It seems like you can upgrade an old webpress to use alot of newer systems (spraybars, remote ink keys, plate loaders, etc.), but I haven't heard of getting rid of ink ductors and using a "micrometric" or "film" metering roller. Or has it been done?
Seems like it wouldn't be too hard to engineer, just needs to be the right size, needs brackets to mount and pneumatics to throw it on and off to the ink ball and gets driven by the first transfer roller.
I run a Harris with remote keys and other operators are always manually jamming keys shut and messing up the fountain calibration. I'm using dividers to keep ink off the ends of the rollers with no image. I never saw anything like that on a press with a metering roller. Since the metering roller never touches the ball, a properly closed key (slight ink film) puts NO ink into the rack.
Seems like it wouldn't be too hard to engineer, just needs to be the right size, needs brackets to mount and pneumatics to throw it on and off to the ink ball and gets driven by the first transfer roller.
I run a Harris with remote keys and other operators are always manually jamming keys shut and messing up the fountain calibration. I'm using dividers to keep ink off the ends of the rollers with no image. I never saw anything like that on a press with a metering roller. Since the metering roller never touches the ball, a properly closed key (slight ink film) puts NO ink into the rack.