An interview from Mr.Shiva Kumar, Zonal Manager – South, Westland Rubber
WESTLAND Rubber has over 3 decades of experience in the roller business. We initially started as a rubber covering house, so we understand rubber, nitrile and silicone better than anyone else in the industry.
Print3 : Could we know more about Westland rollers?
Shiva Kumar :Â Thank you for offering us the opportunity to introduce our company to you, WESTLAND was established by professionals with over 30 years of experience in the field of printing rollers.
Our knowledge and expertise is available to all customers on a national level with many years of experience in the development of rubber rollers. We have maintained strong growth as we are committed to a superior level of quality service and technical support. Keeping our attention firmly focussed on benefits to the customer has made WESTLAND a specialist. We have the answer to the exacting equipment of today’s high-speed press room. We offer rubber rollers for the offset printing market serving hundreds of presses from leading manufacturers. WESTLAND Rubber has over 3 decades of experience in the roller business. We initially started as a rubber covering house, so we understand rubber, nitrile and silicone better than anyone else in the industry. We’re equipped with an array of stripping. Extruding, finishing and grooving machinery and engineers with years of experience So recover projects are accomplished quickly and professionally, while maintaining very high levels of quality.
“Our rollers guarantee exceptional efficiency in production processes”
P3:What kind of rollers do you manufacture for a printing machine?
SK : We manufacture all kind of printing industry rubber rollers such as Inking rollers, Fountain rollers, Distribution rollers and Dampening rollers for all major offset printing machines.
P3 : Do you have specially processed rubber rollers for conventional ink uses?
SK : We have a variant in the name of PREMIER which is manufactured by us for Conventional Ink, IPA & reduced IPA printing applications
- It is best for High ageing resistance, resulting in longer life
- Facilitates rapid attainment of ink – water balance
- Reduces ink feedback and provides stable dampening with less paper wastage at the beginning of a print run.
- Excellent dimensional stability on high speed operations, making it advantageous for wider and faster web/ sheetfed machines.
ENDURA which is our another quality for Conventional Ink uses. It is Time tested compound for both sheetfed and narrow web operations
- Resistant to commercially available cleaning compounds, therefore, easy cleaning
- Highly durable
- Good tensile strength
- Great dimensional and hardness stability
- Takes very little time for setting and provides stable print runs because of its excellent ink and water transferring capability.
P3 : Have you supplied Combi rubber rollers for UV, Hybrid and Conventional applications?
SK : Yes. We are suppling ULTIMA – COMBI ROLLER For UV, Hybrid & Conventional Ink applications. It has great cover for mixed usage of IPA and Non IPA dampening systems.
- Swelling and shrink resistant to UV inks and chemicals
- Specially designed compound for easy cleaning
“Our products cater to sheet-fed offset, web offset, newspaper printing, and continuous printing, available as complete components and interchangeable rollers”
- Ease of operation
- Excellent life
NXG For the most demanding performance in UV & hybrid ink systems.
Our superior most product, NXG excels in meeting the demands of the current printing machines and systems. In addition to the properties of our Ultima roller, the NXG boasts of improving the printing process.
- Immense stability in higher speed and harsher chemicals
- Improves the quality of the image
- Excellent resilience
- The surface of the roller remains unaffected for a very long
- Period of time and hence has an excellent life duration
VENTURA : Ventura is suitable for all kind of cold lamination and varnish rollers.
DIAMOND : Diamond is suitable for rider rollers for all kind of ink transferring and mixing.
P3 : How Westland rollers are different from its competitors?
SK : WRPL uses proper quality tools as well as OEM specification drawings to check core quality. Most of our competitors are unable to do this as they do not have such roller specification drawings.
WRPL uses a special ring tool to remove old coverings from used rollers, followed by wire brushing. This technology does not damage the steel core surface.
Our competitors normally use a tool bit to remove the old rubber coverings. This is followed by using a hand grinder to remove the excess leftover rubber on the steel core surface. In most cases, this also removes the steel on the core surface, making the core diameter
smaller. Over time, the core becomes thinner and weaker. As competition roller coverings has a shorter life-time, this damages the core even faster, eventually replacement of a new core is required.
WRPL shot blasts the core surface (while protecting the journal ends). This does not remove steel from the core surface but roughens up the surface to ensure good bonding.
Sometimes, our competitors use a tool bit to create a spiral cut into the core surface. This would not result in a good bonding surface between the rubber and steel core due to it edged surface.
P3 : Why rollers are seen a crucial part of the offset printing machine?
