Peristaltic Pump Stops Printing-Machine Breakdowns
A print-media company has installed peristaltic pump technology from Watson-Marlow Pumps to fix issues with printing-machine breakdowns, caused by faults in its previous air-operated diaphragm pump. Bristol-based Portishead Press is a family-run print media business established around 40 years ago. Offering both digital and conventional (litho) printed communications, the company has found a niche in short-to-medium runs, providing items such as brochures, newsletters and corporate stationary.
However, to build a sound platform for growth, Portishead Press needed to address an ongoing issue with its five-colour printing machine. The machine offers the traditional four-colour process (CMYK - cyan, magenta, yellow, black), as well as a coating to seal the ink. The coating dries by oxidation and hence must be kept agitated. Here, a pump is used to keep it flowing around the system via a special trough. Until recently, the company used an air-operated diaphragm (AOD) pump for this duty, but this became quite high maintenance.
The coating, which is a caustic solution, caused the seals to go, leaving the company replacing them every few months. This styrene acrylic polymer coating would leak into the machine's bearings when the seals on the AOD pump perished and cause them to seize up, stopping the printing machine and creating significant delays. And there was another problem: the AOD pumping action thickened the coating during the agitation process, creating bubbles that were sucked back down the return pipe, which would lead to frothing issues. Portishead Press needed a pump that could move the coating fluid quickly, without introducing air.
The company found the peristaltic pumps made by Watson-Marlow Pumps on the internet. In peristaltic pump technology, nothing but the tube touches the fluid, eliminating the risk of the pump contaminating the fluid or vice versa. Fluid is drawn in, trapped between two rollers and finally expelled. It is the complete closure of the tube that gives the pump its positive displacement action. A team from Portishead Press visited Watson-Marlow's headquarters in Falmouth to see a pump in action. Satisfied it could meet the company's requirements, Watson-Marlow engineers helped the company specify a suitable model, recommending the 621VIX/RE close-coupled peristaltic pump.
After 18 months of operation, the pump hasn't needed any maintenance and the frothing issue has been solved. According to Watson-Marlow, the tubes will need replacing at some stage, but this only takes five minutes. The 621 series peristaltic pump is designed to provide gentle, low-shear fluid handling so as to avoid air entrainment, and the issue of frothing is circumvented. The self-priming pump has independent flow control in terms of forward and reverse, as well as electronic speed control. According to Portishead Press, the pump is not only saving the company money, but also ensuring continuity of service for its customers.
However, to build a sound platform for growth, Portishead Press needed to address an ongoing issue with its five-colour printing machine. The machine offers the traditional four-colour process (CMYK - cyan, magenta, yellow, black), as well as a coating to seal the ink. The coating dries by oxidation and hence must be kept agitated. Here, a pump is used to keep it flowing around the system via a special trough. Until recently, the company used an air-operated diaphragm (AOD) pump for this duty, but this became quite high maintenance.
The coating, which is a caustic solution, caused the seals to go, leaving the company replacing them every few months. This styrene acrylic polymer coating would leak into the machine's bearings when the seals on the AOD pump perished and cause them to seize up, stopping the printing machine and creating significant delays. And there was another problem: the AOD pumping action thickened the coating during the agitation process, creating bubbles that were sucked back down the return pipe, which would lead to frothing issues. Portishead Press needed a pump that could move the coating fluid quickly, without introducing air.
The company found the peristaltic pumps made by Watson-Marlow Pumps on the internet. In peristaltic pump technology, nothing but the tube touches the fluid, eliminating the risk of the pump contaminating the fluid or vice versa. Fluid is drawn in, trapped between two rollers and finally expelled. It is the complete closure of the tube that gives the pump its positive displacement action. A team from Portishead Press visited Watson-Marlow's headquarters in Falmouth to see a pump in action. Satisfied it could meet the company's requirements, Watson-Marlow engineers helped the company specify a suitable model, recommending the 621VIX/RE close-coupled peristaltic pump.
After 18 months of operation, the pump hasn't needed any maintenance and the frothing issue has been solved. According to Watson-Marlow, the tubes will need replacing at some stage, but this only takes five minutes. The 621 series peristaltic pump is designed to provide gentle, low-shear fluid handling so as to avoid air entrainment, and the issue of frothing is circumvented. The self-priming pump has independent flow control in terms of forward and reverse, as well as electronic speed control. According to Portishead Press, the pump is not only saving the company money, but also ensuring continuity of service for its customers.
Comments