Achieving optimal print quality with small character continuous inkjet printing (CIJ) is a constant endeavor for manufacturers. CIJ printers must be able to deliver precise drop placement at the correct speed. These two elements are significantly impacted by the print head design and fluid management. Read below to understand how the Linx 8900 Series CIJ offers the reliability and quality customers demand.

• The Linx sealed print head design simply runs cleaner than other CIJ printers. The Linx 8900 Series CIJ printer boasts a unique sealed print head design, setting it apart from its CIJ counterparts. Hermetically sealed and solid-state components combined with a true nozzle-through-gutter autoflush at both start up and shut down enables Linx printers to go 100 starts and stops without needing to clean the print head.
• The Linx 8900 also measures ink viscosity in the print head. This sets it apart from other CIJ systems that place viscometers in their fluid tanks. A series of sensors in the print head allows the printer to make real-time adjustments to pressure, optimizing the ink speed to ensure precise drop placement. Solvent additions to the ink mixture are introduced only when there has been an increase in pressure over a set amount of time. This process means Linx printers exhibit less solvent consumption than our competitors.

If you need to enhance print quality while managing operational costs, the Linx 8900 Series CIJ printer offers a compelling solution. For further insights into improving your printing capabilities and cost-effectiveness, connect with us today and discover how Linx small character continuous inkjet printing emphasizes high-quality printing, lower operating costs and precision, performance and efficiency.

The process of applying labels in the packaging industry is a critical aspect of production that demands precision and speed. Transitioning to all-electric label applicators can significantly enhance this process by eliminating the reliance on plant air, resulting in cost reductions and fewer instances of misapplied or missing labels. Advantages associated with implementing all-electric label applicators in manufacturing operations are listed below.

Gain precision and accuracy through applicator control

The closed-loop speed control and setting capabilities of servo motors in all-electric labelers ensure consistent and repeatable label placement. Achieving this level of consistency is considerably more challenging for pneumatic labelers that rely on plant air. When a pneumatic labeler connects to the plant’s main air line, air pressure availability for optimal tamp movement cannot always be guaranteed. This is because air pressure availability depends on how many other pieces of equipment are connected to or using the main air line in that moment. If the air pressure is insufficiently distributed and falls below the required level, the actuator may not fully engage or may take longer to engage leading to inaccurate label placement on the moving target. In some instances, the label may not adhere to the product at all.

Compared to pneumatic systems, all-electric motors remain unaffected by other equipment in the facility and need only a standard 110v plug, providing flexibility in positioning, redundancy and backup equipment. Moreover, the electric motor can regulate the tamp’s application force, as it operates with a sensor on the tamp pad that detects the product and communicates its location to the tamp. If the product is not in the expected position, the tamp adjusts accordingly to apply the label.

In a pneumatic system, the tamp is fully discharged with a burst of air. If the product is positioned too far away, the tamp will miss it. Conversely, if the product is too close, the tamp will hit it with excessive force, leading to label misplacement or possible damage to the product or the tamp arm.

Maintain precision and accuracy through label control

Controlling the label on the tamp pad is a significant challenge with print and apply label applications. In applications that utilize pneumatic air, a vacuum is required to secure the label on the tamp pad. This vacuum is created by consistently directing air across small holes in the tamp pad, holding the label in place. However, inconsistent plant air pressure may hinder the formation of the vacuum across these holes, resulting in the label falling off before it reaches the product. Furthermore, dirty plant air containing oil, water, dust or other contaminants can lead to clogged holes, diminishing vacuum efficiency and causing the label to detach prematurely. For the vacuum to be effective, all holes on the tamp pad must be covered by the label.

In contrast, an all-electric system circumvents the need for plant air by employing an independent vacuum fan, located on the back of the tamp pad, to control suction. This approach eliminates potential interference from other equipment, reduces contamination risks and removes the requirement to cover all the holes. This system utilizes a single focus vacuum fan to draw air through each hole individually, ensuring the label is securely held in place during transit. Because the fan pulls air through each hole, only half the holes need to be covered by the label, offering users the flexibility to run various label sizes on the same applicator. Even when a smaller label size is used, the label will maintain its vacuum and not detach before reaching the product.Top of Form

Protect your liner and protect your uptime

After the label is removed from its liner, the liner needs to be wound back onto a roll. The rewind is important to provide tension on the backing so that as it pulls across the peel blade, there is enough pull to peel the label off so that it can be applied onto the product. All-electric labelers control the re-wind of the label rolls more carefully, using brushless DC motors that are automatically tensioned with a Kevlar belt and no clutch. This solves the customer problems of needing a consistent label feed and being able to handle a long label take up without run on. These things add up to increased lead time. Pneumatic systems employ a clutch that requires adjustments as well as replacement for the brush motors that wear out. The gear boxes can also require replacement. If these wear parts are not maintained, they can result in label jams and liner breaks (from over tensioning) causing downtime. Additionally, the liner can drift, causing the print to drift on the label and poor or no scanning/ readability on the barcode or label.

Conclusion

All-electric label applicators revolutionize the packaging industry by eliminating the reliance on plant air, providing precise applicator control for consistent and accurate label placement and ensuring secure label control for various label sizes. These advanced systems protect the liner, enhance uptime and reduce maintenance costs, resulting in increased productivity and efficiency. Embracing the power of all-electric label applicators empowers manufacturers to streamline operations, reduce errors and deliver products with consistent and reliable product identification. Contact us today to learn more.

Manufacturing and packaging companies are required to print non-contact product identification variable information such as lot codes, batch codes and expiration dates on their products.

Continuous inkjet (CIJ) technology is most often the technology of choice to apply this variable information for the following reasons:

• CIJ printers have low capital costs
• CIJ printers can print in any orientation
• CIJ printers can print on most materials at high speeds

To hit production targets and increase production efficiency, companies rely on skilled labor such as engineers and technicians to keep their lines and product identification equipment, including CIJ printers, running smoothly. However, skilled labor has become increasingly scarce in recent years and companies need to keep these resources focused on critical areas of maintaining production uptime.

Traditionally, CIJ printers required the attention of skilled labor. But the Linx model 8900 series continuous inkjet (CIJ) printers are the most reliable and easy-to-use printers in their class and are designed to be operated and maintained by unskilled labor, leaving more time for skilled workers to focus on complex operational issues.

Below are some of the key Linx 8900 CIJ features that have simplified interaction and maintenance:

• The 10” capacitive touch screen has an easy-to-use icon-based user interface that features onscreen help and easy-to-access manual instructions for basic printer maintenance and troubleshooting.
• Messages using prompted fields allow coding operators to simply and quickly call up a message to print and select the required updated information from a dropdown list. This is a fail-safe method to reduce message input errors and a timesaver in product changeovers.
• Fluid replenishment is both mistake and mess-free with one-touch cartridge refills. The fluid cartridges have RFID tags that ensure incorrect or outdated fluids cannot be used. In addition, there is no way to overfill.
• Preventative maintenance filter change is achieved with the Easi-Change service module. The module is changed in minutes using onscreen step-by-step instructions and can be completed without the need for a trained technician or costly service calls.

Each company must decide what level of access to grant its employees. Linx 8900 CIJ printers offer the ability to set user level passwords on the printers limiting the specific functionality to which individual personnel are provided access.

For more information about the Linx 8900 printers, click here.

Effectively moving products through manufacturing and into the retail supply chain requires a robust track‐and‐trace capability. You need to know when products came off the line, where they’re located and where they’re headed. In production environments that integrate manufacturing, packaging and shipping operations, the final step in this process is pallet labeling.

Manufacturers that operate on a relatively small scale with a limited number of SKUs and shipments to only a few distributors or customers may be able to keep pace with manual pallet labeling processes. But high‐volume manufacturers that produce a variety of SKUs and prepare shipments to many destinations should consider an automated print‐and‐apply labeling system that supports higher throughput with lower unit costs.

Diagraph offers an all‐electric print & apply pallet labeling system, freeing manufacturers from the potential inconsistencies often associated with conventional pneumatic labelers. And, since inconsistencies in pallet labeling have the potential to disrupt production and delay outgoing shipments, it’s critical to ensure your labeling solution delivers reliable results, shift after shift.

To ensure uptime and maximize labeling consistency, Diagraph’s latest all‐electric print‐and‐apply labeling machine incorporates a variety of smart sensors that are engineered to detect potential problems and make automated adjustments on the fly. By incorporating smart sensors into our labeling solutions, we can help manufacturers maximize uptime, minimize or eliminate errors, and make it easier than ever to ensure compliance with customer labeling requirements.

With smart sensor technology, a Diagraph print‐and‐apply labeling system can do things such as:

• Detect a missing label at the peel point and automatically advance the web past the missing label area to prevent double feeds and missed products
• Automatically monitor and adjust the application speed and pressure for every label to keep the system in sync with the production line even as the system ages
• Use sophisticated tamp sensors to ensure proper label application and placement across a wide variety of applications, including multi‐label applications and complex corner‐wrap label applications
• Automate adjustments needed to accommodate a wide range of label sizes for your product lines while minimizing or eliminating unproductive downtime

In addition to smart sensing technology, Diagraph’s automated all‐electric PA7100 print‐and‐apply labeling machines employ Zebra ZE500 Series OEM thermal printer engine. This thermal printing technology delivers industry‐leading durability and performance anywhere 4‐ or 6‐inch labels are needed. One of the key advantages of Zebra’s print engine is all‐metal construction, which ensures long‐lasting durability. They also employ printer management tools that help detect problems before they impact productivity, making them the perfect companion to our smart sensor technology.

If you would like to learn more about the innovative technology that Diagraph builds into automated print‐and‐apply labeling systems, contact your Diagraph representative. We’ll be glad to show you how our industry‐leading approach can help you prepare shipments for the retail supply chain more efficiently.

When is it time to trade in your continuous inkjet printer?

The expected life of industrial inkjet printers is typically between five and seven years, depending on the production environment. However, harsh environments may further reduce the usable life.

Consider the following questions when evaluating whether to replace your continuous inkjet printer (CIJ):

• Is there high dust?
• Does the temperature in the plant reach high or low extremes?
• Is there heavy humidity?

The impact of these factors can result in a decrease of your CIJ printer’s uptime.

Repair or replace? The risk is downtime.

If your printer has required a repair outside of regularly scheduled maintenance, you should consider this a red flag. It may be in your best interest to replace rather than repair since unplanned downtime can have a significant impact on your profits for the following reasons:

• Lost production time: When a manufacturing plant experiences unscheduled downtime, production comes to a halt. This lost production time can lead to a decrease in output, resulting in lower revenue and profits.

• Increased labor costs: If workers are unable to perform their duties during unscheduled downtime, they may need to be paid for idle time. This can increase labor costs, which further impacts profits.
• Delayed shipments: If unscheduled downtime occurs during a critical production period, it may delay the shipment of finished products. This can lead to dissatisfied customers, lost sales and ultimately, lower profits.
• Increased maintenance costs: If unscheduled downtime occurs frequently, it can lead to increased maintenance costs from repair costs and more frequent preventative maintenance visits to reduce the risk of future downtime.
• Limited parts availability: As equipment gets older, parts for that equipment may become more difficult to find. Manufacturers may discontinue production of parts for older equipment, or parts may become obsolete, making it difficult to find replacement parts resulting in lost production time. Supply chain challenges have even further impacted the manufacturers’ ability to find replacement parts and repair older machines.
• Higher pricing for parts and service: When parts become scarce, the cost of those parts may increase if suppliers charge a premium for parts that are in high demand and have a limited supply. In addition, manufacturers may need to pay higher prices for custom-made parts or parts that need to be specially manufactured.

In short, if you are using older CIJ printers in your production, there is a higher risk of major downtime.

Learn how Diagraph can increase your uptime by trading out your old CIJ for a new Linx 8900 Series CIJ.

Companies rely on engineers or technicians to keep production lines up and running. Because these job functions are essential to hitting production targets, it is critically important that their skill level on equipment is proficient. The amount of time and money that will have to be invested in training production line workers should be a major deciding factor when deciding to replace product identification equipment. 

Many manufacturers apply variable information such as lot, batch and expiration dates on their products with continuous inkjet (CIJ) technology for the following reasons:

• Relatively low capital costs
• Capability to print in any orientation on most materials at high speeds
• Ability to install one or two CIJ printers on each packaging production line

The Linx 8900 series offered by Diagraph offers an additional benefit: minimal need for line operators to learn new procedures when the units are introduced to the production line. 

Linx 8900 Service Features
 

Traditionally, CIJ printers require the attention of skilled labor to keep printers clean (which is critical to operation) or to tweak print quality at the print head level. The industry leading Linx 8900 series printers can be operated and maintained with minimal touches due to the following features:

• A sealed print head design with no moving [parts that allows 100 starts and stops without cleaning—no need to tweak nozzles or gutters to maintain operation or print quality

• An intuitive user interface that is easy to understand and use. With a 10” capacitive color touchscreen, the user interface is icon-driven, similar to a smartphone interface. Onscreen prompts guide the user through common actions taken on the system.

• A customizable carousel on the main screen puts critical actions such as message editing right at the fingertips of the labor on your line.

• Self-service design made possible by replacing an Easi-Change module. This simple action can be completed by anyone on the production line—no skilled labor required. Changing the module takes less than 30 minutes and can be completed with the printer still on the production line.

• The Help feature in the user interface gives Operator Manual instructions for routine maintenance procedures or troubleshooting.

