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Industrial Inkjet Ltd UK (IIJ) is a manufacturer of custom digital print engines, development tools, kits and equipment based on Konica Minolta inkjet printheads.
Exciting technology breakthroughs in 2016-2017 pushes Industrial Inkjet Ltd in new directions.
Continued success in Packaging and Ink compliance.
2017 continues to be an important year for Industrial Inkjet Ltd (IIJ). Our R&D in the field of ink testing is moving forward and increasing our understanding of the crucial world of ink compliance for the food packaging industry.
Our ink test team combines a sound knowledge base with strong instincts about ink properties that give the company an advantage when working towards finding that perfect ink for any given project.
Our aim now is to take the company’s experience within the Packaging market, the years of skill and knowledge, and apply it to an industry that impacts on our daily lives. Working with Ink suppliers over the years has built a rock-solid foundation on which to grow our knowledge and expertise.
Dr. Sarojiniamma, Head of Ink Technology at Industrial Inkjet Ltd, talks of the dangers of working with inks without a rigorous ink test process. These dangers include; customer dissatisfaction, delays in production, increasing R&D costs and losing legal compliance.
IIJ have developed an exacting test procedure combined with application testing to ensure that the entire project, from material to inks, is suitable for industrial applications. This results in a reliable product and extends the life of the machinery.
Dr. Sarojiniamma speaks of the “stringent testing and dedicated expertise and time to achieve industrial standards”. In order to do this the IIJ process consists of seven steps in ink qualification to meet the company’s standards. Industry specific testing may also be carried out at IIJ.
Dr. Sarojiniamma focuses on confirming that the ink matches the customer’s specification. Training the customer to understand the relationship between ink and machinery, and liaising with ink suppliers and third-party curing technology suppliers are also crucial. IIJ works on a regular basis with many ink companies. The company will not sell a print engine with an unapproved ink.
The test process performed by the IIJ Ink Technology Team can take up to 110 working days to finalise and ensures that customers can be confident that our recommended inks stand up to production environments.
When it comes to the packaging market and the requirement for high speed and accurate printing, IIJ looks at four main aspects that are crucial to the success of any given project:
• Reliability
• Print head capability
• Limiting the changes to the ink properties from sample to sample
• Visco-elastic properties of the ink.
Of any 10 inks, only one may achieve these requirements and working with good ink suppliers enables this. The relationship that IIJ has with ink suppliers results in good partnerships to ensure compliance with legislation.