AV Flexologic intros new high-speed automatic plate mounter

Dutch flexo equipment specialist AV Flexologic has launched FAMM HS, a high-speed fully automatic mounting machine that can load a flexo plate onto a cylinder or sleeve every 90 seconds, continuously.
 
The Fully Automatic Mounting Machine - High Speed (FAMM HS) is a robotic mounting unit for loading flexographic printing[printing?:printing cutting finishing solution] plates up to 1,000mm wide onto cylinders or sleeves fully automatically.
 
Using a patented image recognition system, plates can be positioned down to 0.007mm (0.0003in) as it can recognize and measure the positions of the mounting marks.
 
Automatic mounting
Mounting is completed using the image recognition system, a robotic manipulator and a pressure roller.
 
A digital quality check after each mounting operation checks the plate is within +/-0.050mm from the intended programmed position on the cylinder or sleeve.
 
Carousel
In addition, it is equipped with a carousel that can hold eight cylinders or sleeves to streamline the mounting process.
 
This helps minimize the need for operator interaction, who are only required to load and unload the carousel every 12 minutes and put plates on the conveyor belt. In a 24-hour period, 750 plates can be mounted, requiring less than four hours of operator attendance.