Cartridge Direct Drive Motors speeds up flexographic print runs

The benefits of DDR™ technology means many customers are re-designing their entire machines around the Cartridge DDR™ motor. Flexographic printing is an ideal solution for customers who need a quick turnaround for medium to large print runs, up to about 50,000 metres of printed material. Compared to lithographic printing, advantages of flexo include faster start-up time, reduced waste and the ability to print a wide variety of inks on nearly any substrate, from thin, nonporous plastics to metal films, corrugated paperboard and more.

Consisting of a rotor, stator and high-resolution feedback device, the motor uses the machine’s bearings to support the rotor. An innovative compression coupling engages the rotor to the load and the frame of the direct drive mounts to the machine with a bolt circle and pilot diameter just like a conventional servomotor. This saves space and design time and simplifies the overall system.

Direct Drive for throughput and quality
The challenge for flexographic printing has always been to achieve quality and throughput comparable to lithography without making the process prohibitively expensive. Anilox rollers and plate cylinders must move in perfect synchronisation to ensure consistent results. For this reason printing machine OEMs are replacing bull gear and motor/gearbox driven systems with Kollmorgen direct drive technology which eliminates inaccuracies due to gear backlash, wear and compliance.

Better Motion Means a More Profitable Machine
Direct drive provides perfectly synchronised motion that’s 20 times more accurate than a geared servo system, so the press can run faster, with no loss of quality. Direct drive also minimises set-up time and eliminates the need to periodically re-tune the transmission to compensate for worn gears. Faster, higher quality printing with less downtime, maintenance and waste, this all adds up to a more profitable printing press.

Optimised solutions, end to end    
Flexo printing requires precise tension, motion control and synchronisation across the entire machine from the unwind to the rewind roller. The Kollmorgen, ‘whole system’ approach includes an integrated development environment for machine automation, motion control, I/O and HMI – speeding the time to market through graphical programming and real-time analysis. With the Kollmorgen unique co-engineering capabilities, the customer always has access to the motion solutions and expertise designers need to truly differentiate their machines from the competition. In addition, Kollmorgen is the only motor manufacturer who has the Cartridge format for a DDR™ motor. This is significant as many customers using alternative systems are replacing them with Cartridge DDR™ motor because they recognise the value this motor format brought to their machine.

Micromech is a leading UK motion expert in positioning and speed control supplying a wide range of motion control products plus associated equipment to industry, printing, packaging, converting and manufacturing. Micromech can supply goods either as components or complete packages and so is a significant force in the field of sophisticated multi-axis control and is a recognised specialist in servo and stepping motor applications. For more information about these exciting products contact Stirling Morley on 01376 333333 or stirling@micromech.co.uk

‘Micromech your Kollmorgen Silver Motion Partner’

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