If you are considering replacing existing CIJ equipment and need it to operate with minimal intervention and training, the simple operation and maintenance of the Linx 8900 series printer makes it the right piece of equipment for you. 

Many factors determine the profitability and performance of a manufacturing operation. For example, every experienced manager knows the importance of understanding and controlling the cost of raw materials, labor costs, capacity utilization and quality assurance to maximize bottom line results.

As manufacturers hone the efficiency of their operations, however, they also know the importance of looking beyond the obvious variables to evaluate and improve the performance of less apparent workflows. These processes may seem secondary to core production activities on the surface but they will have an outsized impact on results if they can’t keep pace with operations. One of the less apparent workflows that efficiency‐minded managers should focus on occurs right at the end of operations: pallet labeling.

High‐volume manufacturing operations that ship products to a variety of distribution channels simply can’t afford a slowdown in production caused by breakdowns, errors or low capacity in labeling systems as pallets are prepared for distribution.

The answer for most manufacturers to supporting increased productivity is an automated print‐and‐apply labeling machine that eliminates the productivity limitations of manual processes and streamlines labeling workflows. The production rates of automated print‐and‐apply labeling machines vary depending on the labeling method used and the number of application points, but a standard tamp system should be able to label 120 products per minute.

Automated print‐and‐apply labeling machines also deliver quality control benefits because human error is largely eliminated from the equation. Instead of inconsistent label placement that can slow shipments or even result in a customer rejecting a pallet, an automated labeling system helps ensure every pallet is labeled in compliance with customer requirements and expectations.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO AUTOMATE PALLET LABELING?

While some labeling machines rely on pneumatic systems to apply labels, maintaining highly consistent PSI in compressed air systems is challenging for manufacturing plants. These challenges can lead to inconsistent performance and difficulty troubleshooting problems.

The better alternative is the Diagraph PA7100 all‐electric print‐and‐apply machine which offers reliability and performance that can’t be matched by traditional pneumatic‐based labelers.

The Diagraph PA7100 all‐electric labeling machine relies on industry‐leading technology to reliably print and apply labels in a variety of applications including the top, sides, bottom or corners of pallets. These solutions are fully customizable to apply self‐adhesive labels at varying heights, distances and speeds. The all‐electric design eliminates the potential inconsistencies of pneumatic alternatives—producing consistent results no matter how many units move through production.

A key to the performance of Diagraph’s all‐electric print‐and‐apply labeling machines is the usage of industry‐leading Zebra OEM thermal print engines. Zebra is a leader when it comes to 4‐ and 6‐inch thermal labels, using all‐metal construction for long‐lasting durability and delivering print speeds that allow our print‐and‐apply labeling machines to keep pace with high‐volume production lines.

For 130 years, Diagraph has been helping manufacturers make the perfect mark, pairing technology and service to deliver complete solutions. To learn more about our automated all‐electric print‐and‐apply labeling machines for pallet labeling, contact your Diagraph representative.

Continuous inkjet printers (CIJ) use super-fast drying solvent-based inks. One of the technology challenges presented by these inks is that they aren't too particular where they dry. With CIJ technology, the formation of drops from an inkjet stream creates a mist (or satellite drops) which builds up a layer of ink over time on the components inside the CIJ print head, causing print failure. Routine cleaning of ink with solvent from the components in a print head is required to maintain best print quality and uptime.

Some CIJ manufacturers developed an automatic solution to clean the print head by adding a solvent spray cycle in the print head. Some solutions add components to the print head to attract the ink mist which is then washed out with solvent. One assumes operator time will be reduced with an automated process. However, that is not the case. An automatic cleaning process still relies on manual intervention for the following steps:

• Pull the print head from the production line
• Start the process
• Ensure the printhead is dry before placing back on the product line
• Dispose of the hazardous solvent waste.

Cleaning processes that promise to protect the user from solvent fumes still expose the operator to fumes when disposing of the solvent.

CIJ users assume a cost of ownership savings with an automatic cleaning feature. Note that you CANNOT print when cleaning a print head. Automatic cleaning requires solvent flowing in a set cycle (usually takes 10 to 17 minutes) and cannot be interrupted once begun. The automatic function produces excess solvent waste compared to manual cleaning.

Linx 8900 series CIJ systems are designed for visual inspection of your print heads with an expectation to manually clean it in a 5- to 10-minute process every 100 starts/stops or 3 months. Our print heads are kept cleaner by being fully sealed and by using a unique flushing sequence at both start up and shut down.

Contact us today to learn more about Linx continuous inkjet printing.

Getting shipments and inventory into retail distribution and onto store shelves efficiently is a key to profitability for any manufacturer, especially when you ship high volumes of products to big‐box retailers. Since all big‐box operators have rigid requirements for shipments coming into their distribution centers and stores, it’s critical to ensure pallets and cartons are labeled precisely. Get it right and inventory will almost always sail through without a hitch. Make a mistake however, and you’ll likely see delays, rejected deliveries, extra charges and costly rework to get your products on store shelves.

UNDERSTAND REQUIREMENTS

The first step to preparing shipments to big‐box stores is understanding their labeling requirements. While many retailers use certain common elements and regulatory requirements may apply to labeling standards within certain product categories, no single set of pallet labeling standards applies to all industries. Each big‐box retailer establishes detailed requirements for their receiving operations.

The first thing shipping teams should do is obtain the labeling guidelines for each big‐box retailer — never assume that what’s acceptable for one will work for another. Each big‐box store will have specific requirements for everything from what goes on each label to how many labels are required to exactly where labels should be applied. For example, Walmart’s supply chain packaging guide, which runs several hundred pages, includes multiple pages of instructions and requirements just for pallet labeling.

DEPLOY A LABELING SOLUTION

Once you understand the requirements, your next step is to deploy a labeling solution that will keep you in compliance while keeping pace with shipments moving through your packaging and shipping workflows. For high‐volume operations, an automated print‐and‐apply labeling machine is an ideal solution that can be customized to your business.

With an automated print‐and‐apply labeling solution, you’ll eliminate potential slowdowns and errors associated with manual systems. Plus, you’ll take workers out of production areas where labels are applied, minimizing the potential for costly injuries and accidents.

Keep in mind that all print‐and‐apply solutions aren’t created equal. You need a solution that can keep pace with your operations while delivering the flexibility required to address the varying requirements of different big‐box distribution centers and — perhaps most importantly — ensure reliable performance day after day, shift after shift.

ALL‐ELECTRIC PRINT & APPLY LABELING MACHINE

At Diagraph, a key component of our all‐electric PA7100 print‐and‐apply labeling machine is the Zebra ZE500 Series OEM thermal printer engine. We know from experience that we can count on Zebra printer engines to deliver industry‐leading print performance and durability for 4‐ and 6‐inch carton and pallet labels in your print‐and‐apply solutions. They feature durable, all‐metal construction for long‐lasting durability and deliver print speeds that can match the throughput of high‐volume production lines. Plus, they’re easy to set up, manage and maintain onsite or remotely to help schedule maintenance and prevent unexpected interruptions.

With an all‐electric Diagraph PA7100 print‐and‐apply labeling machine using a Zebra OEM print engine, you’ll have a pallet and case labeling system that can help you maximize performance, compliance and profitability. To learn more, contact your Diagraph representative.

Diagraph continues its long-standing history of innovation in the case coding industry with the introduction of the ResMark 5000 print system. The patented quick disconnect feature which allows for a quick and simple disconnection and replacement of the print head is among the ResMark system’s many features.

Removal and replacement of an inkjet print head may be required if the print head is damaged or improperly functioning, if it needs cleaning or if a new print image with a larger print height requires a larger print head. The quick disconnect feature on the ResMark 5000 system allows this to be done quickly and without mess.

The ResMark 5000 print system utilizes two components: the ink supply module and the print head module. The ink supply module’s quick disconnect coupling isolates the internal ink supply components and tubing and ensures ink will not leak out when not coupled with the print head. To install the print head, the ink supply module coupling is inserted into the print head with the print head horizontally oriented. Once the ink supply module is fully inserted, the print head module is rotated 90° to a fully upright position. This action not only fully seals the connection ensuring no ink leaks out between the two modules, it also opens the ink supply tubing allowing ink to flow from the ink supply module to the print head and back. This entire process of removal and replacement can be conducted while the system is still fully powered. No other print systems allow for quicker serviceability than the ResMark 5000.

For more information regarding the ResMark 5000 piezo inkjet system, refer to Diagraph’s website at the link below:

https://www.diagraph.com/products/casecoding/highresolutioninkjetprinter/resmark5000

Errors can create downtime and missed deadlines. In today's environment, extended downtime is not something a company can afford to have happen. It is vital to understand why errors are occurring and to keep those coding errors to an absolute minimum. If an error is made at the start of the process but not detected until the end, the cost of rework and rescheduling reduces profits.

Mistakes can and do happen. Below are some of the main reasons coding errors occur so frequently.

• High staff turnover on manufacturing production lines means ensuring effective staff communication and training can be challenging.
• User interfaces that are not easy to use and intuitive increase the chance of users inadvertently creating errors through misunderstanding of the system structure.
• With the added complexity of diversity in the workforce, companies may find there are many languages spoken on their production lines. This can impact effective communication and training.
• The wide variety of equipment on any production line.

Of course, it is a good practice to audit coding errors and analyze their causes. This can pinpoint clear actions for improvements such as individual or group training requirements or identify which equipment needs updating or replacing if it has become unreliable.

What should you look for in a user interface?

Eliminating 100% of coding errors is not possible due to the human factor. However, with the wide choice of user interfaces on the market, it makes sense to incorporate as many beneficial features as possible which suit your requirements and workforce. This approach helps reduce operator errors and keeps your downtime to an absolute minimum.

How to spot a great user interface

• Multiple operator languages (user selectable) with onscreen keyboards and a secondary keyboard for multi-language printing
• Password-protected functions with customizable user profiles
• Simple message creation and editing with drag-and-drop field positioning, zoom function and insert mode for long messages
• Easy buttons for fool-proof selection in a busy production environment
• Intuitive process with clear menu setup and easy editing
• Customizable top screen and on-screen message prompts for faster, accurate code setup

Remember, no one piece of equipment is going to solve your coding errors. You will always need good staff training, teamwork and processes. However, a good user interface that guides employees through initial set up can ensure errors are kept to a minimum. This will go a long way to keeping costs low, reducing downtime and most importantly, keeping your customers happy.

When it comes to labels used in packaging, not all are made the same way. Specific environments, like hot and humid, wet or frozen, will require a compatible label material to stay adhered properly to packaging. It is crucial that labels are readable, scannable, and safe to use and dispose of. To meet compliance, labels must remain adhered for consumer and retail-use despite the environmental factors the labeled package has to endure.

Common Issues with Labels in High Temperature Environments

Something to be aware of when considering using labeling for product identification in a hot or humid environment is that labels are sensitive to temperature, making facility environment temperature a determining factor in choosing what label material to use on a product.  

Some common issues with labels as environmental temperatures rise:

• Labels not dispensing properly and causing applicator jams
• Labels adhering to the roll instead of onto the product
• Label liner peeling or curling
• Labels falling off

As summer kicks in, and temperatures rise, adhesive related problems will affect the quality of a label -- making it difficult to peel from the labeling machine and to stick to the product. Adhesives, the pre-applied glue specially engineered to perform on pressure sensitive applications, get softer and edges get tackier resulting in labels that are difficult to remove off the original roll. Strong adhesive can make release of these labels from the roll a struggle. Dispensing issues caused by adhesive can disrupt product labeling and lead to damaged labels and jammed applicators.

A label liner is likely to expand or curl with high humidity, causing the adhesive to ooze. This curling liner makes label processing challenging in a printer or label applicator. Also, the ooze from the adhesive can cause printer jams and damage to the printheads.

Best Practices for Label Storage in Extreme Temperatures

Even the most pressure-sensitive label adhesives soften as temperatures rise. Hence, storing labels properly can make the difference between a label that survives these changes in weather versus the one that will peel or deteriorate.

Some ideas for storing label rolls properly and protecting them from the heat include:

• Have label rolls sit upright. Do not lay them flat if possible, to prevent sliding on the liner.
• Store your label rolls in plastic bags to decrease humidity exposure.
• Store label rolls lower to the ground to reduce their exposure to top-shelf temperatures that can be 20° to 30° hotter.
• Fan the label stack helping to improve label processing.
• Use a utility rack with hanging dowels to store label rolls.
• Store label rolls by stacking them end-to-end.

Understand Labeling from the System to the Consumables

Many environmental factors must be called into question when assessing the labeling process. Temperature is only one of many considerations to determine how to effectively apply labels to product. Our Diagraph specialists are well-versed in providing site evaluations aimed at determining the best fit application for your labeling operation. Whether the survey is conducted on-site or virtually by answering a series of determining questions, we are here to help you understand your labeling solution options and what it looks like in even the most extreme industrial environments. Reach out to us today to start your evaluation. 

There is a debate in the packaging technology industry on which is a superior labeling power source for automated labeling equipment — pneumatic air or electric? Pneumatic labeling systems are built around timing-based commands that drive label movements depending on the reliability of the pneumatic air supply, while all-electric labeling systems are built around real time data-based commands that allow for total control of the labeling process.

The difference between the two approaches is night and day — like the difference between VHS and high-resolution digital streaming technology. The more manufacturers understand the advantages of all-electric labeling, the more pneumatic systems will go the way of VHS tapes and rotary phones.

