Tinplate is widely used in the packaging of food, beverages, cosmetics and chemical products due to its excellent anti-corrosion performance and excellent printing effect. However, high-quality printing on tinplate requires a complete set of professional equipment and process support.
This article will introduce the main equipment required for printing tinplate and its functions in detail to help companies better understand and optimize the production process.
1. Pretreatment equipment:
The pretreatment of tinplate before printing is very important, which determines the adhesion of ink and printing quality. Pretreatment equipment includes the following:
● Cleaning machine: The cleaning machine is used to remove oil, oxides and impurities on the surface of tinplate to ensure the surface is clean, thereby improving the adhesion of ink. The cleaning process usually includes two parts: chemical cleaning and mechanical cleaning.
● Coating machine: The coating machine is used to apply a layer of primer on the tinplate to increase the adhesion of ink and printing effect. The choice of primer and the coating process have a direct impact on the final printing quality.
2. Printing equipment:
Printing equipment is the core part of tinplate printing, mainly including the following types:
● Offset printing machine: Offset printing machine is one of the most commonly used printing equipment, suitable for high-quality, multi-color printing. Its principle is to transfer ink to the rubber cloth through the difference in oleophilicity and hydrophilicity between the image and blank parts on the printing plate, and then transfer the ink to the tinplate surface through the rubber cloth.
● Gravure printing machine: Gravure printing machine is suitable for high-precision and large-scale printing. The image part on the printing plate is concave, and the ink is filled into the concave part, and then the ink is transferred to the tinplate surface by pressure. Gravure printing machine can achieve very delicate and high-quality printing effects.
● Flexographic printing machine: Flexographic printing machine adopts flexible printing, which is suitable for printing on various substrates. Its equipment cost is low, the production speed is fast, and it is suitable for small and medium-sized batch printing needs. Flexographic printing machine usually uses environmentally friendly ink and has good environmental performance.
● Screen printing machine: Screen printing machine transfers ink to the tinplate surface through the screen, which is suitable for printing thick ink layer and special effects. Screen printing machines are highly flexible and suitable for small batches and customized printing needs.
3. Drying equipment:
Drying equipment plays a vital role in the printing process, which determines the drying speed and effect of the ink. Commonly used drying equipment includes:
● Hot air dryer: The hot air dryer uses hot air to quickly dry the ink, which is suitable for mass production. Its fast drying speed can improve production efficiency.
● Ultraviolet (UV) dryer: The UV dryer uses ultraviolet rays to quickly cure and dry UV ink. The UV dryer is suitable for high-quality printing that requires fast drying, which can effectively improve production speed and printing quality.
● Infrared dryer: The infrared dryer uses the principle of infrared thermal radiation for drying, which is suitable for drying different types of inks. Its good drying effect can ensure the quality and color stability of printed products.
4. Testing equipment:
In order to ensure the quality of printing, corresponding testing equipment must be equipped. These equipment include:
● Colorimeter: The colorimeter is used to detect whether the color of the printed product meets the design requirements to avoid color difference problems affecting product quality. Through accurate color detection, the color consistency of printed products can be guaranteed.
● Microscope: Microscope is used to check the details and quality of printed products, especially in high-precision printing, microscope can help find and correct tiny printing defects.
● Adhesion tester: Adhesion tester is used to detect the adhesion of ink on the tinplate surface to ensure the durability and quality of printed products. Through adhesion test, the problem of insufficient ink adhesion can be found in advance and corresponding improvement measures can be taken.
5. Post-processing equipment:
After printing, some post-processing processes are required to ensure the final quality and effect of the printed products. Common post-processing equipment includes:
● Coating machine: Coating machine is used to apply a protective coating on the surface of printed products to improve the wear resistance, corrosion resistance and glossiness of printed products. Protective coating can extend the service life of printed products and improve the appearance quality of products.
● Calender: Calender is used to calender printed products to make the surface smoother and smoother, and improve the glossiness and visual effect of printed products.
● Die-cutting machine: Die-cutting machine is used to cut and shape printed products to ensure that the size and shape of printed products meet the design requirements. The precision and efficiency of the die-cutting machine directly affect the final quality and production efficiency of printed products.
6. Environmental protection and safety equipment:
In the printing process, environmental protection and safety equipment are also indispensable. These equipment include:
● Waste gas treatment equipment: A certain amount of waste gas will be generated during the printing process. Waste gas treatment equipment is used to purify and treat these waste gases to ensure that the emissions comply with environmental protection regulations and protect the environment and employee health.
● Wastewater treatment equipment: A certain amount of waste water will be generated during the cleaning and coating process. Wastewater treatment equipment is used to treat these waste waters to ensure that they meet the emission standards and reduce pollution to the environment.
● Safety protection equipment: The printing workshop should be equipped with corresponding safety protection equipment, such as fire prevention equipment, ventilation equipment and personal protective equipment to ensure the safety and health of operators.
Conclusion
Printing tinplate requires a complete set of professional equipment support, from pretreatment equipment, printing equipment, drying equipment, testing equipment to post-processing equipment, every link is crucial. When selecting and configuring these devices, enterprises should comprehensively consider the performance, cost and environmental protection requirements of the equipment according to their own production needs and product requirements.
By rationally configuring and optimizing the use of these devices, enterprises can improve printing quality and production efficiency and meet the market demand for high-quality printed products.