Vacuum cylinders for the printing / packaging industry
In this video we introduce this application of Vuototecnica vacuum cylinders dedicated to operators in the printing / packaging industry, to press, and to anyone who has to handle and move sheets of paper or other light materials.
As you can see, the printouts are peeled one by one from the pile, thanks to the rapid and repetitive action of the cylinder, able to filter air between one sheet and another.
In doing so, there is no risk of taking two or more sheets together, stuck together.
The withdrawal of the single instruction sheet by the two suction cups mounted on the mechanism, as you can see, is fast and precise. In addition, the sheets are not crumpled by the contact, which is delicate, with the suction cup.
Please, notice how as soon as the lip of the suction cup creates a seal on the sheet, the vacuum cylinder has the unique advantage (not offered by pneumatic or electric cylinders) to adapt autonomously and retreat to the different positioning heights of the object to be taken.
To see the whole range of solutions for the graphics and printing, you can download the relative brochure.
Printing industry and vacuum: how to make the circuit more efficient and save money?
In the printing industry, vacuum is used for sheet feeding to offset presses, from inlet to outlet, after printing, while air at low feed pressure is often used to separate the sheets.
This is a balanced dance between vacuum and blown air that needs to be designed and managed efficiently.
In most cases, however, despite the fact that the feeder has only 6-8 small diameter suction cups, air and vacuum are generated and excluded by a very large pump, almost always placed far from the machine, with a series of bulky pipes.
In a foolish way, end customers are in fact invited to centralize the vacuum system, with large pumps located in a single point: precisely to compensate for the distance of the machinery and the length of the pipes.
These pumps are useless, however, because the exaggerated flow rate is then choked by the small pipes that usually feed the suction cups.
The same problem of oversizing is found in relation to the distribution of the low pressure (max +0.6 bar) which, generated by the electric pump, reaches the small nozzles that blow air, used for sheet separation.
The energy expenditure is therefore enormous: the customer is in fact forced to keep the pump motor always powered and at maximum power but the two channels (vacuum and air) are partialized. By means of manual valves, for the vacuum duct, atmospheric air is “entered” into the pipe while for the low pressure duct it is released into the atmosphere.
It is a contradiction to use such oversized pumps. It’s a bit like wanting to reduce the pressure in a water pipe by creating small holes in it that make it leak a bit.
All these losses, especially on the vacuum channel, also increase the wear of the blades on the internal stator of the pump due to friction.
When overheating of the pumps during the summer is more problematic, downtime and maintenance costs are undoubtedly the most important issues in the paper and printing industry.
So, it is a major investment for the end customer that brings neither efficiency benefits nor economic returns.
In order to aggravate the situation, the installed pumps require, due to their tonnage, longer intervention times and costs and skilled workers.
Vuototecnica does not tolerate waste of energy, time and money and to overcome all the problems in the sector designed PA/PS multi-stage pneumatic vacuum generators, ess bulky and more efficient, with reduced weight and guaranteed energy savings.
PA/PS pneumatic vacuum generators offer the possibility to adjust the vacuum (or pressure) degree and the flow rate, according to the supply air pressure, with the opportunity for the customer to manage the pumps with proportional valves for compressed air and limit the consumption to a minimum, depending on the weight and porosity of paper and cardboard in the printing machine.
These pumps are surprisingly quiet (60-65dB) and do not overheat. They also insufflate only fresh air between the sheets, free of impurities, condensation or oil vapours.
Another advantage: they reduce the electrostatic charges generated by the blown hot air of traditional electric pumps.
The materials are of the latest generation, which makes it possible to reduce the weight and overall dimensions and to install them directly on board, on the machine, not further away, thus also reducing the piping.
The maintenance consists only in cleaning the suction or blower filters and they are guaranteed for 5 years.
Graphic division: Vuototecnica for the efficiency in printing and graphic industries
The Vuototecnica Graphic division is entirely designed to meet printing and graphic industry’s needs. More than just offer its customers products, Vuototecnica as usual supports customers from engineering to customer service. The printing industry requires - in addition to excellent performance - speed, instruments reliability to avoid costly stops, longer component life and affordability.
The Graphic division range was developed to meet these requirements and consists of different size and capacity PA suction and PS blowing pumps, PA and PS pumps combined together, every shape and material suction cups, filters, spare parts and holders for every application. Within this product range we mention:
AS suction and blower system designed for the management of paper during the printing process. It is a cabinet and it is compact and simple to use.
It contains suction and blowing pumps combined together inside, compressed air control and shutting off valves and all the controls. Blowing and suction connections for use and microporous cartridge filters are placed on the sides of this metal cabinet. They are capable of retaining even the finest dust which is usually found in printing environment.
On the control panel, there are: the general pneumatic switch for intercepting supply compressed air, together with a pressure gauge for line pressure direct readout; pneumatic switches for intercepting the supply compressed air of each pump; pressure reducers with pressure gauges on, to adjust the compressed air of each pump; precision vacuum gauges and pressure gauges to read out directly the vacuum and pressure degrees; vacuum gauges that allow you to control the degree of blowing pumps filter clogging.
