Pad printing problem-solvers

A piezoelectric start-er and a UV flame sensor for fuel savings and greater safety have been added to a new gas flaming device from Pad Print Machinery of Vermont (East Dorset, VT). Used to pre- and post-treat pad printed parts, gas flaming improves adhesion by increasing the dyne level, making surfaces more receptive to all printing inks, and even adhesives.
“The new piezoelectric starter eliminates the need for a pilot light to burn all day long, thus conserving fuel,” says Julian Joffe, PPMV’s president. “Additionally, the new UV flame sensor lets you know if the flame is off and shuts the valve to eliminate the danger of gas flow without ignition.” He adds that these added features are part of his company’s commitment to conservation and improved energy efficiency.
Gas flaming can be powered by any propane or natural gas tank with a regulator, compressed air, and an electric-powered foot pedal. You can easily vary the speed of the flamer head, adjust the gas-to-oxygen mixture, and raise or lower the support table for optimal surface treatment.
Joffe adds that the flamer also can be plugged in to a PPMV pad printer to run in an automated line—a real cost-saver. It’s also appropriate for use in a wide variety of other types of coating, ink, and adhesive applications, including silk screening. And it also can be customized by having burner nozzles of different lengths installed to work on surfaces of different dimensions.

Two for toothbrushes

In addition to its equipment improvements, Joffe and company say they also are brushing up on specific decorating challenges—printing on toothbrushes, for instance. “Toothbrush manufacturers were coming to us with a dozen different styles of brushes and handles, and wanted us to invent a printing solution that would work for all of them,” says Joffe.
He says his engineers and design teams, “brushes in hand,” got to work and wound up creating a pad printing system that automatically loads, pretreats, prints, postcures, and unloads a minimum of 1500 pieces an hour.
One remarkably uncom-pli-cated solution its design -engineering team created was a single-color system based on its XP-05 decorator, which incorporates a rotary table fitted with eight two-up fixtures. Another more complex solution involved a four-color Prove XP-13 system.
Equipped with automated loading, a built-in corona pretreater, and a 30-station over-under conveyor feeder, this system prints full process-color pictures on toothbrushes. It also features hot air, automated pick-and-place unloading, and a postprinting curing conveyor oven.
PPMV’s custom fixturing solutions were designed to accommodate a wide variety of brush sizes and styles, which meant its customer didn’t need to have a new fixture built every time a new toothbrush style came along.
According to Joffe, “Our customer was able to greatly increase its production and free up two operators from the toothbrush printing line for other jobs in the plant as well. We like to work smarter, not harder. It’s part of the Vermont way.” —CK

Pad Print Machinery of Vermont
www.padprintmachinery.com