ITW Trans Tech: Rotary Pad Printing Recommended


	Rotary Pad Printing Rotary Gravure Pad Printing Machines (RTI) SPECIFICATIONS: Stand-Alone Unit Cliché Drum Diameter: standard 100 mm (optional 200mm) Cliché Drum Length: 50, 100, 150, 200, or 300mm Pad Roll Diameter: standard 100 mm (optional 200mm) Pad Roll Length: depending on application Drive: infinitely variable DC motor Power Requirements: 100v AC; 80 psi compressed air Speed: maximum 100 linear surface feet per minute Controls: pneumatic and PC Weight: 300 lbs. Overall Dimensions: length 33 in.; width 36 in.; height 69 in. Standard Features: safety guarding of extruded metal frame with clear acrylic panels; welded tubular steel base; locking casters; quick changeover ink tray & cliché drum; reciprocating doctor blade; dual loading design. Options: "0" position fixture for exact location of part on fixture; fixture reset device for double-layer printing. Polypropylene syringe barrels after being pad-printed on a fully automated system. More... *Custom-Designed & Built Automated Systems* All specifications are tailored to particular customer requirements and unique applications. Typical rotary applications include: • golfballs • spark plugs • syringes • syringe shieilds • odometer wheels • blood vials • windshield wiper controls • microphone handles • control knobs • woodgrained panels • pen & marker barrels • cosmetic holders• • bottle closures • automotive pistons • beverage & food containers • deodorant applicators *Custom-designed, automated rotary pad printing application for printing food and beverage containers.* Other Standard Machines: • Aries 130 • Gemini 60 / 90 • Gemini 130 • Orion 130 • MKM 80.3 • MKM 125 • Sealcup 60 • Sealcup 90 • Sealcup 150 • Sprintcup 60 • Rotary • Sirius 125

Rotary Gravure Pad Printing (RTI)
The High-Speed Alternative

WHEN people think of a transfer pad printing machine, they usually have in mind the conventional style printer that uses a flat cliché with a transfer pad that picks up the ink and deposits it with an up and down vertical motion. The vast majority of pad printers around the world are of this design. However, rotary gravure transfer pad printing (RTI) is a widely used alternative process that is preferred for many industrial decorating applications.

Rotary gravure pad printing head, cliché drum & ink tray.

360 degrees of image
Conventional pad printers are only able to print a maximum of approximately 120 degrees around a part at one time. A larger coverage area would require multiple passes by manually or automatically rotating the part. RTI allows for 360 degree printing on the circumference of a part.

Typical rotary pad printing applications: appliance control knob and windshield wiper control.

This process uses cylindrically shaped steel cliché drums of different sizes but most commonly 100 millimeters in diameter and a transfer pad roll that is 100 or 200 millimeters in diameter. The cliché drum passes through the ink well that wets the entire surface with ink. The doctor blade cleans off all the ink except in the etched area, which is the image to be applied.

The doctor blade assembly also oscillates back and forth to avoid any possible streaking of ink on the drum surface. The transfer pad roll can have either momentary contact or continuous contact with the cliché drum to pick up the image and transfer it to the part. (For a detailed illustration of rotary gravure pad printing, click here.)

Stand-alone, manual-load, single-head rotary pad printing unit.

From Solo Unit to Full Automation
ITW Trans Tech manufactures a wide range of rotary machines, including a free-standing RTI printer (shown at right) in which a part can be manually loaded onto a fixture and shuttled under the pad to be printed. This would be recommended for low to medium production volumes (approx. 300 parts per hour). In addition, we are the industry leader in building fully automatic rotary pad printing systems.

Using continuously moving feeder and conveyor systems, parts can be printed at speeds of over 2000 parts per minute. Most OEMs would agree that rotary pad printing is an excellent choice for decorating cylindrical parts. However, rotary pad printing may also be a good choice for many flat products such as soft drink bottle cap closures, audiocassettes, photo slide frames, rulers, cosmetic containers and many other flat-shaped parts.

rotary pad printng on automotive pistons

A fully automated rotary system for applying a coating to automotive pistons.

Other products successfully printed using the rotary print systems are syringe barrels, appliance control knobs, windshield wiper control levers, golf balls, odometer number wheels, cosmetic holders, blow molded bottles, automotive pistons, medical vials, microphone handles, even food and beverage containers. The variety of possible applications is wide.

Before deciding on how to best decorate your product, let ITW Trans Tech evaluate your application requirements to see if rotary gravure pad printing may best fit your needs to give you the top quality and highest production speed possible

.
Back to ePadPrint Notebook