Food & Drink Process & Packaging Issue 23 2019 | Page 30

TIJ printers streak through coding tasks at molls In the first UK installation of its kind, From its Birmingham slicing and with an indexing unit. However, these Rotech has supplied Molls Bacon with a packaging facility, Molls Bacon supplies large systems are not only expensive to five head, centrally-controlled TIJ (thermal the food service and retail markets in the buy, but also to operate. Ribbon is often ink jet) coding solution. The capital UK and overseas with vacuum and MAP wasted and the disposal of the ribbon cost was a third less than the indexing packed bacon, sold under its Cole Valley and cores is an added expense. Even thermal transfer systems that are usually brand as well as under customers’ own when using continuous inkjet (CIJ) for specified for these on-thermoformer labels. Molls was already buying coding such an installation, this brings with it applications, and the bacon producer consumables from Rotech, so when it unnecessary costs, both in terms of initial is enjoying low running costs thanks to needed a new automated system for investment, running costs and waste exceptional ink economy, reduced set-up applying date codes and batch numbers disposal. times and zero servicing. to the film lids of thermoformed packs, “I’m very impressed that the only upkeep I have to do on these printers is clean the it sought advice from the Hertfordshire coding specialist. Rotech’s expertise spans all coding technologies, but in recent years it has become more heavily involved with TIJ, heads twice a day. The unit is very efficient Up until this point, Molls Bacon had been as an increasing number of companies in regards to ink consumption there is still overprinting labels with coding data, then look to replace TT and CIJ (continuous ink 40% ink left and we haven’t yet replaced the using a label applicator to apply the labels jet) printers with clean, cost effective and cartridges since they were installed in March. across the web path. A move from labels compact TIJ units. TIJ does not require If I’d known then what I know now about TIJ to pre-printed film prompted the bacon ribbons, significantly reducing cost of technology, I would have had these printers processor to look at direct coding options. ownership on simple coding jobs through on our other thermoformer,” enthuses The industry standard solution for coding savings on the ribbons themselves and Matthew Oswell, engineering manager at film on a thermoformer is to use a TT time spent changing ribbons. TIJ units are Molls Bacon. (thermal transfer) printer in conjunction also lighter and more compact than TT 30 FDPP - www.fdpp.co.uk