Less waste, more speed

Primary coding by Domino has acquired features to cut down and virtually cut out the need for engineering intervention.

Hailed as a Domino ‘breakthrough’, i-Tech intelligent Technology comprising a suite of new ‘smart’ features was introduced in Paris at the Salon de l’Emballage 2010 packaging event, showcased in Domino’s ‘all-new’ A-Series.

The A-Series first came out in 1998, becoming the ‘world’s best selling continuous inkjet system’, according to Domino. A decade or so later, customers can take delivery of an overhauled i-generation printer design that has made the planned service redundant: it is the first in the industry to do so, says the manufacturer.

The latest A320i uses the new i-Tech ink system and SureStart printhead. These features are said to give lower operating costs and will ‘greatly reduce’ printers’ environmental impact.

The ‘radical’ design engineering, Domino says, does away with the costly wastage of electromechanical components, which are still serviceable when users dispose of exhausted ink and filters. Out has gone the ink reservoir, replaced by a modular concept - the ‘revolutionary’ Qube - in which the ink and filters are separated from the pump and electronics. The annual Qube replacement is said to take less than 10 minutes.

SureStart printhead technology delivers pushbutton, walk-away convenience. The ‘unique’ nozzle seal and true flush system enhances start/stop performance; it offers automatic head cleaning, and an automodulation capability maintains consistent break-up of drops. In addition, a heated head ensures that printing is unaffected by ambient temperature.

The ‘service-free’ concept calls time on time-wasting preventative maintenance activities. Instead, routine consumables are replaced in a ‘plug and play’ fashion. The CleanFill consumables are colour coded and have self-sealing valves to keep the working environment clean and safe.

Thanks to i-Tech, says Domino, ink is kept in better condition and benefits the equipment’s overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). It also means less ink waste in the Qube: 100% depletion of the ink and make-up cartridges ensures that no fluid is left in the exhausted cartridges; and intelligent management of the solvent recovery system reduces make-up usage.

It follows that the use of intelligent technology will bring greater productivity, according to Robert Pulford, Director-Global Products at Domino. The company studied how users interact with Domino equipment in daily use and how they integrate the company’s technology with their production lines. “We then looked at how we could deploy intelligent technology to help them do more,” says Mr Pulford.

In the case of the D-Series industrial scribing laser range, the new i-Tech scanning head has been made compact and flexible for easy integration with host packaging machines. It can be rotated through 90 degree steps. The new Vi20i, aimed at the food and healthcare sectors, achieves ‘best in class’ economy and runtimes thanks to the i-Tech ribbon drive feature, which uses up to 60% less ribbon compared to the market norm, without sacrificing print quality, claims Domino.

The D120i and D320i also come in pharma versions that comply with 21-CFR part 11 and GAMP. Unique user passwords and codes can be supplied with validation packages. The D-Series is compatible with the pan-industry Codentify system, which prints a unique 12-digit code for product authentication and enables fiscal recovery.

With its new models in A-Series, VSeries Thermal Transfer Overprint (TTO) and D-Series, Domino has aimed to satisfy demands to continuously improve the products’ environmental credentials, by making them smaller and lighter and with lower material content. As well, intelligent technology has given rise to more efficient power management, in features such as automatic power-down when idle.

Domino, this year, will be introducing a simplified user interface that will roll out across its coders. Called Quickstep, it is claimed to provide effortless control and status reporting, requiring minimal operator involvement. Here, according to Mr Pulford, Domino acknowledges the trend for workforces to be increasingly mobile and not necessarily working in their native languages.