You are in:
Cover Story : Capital's Cleaner Vision
Capital Print & Display currently based in Stratford, London have never been shy of making major capital investments in order to be at the forefront of printing technology a philosophy adopted early on in the formation of the company by David Gill in 1980. Their plant list reads like a who’s who of the latest in technology, massive expansion plans are underway for 2007 during which time they will be moving to a completely new high tech purpose built factory in June.
This new 135,000 sq ft facility will house not only their existing range of equipment but a number of new additional printing, pre and post press machines.
By their own admission they are demanding of their suppliers. One of the new machines they have invested in is the Chim 92 M3 fully automated screen cleaning system supplied by Vision Supplies Ltd. With a number of screen cleaning machines being available what made such a considered company make the decision to purchase this type of equipment? Rav Gill, the Managing Director takes up the story.
“There were many factors that we considered when deciding upon the right screen cleaning machine for our business, of course price in many cases can be the ultimate deciding factor, but we felt that this shouldn’t be the case when it came to screen cleaning which is generally a time consuming, costly and unpleasant process, it is also an area which we wanted to take more of a responsible environmental approach to. Having said all that we have invested in what we believe is the most cost effective solution in the marketplace today. Paul Cooper our Screen Manager was originally responsible for sourcing the equipment to be considered and a short list was drawn up. We looked at a number of machines in great detail none of which measured up to the package presented to us by Vision Supplies, it was their rounded professional approach which ultimately secured them the sale, no other company would take the level of responsibility for the supply of the machinery, chemical products or ongoing warranties. In my opinion the Chim 92/Vision combination is truly exceptional in our industry,” concludes Rav.
Paul Cooper continues. “I consider myself to be a hard task master when it comes to sourcing and recommending machinery for our company to invest in. Screen cleaning is one of the most unpleasant processes we have to carry out and we are ever conscious of the impact this process has not only on our operatives but also on the environment. It was clear from Vision’s presentation that they believe they are the market leaders in this field and having evaluated and used a number of machines, chemicals and processes I have to agree. We have invested in a fully automatic machine, the equipment will be supplied with automated loading and unloading magazines which will significantly reduce the amount of labour associated with this process. We have opted for a high specification three module unit which will not only remove ink and stencil but also anti-stain in-line and Vision Supplies were the only company who were willing to guarantee the performance of this equipment at a very high percentage level, added to this the waste water from the equipment contains extremely low levels of COD, the chemicals we will be using are free of VOC’s and fully recycled in the machinery, in addition the process of cleaning the machinery was the simplest by far. We felt that this combination was without equal and when Vision were prepared not only to guarantee the performance of the equipment but to offer warranties up to 5 years it made the decision simple.”
Screen Cleaning Another Way
Back in 1999 Chim 92 based in Lyon, France developed their unique range of screen cleaning chemistry, chemistry which is formulated on surfactants rather than organic solvents. Their success is well documented. As a company they wanted to differentiate their products from those of the competition and free their client base from the usual arguments which can be generated through the use of screen cleaning chemicals within automated machines, often the machinery manufacturer blames the chemical product and the chemical manufacturers blame the machine manufacturers for poor performance. The customer is often sat in the middle having made a major capital investment with no one supplier taking responsibility for the performance of the equipment. Chim 92’s philosophy was completely different and they decided to optimise the performance of their chemistry by manufacturing a range of equipment that would ultimately resolve these issues, something they have been extremely successful at. Within the last 4 years over 30 machines have been sold worldwide, not only in Europe but as far away as Melbourne, Australia.
Their chemical formulations can be applied at much higher pressures than conventional organic solvents without the associated risks. The machinery has a number of unique features which differentiate it from conventional screen cleaning equipment. For example, the main body of the equipment is manufactured from a high density polypropylene, this is not only to make the equipment look attractive but is an excellent product for sound proofing. Unlike steels when the chemicals are saturated with waste product they do not adhere to the internal panels or components even after several thousand frames have been processed, as a consequence the internal sections of the equipment can be cleaned with a light pressure water rinse. Gone are the days when screen cleaners took several hours to clean each section.
In addition the chemical products are filtered externally reducing their saturation level and extending the life of the chemical with no “fall off” in performance during cycles, and as no caustic products are used for anti-staining the life of the screen mesh is extended significantly further reducing costs and waste.
Some key system benefits are as follows:-
• Screens cleaned, anti-stained, degreased and dried in-line
• Reduced operating costs
• Increased productivity
• Cleaner waste water discharge
• Low chemical use
• Clean compact working environment
The chemicals used within the equipment are not organic solvents, they are free of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s), biodegradable to current EEC standards and extremely efficient at cleaning screens.
• Low odour and VOC free
• Non-flammable
• Elimination of caustic based products
• Cleaner waste water
• Reduced disposal costs
Vision Supplies – The Professional Approach
Paul Waterton, Managing Director, Vision Supplies Ltd continues.
“We have been working with Chim 92 now for a number of years and have committed both our companies to ongoing future development together. I am delighted and proud that Capital Print & Display has decided to invest in machinery from us, they are one of the leading companies in our industry, they are also extremely tough negotiators and I certainly had my work cut out in presenting our chemicals and machinery to them. I believe that our professional approach and unrivalled performance and back-up is what has helped us secure the volumes of sales that we are currently enjoying. Our products are unique and this is something that an ever increasing number of clients are appreciating, it really is not necessary to look upon the screen cleaning process with dread! Our comprehensive solution has solved the screen cleaning problem, we can now offer a solution which not only removes the ink and stencil but anti-stains, degreases and dries the screen completely in-line, and unlike conventional organic solvent systems the performance will not deteriorate after the first 100 frames or so. We maintain the same level of cleaning from the first frame to the last frame in the process cycle, something we are willing to guarantee with a money back refund. Added to this we offer comprehensive service and warranty packages up to 5 years (something we’re actually looking to extend further as this article goes to press), and we include within our machinery pricing delivery, installation and comprehensive ongoing operator training.
Performance is of course key but companies need to take a responsible approach to their waste discharge and its associated environmental impact. Our equipment fully recycles the chemistry used to clean the screens and automatically discharges the waste when spent into containers for safe disposal. Generally the cost of disposing of this type of waste is significantly less expensive than saturated organic solvents, a reduction in screen stretching, further reduces the amount of mesh and adhesives used, with chemicals free of VOC’s and extremely low waste water COD discharge levels (generally under 2,500 mg/ltr) our systems offer significant environmental benefits.
Screen cleaning will never be the most eco-friendly part of the process but people now have a real alternative, something that an ever increasing number of companies like Capital Print & Display are taking advantage of. We also supply an extensive range of chemicals for manual cleaning that offer a number of the same benefits.
The final words come from Rav Gill. “Until we had contacted Vision we didn’t fully appreciate all of the benefits that could be had by using surfactant based products combined with their high pressure machinery. My words of advice to my colleagues in the industry are that you must seriously consider this type of process in order to clean up your act and reduce overheads.”
Wise words indeed!
