The thermal transfer ribbon is usually a three-layer structure consisting of a backside coating, a PET film, and an ink layer.

The surface coating improves the adhesion of the ink and improves the resistance of the ribbon to chemical and environmental factors. The ink layer is a mixture of wax, resin, and pigment used to print images on the film surface, while an electrostatic coating (usually silicone) can lubricate and reduce static electricity to protect the print head.

Ink is divided into "soft ink" and "hard ink". Soft ink is mainly composed of wax and pigment. The melting point and the energy of the print head that needs to transfer the ink to the substrate are relatively low, and are mainly used for paper materials. Hard ink is composed of high-melting synthetic chemicals and pigments. It requires a high energy from the print head to transfer the ink to the substrate. It is mainly used in polyethylene or in low temperature environments; combining wax and resin can be used. The ink layer has the advantages of both inks, can achieve high-speed printing, and can form a good adhesion on most packaging films, suitable for most application areas.

In general, the thermal transfer ink's adhesion is directly proportional to the cost, and the higher the ink's adhesion, the higher the cost.

Digital thermal transfer suppliers will generally provide intermittent, continuous, and other types of equipment to accommodate vertical form-fill-seal lines (VHHS) or horizontal form-fill-seal machines (HFFS) such as Marken's SmartDate 2 / 3, 18 series heat transfer coder has intermittent, continuous type. In addition, there are also the latest batch-continuous integrated device models to choose from.

On an intermittent packaging line, the print head carriage moves on the packaging film while the film is at rest. The stepping rate of the printhead carriage motor is directly related to the linear motion of the carriage, and the length of time the dots are energized is determined based on the linear velocity; on the continuous packaging line, the graphic is printed while the packaging film is moving. The length of time the dots are energized is determined based on the ribbon speed, which is controlled by the data provided by the high speed synchronizer. The control box determines which points will be energized and when.

Compared with traditional thermal carbon coder, ink wheel coder or continuous ink coder, digital thermal transfer coder has technical advantages and practical benefits.

First of all, digital heat transfer printers do not use fonts, so there is no need to align and adjust small fonts, thus avoiding the danger of the characters falling into the food or breaking the film, and the cost of replacing the characters; second, digital thermal transfer Can provide high-quality coding effects, coded image resolution up to 300dpi, and print quality consistent and stable; can print special characters and barcodes, a large number of graphics or special characters can be pre-stored in the gallery, in the non-stop It can automatically change the code without human error, so as to maintain a high level of production capacity; it can print real-time information and improve the traceability of products, which is particularly important in today's increasingly focused on food and drug safety.

Affordable digital thermal transfer technology

Although digital thermal transfer coding is the latest marking technology, it is not unattainable. In fact, the digital thermal transfer coder is a product that ordinary users can also use. At the same time, it is also a Reliable technology. To date, Magneon has installed more than 40,000 thermal transfer printers worldwide, making it not only the laser coder market, but also the leader in digital thermal transfer printers.

There are not many manufacturers that can currently provide digital thermal transfer printers, but since the success of Markon's global launch of digital thermal transfer devices, the huge market has attracted a number of inkjet giants such as Videojet. The corresponding product.

Following the SmartDate 2/3 and 5 series, Marken introduced the 18 series of low-cost thermal transfer coders in November 2006, thus forming a complete product line in the digital thermal transfer coder market. Users can The code quality, production speed, and materials used are different to select the heat transfer coder that suits their needs.

Take the Markem 18 series thermal transfer coder as an example. This series of equipment uses a wax/resin type ribbon, which is suitable for printing on many films, has a very high adhesion and print quality, while maintaining a low cost. Its print head is 32mm, print resolution is 8 dots/mm, 200dpi. The coder supports variable data printing for special fonts, barcodes, and logo prints as well as shelf life dates. The image memory can also pre-store up to 100 images with a maximum ribbon length of up to 500 meters.

It is worth mentioning that the 18 series of thermal transfer printers support USB interface. Customers only need to use a small U disk, you can replace the coded content, so that on-site operation is more simple and flexible.

18 series thermal transfer has intermittent 18i and continuous model 18c. The 18i Intermittent Coder prints images by moving the print head while the packaging material is stopped, while the ribbon remains immobile during printing; the 18c continuous coder prints when the packaging material is moved, ribbons and packaging materials Move at the same speed.

Although digital thermal transfer printers are more expensive than traditional thermal printers and ink printers, their excellent coding quality, real-time coding capabilities, and flexibility in printing fonts, icons, and barcodes are sufficient. The stringent requirements of today's food and pharmaceutical packaging have increased the level of coding of flexible packaging to a new level, providing the most ideal solution for flexible packaging today.