Every labeling system, regardless of core technology, can incorporate sensors for feedback. Recall the times you have seen a product strike a pneumatic labeler’s actuator arm while moving down the packaging line. This happens all too often with pneumatic labelers because the control of the label feed and actuator arm is not reacting to real-time feedback from sensors. Instead it is following pre-programmed timing commands and relying on the programmed settings for the pneumatic air supply (regardless of the actual pressure in real-time).

Free from the timing control constraints found in pneumatic air powered machines, Diagraph’s all-electric labeling systems can interpret feedback from smart sensors in real-time to allow for total control of the label throughout transit. Combining strategically placed sensors with brushless DC servo motors allows Diagraph’s labeling systems to operate with extreme precision, guaranteeing one-to-one label-to-product matching time after time. The all-electric, servo-driven actuator maintains speed consistency, while “smart” sensors confirm that a label is present for application, and even provide the ability to control impact on the product being labeled. The system doesn’t have to rely on inconsistent air pressure to manage this process.

Another advantage of the all-electric method over the pneumatic air method centers around the tamp pad. Pneumatic driven label applicators utilize venturi vacuum technology to control the transit of the label from the tamp pad to the product. Nearly the entire surface of a pneumatic machine’s tamp pad needs to be covered by the label to maintain proper suction. Unlike pneumatic machines, Diagraph’s all-electric label applicators utilize an electric fan to create vacuum, allowing Diagraph labelers to accommodate multiple label sizes utilizing a single tamp pad. This saves time during label size changeovers as well as money.

With 130 years in the marking and coding industry, Diagraph has a rich history of providing highly durable and reliable labeling and inkjet solutions. Diagraph was the first to offer all-electric labeling solutions to handle all modes of label application including tamp, swing and tamp-blow. The result is a robust lineup of automated labeling solutions that offer benefits only found in all-electric systems that don’t compromise on labels sizes or performance.

Click here for a comparison of all-electric and pneumatic labeling systems.

What is efficiency?

Linx believes using your resources (equipment, materials, time, energy and people) in the most productive manner. Put another way: it’s getting the most out of what you have without spending more money.

Why should you focus on efficiency?

With budgets being squeezed on all sides, challenges in staff recruitment and retention and requirements to operate in a LEAN environment, it is imperative that efficiency is maximized on all sides.

Wherever you are located and whatever you produce, improved efficiency will make a difference to your bottom line.

Linx small character continuous inkjet (CIJ) systems and laser coders provide efficiency in three main areas:

Why is Diagraph a good efficiency partner?

With Diagraph, we actively promote efficient ways of working, and will partner with you to improve on the three key areas of availability, throughput and output quality.

Manufacturers often require small variable information such as expiration dates and lot and batch codes to be printed on their products. Continuous inkjet printing (CIJ) continues to be the technology of choice for these applications. As there are several technologies capable of printing small characters, one may ask "why CIJ?”. Speed and throw distance are two essential reasons CIJ is the right technology for your application.

SPEED

A coding system that does not keep up with your production line speeds will hinder your production output. Thermal Inkjet printing can print up to 250 fpm. Piezo high -esolution printing can print up to 200 fpm. Linx 8900 Series CIJ prints 3 lines of print at more than 450 fpm and can exceed 1400 fpm with a single line of print. Make sure your printer meets or exceeds your productivity demands.

THROW DISTANCE

A significant contributor to legible print quality is the distance between an inkjet printer and the product. Product shape, material handling and available real estate on a production line dictates the print head to product distance. Thermal inkjet requires a smooth surface with little vibration and print head placement within 8mm (0.3 inches) from the target product for best print. Piezo print heads have the same printing requirements with 10mm (0.4 inches) maximum distance. Since CIJ characters are formed in a dot matrix style, the overall print height expands the further away it is from the target allowing for 12mm (0.5 inches) to 50mm (2 inches) throw distance. Because CIJ has longer ink throw, it easily prints on smooth, curved and irregular surfaces from a greater distance.

Contact us to find out more about Linx 8900 Series continuous inkjet printers.

When it comes to contract packaging, companies are increasingly looking to consolidate their code printing requirements. Using multiple devices to print onto different sized containers and different material types is costly and inefficient. Companies now need to offer a full-service solution to be relevant and competitive.

Coding requirements may differ between the primary and secondary packaging. These requirements include printing on different substrates such as plastic, cardboard and metal. Traceability requirements such as visible, permanent codes to manage product recalls may not differ, but code sizes will likely be different. You could be wasting time and money if you are using multiple printers to achieve these requirements.

New packaging trends

Contract packagers also need to support packaging trends such as new substrates, packaging product shapes and sizes and environmental initiatives such as reducing materials. For example, packaging a product that offers single serving portions as well as the standard size portions requires a coder which can print the same information on different packaging shapes and sizes. The information must be accurate, legible and permanent to ensure traceability—it’s no use if a code can be smudged or wiped off a particular substrate.

Keeping costs down

Many contract packaging companies are introducing manufacturing techniques to cut costs and improve competitiveness. By implementing the right printing technology into your contract packaging business, you can significantly cut costs, remain competitive and offer more to your customers.

You can significantly cut costs in the following areas with a single printing solution:

• Equipment costs. Purchase and maintain a single coder that can complete all your required tasks for primary and secondary packaging.
• Maximize efficiency. The production line is only as fast as the coder, so choose a coder with high reliability and long service intervals that is also quick and easy to maintain.
• Quick set ups. Ensure you can switch product runs quickly to keep the production line moving for longer. Choose a coder with an intuitive and easy-to-use interface for quick set ups.

Product Identification Equipment

Diagraph’s Linx continuous inkjet printers (CIJ), thermal inkjet, large character printers, laser coders and thermal transfer overprinters can print information such as text, dates, barcodes and logos on a wide range of porous and non-porous substrates. This enables both primary and secondary coding with easy-to-use, easy-to-maintain printers, making your contract packaging operation more efficient and cost effective.

• Reliability: Diagraph’s coders are industry leaders in reliability, with long service intervals and robust design. For example, the Linx CIJ 8900 coders have an enclosure rating of up to IP65 to ensure the highest reliability. They can be self-serviced in minutes with no special training required.
• Ease of use: Our coders have intuitive interfaces which make it easy to select and store messages. Consumable changes such as ink or ribbons are simple and mess-free and can even be done without stopping the printer in some situations, saving you downtime.
• Mobility: Our Linx 8900 CIJ printers can weigh as little as 24 pounds complete with fluids, making it quick and easy to move between production lines and set up for coding.
• Versatility: Diagraph’s printers offer flexibility in print orientations with no compromise on print quality or printer reliability. Laser coders are recommended for advanced applications due to their any-orientation configuration.
• Flexibility: The Linx 8900 printers are available with a range of inks or ribbon colors and types for most porous and non-porous substrates.

Find out how Diagraph can help you expand your contract packing capabilities by contacting us.

How Push-Mode Piezo Print Technology Saves Significant Costs in Packaging Compliance

Every package printed with a noncompliant mark is a package you can't ship, costing your company time and money. Improving print technology can help improve packaging compliance. Diagraph's industrial inkjet printing technology was built specifically to improve print quality and production line uptime for manufacturing environments.

Push-Mode Piezo Print Engines

With a single actuation, Diagraph’s push-mode piezo print technology can dispense three times the volume of ink compared to a shared bend-mode piezo print system. The push-mode piezo technology fires once per pixel while bend-mode print engines fire three or more times per pixel.

Reduced firing actuations lengthen the life of Diagraph’s print engine by three times compared to other engines on the market. The darker, single drop provides greater ink contrast for better code scanning and package compliance.

Benefits of Push-Mode Print Technology

Push-mode piezo print technology provides several benefits above and beyond those available with bend-mode piezo print systems.

• The greater volume of ink throw and greater ink throw distance of push-mode piezo print technology helps keep dust and debris away from the printhead. The greater ink throw distance also allows for more flexibility in the print line.
• Fewer packages will be misprinted since the printhead’s larger alignment range allows for clear and accurate printing.
• The larger nozzle is easier to keep clean.
• Diagraph’s print engine technology has an auto cleaning function built in. Instead of having to stop production and clean the nozzles separately, Diagraph’s software runs a cleaning cycle while the system is operating. The nozzles can be cleaned in as little as ten seconds, with virtually no loss of production time.

Repair, Not Replace

Diagraph’s print engine technology is designed to be repairable so it can be fixed easily and cost effectively. A Diagraph repaired printhead can be ordered for an online swap of a current print system at less than 40-50% the cost of a new printhead. Replacing a bend-mode inkjet printhead costs 100% of the original printhead.

The working life of a Diagraph inkjet printing system using a push-mode piezo print engine is up to 10 years when properly maintained. The working life for a bend-mode printhead that sees the same amount of use is 2 to 3 years. The cost savings add up very quickly for any company printing and shipping large amounts of product.

Diagraph’s push-mode print engine has a published lifetime of >90 billion firings—almost four times longer than some competitive systems that claim 25 billion firings. Diagraph’s industrial inkjet print technology provides fast, accurate and reliable printing on packaging—ensuring all packages are compliant with shipping regulations.

Watch our animation to learn more.

Click here to request a free sample of your logo printed by our push-mode piezo print engine and see the difference!

Laser coding, the solution to tackling counterfeiting

By Chris Clarke, Linx Laser Sales Manager

A laser mark can be used as an important security feature to avoid the counterfeiting of your products.

Counterfeiting can be defined as illegally making something that imitates an authentic product. This could include consumer products such as handbags, watches and fashion clothing. It can also be consumables such as alcoholic spirits, cigarettes and pharmaceutical products.

Each year, thousands of counterfeit goods are seized. However, with the necessary tools becoming more accessible, the quality of counterfeit products have risen to a point where they are much harder to detect than ever before.

Counterfeiting and its impact

Counterfeiting is a global issue which continues to increase year over year. Some estimates state the international trade in counterfeit and pirated goods could reach close to $1 trillion by the end of the decade.[1]

The impact of counterfeiting can affect the profitability of the legitimate company and its reputation. Fewer goods sold results in revenue declines. And the potential lower quality of the counterfeited goods can also negatively affect a company’s reputation.

Refilling genuine packaging with counterfeit product also has a large impact. While this has typically been seen in the beverage industry, more recent examples include the practice of refilling CBD oil bottles and tinctures.

So how do we tackle it?

Anti-counterfeiting measures provide a method which can reduce or eliminate the ability of a counterfeiter to copy a product.

Measures include:

• Providing overt marking which is difficult to reproduce
• Adding discreet marking for traceability to determine if a product is real or fake
• Providing permanent marks such as best before dates on packaging to deter refilling by other companies

Coding and marking can be the surest way to protect against counterfeiting today. The best coding and marking solutions provide excellent protection against counterfeiters and the robust, permanent and complex codes they produce are increasingly the best defense.

Laser marking: A security feature

What are the benefits of using laser coding to avoid counterfeiting?

Of all the different coding technologies, laser coding is often most attractive to companies concerned about counterfeiting because a laser coder can print permanent, high-quality codes at all line speeds onto a wide range of substrates including glass, coated metal, labels and plastic.

Laser codes can’t be rubbed off, making them the ideal solution for traceability and anti-counterfeiting.

• Laser marking creates a permanent, indelible mark.
• Distinct codes create added complexity to deter counterfeiters.
• Laser marks can be discreet or easily visible.
• Numerous materials can be laser marked (e.g. paper, glass, plastics).
• Laser marking is a fast process which can keep pace with all production line speeds.
• Codes can show traceability of the product and help determine if the product is fake or genuine.

Whether you are a small operation or a large-scale manufacturer, consider a laser-based marking solution to protect your business. It will provide you with high-quality codes, save you money in the long term and increase your protection against the counterfeiters who seek to profit from your brand.

Read our case study to find out how the Linx CSL30 laser provided product marking and brand protection for a CBD manufacturer.

Contact us today to request a sample that shows how our Linx laser coders can produce crisp, permanent text or graphics on many different packaging materials including coated paper and card, plastic, glass, rubber, coated metal and anodized aluminum.

Ink for CIJ Printers

Diagraph offers the 1088 Yellow Bottling Pigmented Ink for the Linx 89xx Series printers designed for use in harsh manufacturing environments.

This content was submitted directly to this website by the supplier.

From - Diagraph, An ITW Company

June 2nd, 2021

New accessories are also available for use with the printers, cover tube seal, splash cover, and specialty air knife kit, each designed to help food manufacturers with humid environments meet production requirements.

Many food producers face additional challenges in complying with coding requirements when their production environment has high humidity or when condensation is present and/or builds up on cold fill packaging. The presence of moisture is problematic for coding quality and can negatively impact coding equipment performance.

Michelle Chamberlain, Diagraph Product Manager, said, “The Linx 89xx Series printers, with their stainless-steel construction and IP55/IP65 protection ratings, are designed to operate reliably in tough industrial environments. When application conditions go beyond normal humidity or when condensation builds up, the engineered Linx 89xx offered by Diagraph keeps production on target. The new pigmented ink and accessories are designed to make it easier for our customers to meet their production requirements.”

The  Linx 1088 Yellow Bottling Pigmented ink, from coding and marking solutions manufacturer Diagraph, provides contrast on dark substrates and is designed for adherence onto wet, slick substrates. The ink can be removed with a light caustic wash for returnable glass bottle applications. Other Linx inks include the Linx black wet process or bottling inks which are used when it is critical for marks to remain stable through tough freeze/thaw, cold room or cold fill coding applications.

PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO (Sept. 27-29, Las Vegas Convention Center) will reunite the packaging and processing community, offering new products, technologies and solutions, while implementing up-to-date protocols for a safe and successful in-person event. Attendee registration is now open.

Products containing animal milk are on a constant time clock. Cows must be milked every day, meaning it is possible for dairy operations to be running 24/7 to get products with an under 20-day expiration period out the door and onto shelves. In these fast-paced manufacturing environments for fluid milk, cheese, yogurt, butter and ice cream products, there are several factors that impact the method and features required for achieving legible marks and labels onto packaging.

DOWNTIME

With perishability of dairy products, there is great urgency for products containing milk to make it to grocers’ shelves with the right product identification. Without proper codes, products won’t even be allowed to ship. Any delay could have health risks for consumers and potential negative financial impact for the manufacturer. 

Look for non-contact coders with features focused on maintaining maximum uptime such as:

• Self-servicing: For example, Linx 8900 Series continuous inkjet coders can be serviced on the line using the Easi Change Service Module–eliminating the need to wait for a technician. 
• Pre-programmed line settings: When switching between packaging sizes, like pints to quarts to gallons, stored line settings with accurate codes for each type speeds up the changeover process and reduces errors. 

ENVIRONMENT

Cold, wet environments characterize dairy manufacturing facilities. Fluid milks and cheeses can perish quickly and require constant refrigeration from the production line to the delivery truck all the way to the grocery store. Mixing and filling stations call for washdown procedures to prevent contamination and create a damp environment for coding and other equipment.

Coding equipment should include the following features to uphold against these environmental factors:

• Stainless steel finishes withstand washdown environments better than anondized finishes.
• The Linx 8900 Series IP ratings ensure no ingression of moisture into critical parts of the printer and continual reliable printing.
• Internal temperature monitoring in the printhead makes the necessary adjustments to maintain ink viscosity–ensuring your code quality is consistent, even if the ambient temperature fluctuates.

We recommend the Linx 8900 Series printers for their reliable performance in dairy processing environments. To further improve your batch and date coding in the dairy industry, we can suggest additional accessories like fork style photocell sensors for the most accurate coding, positive air added in the printer cabinet to protect against contaminants entering system and end coders.

Contact Diagraph today to learn more about how these small character inkjet printers can improve your date and batch coding operation.

Click here to learn what marking & coding solution is right for your dairy application. 

Not enough time in your day? Are you tired of firefighting coding defects? Stop being vulnerable to human mistakes and resource drains with NEXTConnect. This centralized dashboard saves you time and footsteps and offers peace of mind that your product is accurately coded. Become empowered to master critical coding tasks from a single screen, whether working from your PC, laptop or mobile device.

Benefits of NEXTConnect

Saves time and motion. NEXTConnect saves time and motion required for operating product identification equipment across primary, secondary and tertiary packaging levels within a centralized dashboard. The centralized dashboard provides visual indicators (printing, paused, idle or error state) across technologies of connected equipment due to its remote printer management and monitoring application. The visual indicators provide real time status as well as a preview of the currently printing message. Real time status indicators allow resources to be deployed where and when needed. In addition to the indicators, notification of events and maintenance due reminders allow you to schedule resources as efficiently as possible.

Easy to use. You can directly populate print messages with your ERP’s product and job information using the centralized printer management software. Product identification errors are virtually eliminated by centralizing the print message selection. The NEXTConnect application can also increase efficiencies by sharing print messages across all compatible coders in your entire connected fleet.

Watch this video and contact us to schedule a 2-minute software demo of NEXTConnect.

See how easy it can be for you to achieve the peace of mind that your operations are running at an optimal level.

Nutraceuticals are a rapidly expanding market in the United States and the market is expected to continue its growth by more than 8% over the next six years*. Laser coders are an ideal solution for the nutraceuticals market as they provide robust traceability to meet every budget, line speed and substrate material need.

What are Nutraceuticals?

Nutraceuticals are products derived from food sources that are reported to provide health benefits in addition to the normal nutritional value found in foods. Some examples of nutraceuticals are natural whole foods, dietary supplements, vitamins, minerals, fortified dairy products, herbal products, milk and cereals. The United States has seen significant growth in products containing CBD and THC following legalization in specific states.

Why do they need marking?

Typically, foods will require a best before and / or a use by date. Batch and traceability codes may also be needed. Direct marking is sometimes required on the surface of THC edible products to provide a warning symbol.

Why are lasers the ideal marking solution for nutraceutical customers?

Some important benefits lasers provide are:

• Ability to mark on multiple surfaces (e.g. plastic containers, laminated pouches, glass bottles, etc.)
• Marking on individual products on a moving production line or stationary batches of products in trays
• Consumables (e.g. inks, solvents, dyes or labels) are not required
• Message content, size and style of font and logos are quick and easy to change
• A permanent legible mark is generated to help avoid tampering of use by dates and refilling by third parties
• Addition of traceability in the event of a product recall
• Visible warning indicators are created with non-contact marking on edibles

Contact Diagraph today to discover the benefits Linx Lasers can provide your company.

*Source: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200520005477/en/722-Billion-Nutraceutical-Market-Size-and-Share-Breakdown-by-Product-and-Region---ResearchAndMarkets.com

Pharmaceutical manufacturer upgrades their laser coders from 30W to 60W to increase the throughput to meet production demand for COVID-19 vaccine.

A major manufacturer of pharmaceuticals produces medicines and now COVID-19 vaccines on high-speed lines. Because this customer had 20 years’ experience with Linx printers, they didn’t hesitate when they needed to upgrade their laser coders to increase throughput to meet demand.

The customer need

The customer codes four lines of human readable code onto paper labels which are then applied to ampoules running at a rate of 400 items per minute. The laser codes while the line is static, and the static coding time is 300 fps. The lines run two shifts a day, five days a week.

On another line, the customer codes four lines of human readable code plus a data matrix code onto carton boxes. The production line speed is 131 feet per minute and 250 cartons are coded every minute. These lines run for two shifts a day, five days a week.

The Linx solution

The Linx CSL60 laser coder is a 60W, CO2 scribing laser coder that offers reliable coding for faster and more demanding operations enabling the customer to increase capacity. The flexibility of the coder means that the customer can have the right combination of tube and lens for their application. This level of tailoring means that the laser tube is always running at an optimum rate, which extends the laser tube life beyond other suppliers, and also extends the time between service intervals. As a result, the customer will enjoy less downtime and a lower cost of ownership.

Coding and marking specialist Linx Printing Technologies has launched its new Linx Yellow bottling ink 1088 to meet the demands of customers who require a high contrast code on dark colored bottles. These bottles are usually returned from the marketplace and cleaned in a caustic wash process, typically used for returnable bottles, before refilling and coding.

The new fast-drying ink is specially formulated to provide excellent adhesion on glass and to withstand the manufacturing process, packaging and condensation. The ink delivers clear, legible codes onto glass and keeps adhesion in cold-room condensation conditions. There is no compromise on the quality of the code – the ink delivers high-quality, durable coding so that customers can meet the regulations and protect their brands.

The new Linx Yellow bottling ink 1088 has been specifically developed for the market leading Linx 8900 and 8800 Series continuous ink jet (CIJ) coders and is a pigmented ink.

The new ink is also suitable for a weak caustic wash process to remove codes on steel, nylon and PET kegs and barrels.

“We are delighted to introduce this new ink which complements the Linx Black bottling ink 1068 launched in 2018.” said Simon Millett, Linx Product Manager for Inks. “Due to the ink’s fast dry properties, the printed code resists refrigerator storage and immersion in water, making it ideal for beverage applications like beer and soft drinks. In addition to providing a high contrast code on dark brown and green bottles, the new Linx Yellow bottling ink 1088 is also suitable when a more unobtrusive code is needed on clear glass bottles.”

Marking and coding equipment should help contract packagers improve productivity. Diagraph accomplishes this by keeping equipment intervention requirements for our product identification equipment to a minimum.

• We design and manufacture coding and labeling equipment to last longer
• We are focused on operator and maintenance team product training
• We partner with customers to develop a proactive game plan that keeps their coding and labeling equipment well utilized and appropriately upgrade

Designing Coding and Labeling Equipment to Last

Diagraph’s coding and labeling equipment runs cleaner for longer between required interventions and withstands wear and tear, increasing its useful life. This leads to greater equipment uptime and a stronger return on investment over the life of Diagraph equipment.

The number of steps required for routine interventions as well as the length of time between those interventions is minimized. Product capabilities like automatic printhead cleanings help keep inkjet coders operating with optimal print quality for longer. Examining consumable replenishment practices and centralizing ink refills or providing a quick turn label stock webbing approach makes required interventions quicker and hassle-free.

Finally, quality materials and thoughtful engineering matter when it comes to the longevity of your equipment. Diagraph’s focus on impact resistant designs – whether it be an inkjet coder or a labeler – ensures long-term product reliability.

Setting People Up for Success

After making sure your product coding equipment is properly matched to your application and contract packaging environment, it is essential to make sure your line operators and maintenance staff know how to properly handle and maintain your equipment.

Diagraph’s equipment is designed to have fewer touchpoints to enable hassle-free installation, training and maintenance. These easy access touchpoints minimize the amount of time required and eliminate the need to access the entire system to perform maintenance or changeovers.

Because contract packagers regularly deal with worker turnover challenges, routine training to keep workers knowledgeable and able to be good stewards of your equipment is critical. We offer refresher-level training opportunities with each scheduled service visit from a Diagraph field service engineer. In addition, in-depth training is offered on location or at the Diagraph training facility in St. Charles, Missouri.

Partnering to Develop a Game Plan

Our most successful customers partner with us to regularly evaluate and maintain their coding and labeling equipment. We perform routine equipment assessments, provide regularly scheduled service and develop long-term equipment upgrade plans.

Equipment is kept running longer and the need for unplanned interventions is reduced by staying ahead of wear-caused failures and by properly maintaining equipment. As with all things electro-mechanical, equipment performance will eventually impact production throughputs. We help you navigate the useful life of your equipment to determine when to repair and maintain a system and when to upgrade and benefit from performance and feature enhancements.

By working closely together, our account teams can help you develop a multi-year plan that provides measurable cost savings opportunities due to system efficiency gains and consumable usage optimization. These strategic audits also help customers strategically sequence system upgrades of their older technologies to avoid the sticker shock created if your product identification equipment fails at the same time.

Our goal is to always to make it easy for our customers to make the perfect mark. Find the right product for your application by completing this short assessment. 

Call us today at 800.722.1125 to learn more about how Diagraph partners with manufacturers to achieve product identification and packaging compliance success.

Many quality equipment manufacturers strive for an easy to use designation. When comparing the ease of use of products, nothing is simpler than distilling a process down to a single step. Diagraph focuses on delivering one touch solutions that make it easy for our customers to make the perfect mark.

When evaluating product coding solutions, it is important to consider the following:

One Touch Consumable Replenishment

Consumable replenishment is the most frequent type of product coding equipment intervention and finding a solution that offers a one touch process saves time, money and keeps work simple for operators.

The simple one touch design on our Linx 8900 Series small character and Thermal Jet high-resolution inkjet coders allows you to open the ink compartment with a simple press of the door. No tools, twisting or turning is required to access the compartments. Fluid cartridges easily slide in and out, with no need to spend time pouring fluids into the printer.

Our high resolution Thermal Jet printers feature easy “snap in/snap out” HP cartridge replacement.

Centralized Ink Management

The Diagraph IJ4000 high-resolution inkjet printer’s centralized ink delivery system provides a single point for fluid monitoring and replenishing. Because the Diagraph IJ4000 can drive up to four individual printheads, this centralized ink delivery system approach eliminates the need to monitor ink levels on individual printheads, guaranteeing that ink won’t run out at different times. Refilling the ink delivery system is also a one step process that can be performed while the printer is still running.

Configurable User Interfaces

Coding equipment that allows for the configuration of operator screens enables manufacturers to put the printer functions most important for day-to-day operations right at their workers’ fingertips. This simplifies print message selection and allows operators to easily access saved printer configurations when preparing for production changeovers.

Interested in learning more about how you can save time and money by upgrading to easier to use product coding equipment? Speak with a Diagraph product identification expert today by calling 1.800.722.1125 or contacting us through the website.

2020 will go down in history as a challenging time for food producers. While it is vital that food supplies to supermarkets are uninterrupted and rigorous hygiene is maintained, we should not forget the importance of the printed information that is provided to the consumer when it is on the shelf. There are heavy fines for batch and date codes that do not meet required legislation, and the printed codes must meet stringent traceability requirements should any recall be needed.

What to research

How do you go about ensuring you have the best possible coding equipment for the job in hand? As with any purchase, it always pays to do research and you may want to consider the following:

• Substrate – think of the range of different materials on which you will need to print. It’s a good idea to ask for samples coded by the printer you are considering.
• Line speed – can the printer keep up with your line speed? If not, what will the degradation be to the code? Also, make sure you future-proof your printer for a potential increase in output. No-one likes to buy twice!
• Factory environment – this can be tricky for coding onto food products. You need to ensure your printer and ink can cope with greasy environments, plastic film and the cooking process to name but a few. (Check out our ink blog for the latest ink developments at Linx, specifically developed for the food industry).
• Budget – don’t be swayed to purchase based on the printer price alone. Consider the total cost of ownership and factor in reliability–there is nothing more costly than a breakdown and we all know they never occur at a convenient time.

