Case study from Ricoh

Klaus Eiche Diamantwerkzeuge (EICHE) has transformed its industrial processes following the installation of a Ricoh Pro TF6250 large format UV flatbed printer in November 2019.

Germany's leading manufacturer of diamond-tipped cutting tools supplies a range of disks for cutting concrete, asphalt, clinker and ceramic. A unique forging technology allows EICHE to manufacture durable, low resonance disks that offer superior performance. In addition to its own extensive product range, EICHE manufactures customised own-label disks for other vendors. The steel surface of each disk is decorated with the appropriate vendor logo and with technical information, including the intended application, disk diameter and core thickness. Prior to installing the Ricoh printer, EICHE used a solvent-based print technology to brand the steel disks. Effectively a secondary manufacturing process, labels needed to be printed, cured, laminated and trimmed before they could be glued to the disks. The labelling process was labour intensive and time consuming. To optimise EICHE's production process, Ricoh replaced the existing roll-to-roll solvent-based system with a Ricoh Pro™ TF6250 UV flatbed printer. Using the Pro TF6250, EICHE can print high quality colour graphics directly onto the surface of disks, saving EICHE both time and money. Michael Schwenk, Construction Manager at EICHE, explains: "The Pro TF6250 has streamlined our finishing process. We use it to print colour graphics onto steel cutting disks. It is a one stop process. The graphics look superb and bond firmly to the steel surface. "We print 1,000 disks per shift. The Pro TF6250 has transformed our production process, reducing lead times and eliminating cost. In addition, the use of solvent-free inks has improved the production environment." The Ricoh Pro TF6250 UV flatbed printer can print graphics directly onto a variety of industrial substrates, including wood, metal and glass, and display materials, such as Forex, Dibond and acrylic board. Ideal for EICHE's application, Ricoh's specially formulated UV inks have a wide colour gamut and exceptional adhesive qualities. Installed alongside EICHE's main production line, the Pro TF6250 is surprisingly compact and requires just 2.5m x 1.3m of floor space and, unlike EICHE's old solvent-based labelling system, it doesn't need venting or require additional space for curing, cutting, lamination and gluing. EICHE's Ricoh Pro TF6250 has a customised vacuum mount that holds up to 72 disks. Processing five colours in a single pass, the Pro TF6250 can print high quality graphics onto all 72 disks in under two minutes. The five-colour process also enables EICHE to print a white background layer and/or white graphics onto the disks.