Sleeve damage and sleeve swelling is a major pain point for many printing businesses. Proper sleeve management and operation is crucial to reduce these issue, but another factor is how the sleeves are constructed and what materials that are used that ensure a longer lifespan. In order to reduce possible sleeve damage, we first must understand the main types of damage that sleeves can have. These are:

surface damage

Surface Damage & Swelling

Surface damage occurs due to a few main reasons. This can due to mishandling and improper storage procedures. Sleeves require to be stored in secure areas preferably on a raised surface that does not damage areas of the sleeves. Additionally, employing a cushioned surface is important but the best solution is to incorporate a sleeve storage system that can allow quick access and safe storage. Another reason for surface damage is repeated cutting and using sleeves that are not properly reinforced with durable materials where they are not sufficiently resistant to chemicals and water.

edge damage

Edge Damage

Edge damage occurs due to mainly the repeated mounting and demounting of sleeves. These corners can face drops and impacts often over time and the challenge is to ensure that this area is constructed with the strongest materials. Furthermore as mentioned earlier, if sleeves are stored vertically on a hard surface, this can lead to degradation over time and the outcome will be problems during the printing process.

 
Slot Damage

Slot damage occurs when there is a slot that the sleeve needs to latch onto. This can be mitigated with a slot depression point on the sleeve that allows for easy mounting which ensures no slippage but also no damage to the sleeve itself.

SOLUTION: TECH SLEEVE LIGHT PRO

tesc-sleeves-product-portfolio

The Tech Sleeve Light Pro is a durable and stiff sleeve with rubber-sealed edges to prevent damage. The metal register slot prevents slot damage and doesn’t harm the adapter or the mandrel underneath. The rubber material offers bounching resistance and expands the lifetime of the sleeves since it is very difficult to break from dropping. Also, by sealing the edges of the sleeve, pigments and ink can’t go through the sleeve and damage it.

The Tech Sleeve Light range of sleeves are created with our new lightweight technology and with high-quality materials:

1.Dyneema Sleeve Layer

1.  Base layer: The inner layer area of the sleeve is designed to be flexible and expandable to ensure a proper fit on to mandrels. Additionally, it includes Dyneema which is one of the strongest fibres on the planet which adds stability and strength. The overall build is light-weight and ensures that slippage is prevented. Furthermore, the unique material combination means that the inner area is water-resistant and chemical resistance which reduces various forms of damage from solvents during the printing process.

2. Durable Compressible Foam Layer

2. Compressible layer: High rebound resilience and 50% compressible without bulging. It enables the sleeve to expand and have a perfect fit. It is resistant to permanent deformation, good abrasion resistance from aging and weathering.
It is also resistant to cleaning solvents.

3. Tech Core Light: Lightweight core material designed to limit bounce and maximize durability. It has high pressure resistance and it enables sleeve build-ups to all wall thickness requests.

4. UV-cured Derakane Vinyl Ester resin outer layer: It has 82 Shore D hardness, which is significantly higher than the market standard. Due to no need of pigment, sleeves are now clear.
The UV hardened layer creates a very stiff and firm sleeve with excellent tape adhesive properties allowing good mounting and demounting of tapes. The UV cured Derakane Vinyl Ester Resin has excellent chemical and corrosion resistance