Apex | Articles & Videos

Apex International has been manufacturing anilox rolls and sleeves since 1989. In our previous Anilox 101 blog, we walked through What is an Anilox and the main features of its success. As the largest anilox manufacturer in the world, Apex International has extensive knowledge about the “heart of the flexographic printing process”. In this next Anilox 101 series blog, we’ll break down the different parts of an anilox roll and the role they play in successful flexographic printing. 

Through data and process control, many modern converters are finding innovative ways to cut production costs and increase their bottom line. As the “heart” of the flexographic printing process, the anilox bears a large amount of responsibility for print quality and press performance. 

As a global leader and innovator of anilox rolls and sleeves, Apex International is a subject matter expert in anilox transfer technologies.  With over 11,000 clients located in 110+ countries supported by 7 manufacturing facilities positioned around the globe, Apex is the largest anilox manufacturer in the world! We proudly produce anilox roll and sleeve products for wide web, narrow web, coating and lamination, and corrugated applications. These precision rolls are known as the heart of the flexographic printing process and play a vital role in the quality and performance of the print process. In this blog, we take a closer look at what is an anilox and why is it important.

After centuries of economic and technological progress, the packaging and converting world is more connected than ever. Globalization has impacted all facets of our industry, fostering innovation and collaboration across borders for years. For converters operating in flexo, coating and embossing applications, you may find that working with a global manufacturer comes with many competitive advantages, not just for global converters, but for local converters as well.

To get to the root cause of poor coverage issues, you need to ask a few questions. Here are the three common questions to help ensure there are no problems with your printing. Use this as a guide to determine the best way to fix your coverage issue.

What does innovation have to do with the anilox roller in flexo printing? To answer that question, let’s look at the definition of innovation. “Innovation is the creation, development and implementation of a new product, process or service, with the aim of improving efficiency, effectiveness or competitive advantage”.

Day by day the flexible packaging, labels and corrugated market are constantly changing depending on the supply-demand that exists in the commercial environment.

The anilox roll plays a very important role in the markets, since as we all know, it is the heart of the printing press. The proper selection of the screen and the volume is a crucial factor in obtaining quality and consistency of the final printed product.  However, this is only half of the story. 

Probably the easiest and fastest way to solve any ink drying problems during print production is to add some drying solvent to the ink. However: it is usually not your ink that is actually causing the problem. It may be worth it to take a different approach and prevent the problem from (re-)occurring. 

Dot gain in flexographic printing has a variety of causes and shows up in enlarged halftone dots to derformed dots, which can print out fuzzy sometimes. There are several causes of dot gain that are related to anilox rolls, however, there are also solutions to overcome dot gain or decrease it.