Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1233462
Tablets & Capsules April 2020 31 remote support service is offered at an hourly rate and can prevent machine downtime and reduce costs. The machine is equipped with an ethernet VPN security router, which enables the operator to initiate a secure point- to-point connection with Ackley, so the supplier's engineers can remotely diagnose problems. Future proofing long- term printing needs The printer is capable of storing multiple product recipes, allowing one machine to print on a variety of different products. Recipe storage includes machine operating param- eters such as feeding, print settings, ink maintenance, and inspection. "We currently only print this one product, but we've had other inqui- ries," said Lawson. "And we have a lot of capacity. Because of the training that Ackley gave us, we have a lot of operators trained. You can literally learn to operate the machine in a couple of days." While changing between prod- ucts is simple, it does require cus- tom tooling. If a company has a new or unique product type or shape, the supplier can evaluate it and pro- vide a quote on request. The pro- cess involves changing out the car- rier bars, rubber rolls, stripper plate, brushes, and blades and can be accomplished within 60 minutes for one machine operator. A toolkit is provided with the system. "Surepharm was looking for a machine that would provide effort- less, continuous operation along with accurate, repeatable results and minimal user interaction or down- time," said McKeon. "This versa- tile, high-output, precision printing machine should future proof their long-term printing needs." T&C Surepharm Services Burton Upon Trent, UK +44 1283 224337 www.surepharm.com Ackley Machine Moorestown, NJ 856 234 3626 www.ackleymachine.com it or a bit of butanol to thin it," said Lawson. "We didn't want that. The ink viscosity machine does it auto- matically, so an operator doesn't need to worry about it. We also wanted to have validation data to make sure we could reproduce the ink viscosity every time to ensure the same quality." The printer purchase took approx- imately six months, including factory acceptance testing, delivery of the machine from the US to the UK, and installation on site. "I got involved in December," said Lawson. "We got it sourced, and we were taking delivery in May or June. It was very quick." Ongoing service and parts Another reason Surepharm chose the machine was its low maintenance cost. As needed, Ackley supplies replacement parts, such as rollers and blades, to maintain the machine's production output. "The spares are quick and very good," said Lawson. "Our ongoing relationship with Ackley is fantastic. I go and see them at every trade show I go to, and they've had people come to our site to look at the machine." In addition to providing world- wide on-site service, the supplier offers remote engineering support either by phone or via the print- er's remote support capability. The in a fill rate greater than 90 percent and maximizes production output. "The Cantilever Ramp printer is a custom-engineered complete sys- tem, configured to meet the custom- er's exact specifications," said Enda Mc Keon, Ackley's engineering sales manager for Europe. "The customiza- tion relates specifically to the carrier bars, which are tailor-made to suit the customers' individual product needs. In this case, they were customized for oval, sugar-coated tablets." The tablets are fed into the machine hopper, where they are sin- gulated and gravity-fed into carri- er-bar pockets for precise positioning. The continuous-motion, multiple-lane conveyor feed system exposes the tab- let's top surface for precision printing and vision inspection. Surepharm decided not to pur- chase the supplier's optional vision inspection system because the printed tablets didn't require 100 percent inspection, but the company did pur- chase the optional ink maintenance system. This integrated system mon- itors and maintains optimal ink con- sistency throughout a production run by continually mixing and recirculat- ing the ink and solvent, allowing the ink to last longer and reducing waste. "A lot of companies just do it by eye—adding a bit of ink to thicken Photo 2: The optional ink maintenance system continually mixes and recirculates the ink and solvent to maintain optimal ink consistency throughout a batch and reduce waste.