Continuous inkjet printer (CIJ)
Adding a continuous inkjet printer to a production line is often an unavoidable investment as packaging and products need to be marked/coded with a best-before date or lot number. So you need to do it right. You need to search for the right kind of continuous inkjet printer. To help you, we have outlined some key points you need to consider and the questions you need to ask.
What is continuous inkjet printing, and how does it work?
It’s important to understand the basics of coding and marking with an inkjet printer.
In a nutshell, continuous inkjet printers spray a continuous ‘jet’ of tiny droplets of fast-drying ink. Some of the ink droplets, which are electrically charged, are deflected by the electrostatic field onto a nearby surface to form the letters, logo, barcode, or whatever you want to print. Other droplets, which are not electrically charged, fall back into the printer.
There are other non-contact printing techniques too, but each method has its drawbacks. For example, thermal inkjet TIJ systems use an ink cartridge that heats the ink. It then ejects it drop by drop onto the print surface.
However, this non-contact technique requires the cartridge to be very close to the surface to be printed. In contrast, a CIJ printer printhead can ‘throw’ droplets of ink at high speed from just a few centimeters away from the surface. This makes continuous inkjet printing an ideal method for operating in busy, fast-moving production lines where non-contact printing is required.
Applications of CIJ printers
The expiration date on beverage bottles? Lot numbers on food packaging? Production codes on cables or automotive parts?
What impact does a continuous inkjet printer have on productivity and efficiency?
This is a key question—because downtime must be avoided at all costs. One of the problems manufacturers face is that any interruption in production results in the print nozzle on the CIJ printer clogging up. Such interruptions typically occur at the end of a working day or working week, or on company holidays.
These interruptions are a problem because the fast-drying, solvent-based ink droplets used in continuous inkjet CIJ solidify quickly. As a result, the print head must be cleaned before production can resume, which takes time—and time is money. When companies look for a solution to this problem, they discover that it is all due to the industrial marking technologies used.
Innovative Sealtronic technology solves the problem by automatically resealing the printhead and preventing the ink from coming into contact with air when not in use. Unused ink droplets are simply returned to the printer.
The result is that no ink dries in the printhead. That dried ink will not affect coding or printing performance. There will be no ink buildup, no downtime, no problems.
On what surfaces can continuous inkjet printers be used?
CIJ printers are used for all kinds of products and all kinds of coding applications, from food packaging to circuit boards. So they can be used to print codes on almost any kind of substrate, from packaging cartons to metal.
Ink choice is important. For example, some marking inks do not adhere well to plastic or glass, especially when you take into account the condensation that appears on cold beverages. Therefore, high-adhesion inks are made available for manufacturers of beverages, frozen foods, etc.
Conclusion:
Which ink is best for printing on cables? What kind of ink is preferred for absorbent materials or high speeds? SH Hitech Solutions can help with your selection of ink to mark the substrate of your choice. We make sure that the inkjet will stick and create a legible code or date on your product or packaging. We can even send you a sample!