Why Linx is a good choice for the food industry

Linx’s continuous inkjet (CIJ) printers, with a minimum IP55 rating to withstand washdown, are an excellent choice for the food industry. They deliver quality coding with exceptional reliability, ease of use and efficient operations. Simple user interfaces with built-in mistake proofing help keep uptime to a maximum. Touch screens are solvent and alcohol resistant so they can be operated while wearing plastic or rubber gloves, and operators can use hand sanitizers to stay healthy and still operate the printer.

Linx CIJs are the optimum coders for the harsh environment of food production, and reduce stoppages through:

• extended service intervals
• three monthly printhead cleans
• fluid refills during printing and eight-hour fluid reserve

Linx’s extensive experience in the food industry translates into coders that are perfectly suited to challenging environments.

We’ve all been there. Starving at the end of the day and rushing into a supermarket to pick up something to eat. Consumers may give a cursory glance at the best before date on the package to confirm that the item is safe to eat. They give no thought (and why should they) to how much research and development has gone into the ink displaying the information on the package. Not so for those responsible for coding and marking in the food industry.

Advice for food manufacturers

Manufacturers need to understand the complexities and range of ink available and what ink is best for their product, in terms of quality, reliability and budget.

Of course, it’s not just the date code that is printed on food products. Traceability or batch codes, required by law, are also included. Heavy fines can be imposed if the codes are not up to standard–and the monetary and reputational damage to the manufacturer could be extensive.

Linx inks quality & range

Every batch of Linx ink is quality tested to the highest specifications in accordance with ISO 9001. While no one standard ink is applicable for all uses, there are extensive choices available for the food industry. These include inks that are deliver high-quality results and are suitable for printing onto food products themselves, such as eggs and cheese, and specialist inks for printing on the full range of packaging materials from paper labels and cardboard to plastic packaging and bottles.

Inks for harsh environments

Linx inks are suitable for harsh environments, are fade resistant, quick drying and certified food grade. Adherence is key when coding onto polyethylene and other plastic containers, and Linx has an ink that does that with ease. In today’s hygiene conscious production environments, alcohol resistant ink can be used where products and production lines are cleaned down with alcohol-based cleaners.

Inks for retort processes

Linx’s black retort ink is formulated to resist moisture and transference. This ink is ideal for consistent coding through can and pouch retort applications where the contents are cooked in the packaging after they are coded. Another option for the retort processes in food production are thermochromic inks, which undergo a chemically resistant color change when subjected to wet heat conditions to provide a visual indicator that products have undergone the sterilization process.

Black inks for food manufacturing

Linx’s black inks come with a range of options, from fast-drying and able to withstand temperatures up to 400°F, through to oil-penetrating inks which print effectively through light layers of oil onto plastics, metal, glass and waxy surfaces, or where the code will be exposed to oil later in the process. The inks can provide excellent adhesion on flexible food packaging containers even where a light layer of condensation may be present.

There is also a black alcohol-based ink with low odor and good adherence to a range of substrates including most plastics. This ink is ketone and chromium-free, so it meets USDA requirements for incidental contact with meat and poultry. And to ensure producers meet their environmental goals, Linx also provides an array of eco-friendly MEK-free inks.

Linx inks meet food industry requirements

Because Linx’s extensive range of specialist inks are all certified for CIJ printers, you can rest assured your printing will meet legislative requirements in the food industry. And with online or customer service ordering, you will always have the correct ink in stock for your changeover needs.

by Michelle Chamberlain

Marking and coding products correctly is an essential part of the supply chain. Consumer packaged goods must meet packaging compliance to adhere to global and government regulations and retailer standards for product safety. Managing the printing of product codes remotely - with the right tools and software - not only eliminates waste associated with reduced time and motion along with reduced defects from key stroke errors, but also minimizes physical interaction risk to workers. You can monitor and manage your print production remotely by automating your marking, coding and labeling process. Centralized printer management software like NEXTConnect from Diagraph can help you with this.

Without NEXTConnect, each printer must be updated manually. However, with NEXTConnect software to monitor and manage your printers remotely, the need to physically touch the printers is removed - a huge benefit during Covid-19.
 

Common challenges manufacturers experience with production in normal circumstances are compounded during a disaster. These include:

• Managing three or more production lines with dedicated coding equipment on each line
• Applying product identification codes on your primary products and secondary cases while managing 20 or more product SKUs
• Manually entering production run and message information
• Automating production changeover processes, including print message selection
• Product scrappage or rework and significant organizational risk in the event of a recall due to coding errors

4 major attributes of centralized printer management software, like NEXTConnect, that facilitate remote work

• Remotely manage and monitor print production
• Receive printer status change notifications and advance reminders
• Synchronize production changeovers across all marking and coding equipment
• Share print messages across similar marking and coding equipment

Some other benefits of centralized printer management software include:

• Eliminating Coding Errors: Directly populate print messages with your ERP’s product and job information, virtually eliminating product identification errors.

• Streamlining Processes: Robust API enables connectivity to automate communication between your coding operations and your enterprise and factory automation systems. Batch print message changes and deploy them across all your marking and coding equipment with one click, greatly simplifying the coding side of your production changeover process.

• Continuous Oversight: Achieve constant visibility through a simple-to-use interface on your laptop, tablet, smartphone or other device and oversee your product identification process in real-time with direct access to your operational history.

With the NEXTConnect app, you can manage and monitor print production right from your smartphone, desktop or tablet. NEXTConnect works with iOS, Android and Windows.

Keeping production in essential industries is crucial and minimizing the risks of exposure to Covid-19 is equally important during this challenging time. Using a centralized printer management software suite that will allow you to control the process remotely is a vital tool to stay both safe and productive now and in the future.

Want to know more? Contact us to schedule a demonstration of NEXTConnect.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturers in essential industries such as food, hygiene products, and medical supplies are needed more than ever. It’s critical that these products continue to be produced and shipped in a timely manner, to support the growing demand. Current manufacturers are doing the best they can to keep their production up at this time. And moreover, companies in industries from cosmetics to breweries to sustainable clothing are pivoting in the face of the COVID-19 disaster.

But maintaining or increasing production to meet demand during this time, while vital, also brings challenges -- including gaps in the supply chain, dealing with new and heightened hygiene and safety requirements, and navigating new packaging compliance requirements during a company pivot.

Gaps in the Supply Chain

There’s no place on the planet that is not being impacted by COVID-19. With the globalization of manufacturer supply chains over the past several decades, this means that almost no supply chain will be unaffected by the crisis. Freight shipping has been drastically reduced in an attempt to help slow the spread of the virus. Truck driver shortages were already being reported before the spread of COVID-19, and now the demand for their services has only increased. With shelter in place orders, regions closing and opening on an unpredictable schedule, facilities having to follow quarantine restrictions, even essential manufacturers will be seeing shifts in their businesses.

To further complicate matters, supply chain disruptions cause food that is desperately needed to instead be wasted, as perishable food products are unable to reach market. Milk, for example, has been hit particularly hard already, as the U.S. government has been asking dairy farmers to dump their supply. Meat and produce can be frozen, grain can be moved into siloes, but milk and many other dairy products cannot be kept from spoiling over the long term and those dairy farmers are scrambling to pivot their bulk production to retail packaging.

Your company will be dealing with many potential points of failure across the supply chain. And there are more challenges to overcome as well.

Safety and Hygiene

Food, medical supplies, and other essential industries cannot afford to cut back production like other industries. But the workers in these industries are already seeing a much higher rate of infection than the general population. In North Carolina, 23 meatpacking plants have reported outbreaks, with more than 1,300 workers testing positive for COVID-19. And a meatpacking plant in Minnesota has reported almost 200 cases among its workers.

It’s more important than ever that companies implement good hygienic practices to keep workers safe. Proper deep cleaning procedures and 2-week quarantine periods can take time away from the production output of goods or shut down a plant all together. However, these measures ensure the health and safety of essential employees who are mission critical to meeting production demands that fuel the economy.

Pivoting Leaves a Margin of Error

A number of companies in non-essential industries are pivoting to provide essential supplies during this crisis. Breweries and distilleries are producing and shipping hand sanitizer, due to having the majority of the ingredients already in-house. Meanwhile, restaurants are selling groceries, and the dairy farms that previously sold in bulk are switching over to serve more direct retail clients.

But switching over production means new compliance requirements. Additionally, processing and coding technologies that worked well for previous product needs may not be suited to print on new substrates. With so many challenges being faced, how can manufacturers keep up? Luckily, it can be fast and easy to shift to a new product coding solution.

New Coding Solutions for New Problems

Small character inkjet coders, for instance, are a great solution for manufacturers wanting to add new printers on their line or for those manufacturers who have switched over to packaging hand sanitizer or more retail packaged foods. Alcohol resistant inks are even available to ensure proper code adhesion even on hand sanitizer products or to withstand more rigorous cleaning procedures. More advanced continuous inkjet systems have simple set-up requirements, making self-installation achievable for facilities keeping a lockdown on visitors.

And in this time of economic uncertainty, manufacturers can lease coding equipment, spreading out payments instead of having to spend a large amount of capital upfront for new printing systems. For operations requiring consumables like inks, ribbons or on-the-shelf spare parts, supplier partners can work up blanket contracts to ensure savings over the long-run. There are multiple ways manufacturers during this time of crisis can meet current and new coding demands in a cost-efficient way.

The New Normal

The landscape of business everywhere is changing rapidly and even essential business manufacturers will be feeling the impact of these changes.

Your company will be dealing with many challenges during this time -- potential points of failure across the supply chain, the dangers of pivoting, rigorous new safety and hygiene requirements. Don’t let your product coding be one of these new challenges. Not when the solution can be so simple. Talk with a Diagraph Marking & Coding consultant to understand your options if you’re being met with coding challenges in your production and we will help you understand your solution options and how to implement them.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is transforming manufacturing and a whole host of other industries. IIoT connects industrial devices that can monitor, collect, exchange, and analyze data, and leverage that data and connectivity to help you make smarter, faster and more effective business decisions.

Chances are, you’re already automating parts of your business -- but IIoT takes automation to a whole new level. Two major IIoT trends to watch for in 2020, according to Mobidev, are wireless connectivity and predictive analytics. If you aren’t leveraging IIoT as part of your marking and coding process, it’s a wasted opportunity.

How can IIoT innovate the product identification process?

Centralized printer management software connects wirelessly to your printing and coding equipment, creating a central database so that operators can review printing status and start jobs remotely using their mobile devices – among other capabilities. Centralized printer management software can also track prints and analyze operational history, to deliver valuable insights about your processes.

The robust interconnectedness of IIoT technology such as a centralized printer management system, can innovate the product identification process in a number of ways. For example, imagine being able to run your production processes without having to constantly keep an eye on your coding and labeling equipment.

Some other benefits of centralized printer management software include:

• Eliminating Coding Errors: With centralized printer management software, you can directly populate print messages with your ERP’s product and job information. By centralizing print message selection, you virtually eliminate product identification errors.
• Streamlining Processes: The software's robust API enables connectivity to automate communication between your coding operations, and your enterprise and factory automation systems. You can batch print message changes and deploy them across your printers with one click, greatly simplifying the coding side of your production changeover process.
• Continuous Oversight: Centralized printer management software offers constant visibility through a simple-to-use interface on your laptop, tablet, smartphone, or other device. You're able to oversee your product identification process in real-time with direct access to your operational history.

Is my operation ready for printer management software?

Here’s a checklist of common complexities and pains that manufacturers experience with production. If any of these experiences sound familiar, you could benefit from deploying printer management software in your facility:

• Three or more production lines in operation with dedicated coding equipment on each line
• Apply product identification codes on your primary products and cases while managing 20 or more product SKUs
• Manually entering production run and message information
• Production changeover process is automated with the exception of the print message selection step
• Coding errors come at a great expense to your operation, causing product scrappage or rework and significant organizational risk in the event of a recall

Are you ready to take your operation to the next level?

Improving manufacturing processes is an ongoing challenge, and IIoT can help. For your marking and coding process, centralized printer management software offers many benefits and seamlessly automates a complex operation.

Take the next step to automating your coding and labeling operations. Try NEXTConnect™ printer management software for free for 90 days. Contact a Diagraph representative today at nextconnect@diagraph.com for a trial license.

Or, take the Connectivity Readiness Assessment to find out if your operation can benefit from printer management software.

To achieve packaging compliance, manufacturers need more than picking the right product coding technology. Data management and packaging control and automation add another level of sophistication to an operation’s compliance practices.

Data Management

Incorrect manufacturing codes can be applied to products due to human error or improper material handling practices. But manufacturers can rely on data connectivity and good data management practices to handle variable print message editing and selection.

Data management is part of Industry 4.0 -- by using data management and connectivity to manage data integration on the production floor, manufacturers can automate the correct information being printed on the correct products, which is an important step in ensuring packaging compliance. Specialized printer management software can make this process seamless.

One-way Data Management

One-way data management allows manufacturers to use existing databases to automatically fill in data for print message formats. The populated codes are sent in real-time directly to the printer. By using a central database to link and populate batch, date, and barcodes, user error can be minimized.

