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The all new Linx 8900 was a hit during its debut at Pack Expo Las Vegas! Visitors loved the simple one-touch fluid refill design, the enhanced user interface paired with the large touch screen, the engineer-free self service module, and, of course, the industry leading reliability that comes with the Linx printhead. The Linx 8900 leads the way into the next generation of small character continuous inkjet printers.
One-touch Fluid Refill
The Linx 8900's new one-touch fluid refill design allows operators to change ink and solvent in one easy step. The solvent capacity in the inkjet printer has been doubled to better match the ink-to-solvent use ratio and the printer features an 8 hour low-to-empty warning, allowing manufacturers to run an entire shift without having to refill fluids.
10" Capacitive Touchscreen with Easy User Interface
The customizable user interface allows plant managers to put the functions most important to the line's operations right at the fingertips of the operator. The Linx 8900 also features real time output reporting and gives you the option of tracking the cause of line stoppages. All of this made easier by a large capacitive touchscreen that doesn't require you to remove your gloves to operate.
Engineer-Free Self Service Module
The Linx 8900's new self service module assembles all critical service parts in one place, allowing machine operators or on-site maintenance professionals to conduct routine maintenance without the need to call in a Diagraph field service engineer. All you have to do is follow 7 easy steps prompted by on-screen instructions to install the new self service module to accomplish routine maintenance in 30 minutes or less. What's even better is the extended machine maintenance interval of 18 months and the ability to schedule maintenance around your own production schedule.
Industry Leading Printhead
No other printhead allows up to 100 starts/stops between printhead cleanings. The secret to our typical 3 month cleaning interval is in our sealed design. When cleaning is required, it can be done more quickly without the risk of damaging exposed parts or the need for readjustments. Many of our customers struggled through poorly designed printheads before arriving at our Linx CIJ printers as the ultimate solution. If you are delaying production time to keep your printheads clean, we need to talk.
Contact us to learn more about the Linx 8900. We will put you in touch with a Diagraph marking and coding expert located in your area.
The latest Continuous Inkjet Printer from Linx Printing Technologies, the 8900 Series, reflects the fundamental Linx design philosophies of Ease of Use and Reliability and is supported by the MK11 hermetically sealed printhead that protects all critical components during operation and cleaning.
The most notable of the 8900 Series' features is the auto flush multi-stage process – the industry’s most thorough automatic self-cleaning process – which allows Linx printheads to run cleaner for longer. Bonus benefit – less solvent waste! Few competitors flush both nozzle and gutter, leading to longer start-ups and more frequent printhead cleaning. Comparatively, older competitor printheads require a scab of ink to form on the nozzle to keep their ink line sealed or a mechanical screw to join the nozzle to the gutter to keep air from fluid lines during shutdown.
In the unique Linx printhead auto flush process, both nozzle and gutter are solvent cleaned then left to dry with a vacuum purge. The head feed valve closes and stops nozzle weeping, leaving the printhead clean and dry for a period of storage or an overnight stop. This entire process is initiated with a simple press of a button, cutting out time needed for operator shut-down procedures and increasing productivity.
Linx Printhead Autoflush Diagram (Simplified for demonstration)
As a result of the easy-to-use, push-of-a-button auto flush system, operators can pick up where they left off, with full confidence that the Linx 8900 will start-up quickly and easily without additional cleaning. The process improvements have been tested and reveal with typical inks and in typical application environments, customers can expect 100 starts and stops without the need to clean the printhead. Testing actually found 3 months as typical, and in some cases can go up to 6 months.
Diagraph has been assisting customers for over 120 years improving production line efficiencies with simple, reliable, cost-effective coding and labeling solutions. Contact us at 800.722.1125 to learn more about the Linx product line.
No longer is it the case that snacks are packaged specifically for children’s lunch boxes. Today, the snack market is heavily geared towards adults with 94% of adults snacking at least once a day and 50% snacking 2 to 3 times a day.* Snack producers are tasked with changing traditional packaging to address a different kind of consumer.
To stay on top of fluctuating snack market trends, food companies find they need to develop new packaging such as single-serve packs, convenient on-the-go solutions, and sustainable “green” packaging. Aside from creating a trendy and appealing packaging aesthetic, snack packaging frequently requires variable codes such as “Best By” or expiration dates. With consumers growing more and more health-conscious, some code requirements include allergen information, genetic modification information, and country of origin.
