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"The Fount-N-Kleer System doubles the life of the fountain solution by removing all of the paper dust." Dave Yahn - Pressroom Mgr. March Press, Boulder, CO "With the Fount-N-Kleer System, we change the fountain solution every two months instead of every two weeks and the pH is more consistent." Michael Marcisak - Owner Marcisak Printing, Inc., Bayshore, NY "The Fount-N-Kleer keeps the fountain cleaner and allows the press to operate longer between dumping." Mathel Fredrick -Pressroom Supt LithoKrome, Columbus, GA "I can see a visible difference in the fountain solution. It does keep it much cleaner." John Walker William Industries, Shelbyville, IN "There is less maintenance cost and downtime because the Fount-N-Kleer keeps the press cleaner longer." John Finley Helena Laboratories, Beaumont, TX The Fount-N-Kleer System has doubled the length of time between cleanups, and cleaning up is faster and easier because the press doesn't get as dirty. It has helped us to run alcohol-free and all but eliminates foaming." Rex DeClue Landmark Graphics, Little Rock, AR "I could really see how many particles the Fount-N-Kleer removed when I used gold ink." Steve Doyle Double Envelope, Gainsville, FL "The Fount-N-Kleer System cut down on hickeys by as much as 80%." Dave Robinelle Uptown Graphics, Kansas City, MO "Before the Fount-N-Kleer was installed, we changed the fountain solution 2 times per week when the conductivity went over 3000. Now we are changing once a month and the conductivity stays between 2000 and 2500. The pans are running much cleaner and the Fount-N-Kleers have definitely paid for themselves because we have less downtime and less concentrate usage." Al Massua - Pressroom Mgr. Daniels Printing, Everett, MA "The Fount-N-Kleer System has reduced the amount of spent fountain solution being hauled by 50%. At $250 per 55 gallon drum, this reflects a major dollar savings." Eugene Codo - President Accord Carton Co., Chicago, IL "The main thing is how the Fount-N-Kleer keeps the recirculator tanks and press pans clean. They stay free of algae, scum and the gunk that normally builds up. Not having to take the time to clean these as often is a real help. As far as the fountain solution itself, you can go weeks and weeks and weeks without changing. We can now run about six weeks without changing." Ross Milliken - Pressroom Mgr. Mix Printing, Carrollton, TX "Before we had the Fount-N-Kleer we were dumping everything every 2 or 3 days and the conductivity would shoot up to around 5000 micromhos. We operate around the clock. Now we go for nearly a week and the conductivity stays below 2000 and we only have to change the filter once a month." Robert Trout - Web Supervisor Grafika Commercial Printing, Sinking Springs, PA "Our eight units of Goss Community and five units of Harris V-15 with Fount-N-Kleer get quicker start-ups, reduced paper waste, and a cleaner running water system which keeps the non-image areas clean and we get sharper color contrast." George Vowels - Production Mgr Irvine World News, Irvine, CA "We haven't had to change the fountain solution since the Fount-N-Kleer was installed four months ago. There is no need to if the filter is changed regularly." Frank Krause - Owner Krause Printing, Skokie, IL
Fount-N-Kleer Cost/Benefits Analysis Most printers use their fountain solution for one week and then dump it due to contamination by ink, paper and press washes. This is usually indicated by an increase in conductivity and pH. The Fount-N-Kleer is guaranteed to remove the solids that cause contamination before they become dissolved in solution thus extending the working life of the fountain solution. Users will usually be able to use the same fountain solution for four (4) weeks or more depending on stock being printed, fountain solution and press cleanliness. Conductivity and pH will remain much more consistent and less particulates will be present which will reduce hickeys and improve print quality. Installation of the Fount-N-Kleer in your fountain solution recirculating system will result in higher productivity and less waste resulting in dollar savings easily demonstrated: Model: 6 color 40" Press w/individual circulators. Currently dumping fountain solution weekly. 6 units x 7 gals. of fountain solution x 52 weeks = 2184 gallons of used fountain solution dumped yearly.
New Costs With Fount-N-Kleer Installed - Based on changing fountain solution every four weeks and filters every eight weeks. 6 units x 7 gals. of fountain solution x 13 changes = 546 gallons of used fountain solution dumped yearly.
Important Note: The above assumes fountain concentrate cost, press and labor
rates and press downtime. These number will vary but the numbers used are very
conservative. This formula can be used with your numbers. In addition, simply do
the same for multiple press installations to achieve total pressroom savings.
The above numbers do not take into consideration cost of hauling away spent
fountain solution or time spent chasing down hickeys and cleaning of dampening
rollers.
