Sunala is set to unveil a new ink at Total Processing & Packaging that will enable Wolke’s thermal inkjet printer to be used on non-porous surfaces, including blister foil packs, reported Packaging & Converting Essentials.
Sunala claimed that this solvent based ink, available exclusively to the UK and Ireland pharmaceutical market, offers good finish and enhanced clarity even for small characters. The new ink is incorporated into Wolke’s m600 Advanced thermal inkjet printer and Sunala can supply a special Traversing Unit that enables it to be integrated into current blister lines with multiple head configurations.
According to Sunala, the availability of the ink opens up the pharmaceutical blister pack market to the many advantages of thermal inkjet technology. The m600 Advanced can print variable data using a range of character formats including algebraic and Arabic, and also print variable Datamatrix codes to ECC 200, which offer flexibility and accuracy and can include a huge amount of information in a concise format, delivering enhanced track and traceability benefits.
The m600 design features the HP cartridge system which contains both the ink and the print head and provides a maintenance- and trouble-free operation since the key elements of the printing system are replaced at the same time as new ink is required. This also ensures a consistently high quality and easily readable code. The easy to use control panel allows product set up and changeovers to be carried out by operators on line. New cartridges are simply clicked into place in a matter of seconds to minimise downtime.
Alan Turner, managing director of Sunala, said: “We are very excited by this latest development in the continuing success of the Wolke m600 thermal inkjet printer. Pharmaceutical manufacturers can now enjoy the benefits of mess free high quality codes for their blister packs,” reported the website.