We’re introducing a new inkjet printer for direct-to-box coding on secondary packaging. Say hello to the Domino Cx350i high-resolution inkjet printer.
In an interview with Dave Featherston, Domino North America's Product Manager for the Cx350i, we focus on three key areas: print quality, usability, and connectivity, and we reveal why this new Industry 4.0-ready printer would be the perfect addition to your packaging line.
Let’s take a look…
What sets the Cx350i apart from the legacy C-Series?
The Cx350i is better in every way, offering all the features that customers have come to love about our legacy products but combining them with Domino’s x-generation technology. This is what manufacturers are looking for now: connected, automated systems that can be remotely monitored and analyzed from anywhere.
The combination of drop size, print resolution, and Domino-developed ink is near perfect and it delivers consistent, high-contrast printing directly onto your boxes and cases. By using the intuitive QuickStep touchscreen interface, which Domino customers will find familiar, you can also quickly adjust the settings or create a whole new print layout from scratch.
Offering a broad range of connectivity options such as Dynamark and EtherNet/IP, integrating into factory equipment is easy. With Domino Cloud compatibility, you have 24/7 visibility of your printer’s performance utilization. All helping you to drive overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and maximize your profitability.
Which key industries and applications is the Cx350i best positioned?
As the motto says, it’s “big on boxes!”. The Cx350i is firmly focused on porous (uncoated) box coding. An alternative to print-and-apply labelling technology, it’s applicable to almost every manufacturing sector such as food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and many more industries.
With Industry 4.0-ready features and a modern look, the Cx350i is also the perfect upgrade for Domino C-Series customers. The printer can be used with our QuickDesign automation software and integrated into ERP systems. It supports direct connection of a barcode reader for code validation, and with the Domino Cloud connectivity, it can help detect issues before they lead to downtime.
Why choose a Cx350i specifically?
The Cx350i is what is called a “piezo inkjet” printer (PIJ). This technology offers a combination of large print area and high-resolution inkjet printing that can deliver graphics, text, and GS1-128 compliant barcodes – without also having to attach a label onto boxes and cases.
Selecting a PIJ printer will result in a lower total cost of ownership as well as a reduction in waste compared to label technology. This will boost overall operational efficiency and will help manufacturers reach sustainability goals. Coupled with Domino’s own non-hazardous vegetable oil-based inks, manufacturers can print great codes while also significantly reducing environmental impact.
How does the Cx350i compare to existing printers?
Direct printing on boxes is a brilliant way for manufacturers to reduce complexity, cost and waste, but a reliable solution has always been missing from the marketplace – this is where the Cx350i steps in: a reliable, worry-free solution for today’s coding requirements on secondary packaging.
With the robust print head, intuitive touchscreen, and modern connectivity options, the Cx350i shines compared to existing, ageing printing alternatives.
When designing and creating the Cx350i, we made sure to not only build improvements that took us beyond existing technology, but also retain the features of our legacy printers which our customers found beneficial to their production line. The large internal ink reservoir enables infrequent ink changes “on the fly” without interruption to production, and the multi-head capability from a single ink base offers print layouts up to 260mm in height or printing onto multiple sides of a box from a single Cx350i controller. By researching what the industry needs and building on our already-excellent products, we’ve been able to make a reliable, up-to-date, and easy-to-use printer that our customers will love.
How is the Cx350i more than just a printer?
The Cx350i is Industry 4.0 ready and is compatible with all our latest services which are designed to integrate the packaging coding and marking process seamlessly into production lines. These services allow you to run your operations more efficiently, integrate into existing ERP systems alongside Domino’s QuickDesign automation software, and the Cx350i will be compatible with Domino’s future coding automation solutions, long into the future.
Barcode readers can also be directly connected, allowing manufacturers to validate codes immediately after printing. This allows us the opportunity to integrate the R-Series vision control range too.
In the unlikely event of a problem, Domino’s SafeGuard packages, with remote diagnostics, can help detect problems before they affect your production line. This then sends data to the secure Domino Cloud for an accurate fix, which is accessible to you and can be analyzed remotely by our engineers.
Our Domino Help Desk is on hand to chat through any simple fixes and we can provide AR-enabled remote engineer guidance. We understand that seconds of downtime mean lost revenue, so ensuring continued production is at the top of our agenda.
If you think the Cx350i could be the perfect solution to your packaging line, get in touch.