This blog introduces you to the rotary printing machine, one of many types of printing presses that have revolutionized the industry. It is described on Wikipedia as a printing press “in which the images to be printed are curved around a cylinder.” This type of process has been around for a while. According to Wikipedia, it was invented by Richard March Hoe in 1843, but other sources note that Hippolyte Auguste Marinoni was actually the inventor.
While the technology has advanced over the years, the core components that create a rotary printing machine press are essentially just the same. This type of machine can print on a wide range of substrates, which are passed between two drums that rotate. One drum is submerged in ink while a doctor blade removes excess ink to ensure a properly printed image on materials like plastic, paper and cardboard. Additionally, these substrates can be put through the rotary printing machine as sheets or on a continuous roll and then modified through such processes as embossing, overprint varnishing, or die-cutting. There are three types of main rotary printing machines:
- Offset or Web Offset: This is a commonly used printing technique in which the inked image is transferred (or “offset”) from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface. Offset printing is best suited for cost-effectively producing large volumes of high quality prints in an economically sound manner that requires little maintenance
- Rotogravure: This machine involves engraving the image onto an image carrier – In gravure printing, the image is engraved onto a cylinder . This works particularly well when color images are needed as several etched cylinders can be added for immersing in the various ink colors.
- Flexography or Flexo: A raised image is created on a print mat or print plate and are either polymer or rubber based mounted on a print roller within a three-roller system.
Rotary printing machine technology is used for a wide range of applications, including industrial, graphic design, consumer goods and packaging materials. These machines and offer flexibility and dependability in handling numerous types of materials, print jobs, and print runs. In Review The main points in this blog post are:
- A rotary printing machine has been a long-used and truly effective printing technology that works on substrates like plastic, paper, and cardboard and can be embellished and modified with a wide range of other processes.
- There are three main types of rotary machines, including Offset/Web offset, Rotogravure, and Flexography/Flexo.
- The machines are used across a wide number of industries and applications due to their flexibility and dependability.
