News

It's been a busy year for offset blankets with the sector subject to a series of mergers and acquisitions. However, on the plus side, there have been a number of new developments, as, with press technology constantly changing, so too must blankets.

Among the key changes over the past year has been the move to very large format (VLF), with several new press launches. The options offered by VLF presses mean that a blanket has to be able to perform on an ever-growing range of substrates, from low grammage offset papers to high grammage plastic and vinyl, says Emma Isichei, Sun Chemical’s marketing director for UK & Ireland.

Printers now expect the blankets to be more desirable too and, as a result, successful manufacturers are investing heavily in research and development.

Recent developments in compressible-layer technology mean that blankets are better at coping with the day-to-day bumps and bashes that they receive, adds Isichei.

She continues: Previously, [following a smash] a blanket based on older technology would have needed replacement. But quality compressible blankets will resist the impact caused by smashes or damage from paper debris during the print run.

False economy
With the general state of the economy as it is, it might be tempting to save on consumable costs but cheap is not always cheerful when it comes to blankets.

The biggest and easiest mistake is to fit poor quality blankets on presses, according to Francesco Ferrari, senior technician at Trelleborg Printing Blankets.

Trying to save money at this stage is a false economy when the press has to be stopped much more often in order to change a blanket, he says. Don’t forget, whatever technology may come before it, the blanket is the thing that actually puts the ink on the paper.

And while it might seem a good idea to get a cheap bundle for all your consumables, not all consumable suppliers have expertise in blankets. If you have a problem you think might be related to the blanket, they are not going to be able to help. It’s a situation we are seeing increasingly across all markets, adds Ferrari.

The mantra to remember here is: buy the right blanket for your press and make sure it’s handled correctly. Blankets need to be tensioned properly with a calibrated torque wrench or torque limiter. Over-tensioning may result in premature blanket failure while under-tensioning may result in print problems. Also, improper packing procedures can aggravate problems with emulsification, slurring, dot gain and poor register.

• Kinyo is to launch Thermasphere, a range of blankets. There are nine blankets in the range, with new products including Saturn, Europa Plus and Jupiter set to be introduced to the European market. The Thermasphere secret is the rapid and consistent recovery of the blanket; it holds the consistency of the gauge across the whole blanket during the printing process,
says Geoff Battison, Kinyo managing director
• Trelleborg completed its acquisition of Colorado-based MacDermid’s offset printing blanket business. The deal, worth £33.9m (SEK 400m), was signed in June through Trelleborg’s Engineered Systems business unit. Meanwhile, Trelleborg is expected to introduce a new metal-backed blanket for the newspaper sector called Vulcan Metal Backed Active
• Day International exhibited its range of pressroom consumables at Drupa, including the DayGraphica Sunday 5000 sleeve, which was designed in collaboration with Goss. The product is a gapless blanket which will print a 112in web width