by Melissa Donovan
Part 2 of 2
The first article in our two-part series studied various trends occurring in the marking and coding space for both continuous inkjet (CIJ) and thermal inkjet (TIJ) devices. Of note, higher resolutions, increased printing speeds, further automation capacities, and a host of notable changes are driving advancements in this technology.
To further illustrate the enhancements, we had vendors share their newest marking and coding systems.
Automated Marking, Inc. (AMI) is constantly expanding its portfolio of products. New to its lineup is the Zenjet Ultra IP65, which is a 1/2-inch stainless steel thermal inkjet, ideal for hard environments that are usually dusty and wet. Another newer product is the CAMI Case Pro Plus for printing on cases and boxes. Lastly, the Cure HR is a UV-curable high-resolution printer for commercial print and addressing applications.
Domino North America launched the Cx350i in May 2021. The piezoelectric inkjet printer is a direct-to-box, large character printing solution, which means it can print high-quality, GS1-compliant machine readable codes onto cases, trays, and other secondary packaging. The Cx350i is equipped with Domino’s QuickStep user interface, an intuitive touchscreen control, which allows operators to quickly adjust settings and select, edit, or create print designs with ease. The user interface is common across the Domino range, reducing the need for additional operator training.
Engage Technologies Corporation launched the CoPilot Max 512i Turbo printing system through Squid Ink Manufacturing in October 2021. The design of the printer allows users to tilt or rotate the printhead in any direction without making height adjustments to the ink supply. The system prints at 180 dpi vertical resolution at up to 480 feet per minute. It is available as either an oil-based printer for printing on porous substrates or a solvent-based system for printing on non-porous materials.
Hitachi Industrial Equipment & Solutions America, LLC’s new UX2 continuous inkjet printer builds upon the success of Hitachi’s UX series by improving efficiency, operator safety, and sustainability. Hitachi has achieved this by making a printer that is capable of faster print speeds, eliminates the need for operators to be exposed to hazardous fluids, and has lower solvent emissions compared to previous generations.
InkJet Inc. is a master distributer of Anser printers in the U.S. The Anser X1 TIJ printer involves one controller able to mark on primary and secondary packaging at the same time. It features NexGen Coding Technology, designed to drive multiple thermal inkjet cartridges. The printer’s controller is IP66 with total dust ingress protection, and capable to withstand high-pressure water jet during production wash down. The X1 user-interface design is not only user friendly, but intuitive, making operational mistakes nearly non-existent.
Keyence Corporation of America’s MK-G Series of CIJ printers are ideal for plastic bottles, glass containers, pipes, and paper tubes. It is a self-troubleshooting CIJ that completely eliminates the guesswork of inkjet maintenance and can be operated without any specialized product knowledge or skills. By incorporating Keyence sensor technologies to enhance self-diagnostic capabilities, the new MK-G Series can automatically perform maintenance and troubleshooting on its own. The unit features new functions that ensure automatic cleaning is performed every time before shutdown—even when the power is disrupted, and allows users to check the status and perform operations on the printer remotely from a PC or smartphone.
In February 2022, REA Elektronik GmbH promoted its REA JET GK 2.0 for marking secondary packaging flexibly and cost effectively. This new generation of REA JET GK printers enables high-resolution inkjet printing using piezo technology. The devices print at heights up to 100 millimeters with one printhead on porous and absorbent surfaces such as cardboard, paper, or wood.
The Videojet 1880 CIJ printer is equipped with a build-up sensor and Videojet MAXIMiZE built-in diagnostics suite. It is designed to reduce the main causes of unplanned downtime. Line integration and code management capabilities minimize potential for human error and help ensure you get the right code at the right quality, every time, while advanced features to minimize operator interaction to focus on production. It is equipped with dye-based inks and operates at a maximum line speed of 334 meters per minute.
Jun2022, Industrial Print Magazine
