The engraving of the gravure cylinder has been one of the biggest development in the printing industry. It has made it easy to do printing by making the processing of the print image easy. But to ensure that you are maintaining the best quality, you must ensure that you are following the right process.

One of the critical stages of gravure cylinder engraving is chrome-plating. It is usually among the final stages after you are done with the engraving. The application of the chrome plating on the gravure cylinder does many things other than protecting the etchings. Here are some of the reasons you need to chrome plate your gravure cylinder:

Protects the Etching

The moment you have engraved the cupper layer of the cylinder, the etching may not withstand the physical stress they will be exposed to when being transferred to the printing system and other forms of handling. Copper is usually categorized as one of the soft metals, and this means the etching form can easily get damaged by hard surfaces.

The chrome material is one of the hardest metals in the metal industry. It can withstand hard, rough, and demanding conditions. That’s why the material is used as the outer layer of the gravure cylinder after the printing has been done. It protects the etchings from damages.

Quality of the Image

The other reason why chrome-plating is crucial when engraving gravure cylinder is the quality of the image. One of the things that can lower the quality of the printed image is the deforming of the etching cells. If the copper later is not protected, then you are likely to have a problem with the deforming of the cells, and this will lower the quality of the printed image. Therefore, you need to have the etched layer protected from damages.

Longevity of the Printing Cylinder

The other reason you need to consider chrome-plating is the longevity of the print cylinder. Make sure that you have an engraved gravure cylinder that can last for the longest time possible. This is an important factor, especially if you are printing tons of work with the same image. A chrome layer on the copper-engraved layer will help keep the cylinder in the best condition for long.

For proper engraving, you need to have the best quality engraving machine. You can visit laserengravingmanufacturers for some of the best machines in the market.