Perspectives | Page 14 of 16 | Engineered Printing Solutions

That’s the million dollar question! (Don’t worry. It won’t cost that much.) We’ve already outlined how you might benefit from the addition of an inkjet printer, and how to justify the cost of another piece of equipment, in a previous post. Now you have to match your workload and job requirements to the right machine configuration.

What’s the best inkjet machine solution?

That depends. Here are a few criteria used to get that answer:

Image quality – higher resolution means higher priced heads (or more passes).

Throughput – there are “multi-pass” versus “single-pass” options (more on that later).
Part size – limitations on height / width = machine size.
Image size = part size = machine size.
Substrate used – Regardless of the print technology, some substrates (PP & PE come to mind) still require pre-treatment for best image adhesion.
Number of colors required – dark substrates will need White base-coat layer, plus CMYK

What’s the best inkjet technology for me?

Do you need high volume / throughput with minimal part handling? Consider an automated conveyor, single-pass inkjet printer. You’ll typically get:

XD070 Single Pass Inkjet Printer

Up to 14″ per second of print speed

A print width that will be a minimum of 2.75″ and can be wider on a custom configuration.

Print resolutions up to 720 dpi in a single pass.

This is a great configuration for in-line applications, especially when pre-treatment is required. In many applications, you might require tooling of some sort to make sure parts are spaced and aligned consistently. Some units will incorporate a series of sensors to detect the part, and software that tells the heads when the part is in position for printing. We’ll help you with those.

Do you need higher resolution (up to 1200 dpi) but less speed? Perhaps a flatbed printer is your best option. These units offer:

An advantage for smaller / identical parts that can be placed in machined trays or nests.

A vacuum platen so you can print flat “stock.”

A series of print heads (arrays) on a rack that moves across the bed, printing and curing as it goes, giving you the capability of printing in a single direction, or printing in both directions, depending on your needs. It’s not as fast, but print resolution may be a higher priority.

With either of the above technologies, you will have the capability of adjusting print speeds, ink density / droplet size, head heights, and color hues. Speaking of colors, if you are printing process color on a dark substrate, you will need to print a white base layer first, but both technologies can accommodate that. In addition, it’s possible to print a clear-coat to protect the image or provide a more glossy appearance, but you’ll probably have to sacrifice one of the white arrays.

Do you only print in one color? Obviously, it’s possible to print monochrome or spot colors with inkjet, but keep in mind that it’s not practical to change or flush colors in the same array. With most high end industrial inkjets, ink is fed from bulk tanks, not cartridges (helps to keep the consumable costs down).

Therefore, if you are thinking of printing with one color only, monochrome machines are available, but you need to be very sure that you will only require that one color. Custom machines have been built with white and black arrays, so the customer can print either (and even mix both to get a gray hue).

Does your customer ask to make changes on press or repeat exact specs? Inkjet will usually provide the capability to manipulate the images at the machine, with the assistance of on-board graphic art software such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW. Some machines are capable of storing jobs (or job “queues”) so operators can simply select from a drop-down box. Custom machines are network-capable, so jobs can be entered remotely, and many in-line / automated units can be accessed remotely for both job entry and diagnostic capabilities.

Now you know a lot more about inkjets than the average pad printer. Don’t forget: at EPS we build your inkjet the same way we build your pad printer — from the ground up to your specifications. That makes it clean, efficient and engineered for accuracy and cost effectiveness.

Call our toll-free number 800-272-7764 or fill out the form below. We’ll start you down a two-lane inkjet/pad printer highway to greater success.

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Pad printing is a fantastic, fast, quick-drying process allowing for adjustment to ink coverage, density and evaporation each step along the way. It is also vulnerable to the changing conditions in the environment surrounding your pad printing area. You may find it beneficial to consider setting up a clean room to protect your jobs from exposure to any sudden variables and contaminants that could impact the quality of the finished product. Today we’d like to help you evaluate the pros and cons of investing in a clean room.

