Abstract:
A micro-fiber cleaning plate comprising: a micro-fiber sheet including fibers that extend outward from a surface of the microfiber sheet in a uniform direction; a leading edge locking strip connected to the micro-fiber sheet along a first edge; and a rear edge locking strip connected to the micro-fiber sheet along a second edge opposite the first edge, wherein the leading edge locking strip engages to the rear edge locking strip to secure the micro-fiber cleaning plate to a roll of an anilox print system.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application incorporates by reference and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/204,196 filed Aug. 12, 2015. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present subject matter relates generally to a systems and methods for cleaning printing rolls. More specifically, the present invention relates to a micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate that may be used to clean an anilox roll with minimal downtime and expense. 
         [0003]    Anilox Rolls are used in several printing industries like offset printing, process printing and flexography or “flexo” printing to provide a measured amount of ink to a printing plate. An anilox roll is a hard cylinder, usually constructed of a steel or an aluminum core which is coated by an industrial ceramic whose surface contains millions of very fine dimples, known as cells. Depending on the design of the printing press, the anilox roll is either semi-submerged in the ink fountain, or comes into contact with a so-called metering roller, which is semi-submerged in the ink fountain. The anilox roll then rotates to contact with the printing plate to receive the ink for transfer to the printed material. 
         [0004]    A serious problem plaguing anilox rolls is the tendency of the cells of the roll to slowly fill and become plugged with dry ink. Anilox rollers that are used with water, solvent and oil based inks must be cleaned immediately after use or a problem known as plugging occurs, where minuscule amounts of ink dry in the cells. The presences of dry ink in the cells causes tiny, but unacceptable, pinholes in anything printed from the roll in the future. Accordingly, proper maintenance of anilox rolls requires regular cleaning to maintain print quality. 
         [0005]    By their nature, anilox rolls are difficult to clean. Anilox rolls are incorporated into large presses with large numbers of parts that must be present near the roll for operation. This limits access to the roll for the purposes of cleaning. Additionally, large anilox rolls may be only movable by crane, making it difficult to remove a roll for cleaning. Even for small rolls, extreme caution must be taken when handling these pieces of hardware. A single bump against a hard surface or sharp corner can destroy the delicate cell structure on the surface and render a roller completely useless, at a cost of around US$5000 for even small narrow-web rollers. Accordingly, methods of cleaning anilox rolls in place are preferred. 
         [0006]    One previous method of cleaning anilox rolls in place is the use of brushes. Using brushes on anilox rolls has risks; it is important not to use the wrong type of brush on a roll. Nicks and scratches cause by a brush may add up quickly, so fine brushes (never brass brushes) are used for cleaning the anilox roll. For anilox rolls with special coatings, manufacturers may recommend against using brushes altogether. Additionally, the bristle tips of a brush are generally larger than the cells of anilox rollers used in most flexo printing. Thus, the bristles do not get into the cells, and brushing only breaks the film of ink on top of the cell walls, potentially leaving ink deposited within the cells. 
         [0007]    Previous approaches to cleaning anilox rolls faced serious drawbacks and tradeoffs. Common cleaning methods have included: baking soda blast, plastic bead blast, dry ice blast, ultrasonic (small rolls only) and chemicals. Each of these approaches has advantages and disadvantages. Common disadvantages include expensive or time-consuming cleaning, the need to remove the anilox roll from the press, and importantly, the need for downtime to perform the cleaning. Thus, there is a need for easy-to-use, down-time free (that is, it may be used during production), inexpensive, alternative way to clean wide web anilox rolls. 
         [0008]    Accordingly, there is a need for micro-fiber cleaning plate and systems and methods for cleaning anilox rolls, as described herein. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    To meet the needs described above and others, the present disclosure provides a micro-fiber cleaning plate and systems and methods for cleaning anilox and other printing rolls. The micro-fiber cleaning plate may include micro-fibers (also known as micro-fibre) that extend outward from the surface of the plate to engage with and clean the surface of the anilox roll. 
         [0010]    In an embodiment, the micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate may be installed on the plate cylinder to clean an anilox roll. The micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate may be mounted in the same manner as a printing plate, for example, the micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate may include a leading edge locking strip to hold the cleaning plate to the plate cylinder. 
