Chicago, IL, November 7, 2004 – Matthews International is demonstrating two new printers for the first time at booth #S-1882 at Pack Expo International 2004 November 7-11 in Chicago: the rugged Jet-a-Mark™ DOD 8400 for high-speed, high-quality ink-jet printing on a wide range of materials and Coditherm – the only digital thermal transfer printer capable of 300 dpi or higher resolution marking directly onto non-web or uneven porous surfaces, according to the company. Also being shown for the first time is Matthews’ new stainless steel IP 65 washdown printhead for DOD ink-jet printers and new 8000 series Maxi printheads for DOD printers used in non-food applications requiring a protection rating of IP 54.

Matthews’ Holjeron subsidiary (acquired earlier this year) is demonstrating for the first time its new ZoneLink™ method of connecting control zones in a powered roller conveyor system. Using ZoneLink reduces the total cost of powered roller conveyors – including the field wiring, cabling, and installation – more than any other control technology.

New Jet-a-Mark™ DOD 8400 ink-jet printer

Capable of printing one to five lines of small or large characters at speeds up to 780 feet per minute, the 8400 uses Matthews’ Drop-on-Demand technology, which not only reduces the cost of consumables compared to high-resolution ink jet printers, but also is more ruggedly constructed to mark reliably when exposed to vibration and dust. Designed to produce higher-quality marking at faster speeds than previous Matthews DOD printers, the 8400 can print on both porous and non-porous substrates with dye or pigmented ink formulations and a variety of printheads.

New printheads for DOD printers

Two new printheads are available for the new DOD 8400: the IP 65 water-protected printhead for washdown applications and the 8000 Maxi series printhead with IP 54 rating. Meeting NEMA 4 standards and developed for food marking applications, the IP 65 has a small profile (less than 5.2 in. front to back), making it easier to fit on packaging equipment. Each IP 65 is a 7-valve MINI drop head for printing a single line at speeds up to 300 fpm; multiple lines may be printed by stacking several printheads and printed character sizes range from 0.10” to 1.10”. The stainless steel IP 65 is the only printhead on the market for DOD ink-jet printers used in wet, tough environments such as food packaging. The 8000 series Maxi printheads provide a higher industrial rating than previously offered (IP 54 versus IP 42) and are encased in a slim enclosure, making installation easy.

IP 65 Water-Protected Printhead 8000 Series Maxi Printheads

New Coditherm digital thermal transfer printer

Because of a patented double ribbon design, the programmable Coditherm is the only digital thermal transfer printer capable of marking directly onto non-web, porous materials without premature wear on the printhead. Ideal for marking variable information, such as date and time codes, or for printing small machine-readable barcodes of 300 dpi (with an option for 600 dpi) on chipboard, corrugated cartons or other uneven surfaces, Matthews’ Coditherm also offers easy message changeover, simply by recalling a file; color changes require 1-3 minutes. Maximum marking area is 3.74 in. x 8.66 in. (95mm x 220mm). See the Coditherm product page

Holjeron’s Zone-Link Powered Roller Conveyor System

Acquired by Matthews International this past summer and managed by Matthews’ Marking Products Division, Holjeron is an industrial controls manufacturer and supplier to Fortune 500 companies. Holjeron collaborated with Matthews previously on the joint development of an ink-jet controller and interface specifically designed for OEMs (Matthews I-Mark™). A powered roller conveyor controlled by Holjeron’s new ZoneLink technology is being demonstrated at the Pack Expo booth for the first time. While powered roller conveyors generally offer the advantage of easier repair and maintenance, the ZoneLink method of connecting powered roller control zones reduces the field wiring, cabling and installation time and cost of conveyor systems more than any other conveyor control technology. (See separate release.) For more information on Matthews and Holjeron products, contact Matthews International Corp., Marking Products Division, 6515 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Telephone (412) 665-2500. Fax (412) 365-2042. Web site www.matthewsmarking.com.