From raw rubber to ready-to-ship tires – all products reliably marked
Muehltal, January 29, 2020 - Systems for contact-free coding and marking in all phases of tire production will be presented by the full-range supplier REA JET at the Tire Technology Expo 2020 in Hanover: possible fields of application range from machine-readable matrix coding of raw material bags, permanent laser marking for lifelong traceability of finished tires, to printing and application of the EU-compliant tire labels.
Every component and every stage of tire production places different demands on reliable marking - from raw rubber sheet to steel and fabric cord, from tread to products ready for shipment. Sometimes the marking has to disappear during vulcanization, other times it has to be durable without leaving residues in molds or machines. Sometimes it has to mark defective spots, sometimes its print result has to be sharp-edged and provide high resolution information even with small characters. The required markings range from simple dots and colored lines to alphanumeric codes, Data Matrix or QR codes - among others for tracking and tracing.
Due to close cooperation with the tire industry, the south Hessian coding and marking specialist REA JET has developed the REA JET RPS (Rubber Printing System) coding and marking system especially for marking of raw rubber and semi-finished products. The inks match to the properties of the surface, water-based and therefore solvent-free for improved environmental protection and occupational safety. While in many places people still work with roll coders or cost- and maintenance-intensive stencils and tampon printing, REA's coding and marking systems can be integrated into production in the sense of Industry 4.0 and are very flexible due to quick and easy change of data contents. All REA coding and marking systems are operated with the REA JET TITAN Platform. This means that employees only need to be trained once and then can operate with any REA JET system - which reduces the training effort in the company and considerably simplifies personnel deployment.
REA JET RPS - the coding and marking system for the tire industry
At the 20th Tire Technology Expo REA will be presenting the RPS coding and marking system in three ink-based printing technologies. The high resolution inkjet printer REA JET HR is maintenance-free and prints high resolution lines, logos or symbols. It thus opens up previously unknown possibilities for tire marking. The REA JET ST spray mark technology unfolds its particular strengths in dot marking for marking balancing points or in quality inspection. The REA JET DOD 2.0 marks raw material, semi-finished or finished tires with alphanumeric texts, color lines for coding or type identification. The robust system works extremely fast and precisely on absorbent and non-absorbent surfaces, even in harsh environments - and with low maintenance due to its low-wear print head technology.
Once the tire is finished, REA JET's non-ink-based coding and marking systems are used. The CO2 laser coding and marking system REA JET CL works with material removal and engraves permanent, consumable-free markings for lifelong identification of the product. This way, a 2D code applied to the sidewall of the tire can be read automatically and provide information about the history of the tire for tracking purposes. The packed tire ready for dispatch then receives its required EU tire label with the help of the REA LABEL DS print and apply system and is marked for dispatch. The system combines the label printing function with the following automated application of the label.
It is flexibly designed and can work with various standard industrial printing modules, cameras or scanner systems and can be operated either via an input terminal, touch display or the machine control. This type of application also offers a choice between rolling, blowing or pressing the label onto the product. For the labeling of pallets, REA offers complete solutions in close cooperation with the customer, providing customized solutions from one source.
REA JET at the 20th Tire Technology Expo from 25 to 27 February 2020 in Hanover: Hall 20, Booth 2028.
