Inkjet & Digital Printing
Domino Turns Up The Heat With Introduction Of Thermal Ink Jet Coding And Marking Technology At Emballage 2008
Thursday 20. November 2008 - New G-Series uses unique multi-substrate fast-drying ink for extended application benefits
Domino Printing Sciences plc, a world-leader in total coding, marking, printing and traceability solutions, will use Emballage 2008 as the global launch platform for the new Domino G-Series of thermal ink jet (TIJ) printers, which are set to offer manufacturers significant new benefits in primary and secondary applications. The addition of the G-Series to Dominos extensive portfolio of coding and marking technologies, follows the recent acquisition of Germany-based Alternative Printing Services GmbH, which brings established TIJ expertise to the Domino Group. As such, Domino anticipates that the G-Series will offer a broader use and application of TIJ products in specific market areas, in particular the pharmaceutical sector.
Of key benefit to manufacturers, is the G-Series ability to meet the ever-increasing requirement for improved quality and high speed printing onto an expanding and diverse array of substrates, thanks to impressive 600 dpi resolution and speeds of up to 300m/min.
Thanks to Dominos unique position as the only supplier to offer a multi-substrate, fast-drying ink, the G-Series expands the range of compatible print materials, while opening up new application possibilities for manufacturers. The capability to quickly switch between water- and ethanol-based inks enables printing onto porous and non-porous materials and sets the G-Series apart from other TIJ solutions, which are typically restricted to slower-drying, water-based options.
The combination of attributes delivered by the G-Series affords specific advantages to those manufacturers seeking to print 2D bar codes and other machine readable formats in order to fulfil track and trace requirements.
In addition, via its intelligent printhead, the G-Series aids manufacturers in the fight against counterfeiting, thanks to the ability to employ strategies such as mass serialization and unique numbering. Key to this is the capability to synchronise up to four printheads via a single controller, which offers greatly improved efficiency and performance benefits to users. Its advanced operating system works in real-time to process and queue up to sixteen messages in the print buffer. The result is a print solution capable of fulfilling complex coding and marking requirements simultaneously on four different production lines with different ink types – all under the management of one print controller.
“Thanks to its versatile functionality, we anticipate the G-Series delivering new benefits to manufacturers, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, where there is a particular need to protect brand value,” explains Greg Treanor, Thermal Ink Jet Product Manager at Domino. “Among other things, this requires the authenticity of the final product, which itself can only be achieved via the application of accurate, high quality and legible data.
“Given that unique numbering and anti-counterfeiting techniques remain a key concentration for manufacturers, we anticipate our TIJ technology to be of significant interest to these companies,” adds Treanor. “Indeed, in certain instances, TIJ is unique in its ability to meet a specific blend of coding and marking requirements. For example, the ability to print a high-quality, data matrix code with the use of TIJ, might be the preference of some manufacturers, depending on the application involved.”
Dominos G-Series offers a multitude of different print possibilities and is capable of producing superior quality logos, graphics, barcodes, data matrix codes and large amounts of text, from between 0.28mm to 50.8mm in height. In addition, the coder is geared towards minimal operator intervention and incorporates a simple and easy-to use interface which eliminates costly training overheads. Users also benefit from low-running costs, clean operation and a fast-fix design requiring virtually zero maintenance.