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Portland, OR, March 12, 2008 – Matthews Marking Products Division
is demonstrating marking systems using two different technologies
in booth #440 at the 2008 Wood Technology Clinic & Show: the new
I-Mark™ C84 Continuous Ink Jet (CIJ) printer, featuring a self-cleaning
printhead and large (10.4 in.) color touchscreen for fast,
reliable small-character coding of up to 4 lines of text; and the
Jet-a-Mark® 8400e
DOD (Drop-On-Demand) ink jet controller for large- and small-
character printing with new 32-valve Jet-a-Mark 8000® series
printheads, providing higher quality marking than previous valve
technology, combined
with reduced ink consumption. Matthews also makes standard
and specialty inks, including waterfast, lightfast and APA-approved
inks.
New I-Mark™ C84 for small character marking - ease of use and
maintenance cost savings
The I-Mark C84’s large, easy-to-read, color, icon-based touchscreen (10.4
in.) and single button controls for jet startup/shutdown make it simple to
operate and create and change messages. “We think the C84 has the easiest
operator interface of any CIJ on the market,” said Antonio Cortes del
Valle, Matthews’ Product Manager. “And because of its longer throw
distance, the C84 can be placed further from the wood surface than other technologies,
while still producing better resolution, sharper marking.”
Protected by a stainless steel IP55 rated enclosure, the controller is compact
(22.5 in. x 18 in. x 12.75 in) and easily fits into production environments.
The C84 requires maintenance only after 2,500 hours of operation, in comparison
to the usual 1,500 hours of competing CIJ printers.
Contributing to lower maintenance costs and maximum uptime are a self-cleaning
printhead nozzle, autoflush of the hermetically-sealed printhead enclosure,
and continuous on-screen diagnostics that monitor and regulate running parameters
such as ink viscosity, print head temperature, drop speed and ink pressure.
While competitive systems automatically add solvent on a set schedule, sensors
in the C84’s diagnostic process measure whether solvent is needed to
maintain viscosity. This saves on consumables costs.
The C84 prints characters from .05 in -.61 in. (1.25 mm-15.6 mm) high at a
maximum speed of 1,235 ft. per minute (376 m/min.) – perfect for marking
narrow edges of wood or OSB. It may be used with fast dry, non-MEK and pigmented
inks.
I-Mark C84 Product Page
New Jet-a-Mark® 8000 series ink jet printheads – less ink
consumption, higher quality print
Matthews latest Jet-a-Mark® Drop-on-Demand™ (DOD) printheads,
the new 8000 series being shown with the Jet-a-Mark 8400e controller,
offer high
print quality at faster speeds (up to 780 fpm) while lowering ink consumption
by nearly 20%, compared to previous Matthews DOD printheads. These improvements
are the result of a unique design, using precision jewels set in a stainless
steel faceplate.
The 8000 series printheads have the longest life on the market – exceeding
3 billion firings. “These new printheads not only last longer,” points
out Donna Meade, Product Manager, “but - unlike competitive heads which
cannot be reused - ours can be rebuilt. This not only helps the environment,
but also the bottom line, since rebuilding printheads costs less than buying
new ones.”
Each 8000 series printhead produces characters from 0.2 in - 5 in. (5mm - 128mm)
high. Multiple printheads can be stacked for unlimited character height. They
may also be traversed, creating a billboard effect, which would normally require
a stencil and spray valves.
A wide variety of inks – including fast-drying VOC-free, pigmented, dye-
and water-based inks, as well as formulations for green wood, may be used with
the new 8000 series heads. Matthews pigmented inks create an extremely legible
mark on a dark or painted surface.
Matthews unique Drop-on-Demand (DOD) ink jet technology is particularly well
suited for challenging environments, such as wood and engineered wood, where
dust and vibration can damage more delicate marking systems. Matthews standard
printheads can tolerate temperatures as high as 185° F or more, and the
company has developed special “cooled” printheads for use with
substrates reaching 350° F.
More about Drop-On-Demand InkJet Printing
Jet-a-Mark® 8400e controls up to 4 DOD printheads for large and
small character marking
For applications needing bold marks containing both large and small characters,
one Matthews 8400e controller can drive up to four of the new 8000 Series DOD
printheads at speeds of 400-780 fpm and store up to 800 messages. The controller
features an easy drop-down, menu-driven interface. An integrated system with
this controller and 8000 series printheads is perfect for end-of-lumber marking.
Jet-a-Mark® 8400e
Product Page
For more information on the complete range of Matthews Marking
Products or the company’s exhibit at the Wood Technology Clinic & Show,
contact Cindy Wilson, Matthews Marking Products, 6515 Penn
Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Telephone (412) 665-2489,
fax (412) 365-2042,
website: www.matthewsmarking.com. Matthews Marking Products
is a division of the Brand Solutions group of Matthews
International Corporation.
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