         [0011]    Once the cleaning plate is installed, the press may then be run, as if a print job was being run, to permit the micro-fiber cleaning plate to come into contact with the anilox roll as they rotate. A detergent cleaner may be used in substitution for the ink to further assist the cleaning action. As the rolls turn, micro-fibers on the surface of the micro-fiber cleaning plate come into contact with the cells of the anilox roll and scour out dried ink. 
         [0012]    In an embodiment, the micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate may include a micro-fiber sheet. The micro-fiber sheet may include fibers that extend outward from the surface of the micro-fiber sheet to engage with and clean the surface of the anilox roll. In an embodiment, a fiber diameter of a fiber of the micro-fiber is approximately fifty microns. In another embodiment, a fiber diameter of a fiber is in the range of fifty to one hundred microns. Since one anilox roll cell is approximately 100 microns, the mechanical action of the relative rotation of the anilox roll and the cleaning plate may force the fibers into the cells to remove dried ink within. 
         [0013]    In an embodiment, the micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate may include a 0.0030″ (0.76 mm) PVC mounting plate. On one end the mounting plate may include a leading edge locking strip, with a trailing edge locking strip on the opposite edge. In some embodiments, the trailing edge locking strip may be omitted and the micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate may be secured on that edge with tape or a rubber fastener. In an embodiment, the total thickness of the micro-fiber cleaning plate is between 0.185″ to 0.300″. In another embodiment, the total thickness of the micro-fiber cleaning plate is between 0.185″ to 0.280″ (4.57 mm to 7.11 mm). In some embodiments, the total thickness of the micro-fiber cleaning plate is 0.160″ or greater and may omit the bottom padding and the mounting plate along most of the micro-fiber sheet to achieve the desired thickness. 
         [0014]    The length of the fibers may be chosen to trade-off stiffness, penetrating depth, and to maximize contact. In an embodiment, the fibers have a height between 1 mm and 1.5 mm. In a preferred embodiment, the microfiber sheet may be a modified sheet of Flotex brand micro-fiber flooring material having approximately 70 million fibres/m 2 . In the preferred embodiment, the height of the micro-fibers are shaved down from 2.1 mm to between 1 mm and 1.5 mm to increase stiffness and to achieve a desired height, leaving a total thickness of the microfiber sheet of approximately 0.110″ (2.79 mm). By shaving down the micro-fibers, they become more firm and abrasive to help further penetrate deep into the anilox roll cells. In other embodiments, where less stiffness is desired or less height is needed, the height of the micro-fibers may be between 1.5 mm and 2.1 mm. 
         [0015]    Additionally, in an embodiment, the micro-fibers may be slightly angled from the vertical direction. For example, in an embodiment, the micro-fibers may be angled between zero to twenty degrees from the vertical. In a preferred embodiment, the micro-fibers are angled at approximately ten degrees from the vertical. The direction in which the fibers are angled is the leading edge of the microfiber sheet. In an embodiment, the leading edge is oriented along the direction of rotation of the plate cylinder to increase the likelihood of the penetration of the anilox cells. 
         [0016]    On one side of the cleaning plate, extra cushioning in the form of bottom padding may be present. The bottom padding may be secured using glue, or otherwise bonded to the cleaning plate. The exact thickness of the micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate may be chosen by varying the thickness of the bottom padding to size it for the particular machine it is being used on. In some embodiments, the bottom padding may be omitted to minimize the thickness of the micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate. In some embodiments, the bottom padding may be any thickness in the range of negligible thickness (such as omitting the padding) up to a thickness of 0.100″ (2.54 mm). Likewise, the width and diameter dimensions may be varied based on the size of the anilox roll. 
         [0017]    In an embodiment, a micro-fiber cleaning system may be embodied in an anilox printing system including a micro-fiber cleaning roll. The anilox printing system may include an impression cylinder, a plate cylinder, an anilox roll, a micro-fiber cleaning roll, and metering and doctor blades for the application of ink. 
         [0018]    The micro-fiber cleaning roll may be mounted next to anilox roll. To clean the anilox roll, a micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate may be attached to the micro-fiber cleaning roll and secured at a locking notch. Detergent may be run through the ink supply system to enhance the cleaning. To resume printing, the micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate may be disengaged from the anilox roll to permit the anilox roll to operate normally. 
