Thermal inkjet unit prints onto PVC, PP, PE-HD

Thermal inkjet printers are now able to print onto a wide range of non-porous materials, including directly onto PVC, PP and PE-HD substrates, said Rotech Machines.

Thermal inkjet printer technology now allows printing directly onto PVC, PP and PE-HD materials.

Using technology developed by Hewlett Packard, the printers offer a sealed printhead that removes the need for the handling of bulk, volatile, and liquids.

Rotech Machines said that unlike printers with a re-circulation system, only such fluid as is required to make the print needs to be purchased.

Rotech Machines said that until recently the technology has been largely limited to printing on porous surfaces as only water-based inks could be used.

The development by APS of a range of alcohol-based inks, together with modifications to the cartridge driver to permit their handling, now allow the technology to print onto a wide range of non-porous materials.

Recent industrial applications include the printing directly onto PVC, PP and PE-HD materials.

One company manufactures pipes for drainage and wanted to print a logo, product information, its dimensions and date of production directly onto grey and brown PVC pipes.

The units' versatility allows the same customer to print onto green PP pipes at line speeds from 4 to 20m/min.

Rotech Machines told manufacturingtalk that not only did this customer achieve the desired print quality but also reduced operational costs.

The reasons were that there was no need for additives, cleaners, or any other additional costs for repairs and maintenance.

Another customer unhappy with the level of maintenance and associated costs of their continuous inkjet (CIJ) printers opted for an Apsolute system to print a three line message (batch number, packaging number, and oil viscosity) directly onto PE-HD drums at line speeds of 10m/min.

A further feature of the Apsolute system permits up to four printheads to be commanded from one controller, meaning that only one need be purchased per production line.

Two further features help to control and reduce the running costs of the printer.

1 - Once programmed, the system calculates how many prints will be made from one 42ml cartridge.

Making subtle changes to the font or resolution can have a dramatic effect on ink usage and this feature allows the user to decide the print format that best meets all their business needs.

2 - Having no moving parts, there is zero maintenance and no disruption to a production line due to coder failure.

This simple, innovative, printer is readily portable and Rotech can offer on-site demonstrations and production line trials as well as in-house print-testing of customers' packaging materials.

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