Two-way Data Management

Manufacturers can use two-way data management to receive feedback in real-time that will allow them to improve their operational processes:

• Message validation tracking helps to understand the print performance and consistency
• Monitoring the equipment helps measure uptime productivity
• Tracking production insights provides throughput analytics

Material Handling

Making sure the right manufacturing codes are being printed onto products is one half of the printing process. The other half is to make sure that the packaging substrate is presented consistently to the coding technology to be printed upon. Among other consequences, improper material handling can lead to codes being printed inconsistently and incorrectly.

Material handling measures that can minimize printing errors include:

• Low-vibration conveyor belts that reduce movement and inconsistent print application
• Railing configurations that present the product to be printed evenly
• Tolerant product coding technology that is flexible enough to compensate for minor inconsistencies in material handling

However, even with these measures in place, incorrectly printed products can still occur. Which is why it is important for material handling reject systems to be in place in order to detect non-compliant products before it reaches the retailer, or more so, the consumer. Packages with incorrect codes printed on them can sometimes have the opportunity to be reworked with the correct manufacturing codes instead of being scrapped completely, which is a less than ideal situation from a production throughput and financial standpoint.

Some features of reject systems can include:

• Jets of air
• Pusher arms
• Drop belts

And by evaluating the material handling processes regularly, the processes can be improved over time so fewer packages fail packaging compliance in the first place.

Conclusion

For manufacturers to achieve packaging compliance, implementing data management and good material handling processes are recommended, along with using the right product identification solution.

Working with a partner that has an understanding of material handling best practices and how to utilize data management to optimize operations can help manufacturers better achieve packaging automation. Manufacturers should also seek out partners that offer a variety of product identification solutions, support beyond installation of equipment, a network of conveyor and vision system partners to create turnkey solutions and training for maintenance staff. The combination of all these factors can set up manufacturers for success in packaging compliance.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our blog series on how to achieve packaging compliance. Check out the other posts here:

• 4 Key Considerations to Achieve Packaging Compliance
• How to Pick the Best Product Identification Solution

Step one of a manufacturer’s game plan for packaging compliance is to understand your manufacturing code and print application requirements, in order to pick the product identification solution that is best for your needs.

Print Message Requirements

What kind of information needs to be included in your print message? In many cases, especially in food and beverage, consumer-readable information must be included for buyers to determine freshness. In other instances, government and global regulatory agencies have set the requirements for manufacturers to adhere to. In order to meet packaging compliance, manufacturers may need specific product information, manufacturing codes, and barcode information, including:

• Product Information
  • Product Name
  • Product Description
  • Quantity/Counts
  • Ingredients
  • Nutrition Facts Panel
• Manufacturing codes
  • Batch Code
  • Lot Code
  • Line Code
  • Operator Code
  • Date Code – Manufactured On or Expiration Date
• Barcode requirements
  • EAN/UPC
  • 1D
  • 2D
  • GS1-128
  • GTIN-14
  • ITF-14
  • Other available barcode formats

Once specific print requirements and message placement are determined, manufacturers should also consider their application specifications. What type of packaging substrate does a manufacturer’s product or products use? What other processes in your material handling are occurring to take into consideration? And what kind of line speeds are they trying to achieve?

Application Requirements

It will be important to understand which criteria your application falls under for a marking and coding partner to best match you with a solution that will deliver your desired results.

• Packaging Level
  • Primary Packaging
  • Secondary Retail Ready Packaging
  • Case Level Packaging
  • Pallet Level Labeling
• Product Packaging Substrate
  • Glass
  • Metal
  • Plastic
  • Paperboard
  • Cardboard
  • Shrink wrap
  • Other
• Integration
  • Form fill and seal machines
  • Traversing equipment
  • Case sealing
  • Case gluing
• Line Speed and Product Throughput
  • How many feet per minute or products per minute do you hope to achieve?
  • Under 500 fpm or over 1,000 fpm?
• Environment
  • Cold or refrigerated facilities
  • Hot, humid processing plant
  • Dusty environment with debris and other small particles around the conveyor line

After determining the print requirements and application specifications, manufacturers can look at the available product identification solutions and select a technology that is right-sized for their material handling set-up.

Available Product Identification Solutions

A full portfolio range of product identification solutions are available to manufacturers including:

• Small Character Inkjet
• Thermal Transfer Overprinter
• Laser Coders
• Thermal Inkjet
• High Resolution Inkjet
• Print and Apply Labeling & Label Applicators

The tables below show how each type of product coding technology is suited to fill specific manufacturer print and application requirements.

In order to achieve packaging compliance, it’s necessary to pick the best marking and coding technology for the product in question. By taking the time to understand print message and application requirements, manufacturers can begin to compare compatible product identification methods and equipment.

Picking the best product identification solution is one step in a multi-step process to achieve packaging compliance. After the information has been applied to your product, message validation is the next step.

Message Validation

Ensuring manufacturing codes are printed on products is not enough by itself to achieve packaging compliance. The codes need to be validated to make sure they are present, accurate, and scannable.

There have been many advancements in product identification and machine visioning technology that have enabled manufacturers to automate the monitoring of real-time print quality. Scanners and vision systems are common components added to the production line postprint to inspect and report any illegible codes or incorrect stock.

Levels of Message Validation

• Level 1: Present - Confirm a print occurred on the product without any indication of accuracy
• Level 2: Accurate - Confirm a print occurred and it correctly matches the data requested by the printer
• Level 3: Scannable - Confirmation that a print occurred, it correctly matches the data requested by the printer and is a scannable, readable mark

Manufacturers know their requirements best, and working with a partner that offers a portfolio of all types of product coding technology will give you a fair assessment of the best solution for your needs. It’s also wise to choose someone who can provide support beyond installation for maintenance and servicing as age and wear and tear occur on your equipment. A reliable partner will also provide training for your maintenance staff should you choose to be as self-sufficient as possible.

However, there are still more steps to ensure manufacturers achieve packaging compliance.

Learn more about the other key considerations Diagraph recommends for guaranteeing packaging compliance:

• 4 Key Considerations to Achieve Packaging Compliance
• Why Automated Material Handling and Data Management Are Vital to Achieving Packaging Compliance

Discover which Diagraph solution is right for your application by completing our short technology assessment. Click here to complete the assessment. 

The importance of packaging compliance in the supply chain cannot be overlooked. Consumer packaged goods need to meet packaging compliance to adhere to global and government regulations and retailer standards for product safety. When manufacturers fail packaging compliance, they can be subject to significant penalties and fines, suffer loss of customers and reputation, suffer supply chain inefficiencies, and more.

In this blog series, we’ll break down how to achieve packaging compliance, naming four key considerations, and examining each of those aspects in detail.

Key Consideration #1: Product Identification Solutions

There are a number of different product identification solutions available to manufacturers, such as:

• Small Character Inkjet
• Thermal Transfer Printer
• Laser
• Thermal Inkjet
• High Resolution Inkjet
• Labeling

It’s important to pick the best marking and coding technology for the product in question in order to achieve packaging compliance. By taking the time to understand print message and application requirements, manufacturers can begin to compare compatible product identification methods and equipment.

Key Consideration #2: Message Validation

Ensuring manufacturing codes are printed on products is not enough by itself to achieve packaging compliance. The codes need to be checked to make sure they are present, accurate, and scannable. All three levels of message validation must be met to achieve packaging compliance.

If the code didn’t print on the package, packaging compliance is not achieved. If the code is present but the information printed is not accurate, packaging compliance is not achieved. If the code is present and accurate but is not scannable, packaging compliance is not achieved.

Key Consideration #3: Data Management

Incorrect date, batch, or barcodes applied to products can also be a result of human error. However, using a central database of product coding information to automate print message creation can minimize instances of user error. Companies can do the heavy lifting when it comes to variable print message editing and selection by utilizing:

• Data connectivity
• One-way data management
• Two-way data management

Managing the integration of data down to the production floor allows for manufacturers to seamlessly and efficiently ensure the right information is being printed on the right products – ultimately helping manufacturers achieve automated compliance.

Key Consideration #4: Package Automation, Control, & Material Handling

Achieving guaranteed packaging compliance requires more than selecting the most optimal product coding technology and the right level of message validation. To ensure high quality real-time manufacturing codes are printed consistently, proactive material handling best practices need to be in place. Improper material handling can cause codes to print incorrectly and inconsistently.

Proper material handling when working with coding equipment includes proactive measures such as:

• Low-vibration conveyor belts that minimize inconsistent print application
• Railing configurations that present the product to be printed evenly and consistently
• Tolerant product coding technology that is flexible enough to compensate for minor inconsistencies in material handling

Manufacturers also need material handling reject systems to sort out non-compliant packages. Once non-compliant packages have been identified, manufacturers can correct the packaging and improve their material handling process.

Failing packaging compliance can lead to unpleasant consequences, including supply chain inefficiencies, losing customers, negatively impacting company reputation, and potential fines and penalties from retailers and regulatory agencies. But by keeping these four key considerations in mind, your business can achieve guaranteed packaging compliance.

Have more questions about compliance? Talk with a Diagraph representative today.

Or, read more in-depth to discover what you need to know to select the right solution for your business in our next post, How to Pick the Best Product Identification Solution.

We understand that manufacturers are often faced with a number of factors that contribute to inefficient operations including under-skilled labor, lack of automation and aging equipment. As a trusted partner and a manufacturer ourselves, we believe in making it as easy as possible for our customers to implement marking and coding solutions so they can focus on what really matters – making the best product possible.

For a personal care and beauty products manufacturer with seven lines of Linx 4900 continuous inkjet units, they began to question the longevity of the systems. While the systems continued to run and perform, the year over year increase of service costs were a direct reflection of the age of the systems.

Pleased with the consistent performance of the Linx 4900 systems, the Maintenance Manager turned to the upgrade of the 4900: the Linx 8900. Through testing this potential replacement on one of their lines, the Maintenance Manager discovered that not only was the 8900 system solving their issues with frequent servicing but the easy-to-use menu settings made day-to-day use more intuitive for the operators.

Less scheduled maintenance, less printhead cleaning and less fluid use than the prior systems made the decision to upgrade all lines to the Linx 8900 CIJ systems a simple choice. What really sealed the deal were the substantial savings realized when the customer calculated their cost of ownership analysis if all lines were to upgrade their CIJ units.

Is your aging marking and coding equipment starting to bleed you on servicing and fluid costs? Aging equipment requires more manpower to maintenance and drains financial resources that should be spent on growing your business. At Diagraph we believe our customers’ time is valuable and shouldn’t be spent on rework involved with date code printers or case coders.

Download our case study brief to find out how much this personal care products manufacturer started saving annually when they upgraded their aging CIJ equipment. 

Interested in the differences between the Linx 4900 and the Linx 8900? Download our comparison datasheet to learn how upgrading the Linx 4900 printer saves time and money.

Every year the biggest show in packaging and processing raises the bar for innovation and consumer trends. Whether you're looking for a solution to production challenges or you're attending to absorb new industry information, experts from across the industry exhibit at PACK EXPO to share their latest and greatest products and services. This fall, PACK EXPO kicks off in Las Vegas on September 23rd through the 25th.

If marking, coding and labeling solutions are on your list for the show, visit Diagraph at booth C-4000. Our product specialists are ready to help answer your questions about product identification - from product coding to case coding - and material handling. We're here to help pair you with the solution that best matches your product coding application needs whether that is best accomplished with small character inkjet, high-resolution inkjet, labeling, thermal transfer or laser coding.

This year we are offering PACK EXPO attendees that have their badges scanned in Diagraph's booth C-4000 exclusive access to great promotional offers across all of our product lines. We're making it easy for you to upgrade your systems to the latest technology with major savings. If you are attending the show, be sure to stop by the booth to ensure that you qualify for these show specials.

	Linx Continuous Inkjet: BOGO Half Off Buy a Linx 8900 Series small character inkjet printer and get a second printer for half off. Offer is applicable to 8900 2m printer only.
	High-Resolution Impulse Jet: Buy a 2-Printhead System, Get 1 Printhead Free Receive a free spare printhead with every Diagraph IJ4000 impulse jet 2-printhead system purchase. Offer is applicable for Diagraph 768E 4" printheads and 384E 2" printheads.
	All-Electric Print & Apply Labeler: Buy 3, Get 1 Free Buy 3 Diagraph PA7100 print and apply labeler systems and get one Diagraph PA7100 system free.
	All-Electric Label Applicator: Buy 3, Get 1 Free Buy 3 Diagraph LA7000label applicator systems and get one Diagraph LA7000 system free.
	Laser: 20% off CO2 Linx Scribing Laser Models Receive 20% off list price of any Linx CSL laser model.
	Thermal Transfer Overprinters: Buy 2, Get 1 Free Buy 2 select Diagraph thermal transfer overprinter systems with controller and get one printer and controller free. Does not include NGT6, NGT8, NGT8e models.
	Thermal Jet: Enter to Win a FREE TJ500 Have your badge scanned in booth C-4000 to be entered to win a Diagraph TJ500 printhead with mounting brackets and ink starter kit.

To be eligible for any of these exclusive show specials, you must have your badge scanned at C-4000. These offers are valid for US customers only and redeemable through the end of 2019.

We're also offering free registration to Pack Expo to customers who use our comp code 35N95 when you register here.

Manufacturer and Consumer Benefits Continue to Drive Growing Preference for Flexible Packaging

What: The US food industry is the leader for flexible packaging with the market continuing to grow with an expected 3.9% CAGR and valuation of $392 billion by 2023. Flexible packaging currently accounts for 19% of the packaging market – second only to corrugated paper. Advancements in slider closures, fitments, and improved barrier properties are driving preferences amongst both manufacturers and consumers.

