PRODUCT REVIEWS
IQJET wins “ Gold German Innovation Award ”
The German Design Council honoured LEIBINGER ’ s industrial printer , IQJET , with the “ Gold German Innovation Award ” on 14 May 2024 in Berlin , Germany . The marking system specialist was also named “ Innovator of the Year 2024 ” at the ceremony .
The interdisciplinary expert jury of the German Design Council awarded IQJET with the Gold German Innovation Award in the “ Excellence in Business to Business : Machines & Engineering ” category . The award is based on criteria such as sustainability , quality and economic efficiency for “ outstanding products , projects and pioneering achievements .” Around 300 guests from politics , business and media attended the festive event at the Berlin Futurium .
With its new industrial printer , IQJET , LEIBINGER has innovated continuous inkjet printing ( CIJ ), offering users from numerous industries a solution for marking their products . IQJET , for instance , prints texts , logos and codes on a variety of surfaces such as metal , plastic , glass and paper .
“ IQJET guarantees high performance , exceptional print quality and efficiency with reliable continuous operation and no need for cleaning . Users benefit from the unique
Christina Leibinger , CEO of LEIBINGER , and Jan van het Reve , COO , accept the German Innovation Award .
‘ Plug & Print ’ performance , easy operation and five years of maintenance-free operation . Compared to conventional printers , IQJET reduces operating costs by up to 30 per cent . Companies can also optimise their ecological footprints through low consumption of energy , ink and solvents ,” explained the manufacturer .
“ The award is the largest audience award
in German business , honouring companies of every size and industry as well as innovative ideas from all areas of business . Over 70,000 entrepreneurs , CEOs and other business enthusiasts also choose the winners of the audience awards online in various categories ,” it added . n
www
. leibinger-group . com
Chrome-free galvanizing process from WGG
As part of its ongoing mission to become a truly sustainable business , a UK galvanizing company has successfully become completely Chromium Trioxide-free . After dedicating several years and significantly investing into the research , development and trials of alternative chemicals , Wedge Group Galvanizing Ltd has confirmed that it has completely removed Chromium Trioxide from its processes , months ahead of the latest European legislation set to govern this across the industry .
David Nobes , Technical Services Director , Wedge Group Galvanizing Ltd , commented : “ Over the past few years , we have made a conscious effort to reduce or remove high-risk and non-sustainable chemicals and metals from the galvanizing process to ensure that [ the process ] is safer for our team , compliant with legislation and in line with our sustainability targets ( and those of our customers ).
“ With no direct equivalent to Chromium Trioxide available , it ’ s challenging for businesses , like ourselves , who want to not only adopt new procedures ahead of changing rules and regulations but who also want to
The galvanizing process .
discover innovative , sustainable and safer solutions ,” he continued .
Chromium Trioxide is traditionally used in the passivation process during galvanizing . It creates a protective surface on the galvanizing coating that keeps the surface bright and shiny for up to 12 weeks and minimises wet storage stain on the coating for the immediate period after galvanizing .
From September 2024 , the European Union ’ s REACH legislation will ban the use of Chromium Trioxide in most manufacturing processes ( including galvanizing ). Wedge Group Galvanizing Ltd will therefore cease manufacture of the chemical before September .
“ This isn ’ t a new phenomenon to us and so we ’ ve luckily been unaffected by the regulation change . We ’ ve spent many years searching for an alternative solution and one product , in particular , stood out as it works in a similar way alongside existing equipment and processes . Since 2020 , we have been successfully trialling this non-chrome product at several of our plants , and it became common practice across all 14 plants at the end of April ,” explained David Nobes .
“ To date , our customers have been pleased with the results ( the majority has not even able to notice the difference ). We are delighted that the transition to using a chrome-free process has been smooth . We are working tirelessly to ensure that we continue to achieve a consistent , quality and aesthetically pleasing finish that complies with legislation , and is kinder to our team and our planet ,” he added .
Wedge Group Galvanizing Ltd is the largest hot-dip galvanizing organisation in the UK with a history dating back over 150 years and 14 plants across the country . n
www . wedge-galv . co . uk
60 | ismr . net | ISMR July / August 2024