Optimize Inkjet Printing Adhesion for Wire & Cable Marking
by Huck Hyde, Technical Applications Specialist, Gem Gravure Co., Inc; Pamela Lee, Sr. Product Manager, Excelitas OmniCure®;
and Wilson Lee, Director Business Development, Enercon Industries Corporation
Benefits of Continuous Ink Jet Printing
A common solution for marking wire and cable, continuous inkjet printing (CIJ), has been around since 1979. Though it was initially created as a complement to gravure contact-style printing, continuous inkjet has improved to the point where it is the preferred method of printing. Some of the benefits of inkjet printing are variable data—things like sequential footage, serial numbering and more. Printable data can be changed an instant.
Another huge advantage is that the printing is noncontact; the ink is simply sprayed onto the surface. That means you can print on curved, hot surfaces straight out of extruders and even soft surfaces that you can’t touch because it would deform the jacket or do something odd.
Speeds are impressive—you can print up to 1800 fpm. You also have the fl exibility to move a printer from line to line while being able to recall the same data/message for each print. Ease of use is critical as well. If you can operate a mobile phone cell phone, you can operate a printer. Intelligent use, or the ability to scan a barcode and download a print message directly to your printer from an existing database makes it that much easier to streamline your operation.