Dover markem-imaje SmartDate 5, Maintenance Manual

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SECTION 2 - SETUP AND TIMING ISSUES
2-13
SmartDate 5 08/08
2.8.2 SmartDate 5 - Intermittent Mode
The SmartDate 5 does not accelerate in a linear manner. As an example, it takes
7mm to accelerate to 500mm/s. It is therefore more difficult to give theoretical
timings to the print cycle.
A more exact way of doing this is to try it.
1. Calculate the overall cycle time required for the application.
2. Download the required design to the SmartDate 5.
3. Select the design.
4. Set the required print speed.
5. Do a print.
6. Look at the timings in the Diagnostics menu.
On an Intermittent printer it is not the Cycle Time that is critical, but the Print Time,
because the return stroke can be carried out when the host machine is moving the
substrate onward. It is therefore important, when trying to decide whether or not
the SmartDate 5 can be considered for the application, to find out the Dwell Time
of the host machine. Knowing only the throughput will not be sufficient. Even if the
throughput is slow, you could still have a very small dwell time in which to print.