Locating the Right Machinery for your needs
Digital Optical Media are very complex products to manufacture. The equipment required for the job is quite complex as well. The discs are injection molded in a very clean and specific manufacturing environment. Several chained operations follow the molding including metallizing, lacquering, full and unitary product inspection, printing and more. The machinery requires many auxiliary units to generate the proper power voltage and high quality oil-less compressed air. The production of CD/DVD's also requires polycarbonate dryers, water chillers, and a handful of inspection and quality control units. Robotic arms manipulate the optical discs moving them from one station to the next during CD/DVD production. Several computers control the different units along the process. The ambient air in the manufacturing zone must be extremely clean and the removal of gas vapors and the insulation of the manufacturing environment from external sources of dust, moisture and other microscopic particles, including urban pollution, is mandatory. All the equipment works with the centralized computer controls and that set of machines is referred to as a replication "line".

The sophistication of the equipment is derived from the integration of several unitary functional pieces that are employed to produce the CD or DVD discs in their various specifications. The machinery comprising a line is either produced by a single manufacturer, or, as it is more common now, by a range of manufacturers, that supply their gear, hardware and software, to a company normally known as the integrator. There is a vast number of different machines, models, types, specifications and production standards, as technical progress has accelerated in the last 10 years.

The successful production of CD/DVD's is the result of a perfect integration between technology, reliability, capacity, quality, low energy consumption, high degree of automation and the total amount invested. More than ever, the competitive performance demands have caused the integrators to specialize in certain more reliable and precise trade marks, rather than trying to produce themselves units that are simpler but cannot offer the required service standard. Putting a proficient line into the market requires an ample range of technical experience, contacts, acquaintances, alliances, and a huge knowledge base, especially after the machinery is sold, installed and has to produce continuously. Down time can be crippling if the maintenance teams do not have the required expertise, lack the proper documentation and - even worse - the required spare parts.

Dometek offers a wide range of different solutions for that operational equation, to let clients achieve the optimum result. Selecting the right equipment to do the job is a concerted exercise. For that reason, Dometek requires certain information about the types of products, the mix, the usual lot sizes, the total intended daily capacity, as well as the local market preferences for the final shape of the products.