Many snack food companies make use of continuous ink jet (CIJ) printing technology to meet these coding requirements. CIJ is cost- effective and has a wide range of fluids to ensure coding adhesion and legibility on both porous and non-porous packaging like cardboard, plastics, metal, glass, or flexible packaging. At a minimum, your CIJ equipment must be able to produce legible and durable date, lot, and identification codes on a variety of substrates. However, there are other key features to look for when selecting a continuous ink jet printer to keep your snack packaging operations in uptime by minimizing maintenance and human errors including:
Given the wide variety of packages and product types at snack food manufacturers, the flexibility offered by CIJ is also considered an appealing benefit. Leading systems’ printheads can be used in any orientation with 360 degree printhead positioning and many can be moved from line to line to accommodate many shapes, sizes, and levels of packaging.
Diagraph offers the Linx 8900 Series CIJ printers to help our customers produce a long lasting, quality mark on a variety of packaging materials. The 8900 Series is designed with many smart, easy-to-use features to keep your production line up and running. Live chat with one of our equipment specialists to learn more. Or, read up on the latest innovations in snack food packaging in our latest whitepaper.
2018: Innovations in Snack Food Packaging
ST. LOUIS, (Sept. 1, 2015) – Diagraph recently launched the Linx 8900 – a next generation CIJ (continuous ink jet) printer featuring an error-free user interface and smart productivity reporting functionality. The printer is designed to maximize efficiencies during production, delivering valuable cost and time savings.
Capable of printing both human and machine-readable codes, the Linx 8900 incorporates a wealth of new features and reporting functions that speed up day-to-day operation and maintenance. Production monitoring is made easy with a unique screen saver mode that provides manufacturers with a simple visual status check, indicating whether throughput is on target or not.
This is part of a range of reporting features that provide at-a-glance real-time data, which also includes downtime information and batch counts. The Linx 8900 self-monitoring productivity reports can be easily transferred to a USB for archival and analysis purposes. The smart productivity reporting functionality allows operators and plant managers to identify patterns or reasons for any line stoppages, allowing for the quick implementation of changes, solutions or countermeasures to improve efficiency and productivity.
In addition to the productivity reporting functionality, the new system’s self-service module is designed for engineer-free service and minimized downtime, allowing operators to change filters and ink in one quick step with the help of the on-screen Self-Service Wizard to guide operators through the process. The easy and quick self-service functionality allows maintenance managers to schedule service times around production schedules, causing no need to take the printer off-line.
These smart reporting features and minimized service and maintenance requirements combine with Linx’s industry-leading sealed printhead to allow the Linx 8900 to perform reliably in even the harshest factory conditions. Linx’s proven autoflush system thoroughly cleans the printhead every time the printer is shut down, ensuring a fast and clean start-up when it is next required. The automated cleaning feature enables the Linx 8900 to be cleaned and ready for immediate use even after three months out of operation, making it ideal for periods of extended shutdowns.
The Linx 8900 is designed to be simple to use and maintain, minimize operator errors and identify opportunities to improve production line efficiency in real-time. For more information, call 800-722-1125.
About Diagraph, An ITW Company
Diagraph, An ITW Company is a leading manufacturer and distributor of marking, coding and labeling systems and supplies, and has been in the product identification industry for over 120 years. Diagraph’s products include all-electric printer applicator labeling systems, LINX continuous ink jet and laser coders, large character ink jet printing systems and thermal transfer overprinting systems.
About Linx Printing Technologies Ltd
Linx Printing Technologies is a leading global supplier of continuous ink jet (CIJ) printers, case coders, laser coders, thermal transfer printers and thermal inkjet printers. Its printers and coders are used across many different industries where product identification codes, batch numbers, dates and barcodes are required.
All Linx products are designed with low cost of ownership in mind and are distinguished by reliability, robustness and ease of use. Linx products code and mark millions of items every day, ranging from bottles, packages and cans of consumer goods to pharmaceutical products, cabling, electrical components and car parts.
