Case Study: A Custom Pump Solution for UV Coating Equipment

Masterflex^® Easy-Load^® II Pump Head Replaces Diaphragm Pump in Coatings Equipment

Situation/Challenge

A leading manufacturer of UV curing and coating equipment using diaphragm pumps to transfer UV coatings to coating machine rollers. The diaphragm pump required frequent maintenance and increased operating cost to their end users. They wanted to replace the diaphragm pump with a more accurate, reliable, and easy-to-use design.

Our Custom Engineered Solution

The Masterflex custom engineering team partnered with the customer to find a solution to replace the diaphragm pumps. The team recommended the Masterflex^® Easy-Load^® II Pump Head be customized with the customer’s coating equipment and also recommended Norprene^® tubing be used with the pump head.

The Masterflex Easy-Load Pump Head II features automatic retention that holds tubing securely in place with no manual adjustment—just load the tubing and start the pump reducing the tubing load times. Four-roller rotor improves pressure performance and mechanical stability while reducing pulsation. This provides less pressure spikes. Improved occlusion bed geometry lengthens tubing life.

Norprene tubing was ideal for this application, as it is designed for applications requiring excellent chemical, heat, ozone, ultraviolet (UV) light resistance, and very long pump life (when using the top three formulations).

Value Delivered

The Masterflex Easy-Load II pump head delivers reliable and consistent fluid delivery with minimal downtime. The pump and motor combination were a cost-effective solution for the manufacturer and his end users. The Easy-Load pump technology typically saves 1 to 2 hours per maintenance cycle. This could be as much as $100 to $150 per hour savings.