TIJ (Thermal Inkjet) marking technology, known as thermal inkjet, is a printing method that uses heat to eject ink droplets onto a surface, allowing the creation of text, barcodes, graphics, and other forms of marking on a wide variety of substrates.
How does TIJ technology work?
- Ink cartridge with electrical resistors:
- Inside the TIJ cartridge, there are small chambers that contain the ink. Each chamber has an electrical resistor (or heating element).
- Rapid heating:
- When printing is needed, an electric current passes through the resistor, which heats up rapidly (in milliseconds), creating a vapor bubble in the ink.
- Expulsion of the ink droplet:
- The pressure from the vapor bubble pushes a small amount of ink out of the cartridge nozzle, which is then deposited onto the surface of the material being printed.
- Repetition of the process:
- This process is repeated thousands of times per second to create characters, graphics, or codes on the surface.
Characteristics and advantages of TIJ:
- High resolution: TIJ technology is capable of producing high-resolution prints (typically between 300 to 600 dpi or more), which is ideal for barcodes, small text, and detailed graphics.
- Versatility in substrates: It can print on a wide variety of materials such as paper, cardboard, plastics, metal, and others, depending on the type of ink used.
- Speed: It can print at high speeds, making it suitable for fast production lines.
- Easy to use and maintain: TIJ cartridges are generally easy to replace and do not require complicated maintenance. This reduces downtime in production.
- Quick ink change: It allows for fast and easy switching between different ink colors or types (e.g., water-based or solvent-based ink), which is useful for various applications on the same production line.
Typical applications of TIJ:
- Food and beverages: Marking expiration dates, batch numbers, and QR codes on packaging and labels.
- Pharmaceutical: Printing critical information and barcodes on medication packaging.
- Electronics: Coding small components and circuit boards.
- Consumer goods: Marking products and packaging with logos, serial numbers, and other data.
- Cement plants: Marking paper or polypropylene sacks.
- Marking wood: whether it's pallets, slats, door frames, or trunks. It's crucial that the ink used is water-based and resistant to water and UV protection to prevent the marking from fading. Our preferred ink for this application is H-A01.
Limitations of TIJ:
- Durability: TIJ printing is not as resistant to adverse conditions such as abrasion, exposure to chemicals, or weather as laser marking.
- Ink capacity: Ink cartridges can run out relatively quickly in high-volume applications, which may require frequent changes.
In summary, TIJ marking technology is a flexible, efficient, and high-quality option for many industrial applications, especially in environments where clear and detailed printing on a variety of materials is required.
It does not require maintenance like CIJ.