The pumps can be controlled individually, and this allows high quality and a strong increase in productivity. The pneumatic pumps are based on the Venturi principle, this prevents downtime. Depending on the supply air pressure, it is possible to adjust the vacuum degree (or the pressure degree) and the pumps flow rate.
The three visible benefits of this system are: high compressed air energy saving, a maintenance reduced to periodic filter cleaning, a healthier and less noisy work environment (no emission of oil or condense), no impurities on paper sheets to be separated.
Vacuum cylinders are very suitable for the separation of paper or plastic sheets in combination with suction cups. They work in depression on short and fast cycles. They have a hollow rod on which you can assemble the suction cup and they are made of anodized aluminum for extra durability. The operation is simple: we create the vacuum in the anterior chamber of the cylinder, so the rod, integral with the piston, comes out and wins the opposing force of the spring. The piston is pushed by the air at atmospheric pressure which enters the rear chamber of the cylinder, through the hollow rod.
The greater the pressure differential between the anterior chamber of the vacuum cylinder and the rear chamber at atmospheric pressure, the greater the thrust force of the piston. The rod part when you disallow the entrance of atmospheric air through the hole of the rod and with the vacuum inserted you delete the pressure differential in the cylinder because the forces of the opposing spring prevail and the rod returns to its initial position, in this way.
Even in the event that the vacuum is excluded, and you restore the atmospheric pressure in both chambers of the vacuum cylinder, the pressure differential is reset and the rod returns to its initial position. These cylinders are very fast, able to compensate for the height automatically. The rod is non-rotating and it is very simple to mount them.
The disc cups guarantee a quick and safe grip and are produced depending on the specific needs of the customer, based on the material to be manipulated (paper, cardboard, plastic). They can be die-cut from sheets, printed in oil resistant or nitrile rubber, in natural para rubber, or abrasion resistant rubber, in silicon, Viton, or other special compounds; they can be made in rubber or polyurethane panels and in any material is required by the end user.
Feeding and delivery on a latest generation digital printer
For printing and graphic industry, Vuototecnica developed many solutions that made employees’ life much easier and operations more effective and faster.
In the video below you can see in action Vuototecnica bellows suction cups in the socket and the release of large printing sheets within a digital printer based on UV-LED technology.
The suction cups as you can see have no trouble browsing, separating the sheets: by virtue of their shape can indeed shrink, without friction between clean sheets and printed ones and providing greater stability.
They also do not leave any mark on the surface; neither fingerprints nor signs. The sheet remains untouched and perfect.
The suction cups are powered by a PVP 3 single stage vacuum generator, of very reduced dimensions in relation to its performance and made of durable materials.
The generator is easy to maintain and it works using the Venturi principle, with compressed air only. The pick and place of the suction cups is automatical and without thought for the operator.
To see the whole range of solutions for the graphics and printing, you can download the relative brochure!
PA/PS Suction and blowing pumps in action on a folding machine
In this video, you can see Vuototecnica combined PA/PS suction and blowing pump, installed on a folding machine. As you can see, it replaces very well the side-channels impeller installed as standard by the manufacturer on the machine, without any problems.
Compared to this new technology of pneumatic pumps for graphic/paper industry, even the electric rotary vane suction and pressing pumps are no longer competitive in performance and reliability and they are no longer an alternative from the economic point of view.
PA/PS Vuototecnica pumps, instead, do not produce heat or static electricity and they have many other benefits:
1. They allow you to save up to 40% of compressed air with a benefit of - 80% noisiness (60-65dB)
2. They allow a beneficial ratio between the amount of consumed air and the sucked (or blown) air
3. You can order them in different sizes and weight; also in very small sizes, in order to install them directly on the machine
4. You do not need think too much about maintenance, a periodic cleaning of the filters is enough
The user who mounted the pumps in the video is a happy customer, especially given the absence of noise and heat, and he is feeding pumps with only 2-bar pressure. In fact, you can adjust the degree of vacuum (or pressure) and the flow rate in function of the supply air pressure, and, if you want, you can manage the pumps with proportional valves for compressed air, limiting the consumption to minimum, according to paper characteristics.
Vuototecnica vacuum cylinders in action on a paper sheets feeder
Notice how suction cups separate sheets in a continuous and fast way, in progression, without causing deformation or breaking on the surface of the paper.
The grip of sheets is an important stage of the printing process and it requires short and fast cycles with the highest accuracy. These are guarantees Vuototecnica can subscribe proudly.
Cylinders operate in vacuum and they are provided with a front vacuum chamber and a back chamber at atmospheric pressure. The larger is the pressure differential between the two chambers, the greater is the push of the piston, which is connected to the piston rod, on which finally you can mount the suction cup.
The suction cup holds the object in the outlet until the vacuum is applied. Then the piston rod returns to the starting position and the cycle is repeated. Everything is designed for efficiency: the piston is non-rotating and it is able to automatically compensate for the heights that divide it from objects to be taken.