PROS

Controlling temperature and relative humidity (RH) allows for consistent ambient climate conditions. Very helpful in a pad printing environment to guarantee the same quality over multiple runs.

Eliminating items with a propensity to throw off dust particles from the closed clean room keeps your operation free of dust and other airborne contaminants. Get rid of those plywood pad bases – typically standard issue for pad printing – and replace them with something cleaner, like aluminum.

Replacing flame pretreatment eliminates another source of soot contamination, as well as the risks of working with an open flame.

Producing a consistent, clean product improves your reputation in the marketplace, increases your daily production and attracts new customers.

Providing a stable climatic environment opens the opportunity to implement an ink maintenance program to systematize the process, a further guarantee for consistency across runs and between operators.

Commissioning a pad printing machine for use in a clean room allows for special procedures to be undertaken at an opportune time. Special sterilization and validation is carried out on the equipment prior to initial use, often by expert third party providers. Any component of the machine’s design which may be subject to dust or contaminant generation is outfitted with additional guarding to minimize this exposure.

CONS

Pretreatment options are somewhat limited. Flame pretreatment is usually prohibited because of the possibility of generating soot from an open flame.

The use of air blowing at the pad to assist on ink transfer may not be workable.

Some installs are presented with no way to adjust climatic conditions.

Many clean rooms exhibit lots of air turbulence due to pressurization and air exchange frequency. This can create drafts and negatively affect ink pickup, especially in cupslide machines, requiring heavy use of a retarder or more frequent thinner additions.

There can be a high learning curve required in making often severe adjustments to former ink working mixes once the environment is stabilized.

Summary

All in all, usually the Pros outweigh the Cons. Once a proper print process has been established, it can be used reliably every day.

Think you’re ready to come clean? PPMoVT’s engineers can help put you in a clean world of your own! Whether they help you design a new pad printer for your clean room, or design retrofits for the old one, call us at 1-800-272-7764, or use Live Chat on our Home page. Pros & Cons: Pad Printing in a Clean Room Environment

A word of warning: You may find yourself wanting a clean room at home.

To get the most out of your printing operation, you need to account for many factors, including lighting, adequate compressed air supply, controlled temperature and humidity, quality consumables, etc. Everything of value in your operation must be put in place, maintained, serviced and supplied. One factor often overlooked is the operator, and more pertinent to this discussion, operator ergonomics.

An operator who exerts as little energy as possible per print cycle and who has everything needed to complete the assignment within the production cell will deliver consistent and predictable productivity throughout the shift. Additionally, job satisfaction and, most importantly, safety will impact your company’s throughput and profit. Never dispute the value of a happy employee.

Ergonomics
When designing your operator’s production cell, keep in mind the following to improve working conditions:

The distance / height of reach for an item
Comfortable seating
Proper floor mats, also known as anti-fatigue mats.
Temperature and humidity control in the work environment including heat exhaust from nearby heaters or dryers.
Rotations within shifts. This prevents repetitive stress disorders and boredom. It also ensures crew flexibility and increases the employee’s perception of value to the operation, putting the emphasis on the importance of production.
The right tool for the right job. Avoid cheap multi-tools with every hex-key ever made. Our pad printing equipment should not require the use of more than 4 hex-keys.

Safety
As mentioned above, safety will most definitely impact your bottom line. OSHA provides an interactive program on their website called $afety Pays to help determine the financial impact of injuries. This number can be used when calculating ROI of safety equipment.

Always hang cables and hoses from the ceiling; never lay them on the ground.
Wear gloves, goggles, and aprons.
Do not disable safety features on machines. They are installed for a reason.
Keep pallets out of the way. If possible, keep pallets out of the production area completely. Moving an empty pallet around creates extra work and aching backs.
Fixtures should be designed carefully to ensure fingers stay out of way of the pad.
Take the time to properly train every production member on how to lift with their knees. On-the-job training means it is a requirement of the job.