Fount-N-Kleer Model FK-10-PG Test Data The following test results are representative of numerous tests in commercial printing plants on sheet-fed presses. This test was performed on a five-color Komori 26" Lithrone with a separate recirculator on each unit. The recirculator was equipped with foam filters. A popular fountain solution and alcohol substitute was utilized printing on coated, uncoated and recycled stock with Atlas inks. The press operated one shift per day 5-6 days per week running between 80,000 to 150,000 impressions per week. The "Base Sample" is fresh fountain solution and samples were taken every Friday for the next 5 weeks. Line A represents the normal running of fountain solution for one week without Fount-N-Kleer, then dumping the spent fountain solution. Line B represents running a fresh batch of fountain solution on the same press with a Fount-N-Kleer installed on the line from the recirculator to the press pan. In this test, the fountain solution was not dumped for five weeks. New fountain solution was added as needed to replenish what was carried away by the paper. Total Suspended Solids - Chart 1 Total suspended solids (TSS) are the solid particles in the fountain solution which are not totally dissolved. This suspended matter is made up of paper fibers, ink, dirt and spray powder, along with anything else that falls into the press pans or circulators. We can express TSS quanitatively in ppm (parts per million) or mg/l (milligrams per liter) by gravimetric analysis. By measuring the TSS of the fountain solution we can easily determine how effective the Fount-N-Kleer is at keeping it clean. Fresh fountain solution has no TSS, after running the fountain solution for one week without Fount-N-Kleer it had 1010 mg/l of TSS. At the end of two weeks with Fount-N-Kleer the TSS was only 13 mg/l, at the end of five weeks it was only 11 mg/l. Total Residue - Chart 2 Total residue is defined as the sum of the homogenous suspended and dissolved materials in a sample. Fountain solution has mineral salts, gums and other materials that are necessary to do the job that is intended. The fresh fountain solution in this test had 4890 mg/l of total residue. After just one week of running the fountain solution the total residue reached 9160 mg/l. After four weeks of running the same fountain solution the total residue was still only 5263 mg/l which indicates that less material was dissolving into the fountain solution, resulting in far less contamination.
Conductivity - Chart 3 Conductivity is the property of the fountain solution's ability to transmit electricity and the units of measurement are described in micromhos/cm (µmhos) or microSiemens/cm. Conductivity measurements are commonly used as a standard for mixing fountain solution and to indicate when to change the fountain solution due to contamination. Fresh fountain solution will vary greatly in conductivity and should be determined for each application. In this case the fountain solution is mixed to 1750-1800 µmhos. After one week without Fount-N-Kleer, the conductivity climbed to 2514µmhos. With Fount-N-Kleer it took five weeks to reach 2550 µmhos.
Technical Bulletin The Fount-N-Kleer Filter Elements The media used in the Fount-N-Kleer filter elements have been specifically selected for filtering fountain solution. Two different stages of media are used; an adsorbent media and a rigid melt-blown polyolefin matrix. The first stage is a unique sorbit media which has an affinity for oil-based inks and actually attracts very small ink particles. In addition, the sorbit media is a non-woven micro-fiber that forms a matrix with tremendous dirt-holding capacity which provides longer filter life without sacrificing removal efficiency. The second stage is made of dual component fibers which have an inner core of polypropylene sheathed in polyethylene and bonded at many points for extra rigidity. This matrix removes 90% of 1 micron particles (nominal rating) and greater than 99.9% of 8 micron particles (absolute rating). A typical stringwound polypropylene filter with a 5 micron removal rating will only remove 60-80% of the 5 micron particles. It's absolute rating will be in the range of 25 to 30 micron. An important feature of the Fount-N-Kleer filter elements is the long life. Because of the unique construction of these filters, higher flow rates with minimal pressure drops are attainable. Fountain solution circulator pumps typically do not generate high head pressure, so it is imperative that the filters do not impede fountain solution flow to the pans. The Fount-N-Kleer elements are the most efficient filters available in regard to contaminant holding capacity, micron rating, flow and cost per gallon filtered. These elements will last much longer than competitive absolute-rated filters because of their unique construction and they will do a better job removing contaminants than cheaper, nominally-rated filters. Procam's testing of used fountain solution indicates that the average contaminant load for particles 1.0 micron and larger was 352 milligrams per liter. The average particle size distribution is as follows:
Since it is desirable to remove the particulate from the fountain solution as quickly as possible to reduce the contribution to contamination, it requires a filter element that has the ability to remove as many 5 micron particles as possible without prematurely plugging. The Fount-N-Kleer filter elements have the ideal characteristics for this function. A cheaper, nominally-rated 5 micron filter is simply going to allow the majority of particles to pass. If the load is light, it could eventually filter out all of the particles but it would take many more passes through the filter element than the Fount-N-Kleer elements would require. A one micron absolute-rated filter could be used and more particles could be removed; however, the filter would plug very quickly and pressure drops would be quite high. In addition, 1 micron absolute filters are more expensive and the gain is very little. Reprint 7-15-05 |
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