Flexographic We have a full range of Flexographic blades.

Gravure Lamella - tipped Doctor Blades without grinding

Ultimeter ® New alloy developed by Benton Graphics

Pad Printing High quality doctor blades for Pad Printing

Foam Seal Blades The Foam Seal can be applied to all blades.

Ultimeter®

 

The Ultimeter® line of doctor blades, made exclusively with Microloy® steel, was developed with the printer in mind. This is a cost effective material that performs better and lasts longer than standard doctor blade materials and other premium materials many times its cost. The Microloy® material is not a commodity steel, its purity and cleanliness are guaranteed. The Ultimeter® line of doctor blades are proudly manufactured in the USA, covered under patent number 6632301, and only available through Benton Graphics and its distributors.

 

Test Results

During 4 years of research, testing, and development, 11 leading print industry suppliers contributed their products and expertise for this unprecedented project. The goal of our testing was to compare the performance of the new Ultimeter blades to similar steel blades on the market, under simulated press conditions.

Our testing began by comparing 12 different conventional doctor blade steels from different sources to see which material had the longest press life. The material with the best performance from that group was then compared to our Microloy steel used in the Ultimeter line of blades. To see the details, please download a technical Paper on Doctor Blade Wear Testing.

An automated tester was designed specifically for our testing. This unique tester simulates reverse-angle doctoring of an Anilox roll found in a Flexographic press. All testing was conducted using water-based inks, ceramic Anilox rolls, and various doctor blade materials. Some of the controlled variables in the testing were edge configuration and physical dimensions of the blade, line speed, line count, ink temperature and viscosity, doctor blade loading, and run length. All printing conditions were successfully replicated with the exception of nothing being printed. The chart below shows that the Ultimeter® blade with the Microloy steel wore less than the leading conventional steel blade.

 

 

 

A description and photos of the testing equipment is available here.