         [0019]    In an embodiment, a micro-fiber cleaning plate includes: a micro-fiber sheet including fibers that extend outward from a surface of the microfiber sheet such that each fiber is uniformly oriented relative to a normal vector of the surface at a point where the respective fiber is attached to the micro-fiber sheet; a leading edge locking strip connected to the micro-fiber sheet along a first edge; and a rear edge locking strip connected to the micro-fiber sheet along a second edge opposite the first edge, wherein the leading edge locking strip engages to the rear edge locking strip to secure the micro-fiber cleaning plate to a roll of an anilox print system. 
         [0020]    In an embodiment, the micro-fiber cleaning plate further includes a cushioning layer connected to the micro-fiber cleaning plate parallel to the surface of the micro-fiber sheet. In an embodiment, the fiber diameter is approximately fifty microns. 
         [0021]    Additionally, in an embodiment, the fiber diameter is in the range of fifty to one hundred microns. Moreover, in an embodiment, the total thickness of the micro-fiber cleaning plate is between 0.185 and 0.300 inches. 
         [0022]    In an embodiment, the total thickness of the micro-fiber cleaning plate is between 0.185 to 0.280 inches. Additionally, in an embodiment, the fiber height is between one millimeter and one-and-a-half millimeters. Moreover, in an embodiment, the micro-fiber sheet includes between sixty to eighty million fibers per square meter. Further, in an embodiment, the height of the micro-fibers is between one-and-a-half and two-and-one-tenths millimeter. 
         [0023]    In an embodiment, each fiber is oriented at an angle along the direction of rotation relative to the normal vector. For example, in an embodiment, the angle is between five degrees and twenty degrees. And, in one embodiment, the angle is ten degrees. 
         [0024]    An object of the invention is to provide a system to clean, maintain, and prolong anilox roll life that is crucial in flexographic printing. 
         [0025]    An advantage of the invention is that it provides a micro-fiber cleaning plate that is an easy-to-use, down-time free (that is, it may be used during production), inexpensive, alternative way to clean wide web anilox rolls. 
         [0026]    Another advantage of the invention is that it provides a micro-fiber cleaning plate that may extend the life and improve the printing quality of an anilox roll via preventative maintenance. 
         [0027]    A further advantage of the invention is that it provides a micro-fiber cleaning plate that is very durable and it is designed for repeated use. 
         [0028]    Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the examples will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following description and the accompanying drawings or may be learned by production or operation of the examples. The objects and advantages of the concepts may be realized and attained by means of the methodologies, instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0029]    The drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accord with the present concepts, by way of example only, not by way of limitations. In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. 
           [0030]      FIG. 1A  illustrates an example of a micro-fiber cleaning plate including a leading edge locking strip and a trailing edge locking strip. 
           [0031]      FIG. 1B  illustrates an example of a micro-fiber cleaning plate lacking a trailing edge locking strip. 
           [0032]      FIG. 2  illustrates a printing system in which the micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate is installed on a plate cylinder to clean an anilox roll. 
           [0033]      FIG. 3  illustrates a printing system with a microfiber cleaning roll in which the micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate is installed on a microfiber cleaning roll to clean an anilox roll. 
           [0034]      FIG. 4  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of a microfiber cleaning plate illustrating the orientation and angle of the micro-fibers. 
           [0035]      FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the leading and trailing edges of a microfiber cleaning plate that does not include a mounting plate. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0036]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrates an example of a micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  for cleaning anilox and other printing rolls. As shown in  FIG. 1A , the micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  includes a micro-fiber sheet  20  including micro-fibers  30  (also known as micro-fibre). As shown in  FIG. 2 , in an embodiment, the micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate  10  may be installed on a plate cylinder  110  of a printing system  100  to clean an anilox roll  120 . 
         [0037]    In an embodiment, the micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate  10  may include a micro-fiber sheet  20 . The micro-fiber sheet  20  may include micro-fibers  30  that extend radially outward in a uniform direction when mounted on a plate cylinder  110  for cleaning. The micro-fibers  30  may engage with and clean the surface of the anilox roll  120 . In an embodiment, the micro-fiber sheet  20  may include approximately seventy million 100% nylon fibers per square meter. And, in an embodiment, the micro-fiber sheet  20  has a height of 2.1 mm (0.083″) with an intermediate fiberglass layer and a recycled closed cell vinyl cushioned backing with total thickness (micro-fiber and cushion) of 0.17″ (4.3 mm). 
