The cylinder preparation process for Laser Engraving is very similar to the process used in electromechanical engraving.

We begin with either a new steel-base or a recycled gravure cylinder that was previously engraved.

Then traditional galvanic processes are used to create the basic copper-plated surface that is precision cut 50µ below the target radius.

Next the cylinder is plated with 55µ zinc thickness and then polished to the final diameter with a specific surface roughness.

After that, the laser engraving process takes place, burning 70.000 cells per second into the zinc-plated cylinder.

Once plated with chrome the cylinder will look just like a normal engraved cylinder, but it will result in better printing performance on the printing machine.

LINES & SCREENS

Masterscreen

Direct Laser Engraving uses two different cell shapes:

The Pointraster, which uses 1 shot per cell, is the most common technique used in the industry.

The Masterscreen, which provides higher quality by using a cluster of 7 individual shots per cell, results in better print definition. Typically Masterscreen is used for special applications such as extremely fine text.

The effective raster range on the cylinder is 40 - 160 l/cm (Pointraster and Masterscreen), and the effective resolution used to achieve these rasters is 100 - 400 l/cm

LASER CELLS

Laser cells can vary with  Conventional or Halfautotypical shape:

 - Conventional means the cell is of a fixed size and variable in its depth.
 - Halfautotypical means the cell is variable in both size and depth.

MASTERSCREEN

Masterscreen

The Masterscreen technology is generally requested for special applications.
Fine text and type is the most common request. The Masterscreen can follow fine text and shapes, and ensure a very sharp printing result.

Even an outline can be engraved to guaranty very sharp edges.

This is requested mainly in the tobacco and security industry, but also in flexible packaging.

ADVANTAGES

Laser cylinders also offer superior ink lay-down and ink-transfer compared to standard engraved cylinders, which enables them to generate much better print results on difficult substrates, such as aluminium foil, or low quality papers. Customer feedback from the market also indicates that ink consumption is considerably lower, which offers the possibility of cost savings.