Hitec help Vale-Tech Deliver Ink Mixing Technology Worldwide

Hitec - helping to make things happen...
Modern ink is a complex business; not only can it have many colours, it can also have many different tones and also be designed to work on different surfaces such as paper, cotton, plastic and metal.

Technology company, Vale-Tech, have been developers of ink mixing plant since 1989, providing a range of large advanced technology equipment to the ink manufacturing industry.
"There is a lot of chemistry that goes into modern inks to make sure they work well in the printing process and ensure that once printed, the ink is durable," said Mel Hughes of Vale-Tech.

"Our equipment is controlled using complex software to ensure every mix is perfect according to the formula for a given type of ink. This knowledge base has been developed over many years."



Hitec work closely with Vale-Tech on the development and production of the mechanical apsects of the design. Vale-Tech create their initial drawings on AutoCAD and TurboCAD and provide Hitec with the DXf files. Hitec then evaluates these designs and decides on the best machining processes and also whether design changes may be necessary to optimise the performance and cost of materials.


"We've been helping Vale-Tech with the development and production of the mechanical aspects of the design," said John Stevenson of Hitec in Soham. "These machines have to be engineered for a long life as well as many of the parts being complex and needing to be machined very accurately."

Hitec.. helping companies innovate...
Vale-Tech have announced the release of a revolutionary machine that will enable printers to mix inks. The machine is called the Carousel Ink Dispenser and will give printers the freedom to mix all types of colours and types of inks on their premises, enabling them to respond more quickly to demand and be more competitive on price.

The Carousel Ink Mixing machine

Vale-Tech's Carousel ink mixing machine has been designed to be compact so that it can be used within a printing factory. The printers can then mix their own inks rather than have to wait on an order with an ink supplier. In addition to having ink on demand, they will also be able to mix the quantity they need, rather than have to order a minimum volume and put excess into stock. Vale-Tech have already shipped systems to the US where they are proving to enable printers to be more competitive with their pricing and more responsive when customers require short time scales for delivery.


Vale-Tech and Hitec are currently working on a version of the Carousel for the UK and European markets. Differences in the format of ink containers between the US and the rest of the world, requires several different mechanism to be developed for the new European version.

"Following our success in the US, we are very keen to introduce the Caroursel into Europe," said Mel Hughes of Vale-Tech. "Now we've proven that this technology offers considerable commercial and operational benefits to printers, we are working hard with Hitec on the development of the European version. In this respect, having such a responsive supplier as Hitec for the mechanical aspects of the design has been an important factor in our success."

"Our relationship with Hitec has been instrumental in our success, " said Mel Hughes. "Hitec are very responsive and they work to a very high standard. Their engineers have helped us in the design engineering side of things as well as such aspects as component price reduction and short lead times. They have been very supportive."



Visit www.vale-tech.com for more information on Vale-Tech Limited