Why: The flexible packaging market has taken off due to a shift towards sustainability and consumer-friendly packaging. The adoption of flexible packaging is growing amongst manufacturers due to the ability to form flexible packaging on the spot from raw materials – saving time, cost, materials waste, and space. With advances in the recyclability and space savings when discarded compared to rigid packaging, consumers are developing a growing preference for flexible packaging options while the entire supply chain from manufacturer to retailer to consumer is realizing the extended shelf life benefits of innovative resealable closures.

Who: CPG and pharmaceutical manufacturers are responding to consumer demands by innovating with flexible packaging options for their products.

Industries of Interest: Food, Beverage, Pharmaceutical, Nutraceutical, Personal Care

Resources:
• Convenient packaging, excellent barrier properties, and sustainable materials are all factors contributing to the continued growth of flexible packaging in the coming years, ProFood World (https://www.profoodworld.com/bi-library-article/us-flexible-packaging-reach-392-billion-2023?oly_enc_id=8131B4747801B1S)
• Growth of flexible packaging brings demand for innovation, Packaging World (https://www.packworld.com/growth-flexible-packaging-brings-demand-innovation)
• Seafood to drive growth in the converted flexible packaging sector through 2023, Seafood Source (https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/processing-equipment/seafood-to-drive-growth-in-the-converted-flexible-packaging-sector-through-2023)

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Download the full whitepaper, “Pallet Labeling: The Final Step In Your Production Tracking Process”

The final step in your production process can often easily be overlooked. After rigorously completing all the upstream processing, packaging and coding processes, the final palletized product seems to be a small step before crossing the finish line. However, labeling at the pallet level is a crucial process for identifying palletized products being shipped to retailers.

Imagine this: You’re completing a custom job for products specific to one regional retail chain. To differentiate the pallets for the custom job from your standard products, you plan on printing the identifying batch information on the license plate label and applying it to the outside of the shrink-wrapped pallet. When the time comes, your shipment is sent to the retailer only to discover that the products sent are not the custom printed containers they ordered. Now not only is your relationship with this retailer tarnished, but you are on the hook for reprinting all of their products at your own cost.

This scenario might sound familiar if you’re still in the business of manually applying labels. Some level of human error is always a risk and it can be a costly one. Ensuring a consistent, accurate label on every pallet that leaves your facility doesn’t have to be a trying task. It is possible to guarantee proper label placement while also avoiding common safety issues often occurring from the entanglement of the labeler in the pallet shrink wrap.

Our pallet labeling experts at Diagraph have complied a helpful guide for assessing automated pallet labelers for your production line. This guide steps through the main questions you should ask when evaluating your pallet labeling automation process and reviews the top areas of consideration you should work through before you make any kind of investment.

Download the full whitepaper, “Pallet Labeling: The Final Step In Your Production Tracking Process”, here to learn more.

Federal Agencies Align to Encourage Standardization

What: U.S. regulatory agencies recently announced a new preference to standardize on the use of the quality-based date label of "Best If Used By" on packaged foods. This recommendation is voluntary and based on research-based industry best practices. 

Why: Confusion caused by the use of various date label formats leads to unnecessary food waste. Consumers equate date label information with a warning about the timeline for the safe consumption of the food product rather than a statement of a recommended timeline for optimal food quality. This format recommendation is a part of the "Winning on Reducing Food Waste FY 2019-2020 Federal Interagency Strategy" launched by the federal government in April 2019. 

Who: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are endorsing the "Best If Used By" industry standard set forth by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and Food Marketing Institute (FMI) in 2017. 

Industries of Interest: Food, Beverage 

Resources: 

• Best If Used By date code recommended for food labeling, Packaging Digest (https://www.packagingdigest.com/labeling/best-if-used-by-date-code-recommended-for-food-labeling-2019-05-10?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=8675&elq_cid=8449570) 
• Winning on Reducing Food Waste Federal Interagency Strategy, Environmental Protection Agency: Sustainable Management of Food (https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/winning-reducing-food-waste-federal-interagency-strategy) 
• Food Product Dating, United States Department of Agriculture: Food Safety and Inspection Service (https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/food-product-dating/food-product-dating) 

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Capital expenses can be tough to get approved and can hold up much needed upgrades at the plant level. In fact – old, faulty, and inadequate equipment can cause costly disruptions to production, impacting the bottom line more significantly than the cost to upgrade. For manufacturers without the available capital to invest in purchasing new equipment, leasing can be a great option.

Just as it puts manufacturers’ minds at ease to have a reliable traceability mark on their products, it greatly simplifies accounting processes to have a predictable monthly payment for product identification equipment such as inkjet printers, labelers, thermal transfer printers, and laser coders. Flexible leasing options for coding and labeling equipment makes this possible.

The same way one would trade-in to lease a larger vehicle to accommodate a growing family, leasing can be a great option to help plants expanding their production keep up with demand without breaking the bank. When choosing to lease, manufacturers can consider covering hard costs for the equipment alone or can opt into including soft costs for things such as preventive maintenance and on-site technical support into their monthly payments. Manageable monthly payments that bundle the equipment, consumables and parts and services needed to keep coding and labeling operations running smoothly make it accessible for even the most budget-conscious facilities to benefit from the latest equipment for coding their products.

If you’re exploring the possibility of leasing your product identification equipment for printing your barcodes, date codes, lot codes, etc. in real-time, then look for a program with the following characteristics:

• Low, fixed monthly payments to improve your cash flow
• Bundled tax and installation charges
• Bundled consumables and technical services
• Quick application and approvals process for financing

Diagraph’s program is available for all products in our portfolio. We’ll help you to get your monthly lease program started. Let us know what you’re looking for to get a customized leasing quote.

All-inclusive service agreements have their perks:

• The cost of the agreement over the lifetime of the agreement is predictable.
• Maintenance is guaranteed, so you know your equipment will be consistently running at peak performance.
• All repairs are covered, giving you peace-of-mind that if anything goes wrong, you know exactly who and how it will be fixed.

But how do you know if an all-inclusive service agreement is right for your facility?

There are several factors to consider, including:

1. Maintenance Team Availability -- Even the most skilled maintenance teams can opt for an all-inclusive service agreement if they do not have enough time to make sure coding and labeling equipment is running properly and continues to be serviced well. We find that manufacturers with complicated processing equipment often prefer to leave the servicing of add-on equipment like inkjet coders, labelers, laser coders, and TTO printers to 3^rd party service technicians so that they can focus exclusively on capital intensive equipment.
2. Manufacturing Environment – Manufacturers with challenging production environments – like ones with heavy washdown procedures, high dust or other particulate matter in the air, high temperatures, low temperatures, large temperature swings due to no climate control in the manufacturing area, and high humidity – often choose an all-inclusive service agreement. These environments require a higher level of maintenance actions for nearly all equipment, making a guaranteed service agreement that covers nearly all “what ifs” an attractive option.
3. Maintenance Budgets – Some manufacturers prefer to know exactly what they are spending to maintain their equipment throughout the year. All-inclusive service agreements cover both proactive service visits that are designed to keep your equipment running at peak performance as well as unexpected service visits for when equipment encounters some form of electro-mechanical failure. When budgets are tight or inflexible, all-inclusive agreements inject the highest level of predictability into a maintenance budget.

At Diagraph, we offer our Premier Service Program to deliver predictable on-going service and maintenance costs even when customers are faced with worst-case scenarios. All repair costs, including parts and labor, are covered by the program. The program package is purchased for a specified number of years at the time of purchasing the equipment. The cost of the program can be paid entirely upfront or can be broken out over a series of months when bundled into an equipment leasing package.

Interested in purchasing Diagraph coding and labeling equipment with Premier Service Program coverage? Speak with a Diagraph representative today by calling 1.800.722.1125 or contacting us through the website.

Our goal at Diagraph is to make maintaining your coding and labeling equipment both proactive and predictable. “Proactive” because we believe that service interventions should always be planned, never a surprise. “Predictable” because we believe that service interventions should be done around your production schedule. When done properly, this helps eliminate equipment downtime, keeping your production running as smoothly as possible.

Over the past 125 years, we have found that our happiest customers are our most well supported customers. We offer a variety of maintenance agreements that allow customers to choose the right level of support they need for their coding and labeling equipment.

Level 1 Support: Preventive Maintenance Agreements

Customers with well-staffed maintenance departments often opt for our standard preventive maintenance agreements in which a Diagraph Factory Certified Technician performs recommended service interventions for the equipment. Customers with preventive maintenance agreements also enjoy Diagraph Insider pricing on parts and consumables.

Level 2 Support: Custom Maintenance Agreements

Customers who want a higher level of support with service visits beyond regularly scheduled service intervals opt for a custom maintenance agreement. This helps establish an up-front cost for future maintenance that injects a level of predictability into their maintenance budget. Customers with custom maintenance agreements also enjoy Diagraph Insider pricing on parts and consumables beyond supplies that are already provided for as part of the agreement.

Level 3 Support: All-Inclusive Maintenance Agreement

Customers who want total peace-of-mind opt for our all-inclusive maintenance agreement, our Premier Agreement. Our Premier Agreements not only cover routine preventive maintenance but also all repair costs, including parts and labor, in the event that something unexpected happens, whenever it happens, during the coverage of the agreement. This level of support is purchased for a specified number of years at the time of purchasing your Diagraph systems. Your maintenance budget doesn’t get any more predictable than that! The agreement can be paid for upfront or over time if you opt to roll it into a leasing program.

Because we believe that equipment operators and maintenance teams are integral to the long-term performance of coding and labeling equipment, we work customer training programs into all levels of our service agreements. Interested in learning more about how Diagraph can best support your product identification operations? Speak with a Diagraph representative today by calling 1.800.722.1125 or contacting us through the website.

At Diagraph Marking & Coding, we believe that service interventions should always be planned, never a surprise. There are several components to an operations and maintenance program that make this possible, but one of the most important ones that we like to focus on is operator and maintenance team training. A well-trained equipment end user can keep systems running at their ideal performance level for longer.

When working with customers to develop a training program that is right-sized to their coding and labeling operation, we focus on the following:

Training Upon Installation

 Operator and maintenance team training is critical at time of installation. We want the operators to understand how to navigate the user interface, perform commands that are relevant to their application, evaluate the system’s performance, and properly perform routine maintenance.

When working with maintenance teams, we cover routine maintenance expectations, system diagnostics, and the steps needed to perform required service interventions on the system. A discussion around service intervals recommended for the unique manufacturing environment as well as what parts are required (if any) to perform maintenance are also identified.

Because we understand that questions come up after users have spent some time with the equipment, we like to do a post-installation check-in to ensure that everything is running smoothly and questions get answered.

Regularly Scheduled Training

Although customers can request training for their workers at any time, we incorporate regularly scheduled training intervals into our contract service programs. This ensures that operators remain proficient in using Diagraph coding and labeling technology throughout their use of the equipment and helps account for the training of any new workers that may have joined with our customers since the last training date. Performing regularly scheduled training also allows our field service team to inform our customers of new capabilities that may be helpful for their application that are unlocked by firmware upgrades.

Advanced Technical Training

We offer advanced technical training for customers that takes place either at our training facility in St. Charles, Missouri or on-site at the customer’s facility in a training or meeting room. Our advanced technical training is ideal for largely independent maintenance teams that perform the bulk of diagnostics and service work on their coding and labeling technology. At Diagraph, we customize all advanced technical training programs to the unique goals of the maintenance team and manufacturing environment.

All of our training programs are performed by Diagraph Factory Certified Service Technicians to ensure that you are getting the most up-to-date information about how to best use your coding and labeling equipment.

Interested in scheduling a training session or building a full training program for your team? Speak with a Diagraph representative today by calling 1.800.722.1125 or contacting us through the website.

At Diagraph Marking & Coding, we like to work closely with customers to understand the cycles of their business. This allows us to develop and recommend a personalized plan to manage maintenance schedules and on-hand supplies for their coding and labeling operations.

Cyclical account trends help predict and plan for the following:

1. Fluid Stock Management – If your production throughput is not steady and consistent year-round, you run the risk of having an oversupply or undersupply of perishable fluids like ink and solvent. A close eye on the cycles of your business can help us to make recommendations that prevent fluids for your inkjet coding equipment from expiring while sitting on your stocking shelves. This also allows us to recommend purchasing more fluids to have on hand when you expect an increase in demand, reducing the likelihood that you will be stuck with down equipment due to not having the ink or solvent you require.
2. Equipment Maintenance Schedules – If your business tends to be cyclical in nature, we can sync preventive maintenance schedules to your slower production periods. This allows your equipment to run optimally during your peak production times while planning your service interventions for times when you have less demand on your equipment. Knowing your preferred maintenance schedule also ensures that you have all parts needed to accomplish your maintenance actions without having unnecessary supplies sitting on your stocking shelves.
3. Training Programs – We find that customers with seasonal swings in their business tend to have seasonal workers to help with the increased demand in production. Novice workers can make mistakes that lead to equipment damage. Operator training programs synced with your unique business cycle can help prevent mistakes and keep your production running as smoothly as possible. This also protects your investment in your coding and labeling equipment.

