Lesson on rubber rollers by Boettcher at SaS
The eleventh session in the series of SaS workshops organised at the SIES Graduate School of Technology, Navi Mumbai saw the print supervisors and students learn all about rubber rollers and how to take good care of the rollers.
14 Dec 2015 | 3204 Views | By Priya Raju
During the three-hour session conducted by Prabhat Kumar; the product manager at Boettcher initiated his lecture with explaining the composition of rubber and how synthetic rubber is manufactured. Kumar said, “It is a myth that the rubber used in manufacturing rollers is natural. The rubbers used are 100% synthetic.”
Rubbers are composed with polymers, plasticizers fillers and other processing aids; of which Kumar said, “Plasticizers play a key role in determining the quality of the finished product.” He further explained the various principles of rubber rollers.
He said the functional aspect and explained the steps to be followed before ordering the rubber rollers. Kumar said, “It is important that the roller manufacturer is informed about the type of inks and solution are used at the press to manufacture compatible rollers.”
Bringing the causes and solutions for roller-related problems to the fore, Kumar shared examples. One being, if the ink used in the press is not compatible, it can cause swell or shrink in the rollers and hence checking the compatibility of ink and rollers is critical.”
Kumar also explained the preventive measures that should be taken while working on the press and finally how to clean the rollers in an effective way to extend the shelf life of the roller.
A joint initiative by the Bombay Master Printers' Association and PrintWeek India, the Seekho aur Samjho tech workshop series is intended to bring technology at the fore for the benefit of print supervisors and operators alike. This initiative is co-supported by the Government Institute of Printing Technology, Mumbai and SIES Graduate School of Technology, Navi Mumbai.
The interactive format of the session, with presentations and Q&A sessions, is conceptualised to create a platform for skill upgradation of the print personnel at the grass root and the supervisor and managerial level. The language of conduct is in "speak easy" English and Hindi.