If your business is in the manufacturing industry, your products and packaging are required to be coded for safety, traceability, and other regulations purposes. Food and beverage manufacturers must ensure their products always display codes with important information such as the name of the product, best-before dates, and the product’s net quantity. Prescription drugs, cosmetics, and personal care products need markings on the packaging that include a list of ingredients, expiration date, directions for use, and control numbers. The same also applies to construction materials such as metal pipes, lumber, and electrical cables which are marked with their company logos and scannable barcodes for easy tracking and to avoid counterfeiting.
High-quality industrial inkjet coder is essential for businesses in various industries. To provide further information, this article shares useful information about this coding machine including its benefits, key characteristics, and the industries that could use it.
What is an Industrial Inkjet Coder?
An industrial inkjet coder is a machine that is used for printing batch codes, expiration dates, barcodes, and other information on the products and packaging while they are on the production lines. These marking and coding systems are important in the manufacturing industry to ensure the safety and traceability of the products. Without this equipment, products and packaging can be illegibly printed which may lead to costly errors, product recalls, or even fines and lawsuits.
5 Key Characteristics of an Industrial Inkjet Coder
- Easy to Use – It is simple and easy to operate this equipment. It functions with minimum handling by a worker.
- Flexible – An industrial inkjet coder can print even on curved surfaces and at different angles. Its flexibility covers all possible applications like the materials where the codes will be printed on and in what stage they are integrated into production lines.
- Non-Contact – They are non-contact printers which means only the ink droplets can come into contact with the printed surface.
- Durable – The machine is well-built to withstand dust, water, and severe temperatures inside an industrial facility.
- Economical – It can mark and code at a high speed and can perform well without complicated handling and maintenance.
2 Basic Types of Industrial Inkjet Coder
Two basic types of industrial inkjet coders are available in the market.
Drop-on-Demand
Drop-on-demand inkjet (DOD) printers create a high-resolution printed image by injecting small drops of ink on the printing surface through several nozzles. The printhead gives out ink only when it is needed. There are different types of DOD technologies like the Thermal Inkjet (TIJ) which is suitable for decorative prints.
Continuous Inkjet
Continuous inkjet printers (CIJ) dispense a nonstop stream of ink drops coming from a single nozzle onto the targeted area in the product. CIJ is suitable for printing bar codes, best-before dates, batch codes, and small logos. This is typically used in the food and beverage and consumer goods industries.
Applications of an Industrial Inkjet Coder
Food and Beverage Industry
Industrial inkjet coder can print date codes, batch numbers, best-before-dates, and other important information on ready-to-eat food packets, confectionery and snacks, beverage bottles and cans, cartons, and other packaged foods. With its printing quality and speed, an industrial inkjet coder is ideal for food and beverage companies. The small droplets falling on the printing material dries quickly which hastens the printing process while the products are moving on the production lines.
Drugstore, Pharmaceuticals, and Other Consumer Goods
The coding equipment can print codes on the packaging. These industries need markings on the packaging that include a list of ingredients, expiration date, directions for use, and control numbers. Using an industrial inkjet coder, such industries can efficiently provide essential information for the safety of consumers, enhance the overall look of the packaged products like in personal care and cosmetics, reduce product recall, and protect against illegal practices like counterfeiting.
Industrial Goods
Industrial goods refer to automotive, aerospace, construction, electrical devices, metal, and steel, among others. Coding in these industries can help identify the production units to ensure easy tracking and traceability, control the flow of goods, and prevent counterfeiting. By using an industrial inkjet coder as a coding machine, industrial goods can follow defined standards for the protection of consumers.
Important Factors to Consider When Buying an Industrial Inkjet Coder
Operational Requirements
Manufacturers must know their operational requirements before purchasing an industrial inkjet coder for their business. Budget, required printing speed, durability of the print, and the type of materials where the codes will be printed are some of the key factors to consider.
Print Content
The print content must be considered when selecting an industrial inkjet coder. Manufacturers must determine important things like the alphanumeric characters, number of text lines, codes, and graphics that will be printed on the products or packaging.
Materials and Surface Shape
There are industrial inkjet coders that are suitable for substrates to be printed on. Consider the materials of your products because it will determine the type of ink and the printer that you can use. The surface shape of the product must also be considered. There are coding machines that print effectively for different surfaces like flat and irregular surfaces.
Manufacturing Environment
Another factor to consider when you are buying an industrial inkjet printer for your business is the manufacturing environment. Do you have enough space in your facility where you can place your coding machine? Moisture and dirt in the surroundings can also negatively affect the productivity of your coding equipment and can cause it to break down frequently. To avoid this, assess first the work environment of your business so you can select the right size and durability structure for your industrial inkjet printer.
Choosing the Right Industrial Inkjet Coder is Important
The operation of a coding and marking machine can affect your business’ overall production including the budget. Choosing the right industrial inkjet coder is essential for efficient performance along production lines. This avoids expensive replacements of the machine if it suddenly breaks down after only a short period of operation. An efficient industrial inkjet coder also prevents frequent production interruptions and product recalls caused by defective markings.
ALSO READ: Why Manufacturers Need Continuous Inkjet Printers this Peak Season
Products and packaging have to be correctly marked and coded for safety and traceability reasons. Manufacturers must invest in the right industrial inkjet printer for their business to avoid problems such as errors or product recall that may arise due to a poorly printed code on their products. Choosing a suitable industrial inkjet printer for your facility is important to ensure its efficient performance for increased productivity and to avoid downtime that may happen when the machine suddenly breaks down during operation.
Elixir offers a wide selection of Linx Continuous Inkjet printers which are popular worldwide for their efficiency, reliability, and low cost of ownership. They are also one of the most preferred industrial printers in the Philippines. They are very easy to use and ideal for daily usage even in severe industrial environments. Linx CIJ printers can print product identification codes, batch numbers, date codes, and text.
If you are looking for a reliable industrial printer for your business, choose from Elixir’s product selections.