Tresu Group will be showing its family of light weight carbon fibre chambered doctor blades for the first time at ICE Europe 2015 at the Munich Trade Fair Centre on 10-12 March.

According to the company the new lightweight carbon fibre chambered doctor blade systems offer improved chemical resistance, optimised flow and safe, easy handling in virtually all flexo printing situations.

The carbon fibre composition gives the chamber high-strength qualities, enabling a relatively low weight of between 2.4 kg and 4.1 kg per linear metre, and thus easing chamber exchange. Inside the chamber, a top-coated ink-repellent surface offers extra protection against ink and detergents with high and low pH-values and ensures efficient, thorough cleaning after job completion. Other design features include enhanced chamber volume, controlled discharge and reduced ink / coating circulation volume.

The carbon fibre programme comprises two variants, with pneumatic (P-Line) or eccentric (E-Line) clamping systems that allow changeover of stainless or plastic steel blades within two minutes. Featuring the company’s patented seal system, preventing leakage and enabling longer ink life, the chambers can be retrofitted with all the company’s current chamber doctor blade systems and are compatible with both manual and closed-loop control systems.

The enclosed environment ensures pressure and flow rate are maintained at desired levels without manual intervention. This stops air contaminating the chamber and results in foam free transfer of ink/coating directly to the anilox cells, also at fast speeds. The enclosed chamber also prevents solvents from escaping and protects the ink from degradation due to exposure to the atmosphere. 

For common impression flexo printing situations, the F10 iCon ink supply system automates ink pressure and viscosity in flexo printing machines. This, in turn, ensures a constant, accurate ink density on the printed substrate and prevents air from contaminating the ink chamber. 

The energy-efficient system also provides thorough fully automatic cleaning, removing ink and residue from the chamber, achieving a complete ink change cycle in five to ten minutes. 

Henrik Kristensen, vice president, Ancillary, commented, ‘Thanks to its time-saving advantages, optimized fluid control and resilience, the TRESU carbon fibre chamber offers a long-term solution for high productivity, low ownership costs and uniform quality.’