15 years after being launched in 2006, iBotic has undergone some major improvements which will maximise your uptime, reduce your operating costs as well as your lacquer and solvent costs, and with a brand new interface and integrated software, allow you to train operators in no time and access key production data directly on the machine or by feeding it into your company ERP.

Despite being a solution which has no rivals currently on the market, with its two spray arms acting totally independently to boost production efficiency and deliver the highest quality coating, iBotic benefits from a series of updates, fine-tuning and additional functions which enhance its appeal as a high-performance machine.

Brand new interface

Thanks to a new HMI with intuitive commands, user-friendly graphics and a software integration to help operators manage the equipment, iBotic is now easy to use with little initial training needed. Moreover, the software includes diagnostic tools, information to support maintenance requirements, valuable production data which can be consulted directly or fed into the company ERP for productivity analyses. 

Zero downtime while changing colour

The key innovation enables on-the-go colour changeovers without interrupting production. While one arm is automatically set aside for cleaning and colour change, the second arm continues to spray workpieces without stopping. This keeps your production running and adds more or less 90 minutes per shift (we assume you avoid thirty 3-minute downtimes for colour changeover on each shift) to your effective production time, accelerating the ROI. Clearly, without production stoppages, you are constantly earning money rather than just changing colours. TIMESKIP also handles cleaning procedures in such a way as to reduce solvent consumption and cut lacquer wastage.

Energy recovery system to reduce operating costs

Our POWERBACK energy recovery system accounts for a 15-20% energy saving. This lowers operating costs and contributes to increasing your overall sustainability, environmentally and economically.

So, whoever thought it would have been difficult to improve iBotic, consider the benefits that are now available: zero downtime for colour changeovers, increased productivity, lower operating costs, less solvent and less lacquer wastage, plus a new HMI to support operators and optimise the process.

A solution which has been part of our portfolio for a number of years, Elispray was originally designed as the high-speed, elliptical spray coater, featuring 12 or 24 guns. Today, the only feature which is not affected by the in-depth innovations made to the machine is the name: Elispray.

The transformation? Consistent all-round savings

As many major manufacturers of doors, kitchen cabinets and other furniture items are seeking for ways to cut costs, Elispray has a combination of answers which addresses the overall demand to save wherever possible. And savings come through increased efficiency.

Superior transfer efficiency leading to reduced lacquer consumption has a large impact on costs. Furthermore, the oversized synthetic belt keeps overspray where it can be recouped and recycled. This also saves the filters from dealing with excessive overspray, meaning they will last longer, thereby diminishing costs even more so. All in all, it adds up to a cleaner machine, and this leads on to another benefit: cleaning operations are much easier than on the previous version. Even the double plenum contributes to directing overspray onto the work pieces, so less time is needed to clean the equipment between batches.

Faster than before and easier to maintain

Today’s Elispray works faster and ensures the same quality or superior thanks to a lacquer distribution system providing the following benefits:

• critical machine components can be monitored while the machine is working to avoid unproductive stoppages

• allows companies to plan maintenance sessions without needing to react to problems which disrupt production

With the new Elispray, productivity also takes on a new meaning, and is combined with excellent finishing quality and above all, significantly lower lacquer consumption and relevant costs. 

Inherent to a roller coating process when using 100% UV lacquers, the curing stages are subject to conditions regarding time and the amount of photoinitiators present in the lacquer. Today’s increasingly difficult procurement issues and the rising costs of photoinitiators is something we can ignore with an appropriate innovation that will depend far less on these ingredients. Besides, the presence if photoinitiators in the lacquer has a side effect which gives a yellowish colour to the cured lacquer. Even worse, these ingredients are harmful to the environment, so the less we use a photoinitiator, the less we spend and the less we pollute.

Inert atmosphere for UV curing

The way to get around being dependent on photoinitiators is to accomplish the curing process in an oven which is deprived of oxygen. Our latest innovation does exactly this. The UV-I inert curing oven is designed to cure using far fewer photoinitiators. Curing performance is even improved, the yellow effect is reduced and companies are no longer dependent on costly supplies of a substance which is harmful to the environment. Sustainable technology positively impacting lacquer costs, curing quality and the environment.

What happens if you maintain the quantity of photoinitiators in such an oven?

This will not lead to lower lacquer costs, but the fact you will be curing the product inside an inert atmosphere, the entire curing process is speeded up, so your productivity will increase and operating costs will decrease. Moreover, there is no benefit for the environment when there is no reduction in the consumption of photoinitiators.

How does it work?

Using nitrogen to create an inert atmosphere is not a new technology. Already used in our excimer matting ovens, we have adapted the technique to a new UV oven. Consumption is relatively low and implementation is simple and has many benefits, not least the reduction between 40 and 70% of photoinitiatiors.