         [0038]    The micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  may be mounted in the same manner as a printing plate cylinder  110 , for example, the micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  may include a leading edge locking strip  40  to hold the cleaning plate  10  to the plate cylinder  110 . 
         [0039]    As shown in  FIG. 1A , the micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate  10  may include a 0.0030″ (0.76 mm) PVC mounting plate  50 . In the embodiment shown, the Micro-fiber sheet  20  is mounted to the PVC mounting plate  50 . The mounting plate  50  may include a surface area that is larger than the micro-fiber sheet  20  to fully secure it. In an embodiment, the mounting plate  50  is stiffer than the microfiber sheet  50  and has a curved shape. Accordingly, in some embodiments, when including the mounting plate  50 , the micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  is naturally curved to cylinder shape by the curve of the mounting plate  50 . The micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate  10  including a mounting plate  50  may be used for bigger circumference 86″, 66″ and 50″ rolls. 
         [0040]    On one end the mounting plate may include a leading edge locking strip  40 , with a trailing edge locking strip  60  on the opposite edge. In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG. 1B , the trailing edge locking strip  60  may be omitted and the micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  may be secured on that edge with tape or a rubber fastener. The width and circumference of the micro-fiber plate  10  may be made to machine print cylinder specification. In an embodiment, the total thickness of the micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  is between 0.185″ to 0.300″. In another embodiment, the total thickness of the micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  is between 0.185″ to 0.280″ (4.57 mm to 7.11 mm). 
         [0041]    In an embodiment, no double faced tape, adhesives or glue is required to stick the micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  to the plate cylinder  110  because the plate is equipped with a leading edge locking strip including T-bar or J-bar mounting strip for securing the the micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  to the plate cylinder  110  quickly and easily. In some embodiments, the micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  may also be made with 0.0925 inch thick, or 0.500 inch width, 92 inch length mounting strips for the leading edge locking strip  40  and the trailing edge locking strip  60 . And, in some embodiments, the trailing edge locking strip  60  has either T-bar/J-bar mounting strip or ⅛″×1½″ slotted trailing edge strip for quickly securing the plate  10  to plate cylinder  110 . Additionally, in some embodiments, the leading/trail edges of the Micro-Fiber are sealed with “Green die sealer”. Further, the T-bar/J-bar mounting strips may be stuck (for example, using two sided tape) and sewed to 0.030″ PVC or Polyester 0.014″ Mylar carrier. 
         [0042]    On one side of the micro-fiber cleaning plate  10 , extra cushioning in the form of bottom padding  70  may be present. The bottom padding  70  may be secured using glue, or otherwise bonded to the micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  on the side opposite the micro-fiber sheet  20 . The exact thickness of the micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  may be chosen by varying the thickness of the bottom padding  70  to size it for the particular machine it is being used on. In some embodiments, the bottom padding  70  may be omitted to minimize the thickness of the micro-fiber cleaning plate  10 . In some embodiments, the bottom padding  70  may be any thickness in the range of negligible thickness (such as omitting the padding) up to a thickness of 0.100″ (2.54 mm). Likewise, the width and diameter dimensions may be varied based on the size of the anilox roll  120 . In some embodiments, the bottom padding  70  may be placed between the micro-fiber sheet  20  and the mounting plate  50 . 
         [0043]    For example, in an embodiment, the micro-fiber sheet  20  is glued and sewed to a 0.030″ PVC layer underneath the entire micro-fiber sheet  20  plus extra inches for both a leading edge locking strip  40  and a trailing edge locking strip  60 . In another embodiment, the micro-fiber sheet  20  is glued and sewed to a polyester 0.014″Mylar layer. The Micro-Fiber may be glued and sewed to compressible cushion plate backing foam material of variable thickness (for example, in various embodiments, 0.090″, 0.100″ or 0.120″ inches thick) for height control contingent on the machine specification. Total thickness of a finished micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  may be between 0.180″ to 0.280″. 
         [0044]    Turning back to  FIG. 2 , the micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate  10  may be installed on a plate cylinder  110  of a printing system  100  to clean an anilox roll  120 . Once the cleaning plate  10  is installed, the printing system  100  may then be run, as if a print job was being run, to permit the micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  to come into contact with the anilox roll  120  as they rotate. A detergent cleaner  170  may be used in substitution for the ink to further assist the cleaning action. As the rolls turn, micro-fibers on the surface of the micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  come into contact with the cells of the anilox roll and scour out dried ink. 