Preparation
Try always to be proactive instead of reactive. For example, instead of requesting or preparing ink during the changeover time, someone should have the ink ready for the operator before the job begins. Any way you can keep the printer printing will improve your up-time.

Keep all thinners and other supplies available at the production cell.
Keep a supply of cleaning materials at the production cell.
Use outside help for non-printing tasks, like handling boxes, proofing jobs, work orders, removing pallets, etc.
Printing can be a bottleneck. Exploit it by keeping the printer printing.

Job Satisfaction
A happy employee is a productive employee. Think about it. If your employees are frustrated about working conditions, they are distracted from their job.

The less your operator deals with job frustrations and physical fatigue, the more printing cycles will take place.
Removing frustrations and dangers from your operator allows more commitment to quality, service, and exceeding production goals, resulting in …
The best print environment ever!

Need Help?
PPMOVT’s Sales Engineers are really smart! Why not use them? They’ll help you figure out the holes in your operation and recommend ways to plug up productivity drains. Call us at 1-800-272-7764, or use Live Chat on our Home page https://www.padprintmachinery.com

Then we can add your business to the list of best print environments ever!

The pad printing industry has revolutionized marking in so many manufacturing industries, and continues to grow and cause further change. Pad Print Machinery of Vermont wants our customers to stay current on what has — and still is — happening in your industry and in the fields your customers service.

Starting today we will occasionally feature new equipment, or additional devices available for that equipment, that have made a difference in your competitors’ businesses. You might want to consider investing in some of these in the near future.

Consider a pick and place device

The single most cost-effective automation feature for customers servicing any industry is a pick and place device, used to rake off or auto-unload parts after printing. Adding this one feature can come close to doubling your production rate overnight. The best news? It increases production at a low cost and saves operator time. The operator no longer has to load the parts onto the machine and then unload them onto a table or elliptical conveyor. The operator simply loads them.

Here’s the technical stuff

Pick & Place Systems are pneumatic or servo-motorized devices which can be installed on the pad print machine’s conveyor or other automation devices. Click here to see a video on different Pick & Place applications.

A pick-and-place device can be designed for 2, 3, 4 or more axes/stations, depending on the conveyor installed and the configuration of the pad print machine. It is ready to install on conveyors for automatic loading and/or unloading of parts.

PPMOVT has conveyors available ranging from the Linear Shuttle for single-part fixtures (offering four stations for four-color and six stations for five-color printing), up to top-of-the-line conveyors offering fully-automated, servo motor-driven, multicolor system up to 48+ stations.

Our reps should know!

The experienced PPMOVT customer service reps know about great deals like this. Increased production, moderate startup costs, a big boost on your ROI — these are benefits your business can’t ignore.

Remember: we want your business to grow with your equipment. PPMOVT has reps assigned to your area waiting to hear from you. Call us at 1-800-272-7764, or use Live Chat on our Home page https://www.epsvt.com

A year from now, call us to report a 100% increase in production year-to-date. We’ll celebrate with you!

Here’s a quick study on ergonomics.

Simply put, ergonomics is defined as the science of work. The word is derived from two Greek words: ergon, meaning work, and nomoi, meaning natural laws. So it is really the science of work and a human relationship to that work; a “discipline focused on making products and tasks comfortable and efficient for the user” (from about.com).

We call it workplace and equipment design that maximizes productivity and minimizes operator fatigue, discomfort and repetition. There are even some laws on the book protecting employees from poor ergonomic process.

Are pad or inkjet print ergonomics different?

It could be as simple as moving supplies to a more accessible location. Or create a staging area close by the pad or inkjet printer with a rolling table. It could be as amazing as adding automation to your existing machine, like a conveyor or pick-and-place robotic arm.

