Time saved on tube changeover with Watson-Marlow Bredel 700 series LoadSure tubing

At Leycol Printers Limited upgrading to Watson-Marlow Bredel's new 700 Series LoadSure peristaltic pump tubing has made changing tube elements when switching colours or during maintenance, even faster and simpler. According to Machine Manager Bill Sanger, the time taken for a changeover has been cut from approximately twenty minutes to just three minutes and resulted in the pumps being "now even easier to use and maintain".

The two 700 Series single-channel pumps at Leycol are fitted with 19.0 mm bore tubing and feed the Anilox coating unit of a Heidelberg CD, handling a variety of water-based coatings. Located in Bow, East London, Leycol Printers serve primarily the games industry, printing playing cards and board games, as well as providing high-quality printing for general industry.

"LoadSure" tubing is supplied in precisely dimensioned, ready-to-fit lengths with swaged Cam and Groove connectors. As well as making tube changeover or replacement quicker and easier, this relieves the operator of the necessity to re-tension the newly fitted tube after restart, and eliminates possibility of operator error. Failure to re-tension can lead to the new tube stretching and then "creeping" in the pumphead, resulting in premature tube failure. Currently, average hose life on the coating duty is six/eight months.

Watson-Marlow Bredel pumps are extensively used on Heidelberg presses where smooth, highly accurate flows and the ability to pump inks and coatings without aeration are primary requirements. Equally important, the "straight through" peristaltic concept without seals, glands, valves, stators, immersed rotors or other potential obstructions obviates all risk of blockage or clogging.