         [0045]    In some embodiments, the invention may be embodied in an anilox printing system with a special purpose micro-fiber cleaning roll (“anilox printing system  200 ”), as shown in  FIG. 3 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the anilox printing system  200  may include an impression cylinder  130 , a plate cylinder  110 , an anilox roll  120 , a micro-fiber cleaning roll  210 , metering blades  150  and doctoring blades  160  for the application of ink. 
         [0046]    The micro-fiber cleaning roll  210  may be mounted next to anilox roll  120 . To clean the anilox roll  120 , a micro-fiber anilox cleaning plate  10  may be attached to the micro-fiber cleaning roll  210  and secured at a locking notch. Detergent  170  may be run through the ink supply system to enhance the cleaning. To resume printing, the micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  may be removed from the micro-fiber cleaning roll  210 . 
         [0047]    Turning to  FIG. 4 , shown is a cross-sectional view of a microfiber cleaning plate  10  to illustrate the orientation, size, and other properties of the micro-fibers ( FIG. 4  is not shown to scale.) In an embodiment, a fiber diameter  420  of a micro-fiber  30  is approximately fifty microns. In another embodiment, a fiber diameter  420  of a micro-fiber  30  is in the range of fifty to one hundred microns. Since one anilox roll cell is approximately 100 microns, the mechanical action of the relative rotation of the anilox roll  120  and the plate cylinder  110  or the micro-fiber cleaning roll  210  may force the micro-fibers  30  into the cells to remove dried ink within. 
         [0048]    A micro-fiber height  430  of the micro-fibers  30  may be chosen to trade-off stiffness, penetrating depth, and to maximize contact. In an embodiment, the micro-fibers have a micro-fiber height  430  between one millimeter and one and a half millimeters. In a preferred embodiment, the microfiber sheet  20  may be a modified sheet of Flotex brand micro-fiber flooring material having approximately 70 million fibers/m 2 . In the preferred embodiment, the micro-fiber height  430  of the micro-fibers are shaved down from two and one tenth millimeters to between one millimeter and one and a half millimeters to increase stiffness and to achieve a desired height, leaving a total thickness of the microfiber sheet of approximately 0.110″ (2.79 mm). By shaving down the micro-fibers, they become more firm and abrasive to help further penetrate deep into the anilox roll cells. In other embodiments, where less stiffness is desired or less height is needed, the height of the micro-fibers  30  may be between one and a half millimeters mm and two and one tenth millimeters. 
         [0049]    Additionally, in an embodiment, the micro-fibers  30  may be slightly angled at a micro-fiber angle  410  that is measured from the normal vector of the surface of the micro-fiber sheet  20 . (The normal vector is a vector that points radially outwards from the origin of a circle defined by the cross-section of the roll.) For example, in an embodiment, the micro-fibers  30  may be angled at a micro-fiber angle  410  between zero to twenty degrees from the normal vector. In a preferred embodiment, the micro-fibers are angled at a micro-fiber angle  410  that is between eight and twelve degrees—that is, approximately ten degrees from the normal vector. The direction in which the fibers are angled is the leading edge of the microfiber sheet  20 . In an embodiment, the leading edge is oriented along the direction of rotation  440  of the plate cylinder  110  or the microfiber-cleaning roll  210  to increase the likelihood of the penetration of the anilox cells. 
         [0050]    The micro-fiber cleaning plate  10  of  FIG. 5  omits a mounting plate  50  extending from the leading edge locking strip  40  to the trailing edge locking strip  60 . By omitting the mounting plate  50 , these embodiments have increased flexibility for printing systems  100  with smaller diameter rolls. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the cleaning plate  10  may include a foam cushion bottom padding  70  to control the height of the cleaning plate  10 , and may include 0.010″to 0.015″ Polyester Base Film Carrier Sheet at the leading and trail edge but not in the middle to increase flexibility. 
         [0051]    The flexible cleaning plate  10  of  FIG. 5  may include polyester 0.014″ Mylar carrier built into only the front (lead edge) and back (trailing edge) with only the micro-fiber sheet  20  and a compressible cushion plate backing foam material, the bottom padding  70 , in between. By omitting the mounting plate  50 , the cleaning plate  10  has increased flexibility for the smaller diameter rolls such as 37″ circumference and smaller. 
         [0052]    It should be noted that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages.