abrade)
the product will due to friction. Over time, the crowns will wear away, and the
be ground dif- shape of the rolls will not be as they were when they left the
ferently (worse) factory. This type of wear is product dependent. The most be-
at the burn mark nign products, such as artist colors in oil, wear the rolls very
site then it is slowly, and the roll grinding cycle for these benign products
ground along the is normally grinding every 10-12 years or so. At the other end
rest of the roll. of the spectrum are abrasive products that can easily require
Also, the product grinding every year. With this type of normal wear, the rolls
may need more often look perfectly shiny and nice. The problem shows itself
apron knife pres- in that the product will take more passes to get to acceptable
sure to scrape off grind, or it will take a higher roll pressure, etc. etc.
the product from
the apron roll.
The knife pres-
sure issue is not the major problem, and so long as the product
can be completely scraped off of the apron roll, the only result is
that apron knives will wear out faster than they did before.
The major problem with burn marks is grind issue. If the
burn marks are not too bad, the product coming off at the burn
mark site can get to an acceptable grind by increasing roll pres-
sure. Of course, increasing roll pressure decreases throughput
(production) on the affected TRM. Also, the product coming off
the apron roll is no longer uniform, with the product coming off
the non-burnt sections now having a finer grind.
The previous paragraph describes the best case. In many
cases, these burn marks can be deeper and or wider. In such
cases, increasing roll pressure will never get the product coming
off the burn mark site to an acceptable grind. Also, burn marks
tend to get worse over time. The end result is the same: when
the roll set will no longer yield an acceptable grind, or when
the product uniformity becomes too great, then the roll set
needs to be ground. ROLL GRINDING OPTIONS
When it is determined that a roll set needs grinding, the
CORRUGATION owner of the TRM has a number of options. These options
Another problem that KMC observes when rolls are sent to us include a ROLL SET JOB (RSJ) where the roll set is sent
for grinding appear to the eye as horizontal lines that go across out for grinding. In this case the TRM will be down for at
the roll surface. The drawing below shows this phenomenon, least 8 weeks. Another option is a ROLL SET SWITCH
and it is called corrugation. (RSS) where a remanufactured roll set is supplied to the
Although there are a number of reasons for corrugation to owner, and eventually the existing roll set is sent back to
occur, it is almost always associated with water-based products, the supplier. With an RSS the TRM will only be down for
as water is a very poor lubricant. Once corrugation appears, it a week. Another option is to send the entire TRM to be
gets progressively worse. At its worse, a TRM with corrugated remanufactured. With a REMANUFACTURE, the TRM
rolls will sound like a machine gun. As with burn marks, at the will be down for at least 12 weeks. And the last option is
very early stages of corrugation, the grind can be maintained by a MILL SWITCH, where a remanufactured TRM is sup-
increasing roll pressure. But as corrugation quickly gets worse plied, and the existing TRM is sent back to the supplier.
and worse, roll grinding is always required. Customers that run With a MILL SWITCH, the TRM is only out of service
products that cause corrugation typically schedule roll grinding for a day or so. ■
in two to three year cycles. With that said, KMC has one cus-
tomer that has multiple RRRS (ready reserve roll sets), with roll
sets never in use for more than one year.

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