Industrial ink jet printing is an effective way to mark text, logos, 2D codes, and bar codes directly on moving materials. Since the printhead never touches the material being marked, ink jet printing can be used on a wide variety of surfaces without risk of marring or deforming the product. Printing on challenging materials is therefore made easy:
- Products with irregular (non-flat) surfaces
- Materials that are not rigid, such as extruded rubbers and plastics
- Products coated with paint, oil, or other surface protectants
Ink jet printers can be used as stand-alone units or receive and print data from a PLC or host system. This allows manufacturers to automatically print product information, date and time stamps, and even defect information immediately on their products.
DOD vs CIJ Printing Technology
Drop on Demand (DOD) Ink Jet Printers
Large Character Printing
DOD printheads feature several orifices arranged in a single column configuration. Electronic signals open and close one or more orifices at high speeds to allow droplets of ink to come out, forming characters, logos, and 2D codes in a dot matrix configuration.
DOD printers are also referred to as large-character ink jet printers: REA JET DOD printers can print character sizes from 1/4″ to 5-1/2″ (5mm to 140mm) high.
Continuous Ink Jet (CIJ) Printers
Small Character Printing
Ink is continuously streamed through a single nozzle in the printhead and then broken into tiny droplets at a rate of 76,800 per second. Drops are selectively charged and deflected through a magnetic plate to produce characters, graphics, bar codes, and 2D codes.
CIJ printers are also referred to as small-character ink jet printers, forming characters from .08″ to .47″ (2mm to 12mm) high.
What makes REA JET printers different?
REA JET industrial ink jet printers are specifically designed for operation in industrial environments. The patented printheads are ruggedly built for use with inks that can be problematic in other ink jet printers such as rubber co-curable inks and pigmented inks for high-contrast printing on metals.
The new REA JET 2.0 platform builds on the already successful REA JET track record of performance in harsh applications. All systems are modular so that components can be quickly swapped out for service or replacement, ensuring that your product is marked every time.