Rotogravure Cylinder Engraving Machine for Gravure Printing

The rotogravure engraving machine is not strange in the printing and packaging industry for engraving small texts, halftones, or designer patterns/ cells.

Rotogravure is a type of intaglio (family of printing and printmaking techniques) printing process in which the image is engraved in an image carrier, in this case, a cylinder. Rotogravure was once the staple for newspaper photo features and is still used to print postcards, magazines, and product packaging commercially.

Rotogravure engraving is for engraving in metal sheets used commercially for printing on packages.

·       General build:

The main engraving system is connected with an integrated PC for receiving the command. An engraving stylus with high ink volume and adjustable angle is attached to the engraving machine and is held against a cylindrical plate. The stylus is easily changeable. A camera for clear dots views and precision engraving with easy cell measurement. Hollow cylinders are the medium for carrying engravements and printing them while rotating on packages.

• Working principle:

The design commands are sent from the PC to the machine. Then the information (whatever it may be words, numbers, or cell design) is etched on the cylindrical rotating plate by a cylinder engraving machine. Ink is applied to the cylinder, and prints are taken on products by rotation of the cylinder.

Features:

·       Easy operation- The process is fully automatic. The commands are given through the PC. A few things which have to be changed manually are the stylus and ink cartridge. The stylus can be changed easily; the engraving system can be positioned easily. Other than that, the whole process is hassle-free.

·       Camera for maintaining precision- Engraved designs can go up to intricate details. There is a camera for observing clear dots view.

·       High printing capacity- The machine has a robust design for printing large batches easily. With a high engraving speed, printing takes less time too.

Applications:

Rotogravure engravers are ideal and economical for electrochemically engraving cylinders. It covers a wide range of printing jobs like- Pantone, vignette, linework reproduction, and technical cylinders for transferring inks coatings and glues.

Manufacturers:

There are quite a few gravure cylinder manufacturers for industrial use purposes. Monotech Systems is a leading manufacturer and one-stop solution provider for the printing and packaging industry globally. Based in India, they have various products for industrial printing purposes.

In their rotogravure engraver line-up, there are two models, i.e., Intaglios M-14 and Intaglios M-20. Both machines are German-made with helical and polar lines engraving methods. They have an engraving frequency of 4kHz/sec with an engraving range of 54-140l/cm, making the printing process very fast. Can be operated with up-to-date versions of Windows 10 and older versions like Windows 7. The engravers can be operated at a temperature range of 18-25°C. They come with standard type C engraving heads but are also compatible with type B heads.

The Intaglios engravers are rich in features and offer high-quality strokes that improve text and graphics' appearance to fine details and use special software for sharper lettering. They have a robust design and simple operation principle with low running cost and are compatible with direct TIFF workflow.

Both engravers come with optional attachments like- burr cutters, full-body cover, freely definable screen angles, and planning software called Art Pro for PC.

As an end note, the rotogravure engraving machine is the go-to choice for leading industry printing businesses. Long-lasting engravings can print batch after batch with minimal labor and low maintenance cost. Printing on cardboards to plastics packets has only one reliable machine- rotogravure engraver.