Project Snapshot | Textile / Garment Printing OEM

Client: Textile / garment printing OEM – Tshirt screen printing
Industry: Textile printing and packaging
Location: Mumbai, India
Services provided: Mechanical and electrical design of 8-color T-shirt printing machine, including Festo pneumatic system and PLC/HMI control
Design and simulation: Mechanical design support plus electrical design in Solid Works
Pneumatics: Festo pneumatic controls, valve manifolds, cylinders, and actuators for indexing, clamping, and squeegee movements
PLC & HMI: Siemens S71200 PLC with TP1200 Comfort HMI programmed in TIA Portal
Key result: Automated multi-color Tshirt printing with repeatable registration, reduced setup time, and improved operator ergonomics
Duration: 8 months from design through commissioning support

Client & Project Background

The client manufactures semiautomatic and automatic Tshirt screen printing machines and wanted to develop an 8color carousel-type machine with higher repeatability and reduced manual intervention. The machine needed to handle multiple colors with precise registration, integrate pneumatic motions for printing heads and pallets, and provide a user-friendly operator interface. APC Engineering Services was engaged to provide both mechanical and electrical design support, integrating Festo pneumatic components with Siemens S71200/TP1200 Comfort control using TIA Portal.

Challenge / Requirements

The 8color configuration required accurate indexing of pallets and synchronized movement of multiple printing heads, squeegee arms, and drying/flash units to maintain color alignment and print quality.
Pneumatic systems had to be robust and suitable for textile environments, with fast response and fine control of clamping, lifting, and squeegee pressure using Festo cylinders and valve manifolds.
The client required an easy-to-use HMI for recipe management (designs, colors, timings), manual/auto modes, diagnostics, and maintenance, built around a compact but capable PLC platform.
Mechanical design decisions (pallet layout, head arrangement, actuators) and electrical design (I/O mapping, panel layout, safety) had to be closely coordinated to ensure smooth assembly and commissioning.

Solution (APC approach)

1. Mechanical and Pneumatic Design

Supported mechanical layout of the 8station carousel, defining actuator positions, cylinder strokes, and linkage arrangements for head lift, squeegee movement, pallet indexing, and clamping.
Selected appropriate Festo pneumatic components (valve manifolds, cylinders, air preparation units, fittings) suitable for textile environments and high cycle rates, following Festo’s guidelines for robust automation in textile applications.
Defined pneumatic circuit diagrams, including zones for printing, drying, and indexing, with clear separation of safety-related air dumps and controlled exhaust paths.

2. Electrical and Control System Design

Designed I/O structure and control philosophy using Siemens S71200 PLC as the central controller, ideal for compact machine automation applications like printing machines.
Programmed the machine in TIA Portal, creating modular logic blocks for pallet indexing, head control, squeegee cycles, curing/drying timing, and safety interlocks.
Developed TP1200 Comfort HMI screens for job setup, color/station configuration, timing parameters, alarms, and manual jog functions, allowing operators to quickly change designs and troubleshoot issues.

3. Integration and Commissioning Support

Mapped all Festo valve manifold outputs and sensor inputs (cylinder position switches, proximity sensors, safety switches) into a structured I/O list, simplifying wiring and diagnostics.
Coordinated mechanical, pneumatic, and electrical teams during testing to fine-tune cylinder speeds, indexing accuracy, and timing loops for consistent multi-color prints.
Provided detailed documentation (schematics, pneumatic diagrams, I/O lists, panel layouts) to support future service and replication of the machine for other customers.

Results & Benefits

Delivered a fully engineered 8color Tshirt printing machine with integrated Festo pneumatic and Siemens PLC/HMI control, enabling automated, repeatable multi-color printing at higher throughput than manual systems.
Improved print quality and registration through precise indexing control and synchronized pneumatic movements, reducing rework and manual adjustments.
Reduced setup and changeover time via recipe-based control on the TP1200 Comfort HMI, allowing operators to switch designs and color sequences quickly.
Created a scalable machine platform: the same control and pneumatic architecture can be adapted for different color counts or future options (additional stations, automatic loading/unloading).

Tools & Technologies Used

Mechanical & electrical design: Solid Works for mechanical layout, plus an electrical CAD platform Solid Works Electrical for schematics, panel layouts, and wiring documentation.
PLC & HMI: Siemens S71200 PLC and TP1200 Comfort HMI programmed in TIA Portal for compact machine control, recipe management, and operator interface.
Pneumatics: Festo valve manifolds, cylinders DSNU/DSBC families, and air preparation units for reliable textile machine automation.

“APC Engineering Services helped us develop a robust 8color Tshirt printing machine by combining strong mechanical design support with reliable Festo pneumatics and Siemens S71200 control. The new system delivers consistent print quality and faster changeovers, and the TP1200 Comfort HMI makes day-to-day operation and troubleshooting very straightforward for our operators.”

Case Study