I’ve worked around “Rollers” for decades. I practically grew up around them. Rollers are such an important component of any press and lots of industrial manufacturing machinery. Rollers get used a lot in a variety of ways. Whether they’re pushing something through or slowing something down, there is a constant state of friction. Friction causes wear. And rollers can wear out quickly. But now, there are incredible coatings for rollers, that allow the rollers to wear at a much slower pace. Nylon rollers are so versatile…let me tell you a little more about the logic behind it:
Copper and Ebonite® rollers have traditionally been utilized as metering, transfer and oscillator rollers in ink trains in offset and letterpress.
Nylon (Rilsan-11 ®) has come into its own as a higher performance replacement for copper and Ebonite ®. It provides superior ink transfer and virtually eliminates stripping and expensive maintenance. Nylon (Rilsan-11 ®) is more chemical resistant, as well as more resistant to scratching and surface damage. The physical properties of nylon (Rilsan-11®) allow it to be finished to a variety of specifications such as polished, spiral grooved, micro-grooved, knurled, or diamond grooved. These different surface configurations will affect the performance of the roller in different ways and allow it to be used in different positions. Smooth nylon (Rilsan-11 ®) is excellent for use in the oscillator or vibrator position while knurled, spiral or diamond-grooved patterns are ideal for the metering position to regulate the laydown of ink. The amount of ink depends on the surface configuration chosen.