Today, many companies take advantage of the benefits of inkjet printing of barcodes, graphics and text directly onto secondary packages. Inkjet printing can save a company up to eight times less than labels. At the same time an inkjet printer on the factory floor allows for greater printing flexibility and requires less space than an inventory of assorted pre-printed secondary packages.

When looking to implement case coding into your production line consider these five key elements to offer optimal reliability, uptime and repairability. 

1. Printhead Construction
   To ensure that your printing system has a durable, industrial design, closely inspect the physical characteristics of the printhead. Printheads typically feature one of two types of orifice plates. Some orifice plates are made of metallic substances like stainless steel while others are made of polyimide plastic films. Diagraph’s IJ3000 printheads utilize the Trident piezo printhead engines that feature stainless steel orifice plates that can resist the impact of packaging without scratching or breaking.

2. Automatic Maintenance
   Printhead orifices are routinely clogged by corrugated fibers, sealing glue, factory dust and other pollutants found on the factory floor. Diagraph’s IJ3000 printheads feature automatic maintenance systems that routinely purge foreign objects like factory dust from the printhead ensure consistent high quality printing performance. This feature simultaneously enhances printhead durability and quality and minimizes the need for manual operator intervention, which in turn minimizes maintenance expenditures and downtime.
    
3. Repairable Design
   Another important factor to look for when searching for a durable inkjet printing system is printhead reparability. When the orifice plate on the printhead becomes clogged with debris, does the entire printhead need to be discarded and replaced or can it simply be repaired? Diagraph’s IJ3000 printheads offer a repairable design that allows the front orifice plate to be removed, cleaned and reassembled ensures a long life for your printing system and reduces expensive printhead replacement fees.
    
4. Demonstrated Long Life
   It is a good idea to ask your ink jet source the demonstrated lifespan of their printhead – in real world application conditions. For example, many Diagraph IJ3000 printheads that utilize the Trident print engines are still in operation more than 10 years after they have been installed and have demonstrated capability to last for 300 billion firings per channel. Be sure the printhead in your printer can provide this kind of demonstrated long life.
    
5. Quality Ink Compatibility
   Finally, leading inkjet companies create both the inkjet printhead and a specialty ink designed specifically for use in that printhead with maximum compatibility and optimum performance in your printhead. Diagraph manufactures a variety of inks in our state of the art ink facility located in Marion, Illinois. The use of knock-off inks can cause reliability issues and shorten the lifespan of the printhead. 

When researching to implement case coding into your production line, remember there are many factors to consider and options available. At Diagraph (diagraph.com) we have been manufacturing and delivering reliable, simple and cost-effective coding solutions for over 120 years.