New ink dispensing system targets shorter runs

GSE Dispensing’s new Colorsat Switch gravimetric flexo and gravure ink dispenser has been designed to capitalize on the trend towards shorter production runs in narrow web printing.

Intended to dispense aqueous, UV or solvent ink batches into five-liter buckets, the Colorsat Switch features a dispensing unit and a control cabinet connected to a maximum of 20 base color components of, at most, 25kg, stored using modular waterfall frames. It is also possible to connect 200-liter barrels or 1,000-liter containers to the dispenser.

The Colorsat Switch mixes and dispenses a four-color 5kg recipe of water-, UV- or solvent-based ink in three to four minutes to an accuracy of 1g. Powered by GSE's proprietary ink management software, Colorsat Switch provides a means of achieving the exact volume requirements without performing complex, time-consuming manual calculations, GSE Dispensing said.

In addition, any excess ink left over from a print job can be easily calculated into new recipes, helping to reduce the volume of waste.

The Colorsat Switch can be specially adapted for dispensing solvent inks thanks to long-lasting hoses, fittings and pumps and a fully closed, pressurized control cabinet, ensuring compliance with the European ATEX equipment directive, 94/9/EC.

As a result, GSE Dispensing said Colorsat Switch provides an immediate, precise, waste-free means of providing spot colors for label and narrow web production runs, regardless of ink set.

Maarten Hummelen, marketing director of GSE Dispensing, said: 'The Colorsat Switch offers the safe, automated and universal solution to achieving the desired quality while removing ink waste from the process.

'It is the perfect complement to a workflow where maximum flexibility and frequent job changeovers are the norm.'

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