We believe that customers are best served when we can partner in every aspect of their coding and labeling operations. This holistic approach allows us to maximize efficiencies while driving tangible value throughout a long-term partnership. Let us be the coding and labeling experts so you don’t have to be.

Interested in working with Diagraph to keep your marking, coding, and labeling operations running as easily and efficiently as possible? Speak with a Diagraph representative today by calling 1.800.722.1125 or contacting us through the website.

At Diagraph Marking & Coding, we believe that service interventions should always be planned, never a surprise. This is why we like to work with customers to get out ahead of wear-caused failures, giving them the ability to decide when service will be done around their own production schedules. Whether working directly with the Diagraph Field Service Team to keep your fleet of coding and labeling equipment running smoothly or taking on the bulk of the maintenance work on your own, we like to closely advise customers on preventive maintenance and wear part supply plans that are ideal for the age and utilization of their equipment.

There are several factors we take into consideration when developing maintenance recommendations for customers:

1. Manufacturing Environment – The manufacturing environment is key when determining your equipment’s preventive maintenance schedule. Particularly harsh environments that are dusty, cold, hot, or humid tend to require more frequent equipment checks and preventive maintenance actions to ensure that equipment stays running as optimally as possible. Because equipment uptime is just as important to us as it is to you, we like to recommend wear parts to keep on hand that may be needed more frequently due to your environmental conditions.
2. Equipment Usage – We know that not all coding and labeling equipment is used at the same rate within a single facility. This is why we like to work closely with customers to track equipment usage and identify strategies to move equipment around to not only extend the useful life of equipment, but also lengthen service intervals as much as possible. This helps save money in both the short-term and in the long-run while maximizing the availability of your equipment. Equipment can also be rotated to accommodate preventive maintenance service actions without having an impact on your high production areas.
3. Service Intervals – We prefer for major equipment servicing to be done on a proactive, preventative basis rather than when equipment unexpectedly fails. This is why we work with customers to identify service intervals that are unique to their type of equipment, production throughput and manufacturing environment. We closely monitor equipment performance to recommend service intervals that are appropriate for the age, expected use and overall performance of the equipment. The older the equipment, the more closely it needs to be watched to prevent surprises.

Our happiest customers have well looked-after equipment, whether they are taking the lead on maintaining the equipment themselves or partnering directly with Diagraph for equipment service. At Diagraph, we offer training programs to match the skill level of your operations and maintenance teams, have custom preventive maintenance programs tailored to your team’s needs and goals, and offer premier programs for customers who prefer the peace-of-mind that comes with their equipment being fully covered.

Interested in learning more about Diagraph’s Field Service Team? Speak with a Diagraph representative today by calling 1.800.722.1125 or contacting us through the website.

Diagraph Marking & Coding focuses on partnering with customers in every aspect of their coding and labeling operations, including working closely to develop a unique supply strategy that ensures our customers have the appropriate coding and labeling supplies on hand for when they need them. This holistic approach to partnership allows Diagraph to maximize efficiencies for customers and drive tangible value throughout a long-term partnership.

When working with customers to develop a custom supply strategy, we take a close look at the following:

1. Production Capacity – Run rates are an important variable when considering how much ink, solvent, ribbon, and wear parts to keep on hand. We take a close look at your expected production capacity as well as your historical production capacity to make a recommendation on the quantity of supplies that is best for you to keep on hand to ensure you are never out of fluids or critical components.
2. Seasonal Trends – Does weather ambiently impact your production environment or your demand for product? After working with us for a while, we can help spot seasonal trends that impact your supplies on hand and make recommendations for minimizing the impact of seasonal swings on your coding operation supplies. If you tend to do preventive maintenance work on a seasonal basis, we take this into consideration to make sure you are prepared with the proper supplies on hand.
3. Print-per-consumable – The unique composition of your print message or label format determines how many prints-per-bottle, prints-per-ribbon roll, or prints-per-printhead you will be able to squeeze out of your coding and labeling technology. When first working with Diagraph, we use this expectation to make an initial recommendation for the quantity of consumables you should order. Over time, we can review changes in your print message requirements to make an updated recommendation.
4. Consumable Shelf Life – When working with fluid-based consumables, it is important to keep a close eye on how long a particular bottle or cartridge of ink or solvent will last while being stored. We take expected shelf life into consideration when developing a supply strategy to ensure consumable stock does not go to waste.

Many of our customers prefer to opt-in to our annual supply strategy service to receive regular deliveries tailored to their production. Supplies are routinely sent at a specified interval utilizing this service and are eligible for special Diagraph Insider Predictability Discounts. Other customers with more seasonality to their business often enjoy a standing order arrangement that allows them to call in a pre-determined order on-demand. Both of these programs have their perks.

Interested in working with Diagraph to keep your marking, coding, and labeling operations running as easily and efficiently as possible? Speak with a Diagraph representative today by calling 1.800.722.1125 or contacting us through the website.

Products containing animal milk are on a constant time clock. Cows must be milked every day, meaning it is possible for dairy operations to be running 24/7 to get products with an under 20-day expiration period out the door and onto shelves. In these fast-paced manufacturing environments for fluid milk, cheese, yogurt, butter and ice cream products, there are several factors that impact the method and features required for achieving legible marks and labels onto packaging.

DOWNTIME

With perishability of dairy products, there is great urgency for products containing milk to make it to grocers’ shelves with the right product identification. Without proper codes, products won’t even be allowed to ship. Any delay could have health risks for consumers and potential negative financial impact for the manufacturer. 

Look for non-contact coders with features focused on maintaining maximum uptime such as:

• Self-servicing: For example, Linx 8900 Series continuous inkjet coders can be serviced on the line using the Easi Change Service Module–eliminating the need to wait for a technician. 
• Pre-programmed line settings: When switching between packaging sizes, like pints to quarts to gallons, stored line settings with accurate codes for each type speeds up the changeover process and reduces errors. 

ENVIRONMENT

Cold, wet environments characterize dairy manufacturing facilities. Fluid milks and cheeses can perish quickly and require constant refrigeration from the production line to the delivery truck all the way to the grocery store. Mixing and filling stations call for washdown procedures to prevent contamination and create a damp environment for coding and other equipment.

Coding equipment should include the following features to uphold against these environmental factors:

• Stainless steel finishes withstand washdown environments better than anondized finishes.
• The Linx 8900 Series IP ratings ensure no ingression of moisture into critical parts of the printer and continual reliable printing.
• Internal temperature monitoring in the printhead makes the necessary adjustments to maintain ink viscosity–ensuring your code quality is consistent, even if the ambient temperature fluctuates.

We recommend the Linx 8900 Series printers for their reliable performance in dairy processing environments. To further improve your batch and date coding in the dairy industry, we can suggest additional accessories like fork style photocell sensors for the most accurate coding, positive air added in the printer cabinet to protect against contaminants entering system and end coders.

Contact Diagraph today to learn more about how these small character inkjet printers can improve your date and batch coding operation.

Click here to learn what marking & coding solution is right for your dairy application. 

Not all inkjet printheads are created equal. Some printheads are designed to offer superior uptime performance, making them easier to operate and use when coding product. Look for the following features when choosing an inkjet coder, whether it is a small character inkjet coder for printing on primary product packaging or a high resolution large character inkjet coder for printing on cases:

Stainless Steel Construction

Inkjet printheads featuring stainless steel construction and sealed designs withstand wear and tear better than those constructed with plastic. When examining the printhead materials, also look for whether or not wires are exposed during the cleaning process and whether or not printheads allow for adjustments. Exposed wires and printhead adjustments put the printhead at risk of damage, making them less durable and reliable. Opt for an inkjet coder that features a printhead that is durable enough to require no printhead adjustments for long-term ease of use.

Hands Free Cleaning

Inkjet printheads that offer automatic cleaning capabilities allow for less human handling of the equipment, minimizing the opportunity to damage the equipment. Hands free cleaning capabilities also allow for printheads to run cleaner for longer, giving manufacturers as much run-time before interventions are required. The best cleaning systems allow printheads to code onto products without encountering printer faults or degrading code quality, with manufacturers able to run the inkjet coders for weeks and months before manual cleaning of the printheads are required.

Shock Resistant Printheads

Although inkjet coders are considered non-contact coders, it never fails that a product is sent down the packaging line skewed, causing it to come into direct contact with the printhead. When this happens, poorly designed and constructed printheads encounter major issues with internal components falling out of alignment and air pockets being introduced into the ink lines. Well-constructed printheads have potted components that are strong enough to withstand these types of impacts. Some inkjet coders also feature material handling mechanisms that gently guide the printhead away from the product to minimize the impact on the printhead.

Interested in upgrading your inkjet coding technology, but not sure where to start? Speak with a Diagraph product identification expert today by calling 1.800.722.1125 or contacting us through the website.

System uptime is the average length of time a piece of equipment runs between interventions are required to keep it operating smoothly. When comparing system uptime when assessing coding equipment, it is important to look at several factors including:

1. How long a coder can run between consumable replenishment
2. How long it takes to refresh or restock the coder’s consumable
3. How long a coder can run between preventive maintenance service intervals

To understand system uptime better, let’s take a closer look at each of these key areas:

Length of time between consumable replenishment

Consumable replenishment is the most common and necessary interaction with any given piece of coding equipment. The amount of time a system can go between consumable replenishment, like adding more ink to an inkjet coder, replacing ribbon stock in a thermal transfer printer, or replacing labeling stock on a labeler largely depends on the capacity of the individual piece of coding equipment. There are additional factors to consider when assessing consumable replenishment.

For inkjet coders, it is important to understand how long a printer can run after the bottle or cartridge of ink has run out of fluids. Does the system provide an advanced notice warning giving a countdown to when the coder will be truly empty? Does it provide enough of a warning that allows for fluids to be replenished at ideal production times like before and after shift changes? Can the fluids be replaced while the system is actively coding?

For thermal transfer printers, ribbon capacity as well as total ribbon usage are important to maximizing the length of time between replacing ribbon stock. For ribbon capacity, look at the maximum size of the ribbon roll for your chosen ribbon type. To maximize ribbon usage, look for thermal transfer printers that offer ribbon saving features that utilize as much surface area of the ribbon before advancing it for ribbon waste collection.

Streamlining consumable replenishment

Although replenish consumables is unavoidable for the most common types of coding equipment, the very act of replacing or replenishing a bottle of ink or solvent, a roll of ribbon, or a roll of label stock can be made easier and less time consuming for system operators.

Inkjet coders tend to be the easiest type of coding equipment when it comes to consumable replenishment since most inkjet coders can keep running while being refilled. Look for inkjet coders that offer mess free, mistake free refill options like needle and septum systems that prevent leakage and dripping when swapping fluid bottles. This is ideal compared to inkjet coders that require fluid bottles to be manually poured into the system. Another factor to consider is how many touches or actions are required to complete the fluid refill process. Look for systems that provide one-touch fluid refill options as well as variations in shapes and sizes between ink and solvent bottles to simplify the process as much as possible while preventing the wrong fluids from going in the wrong compartments.

Due to the nature of thermal transfer printing, the printer will become temporarily unavailable for coding while ribbon stock needs to be replaced. Look for thermal transfer printers that have an easy-to-web design as well as easy to remove and replace ribbon cassettes. Investing in an additional ribbon cassette that can be loaded and ready to go when ribbon is low minimizes downtime on thermal transfer printers as much as possible.

Like thermal transfer printers, automated labelers also become temporarily available for use when label stock needs to be replaced. Look for an automated labeling system that has an easy label webbing design to make it easy to unload spent stock and load a fresh roll. Manufacturers with high production commands benefit from having alternate labeling machines available. When one machine signals that its label stock is low, the other starts applying labels so that the low system can be replaced. This virtually eliminates downtime with automated labelers.

Preventive Maintenance Service Intervals

Although consumable replenishment is required more frequently than maintenance, preventive maintenance procedures take more time to complete and often require the coding equipment to be completely unavailable for printing while being serviced. Not all coding systems are created equal. Service intervals are usually stated in the amount of system hours that can pass before preventive maintenance is required. Things like ink type, manufacturing environment, and overall wear and tear caused by the application can impact recommended system intervals.

For inkjet coders, look for systems that can run as long as a year or more before maintenance is required. Better yet, look for systems that provide advanced warnings about upcoming maintenance so that you can schedule interventions around your production schedule. Another factor to consider is how easy or complicated it is to perform maintenance. Look for systems that have self-contained service modules that can be easily swapped out without the need for a service engineer. Systems that have screen-guided instructions for service interventions tend to be the easiest to use.

For thermal transfer printers, take a look at preventive maintenance requirements that are recommended by the manufacturer. How many parts require replacement? How long does the manufacturer state it will take to perform maintenance? How easy is it to access parts that need to be replaced? These are all important questions to ask when evaluating thermal transfer printers.

When it comes to automated labeling systems, all-electric systems allow you to replace wear parts while relying on pre-programmed settings to get the labeler operating as quickly as possible. Pneumatically operated labeling systems require extensive adjustments after replacing wear parts, making maintenance interventions anything but fast. Also look for labeling systems that offer screen-guided instructions for quick and simple service interventions. Another advantage of all-electric labeling systems over pneumatic is that electric options allow for a gentler application of the label to the substrate. This cuts down on overall wear and tear, allowing the system to go for longer between maintenance intervals.

If you have any questions about how to calculate the uptime of your current coding equipment compared to new coding equipment technology, we are here to help. Contact a Diagraph product identification expert today by calling 1.800.722.1125 or contacting us through our website.