Vimpex is pleased to announce the introduction of a new UV Printer into our production process. This major investment was essential to address ongoing quality issues with our old pad-printing method, especially the ink adhesion on ClamBell gongs.
The UV Printer brings several advantages:
· Stronger and more reliable ink adhesion
· Lower scrap levels
· More consistent and higher-quality print results
· Multi-colour and multi-textured printing now available
· Flexibility to be used across other products and applications
While the benefits are clear, introducing new technology has brought challenges. UV printing takes longer than the nearly instantaneous pad printing, but operators can work on other tasks as the printer runs, a workflow change that the ClamBell section and Print department are adapting to. We’re refining processes and Kanban systems to maximise this equipment.
A great deal of effort was invested in making this transition successful. We thank George (Print Section Leader), Clint (Production Supervisor), and Matthew (Production Engineer) for their dedication and problem-solving. We also thank Ray, our Manufacturing Consultant, for designing and building the jigs that enable us to achieve the best results from the UV Printer.
The positive results are already being recognised by our customers. Yao Fei of Jiaxing Lead Electronic Science & Technology Co., Ltd. commented:
“Thank you very much for your efforts. The issue with UV printing has been perfectly resolved, and our customer is very satisfied.”
Speaking about the change, Jonathan Jones, Head of Production and Logistical Operations, said:
“This was a big step forward for us. A large investment for the business and a project not without its challenges, but a change we felt we had to make to improve quality to an acceptable level. There's still lots of work to do to fully embed the printer into our gong printing process in a smooth, LEAN way, but the hard work the team has done has ensured the use of the printer has been successful so far."