The MD-3DQC microscope from MicroDynamics, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, uses white light interferometry to perform precise, non-contact measurements of anilox roll cell volume and surface roughness.

Why Anilox Roll Management Is Important and Its Benefits

Although the use of ceramic anilox rolls has reduced wear issues, they are still not entirely negligible.

In addition, ink residue can accumulate inside the cells, reducing cell volume.
By regularly checking the condition of your anilox rolls, you can detect abnormal or uneven wear early and maintain consistent print quality.

If there is no visible wear but the cell volume has decreased, this may indicate residual or accumulated ink inside the cells. In other words, it can help verify whether the cleaning process is being performed correctly.

Accurately understanding the cell volume helps shorten setup times, enables precise color balance settings during test prints, and reduces press downtime.
It also contributes significantly to improving print reliability, repeatability, and most importantly, print quality.

By using the 3DQC to scientifically manage your anilox rolls, you can not only enhance print quality but also significantly reduce setup and troubleshooting times.

The 3DQC is a precision 3D measuring instrument developed to measure anilox cell volume, surface shape, and roughness using the principle of white light interferometry.
It offers a depth resolution of 10 nm and, depending on the lens used, a lateral resolution ranging from 0.13 to 2.21 μm. Its measurement accuracy is better than ±0.5%, making it a highly reliable instrument.

<Model: 3DQC Classic>

Compact and portable design enables on-site measurement with ease.

Cell volume measurements with high accuracy within ±0.5%.

Non-contact method prevents damage to the sample. Soft or delicate materials can also be measured safely.

Unlike line-based roughness testers, the 3DQC measures an entire surface area, allowing for precise surface roughness evaluation. Isolated contaminants or scratches can also be detected and analyzed visually and accurately.

In addition to measuring anilox cell volume, it can be used for gravure cylinders, flexo plates, idler roller surfaces, and surface textures of materials like films and paper, making it useful in many scenarios.

【Operating Principle】

Light emitted from a white light source is split into two beams using a splitter mechanism. These beams travel along separate optical paths and are then recombined. When focused on the measurement target, interference fringes appear due to optical path differences. By analyzing these fringes, the surface shape and roughness can be measured in three dimensions.

The 3DQC was developed based on this principle to serve as a high-precision 3D measuring instrument for evaluating anilox cell volume, surface shape, and roughness. It achieves vertical resolution of 10 nm and lateral resolution of 0.13 to 2.21 µm depending on the lens, with a measurement accuracy of better than ±0.5%.

<Model: 3DQC Classic>

The 3DQC Classic Anilox Roll Microscope by MicroDynamics uses the ultimate non-contact white light interferometry measurement technology to deliver top-tier precision. With excellent speed, user-friendly operation, and measurement repeatability within 1%, the 3DQC Classic outperforms most anilox microscopes on the market. This rugged and portable quality control tool is trusted by many anilox OEMs worldwide.

Specifications

Measurements are displayed and managed using dedicated software.

On the left screen, you can view the cell surface via optical imaging, along with numerical data such as cell depth, cell volume, screen count, cell angle, and wall thickness, all automatically displayed after scanning. On the right screen in 3D display mode, the shape height is visualized using a color gradient, and the viewing angle can be freely adjusted with mouse operation. For example, the bluish-purple areas indicate the highest points such as the peaks of the cell walls, while the reddish-purple areas represent the lowest points, such as the cell bottoms in anilox rolls. This visual representation helps in inspecting conditions such as residues inside the cells, shape irregularities, or wall wear.

With this software, you can manage the measurement history of a single anilox roll over time, enabling you to track wear and clogging trends from initial purchase to the present. This allows for scientifically predicting the timing of regrinding or deep cleaning.

Additionally, by observing the optical image, you can display a two-dimensional cross-sectional graph of any desired area and automatically measure surface roughness parameters such as Ra and Rt. This enables not only measurement of anilox cells, but also inspection of surface roughness and localized defects such as shape, depth, and size. Other features include report generation, database integration, and comparison between measurement data.

<Model: 3DQC Veritas>

Veritas is MicroDynamics' latest anilox microscope.
Based on the proven technology of the 3DQC Classic, Veritas offers an efficient and user-friendly solution for quality control.

【Features】

White light interferometry supports cells of all depths.
Its robust pressure-molded housing is equipped with an ergonomic integrated handle, while the extended aluminum base plate protects the optical unit. The internal optics system is designed to enhance dust resistance in production environments.
The status LED on the rear of the unit indicates scan readiness, while the locking USB and power connectors ensure fast and reliable data transfer via high-speed USB 3.0.

【Specifications】

• Weight: 2.9 kg
• Dimensions: 250 mm × 115 mm × 153 mm
• Power Supply: AC100V–240V, 50–60Hz, 6W
• Measurement Parameters