Static Control and Web Cleaning
Clean webs make for quality print
Andy Clarke, European operations director, MA Print Products
W
eb cleaning is fundamentally important when manufacturing labels and packaging. Without it, print defects can appear, rejects
will occur and time and resources are wasted. This is true for all converters, although the type of products they produce and the intended application will defi ne whether to clean one or both sides of the web.
The nature of pressure-sensitive labels means cleaning the top of the web is likely enough to ensure a spotless surface on which to print and apply value-added fi nishes. Applying labels to a bottle, jar or other vessel means issues related to
contamination are largely moot and rendering cleaning both sides of a web unnecessary. This is true even when the printed web is rewound and the risk of contaminants transferring from one surface to the other is present.
Sleeves, foils and lids are examples of
label-type applications where cleaning both
sides of the web is advisable. As well as ensuring successful onward processing, it is imperative to ensure the cleanliness of surfaces that come into contact with foodstuff s and other products destined to be eaten or otherwise consumed. This is even more pronounced in packaging, where the impact of a contaminated reverse side has serious implications and ramifi cations. These directly relate to product integrity and consumer health, as well as the aforementioned impact on onward processes where contaminated surfaces can cause problems throughout the production of fl exible packaging constructions. This can include poor print quality, subpar coating and lamination, even machine breakdowns. With the increasingly capable nature of narrow web presses to print unsupported fi lms and serve a growing portion of the packaging market, cleaning both sides of the web is something that label printers should not overlook. This will ensure the integrity of both packaging and the product.
Contact and non-contact web cleaning are important tools in the arsenal of any printer look to deliver tip-top quality
This makes it advisable to use web cleaning systems that address both sides of a web. By doing so, converters do everything in their power to mitigate such risks and maintain a fully clean and ultimately usable web of material, whether rewound or fed immediately into converting lines.
MA Print Products (MAPP) supplies adhesive rolls for contact web cleaning systems, regardless of if they are used to clean one or both sides of a web. These allow converters working with fi lms and foils suited to the power and performance of contact cleaning to ensure that they manufacture labels and packaging in line with the requirements of the application. Whether 120mm (5in) adhesive rolls for the narrowest of label applications up to adhesive rolls for 1500mm (60in) reels, adhesive rolls for contact web cleaning applications are manufactured from a carefully selected paper base that is tested for thickness, consistency and profi le to ensure a constant high wind quality. A specially formulated adhesive is designed to work eff ectively with all elastomer roller-based contact cleaning systems. A high adhesive mass ensures maximum cleaning performance with two to three times the eff ectiveness of competitive products. This furthers their suitability for highly demanding and sensitive environments, such as packaging production. Regardless of which works for you, the need to clean webs should be assessed as an evaluation of the risk of potential contamination versus the reward of dealing with it. For all printers, having clean webs, front and/or back, is a critical step in ensuring quality converting.
In the case of inkjet, dust and debris left on the web can be catastrophic to the overall process
Positioned ahead of print units or engines, web cleaning is at the
coalface of getting webs of material ready to receive ink
42
November 2024
www.convertermag.com
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