Structural composition of gravure cylinder

[China Packaging News] The gravure cylinder is basically composed of a gravure cylinder body, a nickel-plated layer, an inner copper layer, an isolation layer and an outer copper layer. What is the role of specific layers? Did you know everything?

1. Gravure cylinder body

The intaglio cylinder body is also called the roller core, and is the support body of the intaglio cylinder, which is generally composed of metal steel materials, because the steel pipe is low in price and strong, and its thickness is about 20mm-30mm . The gravure drum body has also used metallic copper materials, but due to the high price of copper and the relatively tight source, in addition, it is easy to produce bubbles during casting, and the surface of the drum is prone to pits and sand holes, so the copper material is used in the drum Was gradually eliminated. Aluminum alloy is a new technology widely adopted by foreign countries in recent years. It is characterized by a light weight drum, a wide range of materials, and a low price. On the other hand, the light weight of the cylinder is very beneficial to the service life of printing machinery and electric engraving machines. However, due to the relatively complex electroplating process on aluminum alloys, there are few domestic platemaking companies that use this method. Recently, gravure cylinders made of plastic have appeared. The roller body made of plastic has electrical conductivity, so that it can be copper plated. This gravure is light in weight and the cost of plate making is relatively low. It is mainly used for packaging printing gravure.

2. Nickel plating

The nickel layer of the gravure cylinder has two main functions: one is that the cylinder body of the gravure cylinder is composed of iron and steel materials. Since the sulfuric acid solution needs to be used when the gravure cylinder is copper-plated, the sulfuric acid solution will directly corrode the iron of the cylinder body, so first A nickel layer is coated to protect the steel drum body; the second is that it is divided into two layers of inner copper and outer copper during copper plating. Generally, the inner copper layer is relatively soft and the iron bonding strength with the drum body is not enough. Therefore, the second nickel plating The function is to increase the bonding strength of the iron layer and the copper layer of the drum body. The thickness of the nickel layer is generally 1-2 μ m.

3. Inner copper layer

The inner copper layer is also called the base copper layer, and its thickness is generally 1mm-2mm , which is mainly used to cover the defects of the drum body steel roller.

4. Isolation layer

The main function of the isolation layer is to enable the outer and inner copper to be peeled off after the printing is completed or after the engraved gravure fails, and then the outer copper is re-plated to restore the use of the gravure cylinder. The isolation layer is actually a layer of isolation liquid poured between the inner copper layer and the outer copper layer. The isolation liquid has two types: acidic and alkaline.

5. Outer copper

It is also called the plate-making copper layer. Its thickness is different due to the different purposes of the gravure printing plate. Generally, its thickness is between 80 μ m-320 μ m , and the most used thickness is 120 μ m-150 μ m. between. The outer copper is the working surface of the electric carving, and also the key copper layer for forming the net hole. For the electronic engraving gravure process, this layer of copper has hardness requirements, it must be a hard copper layer.