Tube 2024: REA JET presents a wide range of products

REA Elektronik will be showcasing labelling systems for a wide range of marking requirements in the tube and profile industry at Tube 2024

At Tube 2024, REA Elektronik will be showcasing its low-consumption, low-maintenance solutions and systems for contactless industrial labelling.

Tubes and profiles as well as wire products (whether made of annealed metal, freshly extruded plastic or cast concrete) require a wide variety of labelling: Machine-readable codes, which can also be serialised, are used to guide products safely through internal logistics, making them traceable for a lifetime.

Seals of approval, quality labels and manufacturer logos ensure trust. REA JET, the product line from full-range supplier REA Elektronik, meets these requirements with its systems for contactless, industrial labelling and its special inks.

At Tube 2024, the product experts from Rea Elektronik will provide an insight into the diversity of their range for labelling and marking tubes and profiles as well as steel springs and wire ropes. The applications should also be of interest to visitors to the Wire 2024 trade fair, which is taking place at the same time.

Coloured lines from the REA JET ST marking technology indicate when wire ropes are twisted

Exhibition programme of the REA trade fair at a glance

Etching inks: permanent and high-resolution labelling

The REA JET HR 2.0 inkjet printers apply high-resolution alphanumeric texts and logos as well as variable information such as date, time, counters, shift codes and database content to absorbent and non-absorbent surfaces. Depending on the size of the motif, up to four print heads can be combined to produce markings up to 50.8 mm high. The cartridge technology enables maintenance-free operation.

The use of etching ink on metallic surfaces is a risk-free alternative to laser coding. The REA JET HR 2.0 applies high-resolution motifs and serialised information to the metal using a chemical process triggered by the ink so that they remain permanently bonded to it. Visitors to the trade fair can see for themselves how metal workpieces are permanently marked using this technology.

Coloured dots, applied using REA JET ST marking technology, indicate the damping strength of steel springs

Marking technology: high-resolution labelling of the inside of pipes

The REA JET ST marking technology uses a variety of colours and paints to apply precise markings to metallic surfaces - be it dots to identify defects, lines to indicate weld seams or coloured ring markings to differentiate between pipe types. Coloured lines ensure safety by making it visible when wire ropes are twisted. Dots of different colours on steel springs indicate their damping strength.

A block of several heads enables the marking technology to write texts up to 700 mm high, dot by dot. What's more, the special colours can withstand surfaces that are up to 1,000 °C hot.

For high-resolution internal pipe labelling, REA JET has a special marking technology application in combination with the REA JET CL CO2 laser in its range. In the first step, the marking gun creates a white mirror from laser-sensitive colour. In the second step, the REA JET CL lasers high-resolution information into the white colour mirror. This makes it possible to create text and graphics of all kinds, including dynamic text fields.

Inside and outside: Large character pipe labelling with the REA JET DOD 2.0

The REA JET DOD 2.0 large character inkjet printer marks smooth, absorbent, oily and even scaled pipe surfaces with alphanumeric characters, logos and 2D matrix codes. Its fast-drying and pigmented special inks produce easily legible and durable markings at speeds of up to 600 meters per minute. The data received from the production control computer generates serialised plain text and 2D codes, making every marking unique and every pipe one of a kind. Even in the harshest environments, the fastest and most durable inkjet printer in its class reliably prints large-scale markings on the outside of the pipe. It prints data and logos in sizes from 5 to 140 mm with just one print head. Several print heads can be combined for print layouts with larger dimensions.

From an internal diameter of 200 mm, the REA JET DOD 2.0 also prints on the inside of the tube. This is possible both with a moving print head mounted on a robot arm and in a rotating tube.

The precise application of oil-free lubricants with the REA JET DOD increases production and operational reliability in metal forming

REA JET TITAN platform: one operating software for all

The labelling systems from REA JET adapt to individual requirements and can be flexibly integrated into production using state-of-the-art interfaces. For control, users can choose between the REA JET Universal Controller with knobs and buttons for turning and pressing and the Universal Touch Controller with a modern, tile-based interface on a display that can be operated by touch like a smartphone, even when wearing gloves.

Solutions for printing lubricants

The REA JET systems are not only used for digital labelling in metal forming, but also for the application of fluids. To this end, the cooperation partners REA Elektronik and LBI oil free have made it possible to print oil-free lubricants with the REA JET HR Lube and REA JET DOD Lube systems.

For the REA JET HR Lube version, the oil-free lubricants from LBI oil free are filled into cartridges - for their digital dosing for preparing metals for stamping and forming applications. With thermal inkjet technology, high-precision lubricant images can be applied individually and with high contour definition, without mist or aerosol.

The REA JET DOD large character inkjet printer is also suitable for lubricant applications. With different application widths and at printing speeds of up to 600 metres per minute, it can also apply oil-free LBI lubricants without mist or aerosol.

You will find REA JET from 15 to 19 April 2024 at Tube 2024 in Düsseldorf, the world's leading trade fair for the tube and tube processing industry in Hall 6, Stand 6C19.