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Digital TIJ printing on nonporous substrates

Signature Seasonings prints PET bottles with a digital thermal ink-jet printing system whose cartridges carry a break-through solvent ink.

Codes are imprinted on the sidewall near the top of the PET bottles.
Codes are imprinted on the sidewall near the top of the PET bottles.

For Signature Seasonings, using the right mix of technology to meet its changing needs is just as important as creating the perfect spice blend for its customers. But for the small business, finding cost-effective, versatile technology to support its made-to-order manufacturing process proved difficult.


Until recently, the New Bern, NC, company struggled to meet its intermittent printing needs for marking small-character lot numbers on its spice bottles, primarily because the continuous ink-jet printer it used required too much cleaning.


The company’s search for a solution ended when it installed the new Hydra printing platform from RSI. RSI is already known for innovative product-coding systems that integrate with the cartridge-based digital thermal ink-jet technology from HP. But this installation is especially significant for two reasons. First, it’s a departure for RSI because its core business has been primarily in the area of case coding. With the introduction of the considerably smaller Hydra, the innovative machine builder now has a platform for a whole new customer segment where the substrate being coded is generally smaller than a corrugated case.


Equally notable with this installation (www.bit.ly/pwe00422) is that it marks the commercial debut of HP Black 2570 Solvent Ink, the first ink from HP to be specifically tailored for non-porous substrates. It dries quickly with no need for add-on drying devices. Perhaps even more important is that it boasts an extended “decap” time (the time it takes for the ejectable liquid at the nozzle to clog) of 24 hours. This unique property allows for intermittent industrial printing with immediate start-up and limited printhead servicing between jobs. Signature Seasonings vice president Jay Neuhoff says it makes a world of difference in his operation compared to the days when continuous ink-jet was used.


“With our old machine, if we didn’t plan to use it for several days, we had to flush the system to avoid the ink drying inside the tubes and solenoids,” says Neuhoff. “That took about 45 minutes.”

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