Ready to Eat Meals are terrifically convenient and, in a world where time is a premium, are part of a growing market. In addition to convenience and taste, Ready to Eat Meal producers look to differentiate themselves from competitors with clever use of packaging. As a result, meal packaging can be found in a variety of substrates; shrink wrap trays, pouches, chip board carton, and plastic cups to name a few.
Ready to Eat Meal producers need to put expiration dates on these various substrates. Although laws vary by state and only baby formula has a federal regulation on “Use By”, “Sell By” or “Best Before” date coding, consumers look for this information before making a purchase. Continuous Inkjet Printing (CIJ) is often the preferred method to achieve date coding. Continuous Inkjet offers high-speed, non-contact marking using solvent based inks to print variable information on a wide variety of substrates.
Efficiency is of utmost importance to food producers and packagers. It is critical for all machinery on a food packaging production line to operate with maximum uptime and reliability. To meet that expectation Linx Printing Technologies introduces their CIJ model 8900. The Linx 8900 was designed with features that keep your coding machine ready to run and running reliably. The 8900 is a CIJ printer capable of printing up to three lines of text, logos and barcodes, and was designed for maximum efficiency and minimal effort. Its stainless steel cabinet boasts an IP55 rating which makes it suitable for a wash-down environment.
Maintenance is a key component with CIJ technology. CIJ printers require cleaning and periodic changes of filters. Keeping a printer and printhead clean is the key to peak performance. The 8900 model has proven Linx components along with new features all designed to run clean and increase uptime.
Like all Linx CIJ printers, the 8900 features a hermetically sealed printhead with no adjustable parts. No adjustments results in more uptime and less risk of damage which could lead to unplanned downtime. The printhead automatically flushes at both start up and shut down which allows you to go up to 100 starts and stops (3 months) without manual cleaning, and delivers strong performance in harsh, dusty or wet environments.
Incorrect fluids refills will shut a coding printer and thus a production line down. Linx is known for their commitment to mess free and mistake proof fluids refills. They’ve taken this commitment to the next level with the introduction of a larger capacity one-touch cartridge fluid refill system. It could not be simpler. Open the front cabinet, insert a cartridge and shut the door. Solvent and Ink cartridges incorporate RFID technology which communicates with the printer to assure proper fluids are being installed. Fluids can be filled while printing.
Also contributing to maximum uptime is the ability for customers to service printers themselves. Filter changes can be predictably scheduled around production time with the use of Easi-Change® Service Modules. Changing out the filters is a simple 15 minute procedure.
The sealed printhead, auto-flushing procedure, cartridge fluid system and the ability to complete your own service maintenance all contribute to the 8900 printers’ ability to be ready to print when you are.
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 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 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.
What would you do with 3 months?
By Chris Pangallo, CIJ and Laser Product Manager
Linx Printing Technologies introduced their latest Continuous Inkjet Printer (CIJ) model 8900 in September of 2015. The new printer reflects the fundamental Linx design philosophies of Ease of Use and Reliability, supported by a hermetically sealed printhead with no moving parts, self-service Easi Change module and new features such as one-touch cartridge refills and a 10” capacitive touch screen with customizable menu. The 8900 introduces a new iteration of Linx Hermetically sealed printhead model MK11. The new design improves upon the already impressive model MK9 design for maximum reliability.
Ø The MK11 printhead makes use of Push-pull drop positioning in the deflector fields.
o More drop control means better print quality.
Ø The MK11 has a unique auto flush process at shut-down, and solvent flush at start-up.
o This means a cleaner operation – less downtime.
Ø The MK11 introduces a new “figure-8” 2 tube style conduit for maximum support and flexibility
o This means reliable performance, even in challenging environments.
These improvements have been tested and reveal with typical inks and in typical application environments, customers can expect 100 starts and stops without the need to clean the printhead. Testing actually found 3 months as typical, and in some cases can go up to 6 months.
What would you do with the time saved by only having to clean your printhead once every 3 months?
At Diagraph, we are dedicated in solving your coding and labeling challenges. Diagraph has been assisting customers for over 120 years improving production line efficiencies with simple, reliable, cost-effective coding and labeling solutions. Contact us to learn more about the Linx product line. Visit us at www.diagraph.com or contact us at 800.722.1125.