Thomas Diringer (Business Unit Manager Components & Devices) from ViscoTec in an interview about the preeflow® brand
preeflow is a trademark of ViscoTec Pumpen- u. Dosiertechnik GmbH. The company is a manufacturer of equipment that is needed for the promotion, dosing, application, filling and emptying of low to high viscosity media. The brand, which was established in 2008, stands for the precise and purely volumetric dosing of liquids in very small quantities. preeflow products are valued around the World, not least because of their unique quality – made in Germany. The various fields of application include the automotive, electrical and electronics industries, medical technology, aerospace, renewable energies, electrical and hybrid technology and measurement and sensor technology. More than 10,000 dosing systems have been implemented since 2016.
Mr. Diringer, what is the USP of the microdispensers from preeflow® ?
Diringer: “According to the motto: “Revolution through evolution”, our USP lies not only in a perfectly adapted dosage, but also in our innovative and flexible way of working with regard to the requirements of the market. The team behind the brand, from development to sales, can immediately adapt to the needs of the market based on 40 years of know-how in the dosing sector and short decision-making processes within the company.”
Why not give us an example.
Diringer: “This year, our focus was on miniaturization. This is an extremely strong market for us, especially in the electronics industry. Wearables, for example, from hearing aids, activity trackers to VR glasses, here also applies: smaller and faster. Therefore, always with our finger on the pulse of the time, we want to provide the quality tool for the high-end products of present and future. With the eco-DUO450 and the eco-DUO600, preeflow have already successfully covered the market of 2 component dispensers with dosages of 0.2 to 32ml/min. We are now tackling the next challenge in the field of 2K precision volumetric dosing. The smaller the amount of material to be mixed, the greater the challenge to the dosing system. With the eco-DUO330, ViscoTec answers the numerous questions of application engineers, material manufacturers, plant builders and product developers. Whether in medical technology, optics and photonics, in the manufacture of electronic components or in the field of biochemistry and semiconductor manufacturing, miniaturization does not ever seem to stop in any of these markets.”
What does this mean for the production process in terms of quality?
Diringer: “Maintaining the exact mixing ratios of 2 component materials and their precise application, often influence processes and applications massively. Even slight deviations can have a negative effect on the desired results. Sealing compounds could harden only partially, adhesive bonds may not reach their full stress limit and, in the worst case, chemical reactions from the materials could have an unforeseeable impact on the user. We counter these with the eco-DUO330 as well as with our other 1 and 2 component micro-dosing devices and promise the best prerequisites for a perfect implementation of the micro-dosing application.”
And how exactly do you guarantee your customers the quality of the preeflow products?
Diringer: “Like all dosing systems from ViscoTec GmbH, the new precision volume mixing head is also built on the tried and tested endless piston principle and operates as a rotating, absolutely pressure-tight displacement system. This is best suited for the conveying, dosing and application of low to high viscosity fluids. The dosage is thereby pulsation-free and the shearing forces exerted on the medium are reduced to a minimum. In addition to standard quality assurance methods, we recently installed a tomograph computer in-house, which is also used to almost completely eliminate all quality risks that until now could not have been measurable. In combination with company-specific, high-quality precision manufacturing of rotor and stator, preeflow guarantees the best possible dosage results and consistent application processes.”
What other trends have you seen return in the past year?
Diringer: “Volumetric spraying was a milestone for us this year. Until now market has not requested a solution to realize process-safe and reproducible spraying applications. In the past, sprayers, similar to a spray gun, were also used in atomized production. Our goal was to find a solution on the basis of our dosing technology to implement volumetric spraying. The eco-SPRAY, developed from it, enables applications in a wide range of spraying areas. The revolutionary combination of proven endless piston and low-flow spray chamber guarantees perfect spraying of low to high viscosity media with high edge definition! The precise atomization or spraying can be effected both continuously and selectively. Application areas include dosing, coating, micro-atomization, lubrication, marking and many more. Constant volume per area, uniform coating, and adjustable circular spray – these are just a few of the advantages. In addition to technical features such as spraying defined quantities, viscosity and pre-pressure independent spraying or a controllable spraying area, the absolutely precise dosage method is astonishing and so is its appealing design, which is harmoniously integrated into the range of the already developed preeflow dispensers. Customer usability was of paramount importance in the development of the innovative spray dispenser: flexibility as it is viscosity independent, a variable spray pattern, cost savings through reduced waste and overall increased process reliability.”