Pumping up operator safety
To improve accessibility and operator safety Edale has incorporated a modular ink pump system from Cole-Palmer into its servo-driven flexographic printing system
In a bid to improve operator accessibility, safety and productivity, Edale has incorporated Cole-Parmer’s Masterflex Modular Pump System into its servo-driven flexographic printing system. A UK manufacturer of specialised narrow web printing and converting machinery, Edale’s Gamma servo driven flexographic printing and converting system is designed to ensure high speed changeovers along with minimum wastage and downtime.
Bobruisk IPH Nepogodin, one of the oldest full-service printing houses in the Republic of Belarus was introduced to this innovative system back in 2011 and consequently became the first company in Belarus to own a servo driven press.
To assist the customer in their desired machine specification, Edale approached Cole-Parmer for an engineered solution that would be suitable to pump ink and fit with the modular eight-colour 430 mm wide Gamma system. It requires a relatively low but adjustable flow rate as only a small amount of ink is required to be pumped into the tray before being picked up by the rollers.
Improved accessibility
An important consideration is that certain colour inks are more viscous than others, and that the pump should be able to cope with long print runs.
Previously Edale has used ink pump units with the motor and controls built in but in this case the customer wanted to improve accessibility and operator safety and requested to position the pump control unit next to the print station touch screen.
Cole-Parmer’s fluid handling specialist identified the Masterflex L/S Variable-Speed Modular Drives and Masterflex L/S Easy- Load II pump heads for high-performance precision tubing as most suitable for this application. This robust modular pump system is suitable for a shop floor environment, offers variable flow rates, can cope with the changing viscosity and most importantly, enabled Edale to separate the motor and controller. This satisfied Bobruisk Integrated Printing House’s request to put the controls at the front of its new printing system. As Bobruisk IPH Nepogodin celebrates the ownership of the first servodriven press in Belarus, the company is gaining some press through media coverage of its enhanced operation.
In turn, Edale is proud to serve the customer and pleased that Cole-Parmer offered a satisfying fluid handling solution that brought it all together.
Cole-Palmer
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