Roller Glaze is probably one of the worst problem in roller trains today.
Glaze can come from a combination of the pigments in the inks and poor roller wash/procedures. Most washup solutions have a hard time deep-cleaning this out. It doesn’t matter how old or new the rollers are, just how well the press roller wash performs.
If they are badly glazed, all rollers need to be removed and scrubbed by hand with blanket wash and pumice powder (old school).
Be careful how you clean fixed oscillators and plastic rollers so that you don’t put deep scratches in them. Clean all rollers horizontally. Use blanket or roller wash with some pumice powder on a rag. A household cleaner such as Comet or Ajax can be used if you have no pumice powder. All you’re looking for is a light abrasive cleaner.
The plastic oscillators and plastic transfer rollers need to be clean and have no shine to them. They should have a dull surface after cleaning.
A regular roller maintenance program will stop most problems. You can buy products for deep cleaning and removing glaze.
They not only clean, but also soften up the durometer by 3-4 points. Depending on the shifts your press is operating, the rollers should be deglazed at least once every two weeks.
Calcium is another contributor to contamination and printing problems. Find a good calcium remover to control this problem. This product does not have to be used as much as the deglazer. Most calcium removers only need to be run in for a short time and then washed up.
