Classification and Advantages of Industrial Inkjet Printers

Classification of Industrial Inkjet Printers:

Industrial inkjet printers primarily utilize two technologies to achieve marking functionality: Continuous Inkjet (CIJ) and Drop-on-Demand (DOD). These technologies differ in their working principles and each has its own advantages.

1. Continuous Inkjet (CIJ) Technology:

The operation mechanism of CIJ is relatively complex yet sophisticated. Inside the device, ink is drawn from the ink reservoir by an ink pump and delivered to the printhead at a stable pressure. At the printhead, an oscillator applies high-frequency vibrations to the ink, breaking it into extremely fine droplets, which form a continuous stream. As the droplet stream passes through a charging electrode, some droplets are charged with varying levels of electricity based on the content to be printed. These charged droplets are then deflected by an electric field generated by deflection electrodes, causing them to land precisely on the product surface to form the desired text, numbers, or patterns. Uncharged droplets are collected by a recycling system and returned to the ink reservoir for reuse, improving ink efficiency and reducing production costs. The advantages of CIJ include high-speed printing, making it suitable for fast production lines, and continuous printing capability, ideal for long-duration, high-volume production tasks.

2. Drop-on-Demand (DOD) Technology:

DOD technology differs in that it only ejects ink droplets when printing is required. Common DOD technologies include piezoelectric and thermal bubble methods.

Piezoelectric DOD uses piezoelectric crystals that deform under an electric field. When a printing command is received, the crystals deform, squeezing ink from the printhead to form droplets.

Thermal Bubble DOD relies on heating elements within the printhead to generate high temperatures instantly, causing localized ink vaporization and bubble formation. The expanding bubbles push the ink out of the printhead as droplets.

The advantages of DOD technology include high precision, enabling fine printing quality, and good compatibility with various types of specialized inks. It is suitable for applications requiring high-quality and precise product marking.

Advantages of Industrial Inkjet Printers:

Compared to other marking technologies, industrial inkjet printers offer significant advantages:

Cost-Effectiveness: The cost of inkjet printing is relatively low, with affordable ink prices and high ink utilization rates, effectively controlling production costs.

Wide Material Compatibility: Industrial inkjet printers can achieve excellent marking results on a variety of materials, including metal, plastic, glass, ceramic, paper, wood, and more.

Strong Adhesion: The printed marks exhibit strong adhesion, remaining clear and intact even after transportation, storage, and use, with minimal fading or peeling.

Versatility: Suitable for diverse applications, from high-speed production lines to high-precision marking requirements, making them a versatile solution for industrial marking needs.