Simulation Study on Water-Based Ink Transfer in Gravure Printing

The transfer rate of gravure water-based ink is one of the key factors to ensure the quality of printing production. The influencing factors of ink transfer in gravure printing are analyzed. The printing pressure changes the gap between the ink and the substrate so as to adjust the capillary action strength. Thereby the ink transfer rate is changed. Printing speed affects the ink transfer rate by changing the transfer time of the ink in the contact area. When the viscosity of the ink changes, the amount of ink obtained in the net hole will change, and the transfer rate will also change. The ink transfer process was simulated by FLUENT software. The ink transfer volume under four printing pressure, at six different printing speed and with seven different viscosity was analyzed respectively and the optimum parameters were given. The results show that the transfer rate increases with the increase of pressure and the transfer rate decreases with the increase of rotating speed and the viscosity of the ink.