Introduction

This procedure explains how to properly setup an Air Cushioned Tamp Cylinder and then install it onto an Eii Applicator. This process should be used by either a field technician or the customer when replacing or adjusting a cylinder in the field. 

Tool List

The tools required include, but are not limited to:

 • Small Flathead Screwdriver 

• Level • M1.5 Allen Wrench 

• 5/32" Allen Wrench 

• Torx Driver with a T25 bit 

• 3/8" Nut Driver 

Setting Air Cushions

Introduction

Top Air Cushion

1. Get a small flathead screwdriver. 2. Using the small flathead screwdriver, screw the top set screw as far in as it will go by turning clockwise. Once fully tightened, unscrew it exactly one full turn.

Bottom Air Cushion

1. Using the small flathead screwdriver, unscrew the bottom set screw by turning counterclockwise as far out as it will go. It should stay in position once fully unscrewed. Do not remove the set screw.

Installing the Cylinder on the Applicator

Introduction

This section will demonstrate how to install an air cylinder on an Eii Applicator. This process is able to be completed by one person, although it is easier to have two people. At no point during the operation should the tamp pad be allowed to 'fall' and should remain in the 'home' position until the installation is complete. Once the installation is complete, the technician may slowly lower their hand away from the tamp pad. This will gently allow the tamp pad to extend fully. Alternatively, rubber bands may be used to secure the tamp pad to the blow bar to protect the tamp pad from being damaged.

Procedural Steps

1. Insert the blue pneumatic tube into the bottom air flow control elbow.
2. Align the cylinder so it is resting on the belt directly beneath where it will be installed.
3. Keep your right hand underneath the tamp pad, being careful not to twist or torque the tamp pad, and lift the cylinder straight up into position. As you are raising the cylinder, guide the blue pneumatic tube into the slot, as shown in the images below.
4. With the cylinder raised into position and the blue pneumatic tube fitted through the slot, continue to hold it all in position and use a Torx Driver (T25) to screw in any 1 of the 6 screws (whichever is easiest to reach) and lock washers that mount the cylinder to the applicator control box. It should be tight enough so that the cylinder will not slide down in the slot. If there are two people performing this operation, the first person should hold the cylinder in position while the second tightens one of the screws and lock washers.
5. After the cylinder is secured, the tamp pad may be gently lowered towards the belt.
6. Snug the remaining 5 screws and lock washers. These will be loosened in future steps to allow for the correct positioning of the air cylinder.
7. Pass the clear pneumatic tube through the top of the same slot the blue tube passes through.
8. Connect the clear pneumatic tube to the top elbow of the air cylinder.
9. Route both the blue and clear tubes, ensuring not to kink or crush them, and insert them into the manifold, as shown here.

Aligning the Tamp Pad to the Peel Bar

Introduction

This section demonstrates how to properly align the tamp pad with the labels being fed by the SATO print engine. Ensure that both set screws are correctly adjusted using the "Setting Air Cushions" section of this document located on page 4. The bottom set screw is not accessible once the cylinder is installed. 

Horizontal Positioning 

1. Disconnect the two pneumatic tubes and remove the cover on the side of the applicator to gain access to the positioning screws.
2. Loosen the 5 positioning screws on the side of the applicator with a 5/32 Allen Wrench. This will allow the tamp cylinder to slide closer or farther away from the print engine. The screws should be loose enough to allow the assembly to slide backwards towards the print engine, but tight enough that it does not sag (about a quarter turn).
3. Position the tamp cylinder so that the tamp pad is as close to the peel bar as possible without touching it. There must be enough room for the tamp to actuate without interference, otherwise damage will occur during operation.
4. Use a level to ensure the tamp cylinder is vertical, then tighten the stop screw.
5. Double check that the cylinder is still vertical using the level before tightening the final 4 screws.
6. Reconnect the pneumatic tubes and put the cover back on.

Vertical Positioning

1. Use a Torx 25 Driver to loosen the 5 screws that were left snugged in the previous step. It may be necessary to pull the wire bundle out of the white plastic wire loop to establish easier access to the screws behind it. 

2. Do not remove your hand from the tamp pad. Slowly loosen the 6th screw, which was left fully tightened in the previous step, until you feel the tamp assembly wanting to move. Aligning the Tamp Pad to the Peel Bar 

3. Continuing to keep your hand under the tamp pad, slightly loosen the final screw and position the tamp pad to be roughly the thickness of a dime above the peel bar. Then, tighten the screw down so the cylinder stays in place. 

4. Verify that the tamp pad has been positioned correctly, then retighten the 5 remaining screws and put the wire bundle back into the white plastic wire loop.

Installing the Tamp Home Sensor

Introduction

This section will show a user how and where to mount the Tamp Home Sensor and how to route the Tamp Home Sensor cable. The applicator must have power and air. The tamp must be in the "home" position. 

Procedural Steps

1. Route the Tamp Home Sensor cable down the back of the cylinder in the left channel and in through the back of the control panel box.
2. Route the cable with the existing wires inside of the control panel box and plug it into IN9. Make sure that there is as little tension as possible on the cable when the box is fully open.

3. Using a 1.5mm Allen Wrench, move the Tamp Home Sensor slowly up and down inside the left channel on the back of the tamp cylinder.
There are two lights on the sensor; these lights will illuminate at the 'top' of their range as well as the 'bottom' of their range. Only one light will be lit when it is between the 'top' and the 'bottom' of this range. This range is very small, roughly 1/16 of an inch.
Position the sensor so that it is roughly in the middle of this range and only 1 light is active. Tighten, while being careful not to overtighten -- only about 2 inch pounds is required.

