End-seals are an important part of the ink duct chamber and doctor blades which ensure that there is no leakage and ink waste. Selection of appropriate seal depends on multiple factors like machine model, ink type and printing speed of the machine.

Noida-based Inpack Solutions provides a range of end-seals under two main categories – Eco and Hi-end seals. “We have special synthetic, rubber, felt and synthetic foam material to provide excellent sealing property for long life. These seals are suitable for solvent and water based ink,” said Bhupendra Srivastava, director of Inpack Solutions. “Our aim is to provide best quality seals for flexo which can last up to 30 hours and more, if not, then you might be using inappropriate end-seal with wrong material.”

Srivastava shared that some of the seals by Inpack are produced as molded parts using different types of rubber while some are die-cut from materials which come in sheet form. “To achieve optimum results selection appropriate material, printing speed, types of ink and manufacturing process is important. We have an expert team to utilize their knowledge and experience for new product development,” he said. “For water based solvent we recommend felt material based seals for long life. We also recommend synthetic material seals which has high restoring force because such end-seals do not require any expertise and fine adjustment while fixing it into ink duct/chamber.”

According to Srivastava, Inpack’s recent developments related to hybrid end seals based on combination of two or more different material are in demand now a days. “Such developments open new opportunities for end seals which provide a long lasting sealing property. We choose optimal method to make quality product at a very competitive cost. Selection of production method purely depends upon the type of material and job,” said Srivastava.