A fully automatic heat transfer printing machine is an automatic machine which indexes or transfers the work piece and its fixture from station to station while many operations are performed on it. It could be also defined as a combined material processing and material handling machine. It could thus be considered as several machine tools linked together mechanically, electrically or hydraulically.

Usually two operators are required to run the machine. One man loads and controls it while the second man unloads the work and stacks it or pushes it on a conveyor to be processed further.

The controlling operator attends a large switch board which indicates him the conditions all along the line and generally a mimic diagram incorporating lights indicating the following is provided; when each fixture in each station has located satisfactorily, the operation has been performed and the tools withdrawn or any malfunctioning when the gauges fail to pass the finished operation etc.

Each station could be considered as a simple work head, with its own motor mounted on a base which slides along its own ways and is actuated by another motor and trip dogs to control the motion.

The basic ways of work handling in transfer machines are:

(i) Clamping the work piece to a fixture which is moved from station to station and is located at each station while the operations are performed; the fixture may be guided on ways or moved ‘free’ on a roller conveyor.

(ii) In second method, the work piece is moved to separate fixture at each station, where it is located on the fixture and clamped before the operation is performed.

Installation of a transfer line can only be economically justified if the continuous production of the product is equaled by the demand for it. Before setting up a transfer line it should be ensured that demand for the product will continue.

As the component travels down the line, its processing time at each station must be balanced to approximately the same time value to reduce idle time. The cycle time/piece is determined by the longest operation at any one of the stations. The principles of specialisation, standardisation and interchange-ability are followed in design of transfer machines.

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