IMPRESSION ROLLERS

Need

•Proper transfer of the ink from inside the rotogravure cells onto the web is
accomplished by means of high impression pressure.
•The counter-pressure or impression roller is a rubber or plastic covered
steel idle roller which creates the printing pressure.
•The rubber covering is available in differing hardness and thickness.
•Impression pressure will vary with the type and smoothness of the
materials being printed
•The most common scale for measuring the hardness (durometer) of the
rubber is Shore “A” scale.
IMPRESSION ROLLERS
IMPRESSION ROLLERS
IMPRESSION ROLLERS
 Types of Impression Systems
1. Conventional or moving rubber roll impression system
2. Moving cylinder impression system

Conventional or moving rubber roll impression system

Conventional or moving rubber roll impression system :

It produces printing pressure when the impression roller is forced

downwards against a stationary gravure cylinder

It is relatively simple to design a power transmission train to the

stationary gravure cylinder

The web changes its position and operating tension levels, when
the impression roller is moved away from the gravure cylinder

It is a serious disadvantage because additional waste is created

every time the web is started, as the position and tension of the
web will change whenever the rubber roller moves up and then
down
Circumferential color register will be out of tolerance, and probably the
entire length of the web in the machine will be wasted at every start
up

The lead in and lead out rollers on either side of the IR moves in the
opposite direction of the impression roller travel

When the IR rises, these roller lower, attempting to keep the web in
the same position and under the approximate tension conditions as
obtained prior to the IR moving

These idle rollers return to their normal position when impression

pressure is applied
IMPRESSION ROLLERS
Types
Moving cylinder impression system
Moving cylinder impression system:

It creates printing pressure when the rotogravure cylinder rises up against

the stationary impression roller
•Majority of rotogravure presses use the moving rubber roll impression
system because there are power transmission difficulties when driving a
vertically moving rotogravure cylinder
•Only a minority of rotogravure presses use the moving cylinder
impression system because of the difficulties in designing a power
transmission system to a rotating device which changes its position
•The power train to the gravure cylinder must contain a universal joint,
which will allow the gravure cylinder to change position while still
attached to the drive system
•The advantage: the web remain stationary and under operating tension
levels in the off-impression mode
IMPRESSION ROLLERS
Impression loading devices
Mechanical
Pneumatic
Hydraulic
IMPRESSION ROLLERS
Impression loading devices
Mechanical
IMPRESSION ROLLERS
Impression loading devices
Pneumatic
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Impression loading devices
Hydraulic
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Impression Setting
Two methods of setting the amount of impression pressure:
1. Stop-type
2. Self-compensating impression setting system
Stop-type or gap impression system:
Utilized at least two hardened steel blocks to limit the movement of the
impression cylinder
These stops are adjustable, and the impression roller cannot be pushed
beyond these preset stops, regardless of the amount of applied
pressure
A stop is attached to each side of the impression roller assembly and
another pair is attached to the frame or gravure cylinder bearing
system
The two stops are adjustable and one has a coarse thread while the other
has a fine thread
The coarse thread is used to change the stop settings whenever the
diameter of the rotogravure cylinder changes
The fine thread is used to establish the desired amount of impression
pressure
Stop-type
Disadvantages:
1. There is no accurate way to determine the amount of applied impression
pressure
 The mechanical, pneumatic, or hydraulic actuator forces the rubber roller down,
or the gravure cylinder up and their motion is limited by the stop setting
 The amount of pressure against the moving member has no relationship to the
amount of applied pressure
 The only method of approximating the amount of impression pressure is to
measure the roller flat distance. This is the amount of distorted rubber covering
which contacts the rotogravure cylinder
2. Change in impression pressure because of thickness variation in the
substrate
 The stops create a fixed distance between rubber roller and GC, and this
setting was established with the correct thickness web.
 Impression pressure changes in accordance with the variations in web
caliper, the loading device exerts far more force on the moving member
than the impression pressure desired
 The stops prevent the roller from moving lower with thinner webs and
the actuators prevent thicker webs from lofting the moving member
IMPRESSION ROLLERS
Impression Setting
Two types:
Self-compensating impression setting system
Self-compensating impression setting system
In this system the movable member is loaded against the fixed
member until the applied pressure equals the counter pressure.
Two pistons are used on both side of the cylinder. These piston
controls the pressure individually.
The impression roller can only exert force on the gravure cylinder
If the web becomes thinner, the counter pressure will be reduced
and one or both air cylinders will move the impression roller until
the counter pressure equals 1125 Kg
The thicker web will produce higher counter pressures and this
forces the impression roller upwards
That is why the floating impression system automatically
compensates for uneven webs during the printing run
IMPRESSION ROLLERS CONSTRUCTION

•The high pressures of a gravure printing nip require that both the
impression roller and the gravure cylinder be designed as strong as
possible so that they will not deflect

• A roller’s resistance to deflection is a function of

• Material that is made from

• Its wall thickness

• Outside diameter

• Bearing separation distance

• Shaft diameter
•Impression rollers are almost always made from a steel core, because it
is advantages to use the smallest diameter impression roller possible for
the load and width
•The contact area is narrower when a smaller diameter rubber roller is
used and this minimizes the web wrinkling problems associated with
high pressure nips
•Larger diameter impression rollers are required for boxboard presses
because of the higher printing pressures used

