Technical Specification
Speed (Cards per hour)
Embossing:
(45 characters per card)
Single Drum - up to 700
Twin Drum - up to 900
Triple Drum - up to 1,100
Printing:
Single Head:
Monochrome - up to 900
Colour - up to 120
Twin Heads:
Monochrome - up to 900
Colour - up to 300
Smart Card Programming:
Single Contact - up to 500
Multi-Chip - up to 1,200
Card Formats:
ISO CR80 (0.50-0.76mm)
Card encoding:
Standard - Magnetic Stripe
Optional - Smart Card (Chip)
Contactless (RFID)
PC Interface:
RS232, USB
Software control:
Insertacard (Windows)
Encoding of the card
The first phase of any Autocard system is the encoding of the card. Modules are available to meet all industry standards and types of card.
Magnetic stripe
Each system is fitted with a software switchable HiCo / LoCo ISO standard magnetic stripe encoder. This performs the encoding of up to three tracks on the stripe and automatically reads back to ensure correct encoding before passing the card onto the next stage
smartCard (Chip)
Encoders are available to program all industry-standard types of Smart Card, including EMV cards for finance, GSM cards for telecoms and a multitude of other applications such as Access Control.
When time is not a critical factor in production, a contact is fitted to the Magnetic Stripe reader to enable encoding of chips. However, where production speeds are important to the process, our unique multi-chip modules allow simultaneous encoding of up to ten cards, significantly reducing the production time per card. Each card is fed into a multi-level vertical elevator which then rises and falls as required to allow the exit of the card once programmed and the commencement of the next programming cycle. This ensures efficient programming in a compact, modular system.
The Insertacard software has external links which enable all types of encoding software and protocols to be utilised. A development package is available to ensure smooth integration with existing systems.
Contactless (RFID)
If your application involves the use of contactless cards, such as MiFare, suitable encoding systems are also available and can be integrated into the transport modules within the Autocard system.
Thermal printing
The inclusion of up to two thermal printing heads within an Autocard system creates a very flexible system for a multitude of applications. Each head can be loaded with either monochrome or full-colour ribbons depending on the application, allowing the printing of simple details such as a name or barcode for applications such as loyalty cards, through to colour logos or photographs for membership or identity cards.
Each printing head includes the AdvanceClean® Card cleaning system which combines a tape and roller to ensure that each card is free from dust and debris before printing, ensuring the highest finished output quality and maximising the life of the print head itself. The 300dpi print resolution ensures that whatever you print is sharp and clear, and the varnish function of the ribbon seals the image to avoid damage. High capacity print ribbons are available to enable longer run times without the need to change ribbons. Half-panel ribbons are also available where the image to be printed does not fill the card, thereby effectively doubling the number of images and halving the cost of consumables.
Flip-over modules are fitted before each print head enabling complete control over which colour(s) are printed on each side of the card. If only one print head is fitted this can be used both before and after printing to give double sided printing without the need for two heads in lower volume requirements.
For special applications such as prepaid telephone or gift cards, the second print head can be used to apply a scratch-off area, further enhancing the flexibility of the system. All text and images to be printed are controlled by the Insertacard software and can be fixed for a batch of cards, such as a company logo, or variable for each individual card, such as a name, barcode or photograph.
Card Embossing
A necessity for financial cards and also many other applications is the capability to emboss or indent cards.
Autocard systems can be fitted with one, two or three embossing drums depending on individual requirements for volume and speed of production. All embossing drums are gear-driven, ensuring speed, precision and excellent finished card quality. All PFE embossing drums can be fitted with industry standard fonts.
Embossing:
OCR7B . Standard Gothic
Indenting:
CVV2 . OCRB1 . OCRB4
Drums are available in configurations of 80, 100, or 114 characters. For applications where speed is not the highest priority but flexibility is vital, our unique 114 character drum achieves highly cost-effective output.
This drum is capable of holding all of the necessary font sets to produce every type of industry standard card and has the capability of including both front and rear indent ribbons on a single drum. This means that the production of Visa, MasterCard and Visa Electron, Debit and Credit cards are all possible from a single drum, making local production of replacement cards a cost-effective reality. When multiple drums are fitted, these will usually be of 80 or 100 characters. By using PFE Insertacard software to share the job between them, greatly increased productivity is achieved.
Tipping
Tipping units are fitted as standard to all embossing systems and can be loaded with a selection of ribbon colours.
AutoCard - Card Issuance systems 
Autocard from PFE is a range of plastic card personalisation systems to meet the needs of a wide variety of operations. The range includes modules capable of encoding all common types of card, plus flexible printing and embossing modules allowing the creation of cards to efficiently meet the needs of most organisations.
By combining the card issuance system with a Cardmailer, a complete on-line system can be configured, taking the process from a blank card through to a finished envelope to be delivered to the customer.
