K Lox : General informations

The K Lox roller was designed by R K many years ago and for many users (particularly those wishing to apply films of flexographic inks) it has become known as the standard method for testing.

The unit is fully described on our "K Lox" leaflet which also explains the simple operating instructions. The following further notes may also be of help.

The reason why this equipment is of particular interest to the manufacturer/user of flexo inks is that the appearance of the finished proof closely resembles that of printing produced on a flexo machine.

The advantages of the hand K Lox unit include it’s low cost, and it is probably the best way to produce a proof quickly and with a true flexo print appearance. "Standard rollers" are listed on the K Lox roller leaflet. Five rollers are shown, and each is engraved with a QCH type screen which was originally developed and patented in the U.S.A. The unique configuration of QCH type cells (linked by channels) is claimed to offer numerous advantages (including easier cleaning) when compared with the more conventional pyramidal or quadrilateral cells.

Configuration of QCH type cells

Pyramidal and quadrilateral engravings are still available although they carry a surcharge as they are specially engraved as "one-off" items.

In addition to the engraved rollers, reference is made on the K Lox leaflet to "wire wound" rollers. Although engraved rollers are almost always used for applying flexo inks, some other coating mixes can be applied using wired rollers with advantage. The cost of wired rollers is lower. Repeatability is more easily achieved between rollers because wire diameters are much easier to control than the shape - size - depth of engraved cells.

In order to achieve the most consistent results with K Lox equipment, the Automatic K Lox version, which is used in conjunction with the model 101 Control Coater, should be considered.