A coding crime scene – the fight against ageing technology!


At Rotech, we have witnessed multiple coding & marking crime scenes. These messy incidents often have a detrimental impact on the production line and its operators. The businesses affected are found drowning in downtime, cleanup costs, damage, and maintenance. It’s finally time to find out who is responsible. WHO DID IT?

 

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The crime in question

A trail of evidence has been left scattered all over this production line. Three major clues have been identified that will help us establish a main suspect. With our expert coding and marking knowledge, and the help of trusty thermal inkjet technology we can clean up the monstrous mess in no time. However, the killer coder is still on the loose and we want to finally lock them away for good. Uncover the clues below….

CIJ crime scene where an old system has spilt ink on production line

CLUE 1 – A pool of ink by the production line

Undoubtedly, the pool of blood red ink is the most visible clue. We found ink splatters 2m away from the crime scene and further residue sprayed across the top of the conveyors. As a result, existing equipment is damaged, and products are tarnished. The downtime, unusable stock and ink wastage will surely cause a hefty bill!

Ink spillages are commonly associated with old CIJ systems. The printers push a continuous stream of ink through a small nozzle using a high-pressure pump, causing a mess when the system is knocked…a disaster waiting to happen.

Alternatively, TIJ printers are completely mess-free and increase uptime with their self-contained click in, click out cartridges. The compact systems use drop-on-demand technology, therefore reducing the overall ink usage and cost.

 

CLUE 2 – Tools for high-maintenance, moving parts

There have been accomplices involved in this crime! Someone has left a vital piece of evidence… a screwdriver for the ongoing maintenance and repairs of an ageing technology. Could it be that a technician has failed to fix the problem and cover up the crime?

Old continuous inkjet systems require substantial amounts of TLC to keep them running at their full potential. The printers cause downtime when the moving parts break down and require regular servicing.

In contrast, thermal inkjet is a maintenance-free technology that contains no moving parts. The printhead is integrated into the cartridge, meaning you’re affectively replacing the printhead each time you use a new cartridge.

CLUE 3 – Costly ink refills and hazardous MEK fluids

The final and most crucial piece of evidence from our coding crime scene. Large bottles filled with volatile fluids that are hazardous to human health.

These look suspiciously like the MEK fluids and ink bottles used with CIJ printers. The warning symbols should be enough to avoid these dangerous liquids. However, they must be regularly topped up by operators, causing excess costs, downtime, and damage to the environment.

TIJ on the other hand, requires only one consumable, does not use MEK fluids and its inks use minimal solvents. This leads to a much safer environment for operators.

This particular coding crime is bigger than we thought, costing the manufacturer thousands in consumables and downtime. Leading us to discover the culprit…. a CIJ coder, the cause of many coding and marking crime scenes across the nation!

Thermal Inkjet- Saves the day

The new thermal inkjet printer was a welcome solution for these victims of crimes against coding. Rest assured; uptime will be increased because of the maintenance-free, cost-effective, clean technology. If you require a coding and marking investigation on your production line, Rotech can solve even the messiest coding crime scenes and save you from dreaded downtime.

For further information on CIJ vs TIJ, check out our latest blog post on the cost of coding.

 RF Auto printing onto luxury cartons with thermal inkjet printer
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