Metal, Carbide & Ceramic Rings
Pad
Printing Metal Rings Ceramic Rings and Carbide Rings for InkCup
There has been much debate as to which doctor ring material is best for
doctoring printing plates. The market for pad printing supplies originally
started with carbide steel doctor rings and many were successfully
implemented, however, since the ceramic ring was brought to the market it
has been extremely successful as well. We would guess that now the pad
printing marketplace is evenly divided between the carbide ring and the new
generation ceramic doctor ring. Today, both carbide rings and ceramic rings
work extremely well. It is our opinion however, that the ceramic doctor ring
offers some advantages.
- One of the primary advantages of the ceramic ring has a "self-lubricating"
qualities that make I work equally well on thin steel and thick steel
and the softer polymer printing plates. The carbide doctor rings are
generally fairly sharp and abrasive and will wear a polymer plate
material quickly.
- resistant to damage by during handling. Most ceramic rings taper from
the inside and outside diameter to a "point" roughly. 006"
leaving plenty of material near the tip. Carbide rings, however, taper
from the outside diameter only to a "point" with a cross
section of. 003" leaving only a minimum amount of material near the
tip resulting in more damage during operator handling. The combination
of the ring profile and the brittle nature of carbide make damage to
rings fairly frequent during ordinary use.
