Inkjet Coding Machine Suppliers & Manufacturers

Inkjet coding technologies and applications

Inkjet coding machines print variable information — expiry dates, best-before dates, batch codes, lot numbers, barcodes, QR codes, and production shift data — directly onto product packaging without contact at production-line speeds. The three main inkjet coding technologies are: Continuous inkjet (CIJ) — ink is continuously pumped from the reservoir through a nozzle, forming a stream of charged ink droplets; deflection electrodes direct selected droplets onto the substrate while unwanted droplets are recirculated; CIJ is the workhorse technology for coding at very high production speeds (up to 200,000+ per hour), printing on almost any surface material, and with very small print head footprint allowing installation in tight line spaces. The print area is small (typically 1–3 lines of characters); primary substrates are glass, PET, metal, carton, and flexible film. Thermal inkjet (TIJ) — ink is expelled through tiny nozzles by a pulse of heat; TIJ cartridges are self-contained, low-cost, and produce high-resolution print (300–600 dpi); suitable for cartons, labels, and porous substrates; lower throughput than CIJ; no solvent recycling required; popular for pharmaceutical secondary packaging (carton coding) and print-and-apply applications. Drop-on-demand (DOD) large character inkjet — electrically generated ink drops form large characters (typically 10–100mm height) for coding onto porous surfaces (corrugated boxes, outer cartons); used for pallet-level shipping marks and case coding; solvent-based or UV-curable inks for non-porous surfaces. All inkjet coding machines print variable data — date, time, batch, and line number — from internal or networked data sources. Many current models connect to ERP or MES systems for recipe download, production data logging, and remote monitoring.