Getting the Best Out of Your Peristaltic Tube Pump

Peristaltic tube pumps are being hailed as the easiest pump to clean. That is because they are basically a cam with rollers that squeeze and release the tubing, this “peristalsis” cause the liquid to flow from a container through the pump to the press station. Once the press run is finished the tube can be removed and a clean one inserted, it takes a few minutes.

Peristaltic pumps can be run with air or electric motors. They can be fixed speed or variable speed. They can be run from AC Inverters, DC drives or air gear motors. But one thing is very important you cannot run a peristaltic tube pump fast and expect the ink flow to increase. You will reach a certain speed that flow does not increase but wear and tear on the tubing does! Faster is not better with tube pumps.

What kind of tubing? Years ago there were little choices for tubing and that was always the complaint! We keep bursting our tubes! Make every effort to use the correct tube. It has to be resilient enough to recover quickly so the flow is smooth and the tube life lasts longer than a few hours! Types of tubing that we have found to be successful are Silicone and Neoprene for water based inks. Suprene, Marprene, Prothane II, and Ediplex for solvent inks. Check with your supplier as to which is the best tube for you to use. Have your ink types and MSDS sheets ready for them to check which tube will benefit you the most.

Make sure that the tubing you use is the right size for your pump head. Check with your supplier which ID tube and OD tube you should use. Putting the wrong tubing in a pump head will cause all kinds of flow problems and sometimes will not even allow the tube to open or close enough to prime the pump. Some pump heads allow two different tube sizes in them. This is very convenient if you wish to change your flow rates for smaller or larger presses.

Speed! You have to be able to control the speed and not run them too fast; Variable speed pumps should give you the ability to control the speed. If using an Inverter make sure that they are limited so your press operators cannot run them too fast!  Many printers like to have the a reversing feature, which allows you to pull the ink from the reservoir, flush it through with water or solvent and help with fast clean up.

Tube Lubrication: Another feature that should never be ignored is tube lubrication this will extend the life of your tube by reducing friction. Using special castor oil based lubricant, often called “tube Lube” spread over the tube in the pump head will be a great benefit and reduce the misery of tube bursts!

Finally you have to make sure that press operators realize that this is a new learning discipline and peristaltic pumps act differently than centrifugal or diaphragm models. But once the level of familiarity with the features is reached the pump can be a very attractive addition to your printing operation. The bigger the flow rates required the larger the pump head needed. They can also come with a hefty price tag!   Be aware that the bigger pumps need enough room to be placed press side and carts or stands are a necessary addition to the crowded press room equipment.

A White Paper by Bill Mason, Powerwise Ink Pumps, Erie PA