It shows how the pressures are

transmitted to the rubber within the
normal roller flat width of 13 mm
•The soft covering on the steel shell can be made of several rubber
components so that it is compatible with the solvents being used
•Correct hardness rubber has to be used for each printing application
•Softer rubber than needed – the deformation is greater which increases
both the web handling and rubber deterioration problems
•The thickness of the web in a gravure nip prevents the rubber covering
of the impression roller from contacting the gravure cylinder.
•The thinner webs will force the exposed edges of the deformed
impression roller onto the surface of the gravure cylinder. This will
creates ink build-up and rubber deterioration problems
•Way to prevent this is to have an impression roller which has a sheet or
web contact length which is slightly shorter than the width of the
material being printed on
The length of the impression roller cannot be changed to suit different
web widths because its bearing are mounted in the printing frame
Almost all rotogravure printers undercut their impression rollers to reduce
the length of the covering which touches the material being printed
Undercutting is the reduction in diameter of those parts of the impression roller
which extend past the edges of a specific width web.
It is common for the undercut diameter to be at least 1.0 mm smaller, which
makes the undercut thickness 0.5 mm smaller in radius than the other sections of
an impression roller.
The undercutting will be 6mm narrower on both side of the web.
Those impression rollers used with different width webs are undercut to suit each
web width.
UNDERCUT IMPRESSION ROLLERS
The thickness of the rubber covering should be about 16 mm on a new
impression roller if it is to be used with a variety of different width webs
The IR used with different width webs are undercut to suit each web
width
The same roller can be used for a narrower web by increasing web by
increasing the length of the undercut sections

Impression roller showing

the wall thickness and the
maximum and minimal
thickness of the rubber
covering
Minority of rotogravure presses are fitted with sleeve type impression
rollers
The impression roller core is a tapered steel cylinder (a) and the
rubber is placed on a tapered plastic sleeve
In fig.b sleeve being inserted over the tapered core
The sleeve concept is more popular for use

a. Mandrel tapered IR

b. Sleeve IR
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Deflection
IMPRESSION ROLLER
Deflection

All rollers deflect, which means that they will bend and become curved

Rollers deflect to their own weight, and in accordance with the amount of
load placed upon them

The ends of the rollers cannot deflect because they are secured in the
bearing retainers but the body of the roller will distort by various degrees

The middle of the rollers is more susceptible to serious distortion than

the ends

The force of the printing pressure will bend the impression upwards and
the GC downwards
The amount of deflection can be calculated by the formula:
Deflection = 5 x L x I3 /(E x I)
----
384
L is the total load on the cylinder
I is the length of the cylinder
E is the modulus of elasticity
I is the moment of inertia
The moment of inertia formula:
I = 0.049 (OD4 – ID4) hollow roller
I = 0.049 (D4) for a solid roller
Example:
A 1220 mm(48”) long steel roller which has a 200 mm(8”) OD and a 175
mm(7”) ID is loaded with 1800 kg/m (100pli) of impression pressure. How
much will this roller deflect?
The moment of inertia for hallow cylinder:
I = 0.049 X(4096-2401) = 83.06
The total load = 100 lbs x 48” = 4800 lbs
The deflection = 5 x 4800 x 110,592” / (384 x 30,000,000 x 83.06)
= .028”
The formula contains the four following factors:
1. The load on the roller
2. The length of the roller
3. The moment of inertia of the cross section
4. The modulus of elasticity
The steel core has a modulus of elasticity = 30,000,000 psi
Aluminum roller has the modulus of elasticity about 10,000,000 psi
Deflection is not a major problem for gravure presses up to 1500
mm wide.
Wider presses can have more serious problem if the impression
rollers are not correctly designed.
The cylinder print, impression print or foot print of the area where
the rubber contacts the rotogravure cylinder should be rectangular
shaped and about 12 mm wide

It was created by a non deflecting gravure nip

If there is deflection then the foot print would
be hour-glass shaped
This indicates that there is insufficient
impression pressure and the image in the
middle of the web may not print at all or may be
of a much lighter tone than at the edges of the
web
To avoid deflection, a steel impression back-up roller can be used to
prevent the middle of the impression roller from bending upwards.
To avoid deflection of gravure cylinder any one of following type is
used:
1. Back-up roller – Vertical design
2. Back-up roller – Angular design
3. Dual back-up roller
4. Flexible impression roller
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Deflection
Back-up roller – Vertical design
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Deflection
Back-up roller – Angular design
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Deflection
Dual back-up roller
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Deflection
Flexible impression roller
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Changeover
Turret Impression Roller System

3-roll turret arm is the most popular type. Only recommended when
the width and type of web rarely changes.

Downtime is reduced because much less time is required to rotate

the impression roller turret arm than to replace the impression
roller.
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Changeover
Turret Impression Roller System
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Changeover
Trolley impression roll holders

Using the printing trolley to insert and remove the impression roller
when the gravure cylinder is being changed reduces downtime
between printing runs.
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Changeover
Trolley impression roll holders
IMPRESSION ROLLER
Printing on rough surfaced materials

The small unprinted areas in the image are called snowflakes and they are
caused by minimal impression pressure.
IMPRESSION ROLLER
Printing on rough surfaced materials
The small unprinted areas in the image are called snowflakes and
they are caused by minimal impression pressure.
IMPRESSION ROLLER

Printing on rough surfaced materials

The small unprinted areas in the image are called snowflakes and
they are caused by minimal impression pressure.

Solution:

1. Using a harder rubber on the impression roller and using

higher nipping pressure.

2. Electrostatic assist – A voltage difference between the ink in

the cells and the substrate sucks the ink out of the cells in all
reduced impression areas.
IMPRESSION ROLLER
Printing on rough surfaced materials
Electrostatic assist

Electrostatic-assist impression systems are commonly used on

rotogravure presses which print on boxboard which is thicker than .40
mm as the impression roller does not have to be undercut for these
thick webs. The electrostatic impression roller must receive the positive
charge on its surface, and a special back-up roller is used to apply it to
the surface of the roller.

Electro-assist impression rollers are also used for gravure presses which
process paper webs for the publication which has a standard width.
IMPRESSION ROLLER
Printing on rough surfaced materials
Electrostatic assist