Product category:
Component marking, printing and labelling systems (non-laser)
News Release from: Imaje UK | Subject: S4 and S4+ inkjet printers
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 30 April 2002
Inkjet printers match plastics pipe
output
Inkjet printers have replaced hot foil coders, to deliver the readability, reliability and flexibility needed to match a plastics pipe maker's productivity and quality objectives.
Geberit (UK), the leading manufacturer of plastics plumbing and drainage products, is using Imaje S4 and S4+ inkjet printers to code the 200 tonnes of plastics soil, waste, rainwater and drainage pipes it produces weekly at its Aylesford, Kent plant Marketed under the Terrain brand, the pipes are produced in a range of sizes from 21 to 160mm and each length is coded every metre with manufacturer, product code, date of manufacture and the BSI Kitemark
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 11 Jan 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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To meet the demands of US, Canadian and European aerospace corporations for reliable part marking by their contractors, Imaje offers a range of inks for use with its ink jet printers.
Food manufacturer crisps up its date marking
Giles Foods has tried most types of coders and printers to apply 'use by' dates and batch numbers to product packaging and have now standardised on the Imaje S7 deviated inkjet printers.
The Imaje printers have replaced hot foil coders, which could not deliver the readability, reliability and flexibility needed to match Geberit's productivity and quality objectives.
Although the main reasons for changing to Imaje inkjets were reliability and print quality, the facility to change the coding quickly and easily has allowed the coding to be used as a marketing tool, rather than just for product identification.
Earlier this year, Geberit's marketing department decided that every length of pipe should carry the company logo as well as the Terrain brand name.
Further reading
Markers suit low or high volume production
The Imaje S7 range of deviated ink jet printers provide cost effective coding and marking for a wide range of applications in low and high volume production environments.
Ink jet printers code 500,000 units/week
St Davids Assemblies, one of the UK's largest manufacturers of kettle controls and safety cut-outs, has chosen Imaje S4+ ink jet printers to code directly onto the 500, 000 units/week.
With the old hot foil coders, this would have been impractical but the change could be implemented in minutes on the Imaje inkjets.
"There is simply no comparison", says Production Manager, Andy Martin, "between the hot foil coders and the new inkjets.
The quality of the coding now matches the quality of our product, which keeps our customers happy, and the reliability of the Imaje S4 and S4+ means that we don't lose production because of coder breakdown.
Being at the end of the production process, the reliability of the coders is crucial as any fault will cause a total line stoppage and, possibly, late delivery to our customer.
The Imaje inkjets are fantastic; excellent print quality and reliability certainly makes my life easier." Geberit have three Imaje S4's and five S4+'s, which code all production at the Aylesford plant.
Designed for 24/7 use in industrial environments, the S4 control system is enclosed in a splash proof, stainless steel cabinet with built-in QWERTY membrane keyboard and LCD screen; 1 line/40 characters on the S4 and 640x200 pixels on the S4+.
Both types can be networked to a production control computer or ERP system via the RS232 interface and can be fitted with twin printheads to provide coding on two sides of a product or two, separate production lines simultaneously.
Imaje UK is a subsidiary of Imaje SA, a Dover company, one of the world leaders in industrial coding and marking.
The company specialises in the development and distribution of continuous ink coding and print and apply systems to the food and drink, pharmaceutical, mailing, aerospace component and cable industries.
Imaje SA operates in more than 120 countries and its products and services are available through a network of 30 subsidiaries and more than 50 distributors.
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