
Optimization of flexo process parameters to reduce the overall manufacturing cost
Author(s) -
Akshay Joshi
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
an international journal of optimization and control: theories and applications/e-an international journal of optimization and control: theories and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.287
H-Index - 6
eISSN - 2146-5703
pISSN - 2146-0957
DOI - 10.11121/ijocta.2022.1137
Subject(s) - inkwell , substrate (aquarium) , process (computing) , process engineering , materials science , engineering drawing , engineering , computer science , composite material , oceanography , geology , operating system
The flexo process parameters play an important role in ink transfer and will lead to wastage of inks, substrate, solvents and printed stocks if not monitored and controlled. The work focuses on optimizing the flexo process parameters for 40 microns 3-layer polyethylene (PE) film with Blue Nitrocellulose (NC) ink to reduce overall manufacturing cost while maintaining the print quality for diaper application. An experimental design was conducted for the response Ink GSM (grams per square meter), ?E and Print Mottle with factors such as ink viscosity, anilox volume, plate dot shape and substrate opacity. The data was analyzed through Main Effect, Interaction Plot and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The regression models were developed for the response to validate the predictive ability of model. The process optimization resulted in reduction of Ink GSM, ?E and Print Mottle by 18%, 52% and 1% respectively. The ink consumption reduced by 18.26% with minimized print defects, thereby reducing the overall manufacturing cost.