Even the materials are designed in a reasoned way: anodized aluminum for the cylinders, with a special bushing in technopolymer that lubricates autonomy and ensures a long service life of the components.
A breath of fresh air for the graphic industry
Quality solutions specifically designed for the graphic and printing industry: we are talking about the Graphic Division of Vuototecnica . A division focused on the study and design of innovative technological solutions for printers, binders, and graphics and paper & cardboard companies. Feeders, sheet stoppers, folders, binders and gluers: there are many machines that can benefit from the use of vacuum and blower or suction pumps.
The suction and blower pneumatic pumps (SP/BP) are part of the flagship products of the Graphic Division and represent the new generation of multiple ejector pneumatic pumps (multi-stage). Nothing to do with the outdated electric and rotary vane pumps, both in terms of performance and from the point of view of the reliability and the cost of the product.
The Vuototecnica modular system saves up to 40% of compressed air, ensuring 80% less noise, and the total absence of heat, for a healthier and more liveable operating environment (60-65dB). In addition, the pumps work in complete autonomy and require almost no maintenance, just periodic cleaning of the filters.
Thanks to the new ejectors, the SP/BP pumps allow an advantageous relationship between the amount of air consumed and that suctioned (or blown), for substantially reduced operating consumption.
It is, in fact, possible to adjust the degree of vacuum (or pressure) and the flow rate, simply according to the air pressure, and to manage the pumps with proportional valves for compressed air, limiting consumption to a minimum, depending on the weight and the porosity of paper and cardboard in the printing machine.
And the benefits don’t end here: pumps are available in several sizes, and, given their very low weight, can be installed directly on the machine.
They only blow fresh air free of impurities, condensate or oil vapours between the sheets to be separated and allow a reduction of the electrostatic charges generated by the blown hot air of the traditional electric pumps. To learn more, download the Vuototecnica Graphic Division brochure.
Pneumatic suction and blowing pumps for graphic companies that aspire to be the best
The pneumatic suction and blowing pumps (PA/PS) are the pride of the Graphic Division, a division created from the experience of Vuototecnica, entirely dedicated to the graphic design and printing sector and a leader from engineering to service, able to offer innovative and advantageous technological solutions from all standpoints: performance, reliability, durability and operational economy.
They represent the absolute best of the new generation of multiple-ejector pneumatic pumps (multi-stage); they are able to suction or blow as needed and represent a real evolution compared to conventional electric, suction/discharge, and rotary vane pumps.
Thanks to the new generation of ejectors, the PA / PS pumps have an excellent ratio between and the quantity of air consumed and of that suctioned (or blown) and all this while benefiting operational consumption. However, the list of advantages of these products is still long:
• They ensure the ability to adjust the vacuum level (or pressure level) and the capacity, based simply on the air supply pressure. Depending on the air supply pressure, the pumps can be controlled with proportional valves for compressed air, limiting consumption to the minimum necessary, depending on the weight and porosity of the paper and cardboard in the printing machine.
• They are surprisingly quiet (60-65dB)
• The total absence of heat benefits the work environment.
• They only blow fresh air, free of impurities, condensate and oil vapours, between the pages to be separated.
• Reduced electrostatic charges generated by the hot air blown by conventional electric pumps.
• The use of selected, hi-tech, latest generation materials has made it possible to reduce the weight of these technological jewels and to install them directly on the machine.
• Minimal maintenance required; just a simple cleaning of the suction and blowing filters.
• 5 YEAR GUARANTEE
Here are some of the main types of printing machines in which PA / PS pneumatic pumps are used:
• Sheet feeders: To lift the sheets using vacuum suction cups and separate them with a puff of air.
• Sheet stoppers: System for stopping the sheets printed in the output area and to stack them quickly, using suction bars.
• Benders: For bending paper during operations that require both suction and blowing.
• Binders and gluers: For binding books or brochures via independent work stations equipped with suction and blowing systems.
These are just some of the potential uses of PA / PS pumps in the paper industry, but Vuototecnica’s Graphic Division is ready to meet the needs of each individual printer who intends to increase their productivity and improve their work environment.
Vacuum cups: “made-to-order” allies for graphics companies
Vuototecnica supplies only the very best vacuum technology, ever striving for excellence, but there’s more. The company also aims to give customers a personalized, made-to-measure and versatile product, in order to satisfy any and all requirements.
With this top-quality, customised, and versatile mentality, one of Vuototecnica’s finest departments, the Graphic Division, has made available made-to-measure vacuum disk cups.
These go beyond made-to-order disks with standard sizes and characteristics. They can be designed and produced with the client and for the client. Adjusted, designed and produced with specific buyer requirements (a minimum order will be set at the quotation stage), the vacuum cups can be perforated from sheets or moulded in nitrile rubber, natural Para rubber, in silicone, or special blends, as well as in rubberised or polyurethane fabric.
It’s personalised excellence: just like an haute couture creation, these vacuum disks are the ideal solution for the graphics industry. They present a quality alternative to traditional suction cups that handle sheets of paper, cardboard, and plastic.
