Eaglewood demos Sitexo anilox cleaner at Labelexpo

Throughout the show, the company is doing live demonstrations of the system, which is a slimmed-down version of its Sitexco Laser Anilox System5. Specifically designed for the narrow web printer, it also features are more accessible price point, Mulheran said. 

The laser cleaning system offers an alternative to liquid cleaning systems by using lasers to abate the ink off the parts and then collect it with a filter. The process is more sustainable than liquid cleaning because it uses no chemicals, no water, and it generates no water waste.

The system offers cleaning times between five and 15 minutes, and it works on any type of ink chemistry, including: water-based, energy curable (UV/LED), solvent-based, adhesives, varnishes, and coatings. 

Mulheran said it’s also much easier to operate than a liquid cleaning system, because there’s no pre-cleaning or post-cleaning. It also gets rolls 30 percent cleaner than liquid systems.

‘Our customers tell us the rolls look brand new every time,’ he said.

The same technology also is used in the consumer sector to create the look of acid-washed jeans, Mulheran explained. That industry uses laser cleaning on jeans to remove some of the dye from them, to make the jeans look faded or white in certain spots.

Demonstrations will also be available at Eaglewood’s Minneapolis Demonstration Center.