You can check your work environment yourself, or call us to do it for you. It benefits your employees, your business and your bottom line! When PPMoV analyzes your ergonomic setup, we evaluate the following three major components of ergonomics:

1 The Workplace:
Design: Is there maximum throughput at the printer, and efficient flow-through of parts throughout the process (e.g., from mold to assembly and/or packaging)?
Setup: Have you allowed an adequate staging area for both blank (unprinted) parts, and efficient “take-away” of the treated parts to the conveyor/oven/next work cell?
Environment: Have you provided “operator-centric” lighting, ventilation, and proximity to the ink mix/cleanup area? Did you set up a “process-centric” stable environmental condition (for ink management)?

2 The Operator:
Intervention: Did you minimize movement distances for both manual and continuous cycles? Can you save time & steps by replacing manual pad cleaning with automatic pad cleaning at each print station?
Efficiency: Should you adjust machine height to accommodate all operators? Remember: users’ heights vary! Can you assure that machine dimensions safely accommodate maximum part size and weight? Would you like us to suggest tooling designs that are “easy in, easy out?” Should you measure potential safety issues like “pinch points,” noise levels, etc.?

3 The Equipment:
Engineered to task: Can you minimize setups and/or changeovers (e.g., are you using a one-color machine for two-color jobs)? Can you minimize part handling from load, to pre- treat (when required), to print station(s), to unload?

Become a Case Study

After our evaluation, we talk to you. We listen to what your goals are, what bothers you, where you see your business heading. Can you become a success case study?

Read this Power Tools. It’s about automation, but their employees needed ergonomic help as well.

I don’t know where to start?

It starts with a phone call. Engineered Printing Solutions is a different printing equipment manufacturer – we don’t sell the same machine to everyone; we build it just for you. We want your equipment to grow with your business. Your work is specialized, flexible and expanding; your equipment should be too. EPS has reps assigned to your area waiting to hear from you. Call us at 1-800-272-7764, or use the form below.

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Company *

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Your Location: *

This will enable us to direct your inquiry to the appropriate Sales Engineer.

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While a programmable servo-driven pad printer will cost more than comparable electro-pneumatic models, they provide the highest degree of accuracy, control, adaptability and flexibility in a more compact area, and they include additional valuable features.

The improved servo-driven technology allows engineers to choose linear motion devices that:

provide the highest degree of accuracy
increase speeds while maintaining quality
reach the required torque in a given application
save and store programs for convenience and accuracy on future print runs
pick up and print an image wherever it needs to be and assure that the user produces more impressions with less waste and fewer errors in less time. That’s a win-win.

In the most sophisticated printers, the horizontal print head movement can be controlled and programmed at each of the two functions — ink pick-up from the cliché and print position on systems featuring independent pad actuators. You can also repeat or change the control values for each plate stage/print station, a major improvement that provides individual adjustment in a multicolor system with hair-splitting accuracy and repeatability.

Couple this with the ability to provide independent pad vertical movement using linear actuators that work independently. This eliminates pad interference when printing oversize parts, offering the convenience of using different pad shapes and heights at every position in a system. Are you starting to see what this can do for the future of your business yet?

Are you sure it will help me?

At PPMOVT, we carefully evaluate each application to engineer the best and most cost effective solution with the end user in mind. We execute them flawlessly on our own manufacturing floor. After all, when all is said and done, it is the printing system’s performance, reliability and user friendliness that really counts.

The same servo-driven actuators described above are also used on Pick-and-Place automation devices that provide part loading/unloading to/from holding fixtures, part conveyance and other movement accessories, with total precision even when variable speeds are required throughout the motion. Automatic pad changing can be included to allow the use of multiple pads in a selected routine. That’s technology. That’s what Pad Print Machinery of Vermont can do for you.

What do I do next?

Call us in for an analysis. That’s fun for us. We won’t sell you something that doesn’t make you better and stronger. Program in Pad Print at 1-800-272-7764, or use Live Chat on our Home page https://www.epsvt.com
Please make sure the coffee’s hot!

