How To Manage The Media Vacuum; The Media Vacuum System - Oce Arizona 550 GT User Manual

The Media Vacuum System

How to Manage the Media Vacuum

The Media Vacuum System
Introduction
The Océ Arizona 550 GT uses a low-flow, high-vacuum system to secure rigid media for
printing on the printer table. A fabricated aluminum overlay sheet placed on the surface
of the table creates the vacuum field. The overlay sheet is pin-registered to the table. A
rotary vane vacuum pump is used to evacuate the chamber of air between the sheet and
the table. Three air-feed ports connect the chamber to the vacuum pump through a series
of manually operated flow valves. These valves are used to activate or shut down the dif-
ferent vacuum zones. In order for the system to work effectively during printing all the
circular pockets on the top surface of the overlay sheet connected to an active vacuum
chamber must be covered. This creates a closed vacuum system. A bleed valve is provided
to adjust the level of vacuum, if so desired.
Vacuum Overlay Sheet
The vacuum overlay sheet produces a small gap between the sheet and the top of the table
for air to flow. Foam tape applied around the perimeter of the bottom of the sheet provides
an edge seal. Additional foam tape can be used within the perimeter to create up to three
custom vacuum zones.
Default Vacuum Zones
The printer is shipped from the factory configured with one large vacuum zone that ac-
comodates the maximum media size. There are two suggested custom vacuum zone
configurations, one for Metric and one for Imperial units. These zones can be set up for
common media sizes, and can be modified with additional foam tape. The next section
has more information on how to create custom zones.
86 Chapter 5 - How to Operate the Océ Arizona 550 GT