What are the physical properties of the squeegee?

Hardness, abrasion resistance and chemical resistance determine the main physical properties of a doctor blade. In theory, none of these properties affect the squeegee edge or the method of grinding the squeegee. In practice, however, all three of these properties affect both the squeegee edge and the method of sharpening.

Hardness indicates the hardness and elasticity of the squeegee, which affects how much the blade needs to be ground by various sharpening methods in order to obtain a straight and uniform blade. In general, when grinding an edge rather than cutting off a portion of the edge, grinding a little off the edge will make the edge straight. If a part of the cutting edge is cut off, the part that must be cut becomes large and the hardness is reduced.

Abrasion resistance is a characteristic that prolongs the service life of the squeegee. This benefit, when combined, becomes this: Wear-resistant scrapers are difficult to grind, and therefore difficult to re-sharpen with grinding equipment. Sharpening of highly wear-resistant scrapers is primarily limited to knife-cutting equipment.

The chemical resistance itself does not affect the grinding, but the polished edge. The higher the chemical resistance of the squeegee, the sharper the squeegee may be without fear of breakage in the earlier blade. Each of these physical properties means that you must carefully evaluate the squeegee to ensure it is suitable for your needs. It must be compatible with the grinding (number of grindings to obtain a uniform printed image), the grinding equipment (grinding or cutting) and the type of ink required for the printed product.