Domino Printing Sciences’ specialist laser team is pinpointing and analyzing the composition of cardboard cartons, plastics and their packaging alternatives. This offering helps businesses to match the right laser coding solution to their selected packaging material. A comprehensive catalog of pre-tested materials is also being produced as part of the program.
The company is expanding its documentation on the impact of different laser solutions on a wide range of substrates from pharmaceutical-grade carton boards to new sustainable materials, including starch-based alternatives to plastic.
Many companies adopt a trial-and-error testing approach without the capability of understanding why specific substrates print clearer codes. Currently, code ability and printability does not form part of the materials specification for packaging suppliers. Therefore, situations occur when packaging suppliers change the material slightly, which can affect the coding quality and downtime.
Domino’s Laser Lab can pinpoint the change in packaging material that can cause these issues. The laboratory is also being sent new, more sustainable packaging materials to test as the global trend for more environmentally friendly packaging continues to grow, so it is also building profiles for those.
Another market trend is to use thinner packaging to save on costs. This also influences the coding and marking technology because the packaging may be too thin to code, potentially damaging the material. Now it is possible to pinpoint any change in packaging composition quickly and use these profiles to recommend the most suitable coding solution.
Domino’s specialist equipment permits measurement of a substrate’s reaction to laser radiation over time. Based on its findings, an appropriate laser is selected and tested. Using a powerful 3D microscope, Domino experts evaluate the code quality, produce imagery and provide a detailed report to the customer.
Efficient, high-quality product marking maximizes uptime and ensures legislative compliance, even in the most testing production environments.
Domino scientists are currently testing and cataloging 45 of the most commonly used pharmaceutical cartons.