SK : The crucial part are the roller because to ensure stable ink and water transfer at high speed, the roller must have a very even and round surface, together with a tight and consistent rubber surface roughness throughout the roller surface. This ensures the ability to transport a stable amount of ink and water. Having this means the printer can achieve higher production output with better and stable print quality allowing them to make more money.
Temperature expansion must be controlled especially in today’s faster and faster printing presses because different rubber formulation and quality expands differently at higher temperatures. If a rubber roller expands more, tensile strength of the rubber reduces, surface pressure on the rubber surface increases leading to higher temperature, more power is required to run the press, etc. All these happen simultaneously.
So it is a crucial part which has to be maintained right from the production of roller till printing.
P3 : What are the unique features of your alcohol rollers and how durable are these?
SK : Running at a lower IPA ( Isopropyl alcohol) level saves money for a printer.IPA affects the print density of the ink. This means the lower the IPA level a printer can run, the lower the ink consumption and the better the print contrast.It is proven that long exposure to high IPA level in the air leads to memory loss – a health concern. Therefore, running at a low IPA of below 5% means there is a negligible amount of IPA in the air.
P3 : How long the shore A hardness should remain stable in the rubber rollers within the allowable variations for a good printing support?
SK : Shore hardness is a measurement of the hardness of a material. There are two different measurement standards commonly used for measuring roller shore hardness. Shore A (for softer materials) having the measuring needle more rounded while Shore D (for hard materials) having the measuring needle being sharp.
The determinant of roller shore hardness is the amount of plasticiser (which is the only liquid raw material) added in to formulate a rubber compound. The higher the amount, the softer the rubber becomes. However, a softer rubber has also the tendency to have a lower chemical resistance to chemical compatibility attack.WRPL rubber compounds have very high chemical resistance due to its complex rubber formulation. In general, most rubber compounds
formulated by our domestic manufacturers contain only about 6-7 raw materials – a simple formulation, whereas WRPL formulates compounds with up to 20 raw materials. This means the complexity of our rubber formulation enable us to resist chemical attack better than our competitors, thus a change in shore hardness.
P3 : How is the technology developments happening with India offset printers?
SK : 3D printers are the latest technology printing machines. While the two industries are not in direct competition with each other, 3D printing creates opportunities for printing industry hopefuls to capture a new market corner and expand their product offering.
The developments in offset print include waterless offset printing, which reduces environmental impact by eliminating the need for dampening solutions. By integrating advancements in digital prepress technology, offset printing has become more efficient and faster and capable of delivering even higher quality at competitive prices.Offset printing remains strong and relevant due to its lower ink costs and higher printing speeds compared to digital printing alternatives. However, the trend is accelerating, which also happened for B3 offset.
Digital printing is also one of the advancements that has affected the printing sector because it has higher levels of speed and accuracy compared to other techniques. Easy, digital printing does not require print plates like most of the other types of printing.
P3 : Hope the Indian printing industry is doing good these days and how do you foresee the future of the same?
SK : The printing industry in India has seen significant growth due to technological advancements, including:
Computer-to-plate (CTP) technology – This technology eliminates the need for film negatives, which improves accuracy and reduces production time. It also reduces the cost and environmental impact of film processing.Automation and computerized controls these technologies have increased efficiency and reduced the margin of error. Improved inks and printing plates.New inks and printing plates have improved color fidelity and print quality.
Variable data printing this technology allows for personalized content in printed materials.Eco-friendly inks and more efficient printing processes These advances have helped to reduce the environmental impact of offset printing.Web-to-print technology – This technology allows customers to browse products, define their print order, and get an estimated quote in real-time.India has the largest number of printing presses in the world. The printing industry in India has seen record levels of growth in recent years, due to technological advancements, globalization, and progress in automation.
P3 : What is your idea on Paper sustainability and how to make it more effective?
SK : The idea of paper sustainability is to produce paper in a way that is environmentally friendly and conserves resources:
Use sustainable materials: Paper can be made from sustainably sourced wood, which helps to mitigate climate change.Other sustainable materials include coffee husk, banana fiber, and recycled cotton rags.Reduce waste: Use energy, water, and paper recycling technologies to reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing.
Reduce emissions: Use sustainable manufacturing processes to reduce emissions and the burden on the environment.Reduce deforestation: Use sustainable forest management practices to reduce deforestation.Create safe working conditions: Ensure that workers are safe in the workplace.Create safe products: Ensure that the products are safe for customers.Individuals can also help with paper sustainability by reusing and recycling paper.
Here are some ways to reduce paper waste:Reuse paper for packaging, taking notes, or making crafts. Recycle paper in designated recycling containers. Use online programs and platforms to store and share notes across devices.
“Our products cater to sheet-fed offset, web offset, newspaper printing, and continuous printing, available as complete components and interchangeable rollers”