SAMES KREMLIN announces the development of PRiNTEC™, a range of products and services based on a patented printhead technology for paint application.
By Damien BISMUTH, Digital Marketing Manager at SAMES KREMLIN
This technology makes unlimited customization possible for the high-speed printing of stripes (horizontal or vertical) and patterns of all kinds on 2D or 3D surfaces. It can also be used to print adhesives and sealants. PRiNTEC™ is targeted at the automotive, railway, aeronautics, furniture, and ceramics markets, among others. Customers benefit from productivity gains and make a significant contribution to preserving the environment. Commercial launch is planned for 2022, with 2021 devoted to product industrialization and validation.
Patterns positioned to within one-tenth of a millimeter
The EPJet® printhead is what sets PRiNTEC™ products and services apart. This electro-pneumatic mechanism releases drops of paint through the movement of a micro membrane controlled by a high-frequency piezoelectric micro-air valve, for applications as fast as 1 m/s. Its compact size and nozzle density make very high resolution and pattern positioning possible to within one tenth of a millimeter. The size of the outlet ports ranges from 100 to 500 microns, perfect for the application of all types of single- or double-component paints.
The proprietary EPJet® technology was acquired from the German company Epainters and its founder, Dr. Burkhard Büstgens, inventor of the Bosch ESP sensor’s micro-mechanical design. Epainters began as a start-up at IMTEK, the microtechnology department of the University of Freiburg. SAMES KREMLIN will receive support from Dr. Büstgens for industrialization and deployment.
Unlimited customization and high productivity
While the few printing technologies already available are limited to the application of stripes on horizontal surfaces, PRiNTEC™ can draw vertical stripes, checkered patterns, circles, and much more. It just needs the right printhead to do the job. SAMES KREMLIN responds to the growing need for delayed differentiation and customization of industrial products with a high-productivity solution that makes masking obsolete.
Printing adhesives and sealants
The PRiNTEC™ range can also be used to apply viscous products such as adhesives and sealants with precision and no retouching or waste. Its ease of use and flexibility allow for new manufacturing processes that are difficult or even impossible to imagine with traditional technologies, such as adhesive beads whose width varies according to the geometry of the parts to be assembled.
Reduced environmental impact
With its 100% deposition efficiency, PRiNTEC™ reduces paint consumption and VOC emissions. Masking materials are eliminated, as is waste from overspray capture. In addition, conditioned air volumes are reduced by two thirds, resulting in significant energy and space savings.
Initial on-site beta testing in 2021
Customization is of great interest to the automotive, railway, aeronautics, furniture, and other industries and to makers of product manufacturing machinery. SAMES KREMLIN has a robotic application center in Grenoble, where it puts the finishing touches on its products with the help of input from its customers.
This center reproduces a wide range of paint application conditions, such as conveyor speed, air temperature, part geometry, and part material (metal, wood, leather, polymer, ceramics, etc.). At the same time, a team works on automatic robotic arm trajectory generation.
The first on-site beta tests are scheduled for 2021 with marketing of the PRiNTEC™ range in 2022 for new installations or retrofits into existing channels
