Achieve Stunning Prints:
The Role of Doctor Blades and How to Select the Best One
Doctor blades are precision parts that are an essential part of a printing press and are used to scrape off ink.
Doctor blades are placed in contact with the cylinder (Anilox) of printing presses to scrape off excess ink and coating liquid. The material and shape of the blade tip must be changed depending on the printing press to which it is attached, and selecting the optimum component will ensure beautiful printing.
A doctor blade is an ink scraping blade that is mainly used in gravure printing, flexographic printing, and special coating processes. It is placed directly on the engraved roll of the intaglio plate to scrape off the ink that did not land on the recessed parts.
We select and manufacture the blade material and shape according to the customer’s site conditions. Therefore, we mainly manufacture them to order.
There are two main types of blade shapes. One is the “parallel blade” type. Also called “lamella”, “two-stage blade”, or “stepped”, this is a doctor blade with a thin tip. It is the standard type currently used in approximately 80% of sites in Japan. The thin and flexible tip of the blade allows for good ink cutting without strong pressure, and absorbs fine impacts to reduce printing defects. In addition, even if the blade wears, the blade angle does not change easily, so it can be used for a long time.
The other is the “stable” type. It is also called the “inclined blade” or “triangular blade”. It is a blade with an angle from the tip of the blade, and is now rarely used. Compared to the “parallel blade,” this type has more stiffness when pressure is applied to the doctor blade, and is recommended when strong pressure is required for scraping. As the blade wears, the contact area with the plate increases, so frequent adjustment is required.
We also perform ceramic plating on doctor blades in-house. It has good wear resistance, reduces burrs, and contributes to a longer life. We highly recommend this to anyone who is currently concerned about doctor quality.
1. Setting on the doctor holder
Cut the doctor blade to the specified size and attach it to the doctor holder.
For safety, we recommend wearing cut-resistant gloves.
In most cases, a backup blade (backing plate) is also attached to the doctor holder. The backup blade prevents the doctor blade from excessively bending, improving scraping performance.
2. Fixing the doctor blade
The doctor blade is fixed by tightening the bolts placed at regular intervals to the same strength. If the tightening strength is inconsistent, it will cause waviness and affect the scraping of ink. While tensioning the doctor blade, adjust the torque of the bolts to fix it.
The “FS One-touch Doctor Holder” that can easily fix all parts to the same strength is also available on the market now.
3. Setting on the machine
Set the doctor holder with the doctor blade set on the printing press.
The cutting edge of the doctor blade is extremely precise. Handle it carefully so as not to scratch it during setting.
Material choices for all your printing requirements
Steel Doctor Hi-Blade®
Ceramic Doctor Hi-Blade®
Plastic Doctor® Blade
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