Domino Printing Sciences has launched a new ink that answers the coding demands of the food packaging industry. Developed by Domino’s ink specialists for high speed production environments, the BK652 ink has an unparalleled drying time of less than half a second and is four times more resistant to fade than comparable inks available for retail packaging.
The new ink is available now for use with Domino’s G-Series Thermal Ink Jet range, which prints high-definition codes onto a variety of food packaging substrates including labels, cartons, sachets and pouches. The unique G-Series printers can print bar codes, Datamatrix codes, graphics and text onto a variety of porous and semi-porous surfaces.
BK652’s market leading dry time enables codes to be completely fixed and bonded in record time without impeding on the productivity of the rest of the packaging line. The high-contrast TrueType code allows for easier reading by machine vision systems now found on food production lines, which helps maintain continuously running lines and reduce reject rates and stoppages.
“We anticipate that BK652 will build on the success that we have already seen in this sector with BK651,” explains Phil Parkins, Technical Product Manager for Thermal Ink Jet (TIJ) at Domino. “The super-fast dry time combined with excellent de-cap time will reduce the initial rejects manufacturers see after the machine has been idle, thus cutting reworking requirements.”
“There’s a growing need for high resolution, high quality scratch resistant coding, which are key requirements for the packaging of ready meals and convenience foods,” concludes Greg Treanor, Product Marketing Manager at Domino Printing Sciences. “In order for food manufacturers to comply with the latest legislative requirements, they require an ink that is certified for use in packaging applications. Thermal Ink Jet lends itself well to the food industry, as it is one of the most efficient and clean solutions for delivering high speed, high definition coding within the controlled environments of food packaging production lines. We are confident that BK652 will prove to be a popular choice for businesses operating in the food sector.”