Ink Delivery for Networked Inkjet Printers
Global Graphics Software and APS Engineering create an OPC UA-enabled ink delivery system for networked inkjet printers.
Posted On
28th Apr 2022
Categories
Company, Digital, 2022 Q2
Global Graphics Software, a leading developer of innovative software components for digital print, has partnered with APS Engineering to create an OPC UA-enabled ink delivery system to communicate with any aspect of an industrial inkjet ecosystem.
Its development means that the printer can be monitored remotely from an iPad or from a browser on the desktop, or that data can be stored from the ink delivery system in a historical archive database to enable other functions like predictive maintenance.
OPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture) is the interoperability standard for the secure and reliable exchange of data in the industrial automation space and in other industries. It is platform-independent and ensures the seamless flow of information among devices from multiple vendors. The ink delivery system sends information to a SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system, which is used to control and monitor the print subsystem and other devices in the factory.
“Within a few weeks we had added an OPC UA interface to the ink delivery system using an inexpensive embedded controller as a gateway. Without writing another line of code we can now send the data and control to SCADA and cloud processing systems like AWS IoT Sitewise,” comments Eric Worrall, Global Graphics Software’s vice president of product and services.
The companies worked together to create the OPC UA-enabled ink delivery system for SmartDFE™, a full software and hardware stack that adds print to the fully automated smart factory. Global Graphics Software built an OPC server for APS and created a user interface for the client in the Smart Print Controller™ so that the two can talk to each other. Global Graphics also built a SCADA-based implementation so that all the ink system data can be viewed via a standard SCADA package.
About Global Graphics Software
Global Graphics Software www.globalgraphics.com is a leading developer of platforms for digital printing, including the Harlequin RIP®, SmartDFE™, ScreenPro™, Fundamentals™, Mako™ and Direct™. Customers include HP, Canon, Durst, Roland, Kodak and Agfa. The roots of the company go back to 1986 and to the iconic university town of Cambridge, and today the majority of the R&D team is still based near there. Global Graphics Software is a subsidiary of Hybrid Software Group PLC (Euronext: HYSG).
About APS Engineering
APS Engineering creates cutting-edge ink delivery systems for inkjet printing, additive manufacturing, and micro-dispensing. APS offers an innovative line of precision ink or fluid delivery systems for all stages of production, as well as printbar design and consulting services for custom projects. aps-engineering.com