Our customers have told us many times how frustrated they are with the amount of pad printing ink they have to throw out at the end of the day. Well we heard you and designed a handy little device to help utilize those small volumes of the ink mixed in the cups. Plus when the ink volume is less than 25 grams, the print quality can deteriorate – not with the new Ink Saver-Ring!

The Ink Saver-Ring fits into a sealed ink cup where it agitates the ink as the cup slides across the cliché. This is a great tool for pad printers who use bi-component inks that must be throw out at the end of the day. Plus this ring will also help prevent the ink pigments from settling in the cups. Over time, less ink waste will add up to a significant cost savings!

Available for all sealed ink cup sizes, call us for pricing and click Ceramic Ring Cups for details.

We have all experienced the effect of static electricity in our lives. From rubbing a balloon on our sweater and sticking it on a wall, to receiving the zap from someone who’s shuffling their feet across carpeting, it is a very real force and can certainly affect your pad printing.

Like the electrical discharge after rubbing a balloon on your hair, static electricity can cause ink to discharge from the pad before it makes contact with the substrate. Static can build on the pad by its simple movement when relative humidity falls below 30%.

Printing problems manifest as spider hairs or spider webbing radiating from the artwork edges, or other loss of image resolution.

Possible causes of static in the work environment are atmosphere or materials.

Atmosphere
Low humidity and temperature, especially in winter conditions (or in western states such as Nevada and Arizona suffer chronic static) combined with artificial heating, are the primary culprits of static-caused image resolution issues.

Here’s how to fight back:

Install a thermometer and hygrometer in close proximity to your equipment. Maintain optimum temperature and humidity levels based on their readings.
Increase the humidity level in the air to at least 40%.
Run inks a little thinner than normal.
Add anti-static paste to your ink.
Use an ionized air blower or nozzle directed at the part fixture.
Use pads with aluminum bases and electrically “ground” the pad base to the machine.
On wood base pads, “ground” the pad to the machine. This is done by inserting one end of electrical wire into the pad, near the base and the other end to the machine, making sure the wire is long enough to allow full pad cylinder extension.

Materials
Parts can become electrically charged in manufacture, packing, shipping and storage. Certain materials such as polycarbonates, acrylics and strenes are more prone to static buildup.

To prevent a static-caused electrical charge:

Do not allow parts to come within the effective range of static-generating equipment like electric motors, fans, etc.
Unpack parts and place in a metal container. Ground the container to allow dissipation of any static charges.
Use an ionized air blower or nozzle directed at the part fixture.
If the part fixture is metallic, this too can be grounded to help dissipate static charge.

What else can I do?
Our trained and experienced technicians can help with troubleshooting and recommend permanent resolutions to persistent static electricity problems. Call our guys at 1-800-272-7764 or use Live Chat from our Home page. We love the tough cases.

Engineered Printing Solutions reps often hear the question “what plate type should I use?” The answer is standard for pad printing:

What is the intended application
How detailed is the artwork (fine lines? large solid areas?)
What are the environment’s conditions (dusty? flying debris?)
What is the thickness or opacity of ink required?
What is the size of the run?

Your rep is here to help you analyze your job and narrow your choices, including plate type. There are two major image plate types: Steel and Photopolymer. Let’s take a closer look at each.

Steel Plates

Thick Steel Plates. These are old-fashioned and originally used in pad printing because it was usually the only choice. There were few to no other more affordable materials. These thick steel plates were tempered and machined flat prior to acid etching. Very expensive and requiring an outside plate-maker service, their redeeming quality was longevity, often providing several-hundred-thousand print cycles.
Thin Steel Plates. These plates have gained in popularity due to the improved materials used. They provide excellent flatness for proper functionality and higher tempering (into the Rockwell 70’s) for long life. Their cost is much lower than thick steel plates and can be used on the same standard plate stages as polymer plates. These plates also need an outside plate-maker service – acid bath required.

Photopolymer Plates
Photopolymer plates come in a variety of types and are made of photosensitive material that changes chemical composition when exposed to ultraviolet light. Using a film positive, the image is etched into the plate, preventing the image area from being exposed to the UV-light. To control etch depth in larger color areas, a second exposure with a screen is necessary.

