Evaluation of Innovative Ink Feed Systems for the Flexographic and Gravure Printing Industries

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Research Triangle Institute, working under a cooperative agreement, have investigated source reduction technologies available to the gravure and flexographic segments of the printing industry. This research focused on investigating ink feed systems and pollution prevention technologies that can be used with these systems. Ink feed systems move ink from an ink sump to a printing cylinder and are located at each printing station on a press. These systems are a component of the overall ink handling process used in printing facilities. Other ink handling processes include ink mixing operations, the transport of the ink to the press, and the actual printing operation where ink is transferred from the printing cylinder to the substrate. This paper provides background information on flexography and gravure. In addition, the paper describes the ink handling process (including traditional ink feed systems) used in these industry segments. Finally, the paper details several innovative ink feed systems that are available and describes the benefits of using these technologies.