There are a number of issues facing many furniture manufacturers, such as lead times unable to cope with the increasing demand for personalisation. Small production batches are also a growing phenomenon that requires substantial flexibility. Another issue, when it comes to a high degree of personalisation and variability, is the difficulty in matching edge patterns and colours with the flat panel surface. Some manufacturers are overcome with stockpiles of engraved rollers and colours or hundreds of rolls of decorative paper, plus the need for stock service ensuring a number of replacement items.

Overview of the benefits of digital printing

Many of the abovementioned problems can be overcome with industrial digital printing. Apart from the equipment and the inks, all you need are the skills needed to deal with digital images and initiatives to promote a service your customers will immediately appreciate, such as:

• limitless customisation possibilities
• very small production batches (10 – 100 sqm)
• lead times go from a few hours to a few days
• reduced stock requirements
• virtually no stock service at all

And all of this can be said for both the decoration of a flat panel surface and the panel edge, so that the pattern and colours are perfectly matched.

Same image, same procedure, same inks if possible

Although it may not be the same company handling the decoration of the flat panel surface as well as the edgebanding, digital printing allows for a perfect match between panel surface and panel edge on the finished piece. Elaborating the digital image for both tasks is the first step. Using the same inks optimises the match, but may not always be possible depending on which inks each company adopts. Overcoming metamerism with digital printing of the flat surface as well as the rolls of edgebanding material is also much easier if the procedure and the inks used are the same. 

The ideal integration to multiply your business opportunities

Industrial digital printing is a technique which fits seamlessly into a finishing line, speeding up the process, offering enormous flexibility and allowing companies to say “yes” to single pieces or minimal production batches. After sanding and primer application, the flat surface can be decorated with a digital printer followed by a transparent basecoat which precedes the finished effect that can be matt, glossy or even texturized (haptic effects), the latter also accomplished on a digital printer. 

So much faster, so much simpler

One of the key advantages of this technique is the speed. A recent example illustrates the huge opportunities and how simple it is to achieve results which are unheard of using traditional decorative techniques. For an international fashion show a renowned luxury Italian fashion brand wanted to customise the environment (flooring and walls) for a minimal surface area. Between the initial idea to approval of the panel samples for production it took one week. Handled between Milan and Bari, the former conceiving the digital image, the latter processing it and printing it. Regardless of quantities, the price per piece is virtually the same. Using another technique, such as rotary printing, this would have required a 30 to 60-day period and minimum quantities to cover the roller engraving costs. Using decorative paper, we would be more or less as quick, but decorative choices are limited and there is no chance for customisation. Either you produce large quantities to reduce unit costs or accept high costs and reduce the overall quantity. So why hesitate? Digital printing is faster, simpler and in line with market trends.

How to make the most of digital printing 

Implementing a Print Quality System based on daily print quality assessments and maintenance is one way of ensuring the highest quality at all times. Managed by our proprietary software, parameters are verified on a daily basis, checking for missing nozzles, deviated nozzles and running test pattern prints to adjust alignment and ink deposit density. Corrections are made electronically, and the use of redundant colour bars helps avoid the need to stop production when one colour nozzle clogs up because the second one copes adequately.

Approximately 80% of today’s kitchen cabinet doors or bathroom cabinet doors are no longer raised panels, but simple, smooth flat panels with slightly rounded edges. Essential design, which deserves high-quality coating, especially when matching the edge coating with the surface coating.

But why introduce vacuum coating technologies when the market is used to roller coating, spray coating or curtain coating? Let’s take a look at the reasons behind this innovation.

Which application are we talking about?

Ideal for 100% UV basecoats, vacuum coating with SmartVacuum deposits 100/140g / sqm of lacquer in a single step. Much less than what you would consume if you were spray coating. No solvents either, so just one stage in and out of the vacuum coater and on to flash off. This reduces costs, lead time and streamlines the coating process.

Where next?

Straight on to the edge coater. SmartEdge will then apply 100% UV lacquer to the panel’s edge using vacuum coating technology once more, achieving an excellent match between panel surface and panel edge, something which was almost impossible until now. Currently edges are slightly rounded, with a 2-3 mm radius usually; vacuum coating both sections increases panel quality and decreases process times and costs.

Sustainability also saves money

On one hand, the idea behind SmartVacuum is a means of lessening the environmental impact by preferring solid 100% UV coatings to avoid solvents. On the other hand, this positively impacts costs. Less lacquer: far less compared to spray coating, and depending on which process it is compared to. It also means less need to stock all those canisters of lacquer and solvent. It also means fewer machines: one SmartVacuum and oven to flash off followed by one SmartEdge for application on the edges.

Simplicity also means quality

By simplifying the process, the introduction of vacuum technology to coat flat panels and edges leads to superior quality. Using the same technique for both surface and edge clearly enables a perfect match which is immediately visible. Moreover, the stability of UV lacquers is better than those used currently, so the quality finish obtained will also last much longer.

If you are interested in learning more about the potential SmartVacuum offers for flat panel coating requirements, we will advise you on the best configuration and choice of consumables, based around your specific needs and business objectives. Contact us today.