Double Exposure. These plates are available in several polymer materials depending on the etch depth and the number of impressions needed. An exposure unit is required to expose the plate and would require using a line screen. This material is available in either alcohol- or water-based development. A full list of plate materials can be found on our website – Printing Plates here.
Single Exposure. This special material provides a very thin photopolymer coating, clad to a very thin steel backing. The plate can only be etched to a .001” depth and requires a single exposure. This material has a shorter impression life than conventional Double Exposure plates. Since it lacks the customary screen in the artwork area, it is used only on fine line or text artwork. It is not used to print bold artwork or solid backgrounds.
Laser Etched. These plates are used in conjunction with a laser etching device such as our RapidFire Laser Etcher to produce plates similar to the conventional Double Exposure plates, including screened artwork areas of all types. Bringing this ability in-house eliminates the need for artwork films and provides multiple benefits in speed, turnaround, corrections and profitability.

Where do I get help?
Recommendations, troubleshooting and assistance in all areas of your production cycle are at the end of your phone or mouse! Call the trained and experienced Pad Print people at 1-800-272-7764, or use Live Chat on our Home page https://www.epsvt.com
We’ll stop by for a cup of coffee!

Pad printing’s smooth transfer of an image from the inked cliché to the subtrates is facilitated by additives used in the ink’s mix. Pad Print thinners and hardeners are additives critical in handling ink adjustments for better adhesion and extending image life.

Thinners

Transferring pad printing inks requires that a percentage of thinner be mixed into the ink. Thinners are volatiles; that is, they evaporate quickly (“flash off”) to dry out the ink mixture so it becomes “tacky.”

This “tackiness” is what enables the silicone pad to pick up an image/ink and transfer it to the part.

Ink manufacturers provide special, chemically-formulated thinners to work with their inks. They usually provide thinners in different.” The “speeds” refers to how fast the thinner evaporates. Typically, you’ll find fast, medium and slow (sometimes referred to as “retarder”) options.

As you may know, there are different ink “series” that adhere best to specific substrates. Manufacturers will provide charts that cross-reference different substrates and which inks work best with them. Each of these inks may utilize one (or many) different thinners, depending on the application. Here is a link to the Ink & Materials Table from the website.

Another important function of a pad printing thinner is it also cross-links the ink/pigment to the surface of the part while the thinner is evaporating, also aiding adhesion. Some substrates are more porous than others, which makes it easier for ink to bond, so the cross-linking happens quickly. Other substrates require more time, so you’ll use a “slower” thinner. In any case, once the ink transfer (print cycle) is complete, the thinner continues to evaporate and perform its cross-link duties simultaneously, eventually leading up to a “cured” image.

Images pad printed with solvent-based inks are usually “dry to the touch” in a matter of seconds, which means you can handle the parts relatively quickly. However, most pad print inks don’t achieve a full cure until at least 24 hours, sometimes longer.

Hardeners

Where do hardeners fit into this, you may ask? They have very little effect on ink adhesion, but have a huge influence on image durability.

Again, ink manufacturers provide hardeners that are formulated specifically to their inks. Some hardeners work with more than one ink series. This formulation also includes different ink-to-hardener ratios. Some are 4:1 (ink-to-hardener), some are 10:1 and others as much as 20:1. Technical data sheets on inks will detail all of that for you.

Hardeners are always added for inks used on metal, glass and ceramics, as well as parts (regardless of substrate) that may face exposure to abrasives, chemicals, sterilization procedures, etc.

The good thing about hardeners is they enhance image durability. The bad thing about hardeners is that they decrease the “pot life” in an ink cup (normally 8–10 hours max). The important thing is your customer gets a quality, long-lasting image.

Join the conversation! Our dedicated ink experts can get your ink problems solved and your printer up and running in no time!

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Upload an image file (optional)

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