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24 July 2008

Interlinked Process Consisting of a Standard Tampon Printing Machine and Laser Marking System Integrated with a Robot for the Feeding of the Parts

The trend towards individualisation of various products is continuously going on. This requires a high flexibility for the design of investment goods.

Tampoprint AG has responded with an up-to-date combined machine concept. A so-called interlinked process of individual automations which will be demonstrated with the help of a 6-axes robot. The part holding trays are filled in advance with screwdrivers (for this show) and these will be placed into a loading position.

If necessary, the trays can be placed side by side or one above the other, depending on your respective products form and size. Nowadays with a simple change of grippers on the robot arms, the variety of the product range can be economically variable to some extent.
The designs of the three individual automations stand for a very high flexibility, cost effectiveness and a high degree of process reliability.

The Alfalas® laser used in our example is configured to permanently apply variable markings on the respective work pieces (screwdrivers for this show). Product identification and liability is proven by keeping track of individual products, this is an aspect that always makes extensive working processes necessary.

This is not possible to do without laser marking regarding company logos, serial numbers, 2D codes – just to mention a few. The process helps to stop counterfeiting and piracy to some degree. In our automation example which we will present at the INTERPLAS 2008 in the NEC Birmingham will be an Alfalas® “SK 32” (UV laser) this unit is ideally suited for the marking of the red plastic grips of the screwdrivers.

The quality of the colour change in the plastics marking - requested over and over again – has been excelled in a virtually unprecedented way by using the “SK 32” laser.
As a second step the tampon printing machine “Hybrid 90-2” will be used. This is a 2-colour tampon printing machine unit - consisting of flexible tampon printing as well as the production of the Cliché plates with the use of an integrated laser unit – this allows the quick resetting of logos for printed parts.

The printing form or cliché production is by means of a laser engraving, this takes place within seconds onto the integrated cliché (band with a length of 25 metre).
With a logo diameter of approx. 85 mm there will be approx 215 images without having to change the cliché as was previously necessary.

The “hermetic” ink/doctoring unit can be swivelled outwards for the ink change. For simplicity, all necessary units are integrated: the touch-screen user interface is ergonomically positioned at eye level and can be central operated. The integration of the “Hybrid 90-2“ into a fully automated system or an assembly line is possible at any time (via PLC, 37-poles Sub-D interface).

The errors produced by operators can be completely excluded due to the cross linking of the two machine types Alfalas® laser system and tampon printing machine via a control system. At the same time the necessary operating data can be recorded in writing.
This process chain expertise, consisting of special machine construction, laser marking and tampon printing, integrated in the here presented automated system, offers unequalled opportunities.


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