Pumps Provide Consistent Ink Flow And Reliability

Watson-Marlow BREDEL said it has brought consistency to Stonehouse Paper and Bag Mills' ink flow.

Watson-Marlow BREDEL said it has brought consistency to Stonehouse Paper and Bag Mills' ink flow.

Placing robustness and reliability high on the agenda, Stonehouse Paper and Bag Mills opted for Watson-Marlow Bredel to provide a low-maintenance, consistent pumping system.

According to Watson-Marlow BREDEL,with constant pressure to produce high-quality print quickly and competitively, printing manufacturers require efficient systems.

In an industry that relies on the effective flow of ink and coatings, utilising a reliable, easy-to-use pump system is a prerequisite to ensuring consistent output and efficient use of resources.

With that in mind, Gloucestershire (UK) based Stonehouse Paper and Bag Mills, manufacturer of printed bags and paper wrapping, specified Watson-Marlow's 521 duplex close-coupled pump to fulfil its system requirements.

Stonehouse understands the benefits of efficiency and began searching for a suitable pump to meter its water-based inks smoothly and accurately whilst ensuring consistent levels of output, said Watson-Marlow Bredel.

As well as producing standard plain and printed paper bags and wrappings, the company also provides a bespoke service and, therefore, needed a system that could cope with changing customer requirements.

Originally, Stonehouse found it difficult to find a system to suit the application.

After struggling with vane pumps, which easily became blocked, the company looked at diaphragm pumps as a sensible upgrade.

However, they still failed to meet expectations.

The pumps ran in to problems when the systems doctor blade chamber became aggravated by the pump's pulsating motion.

As a result of the varied flow, the pump became blocked and the ink dried to form hard, sharp fragments, which contributed to a high turnover of worn out blades.

With expensive downtime and unnecessary maintenance costs, Stonehouse realised that the only sensible option was to upgrade their pumps again.

Stonehouse required a pump that would provide a constant flow, whilst simultaneously ensuring manageability and reliability.

After a short trial, Stonehouse installed Watson-Marlow Bredel's 521 duplex close-coupled pump, a peristaltic pump.

The company was first introduced to Watson-Marlow pumps at the 2005 Flexo exhibition in Birmingham.

Displayed on stand, the close-coupled 521 model caught Stonehouse managing director, Jonathon Daniels', eye.

Daniels said: "Looking at the design and using my background in engineering, I recognised that this would be an extremely effective pump in terms of its pumping mechanism.

I was impressed with the simplicity of the design." Following the exhibition, Stonehouse decided to trial Watson-Marlow's 521 pump to establish how effective it would be metering water-based inks.

The use of a single tube from source to delivery is said to prevent any of the product from coming in to contact with the pumping mechanism.

That also means that cleaning is simple and effective, removing all traces of product when flushed through, eliminating contamination.

With no valves, seals or glands, there is nothing to complicate processes or add unwanted replacement costs, said Watson-Marlow Bredel.

The pressurised flow provided by the 521, integrated well with Stonehouse's existing system and eliminated the doctor blade chamber problems.

In addition, its low maintenance and long service life posed as an attractive option.

Commenting on the pump, Daniels said: "It's a great application for this environment, providing the steady and constant flow that the doctor blade chamber requires.

The pump's reversible feature is also really beneficial for cleaning as it allows ink to be pulled back from the chamber blades, minimising wasted ink and reducing cleaning and the resulting downtime." Stonehouse was also impressed by the pump's robustness and hardwearing capabilities.

He said that the pump has proved extremely durable and its clever design has enabled easy pump-head access, without tools, for quick tube changes, effectively saving time and money.

Since implementing the pumps in May 2005, the company has quickly eliminated the problems of poor flow control, inconsistent start-up, valve clogging and lengthy downtime.

With flow rates of 2.6 litres per minute, the pump's low-shear even flow also prevents the ink from foaming.

Now looking to replace other pumps within Stonehouse's production, Daniels pinpointed his favourite aspect of the Watson-Marlow Bredel pump as the non-contacting pumping that avoids blockages.

Having provided the high level of reliability, low maintenance and consistency that Stonehouse requires, Daniels is very happy with the results.

He commented: "It's efficient, reliable and cost effective and we're very pleased with the pump.

As far as we're concerned, Watson-Marlow Bredel is definitely ahead of its competitors.".

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