Calibrating the Product Detect Sensor (PDS)

Introduction

The intention of this section is to provide instructions on how to calibrate the Product Detect Sensor on the Eii Applicators used on Chameleons. 

Background Information

The Height Detect Sensor (not covered in this document) reads the height of a piece. That information is used to calculate how long an air cylinder must wait before beginning to accelerate towards a package. As the tamp pad of the air cylinder moves towards a piece, the Product Detect Sensor will 'see' the piece when it is within the calibrated distance. As soon as it 'sees' the piece, the air cylinder begins to decelerate, stop, and then return to the home position. It is critical that this sensor is calibrated to the correct distance before running production mail. If the calibrated distance is too short (too close to the tamp pad), the air cylinder will not have enough time to react and will crush the piece. Likewise, if the calibrated distance is too long (too far from the tamp pad), the PDS will 'see' the piece too early, causing it to attempt to apply the label too far above the piece. This could cause the label to not apply properly and could even end up caught in the belts of the conveyor, potentially causing damage to the machine. The correct range and recommended distance for the PDS is 2.50"- 2.75". The PDS has 2 potentiometers (dials). The top potentiometer is used for Dark and Light mode and should not be adjusted. The bottom potentiometer is used to calibrate how far the sensor 'sees' and is the only thing on the sensor that needs adjusted.

PDS Calibration Steps

1. Using a tape measure hooked to the peel bar, measure 2.75" down.
2. Place a flat, non-reflective object (ex. your hand, a piece of paper, some post-it notes, etc.) under the red beam of light from the PDS at that distance.
3. While holding the object at 2.75" below the peel bar, use a small flathead screwdriver to adjust the bottom Sensitivity dial counter-clockwise until the orange light turns off.
4. If the object is raised above 2.75" the orange light should turn on.
5. If the orange light is still on below the 2.75" mark, turn the dial the opposite direction (clock-wise) until the light turns off. The orange light should be on from 0-2.75" and off at any distance greater than 2.75".

Dynamically Adjusting Air Flow Restriction Valve

Introduction

This section will demonstrate how to adjust the speed of the air-cushioned air cylinder. The applicator must have power and air before proceeding. This procedure should be used if the tamp pad is contacting a piece (of any height) when the PDS is known to be properly calibrated and working. If the tamp pad is too far away to properly apply a label, or if it is tamping before the piece arrives, the amount of air flow into the cylinder should be decreased. Decreasing the amount of air flow into the cylinder will reduce the speed of the air cylinder. If the tamp pad is attempting to apply the label from too high above the piece, the amount of air flow into the cylinder should be increased. Increasing the amount of air flow into the cylinder will increase the speed of the air cylinder. 

Explanation of Calibration Procedure

Disconnecting the labeler will change the behavior of the air cylinder so it actuates when a label is fed onto the pad using the 'feed' button. The PDS needs to be disconnected so the air cylinder achieves its maximum stroke length. There is firmware on the applicator that tells the cylinder to return to the "home" position after a set amount of time. The goal of this procedure is to hit that set amount of time just before the cylinder reaches its maximum stroke length. This will keep the cylinder from clanging against its rubber stop and ensure the correct speed is set for optimal label placement. The following procedure will walk you through the full calibration process. 

CRUSHING HAZARD - DO NOT PUT HANDS, FINGERS, OR TOES UNDER THE AIR CYLINDER WHILE THE PRODUCT DETECT SENSOR IS DISCONNECTED. 

Full Calibration Procedural Steps

1. Push the 'Line' button on the applicator to take it offline. The blue light will turn off when the applicator is offline.

2. Using a 3/8" Nut Driver, open the applicator control box by removing the two acorn nuts.

3. Inside of the applicator control box, disconnect the "Labeler" from the "labeler" pins and the Product Detect Sensor (labeled as piece detection on the wire) from IN6. See the Introduction to the manual for the full explanation of the calibration procedure.

4. Pull the knob on the air flow valve to unlock it, then fully open the valve by rotating it in the direction of the '+' (counter-clockwise).

With the valve fully opened, feed a label. You should hear a distinctive clank as the cylinder fully extends and lingers for a few brief milliseconds before returning to the home position. For a quick comparison, try closing the air flow restriction valve 2 full turns and feeding another label -- the cylinder should transition smoothly from extending to retracting at the bottom of its stroke. The goal of this procedure is to set the air flow valve so that the cylinder stops just before clanging against the bottom of its range. Open the valve back up before proceeding to Step 5.

5. Starting with the valve fully opened, close it 1 full turn (clockwise). From this point, alternate between feeding a label and slowly reducing the amount of air going to the cylinder by about 1/8th of a turn each cycle. The best positioning is around 1.5 full turns from fully open. However, no two cylinders are exactly the same. As soon as the clanking sound has stopped, the air flow should be correctly adjusted.

6. To help verify the air flow has been set correctly, reconnect the PDS (labeled as piece detection) into IN6, then place a short package under the applicator and manually feed a label by pressing the "Feed" button on the applicator while it is in "offline" mode. The label should be applied to the package without the cylinder striking the package. If it is still hitting the package (and the PDS is properly calibrated), reduce the air flow further by decreasing the air flow in 1/8th turns clockwise until there are no piece strikes when a label is manually fed.

7. After verifying that the tamp is not striking pieces, the adjustment is complete and the applicator should be returned to a production ready state. Ensure the valve has been locked by pushing it in and reconnect the "Labeler" into the pins labeled "labeler".

Conclusion

After completing these steps, the applicators are ready to be installed on the Chameleon.