1. “I’ve heard so much bad information about ‘Ultrasonics’ and how it damages anilox rolls. What is Sonic Solutions’ response to this?”

2. How will a Sonic Solutions’ ultrasonic cleaning system impact our company?

4. How often should I change the solution?

5. What if my rolls don’t fit on your cleaning systems?

6. How often should I clean my rolls?

“I’ve heard so much bad information about ‘Ultrasonics’ and how it damages anilox rolls. What is Sonic Solutions’ response to this?”

As with many things, abuse or misuse could lead to damage of your anilox rolls. Additionally, ultrasonic cleaning systems of prior technologies have helped to create this negative image of the industry.

Sonic Solutions is committed to providing flexographic printers with a cleaning system that when used properly will not only restore full cell volume to their anilox rolls, but will also extend the intended useful life of those rolls. We feel that we have achieved this in several ways.

First, we were the first and pioneer to clean rolls on top of the ultrasonic tank. This offers many advantages. You can see the roll as it is being cleaned so that you are not waisting unnecessary ultrasonics on the roll if it is already clean. Your workers don’t need to constantly take the rolls in and out of the solution to see if the roll is clean yet. In many cases, gears and bearings don’t have to be taken off which makes better use of your time. Depending upon the cleaning system used, different sized rolls could be cleaned - perhaps at the same time.

Second, our ultrasonic distribution level is set at 43 kHz. Our investigations have shown that this is strong enough to draw out the built up inks and resins from the cells of your rolls, but still is gentle enough to avoid unnecessary impact upon the walls of the higher line count rolls.

Third, Sonic Solutions has thermostatically controlled the level of heat applied to the solution to 85 degrees. By doing so we feel that we have limited the expansion and contraction of the ceramics and underlying metals. We feel that excessive heat could provide an environment where the ceramics and metals could expand and contract at different rates. This could ultimately result in cracks in the ceramics which when exposed to ultrasonics could further damage the rolls.

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How will a Sonic Solutions’ ultrasonic cleaning system impact our company?

After acquiring an ultrasonic cleaning system from Sonic Solutions, you can expect your company to be impacted in the following ways. First, your printed products will be generated in a more consistent and predictable manner. You will be using your anilox rolls the way that they were meant to be used and using them to their fullest potential. Your clean rolls will help to take the guesswork out of the printing process.

Second, your operations will run more efficiently. Your use of additives and higher pigment inks will decrease. Additionally, set up will be shorter which means less waste and lower amounts of labor spent on a job. You will probably be able to run more jobs and become more profitable.

Third, in the past you may have thought that you were “wearing out” your anilox rolls and periodically replacing or recovering them. Chances are pretty good that they were just plugged with dried on inks and resins. The Sonic Solutions cleaning systems will restore full cell volume and you will put them in a new condition again. Label Tek, the founders of Sonic Solutions, has yet to replace an anilox roll due to “wearing them out” (over 8 years and counting).

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What types of rolls can I clean?

When using the Sonic Solutions ultrasonic cleaning systems you are only restricted in two ways regarding the types of rolls that can be cleaned. The first way is that the rolls need to be able to fit onto our systems. That means that currently (we are looking to expand this in the near future) the face length of the rolls cannot exceed 38”. The rolls can be smaller, but cannot exceed this limit. The second is that the substance of the roll is limited. The roll should be a ceramic roll (chrome rolls can be soaked on the systems without use of ultrasonics) with a base of a hard metal. Soft metal bases of aluminum or brass will be damaged by the cleaning solution. Nonetheless, ceramic rolls on a solid or hollow core of hard steel are probably your best investment in terms of durability and life span.

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How often should I change the solution?

The life of the cleaning solution depends upon the size of the cleaning system and how dirty the rolls were before cleaning them. For our most popular system, the SS-6500, the cleaning solution will start to become ineffective after about 40 cleanings. This translates to about $4.50 per cleaning. For other cleaning systems, see the Sonic Kleen section of our web site or contact us and we’ll get back to you.

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What if my rolls don’t fit on your cleaning systems?

If your rolls fit the size requirements of being less than 38” in face length and they still do not fit onto any of our cleaning systems, we will be happy to investigate a customization that will make it fit. We pride ourselves on being able to help you, the flexographic printer, and have made many custom modifications that are unique to your specific operations. Lets talk about what those might be.

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How often should I clean my rolls?

Cleaning your rolls will probably become a personal preference and will vary depending upon the operator, the specific job that is running and the condition of the roll. Some of our customers have made it a practice to clean their rolls before or after each job. This assures that the anilox rolls are in top condition each time they are used. Some customers will clean them on a weekly basis. Nonetheless, you will find that you will be cleaning your rolls more frequently than you are currently cleaning them. The financial benefits will most surely guide you in this direction.

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