Plasma treating Enables Inkjet Printing on Wire, Cable & Pipe
improve print quality, productivity & throughput
Atmospheric plasma treaters are enabling manufacturers to switch to inkjet printing from traditional marking methods on wire & cable jacketing such as hot stamping and print wheels. Economical inkjet printing is a non-contact printing process which supports high line speeds & fast changeovers. Changes to wire & pipe marking are handled electronically and can be database driven.
Materials with low surface energy, including PE, HDPE, LDPE, MDPE, PEX, PVC, PP, PTFE, XLPE, ETFE, FEP, EPDM, Silicone and more have difficulty bonding with inks. Plasma treatment activates these surfaces to improve wettability and bonding properties. This process creates indelible printing providing excellent abrasion and smudge resistance.
“Our operators could see an immediate improvement in print quality. Prior to applying the plasma treatment the ink would rub off after one and a half cycles, now we can get over ten cycles. That far exceeds CSA’s requirement.” Hal Armstrong Q&A Process Manager, Nexans
Enercon’s Blown Ion Plasma Treater was recently recognized as one of Wire & Cable Technology International Magazine’s Product of the Year.
Find out if your operation is a candidate for plasma treating and ink jet printing. Contact our application experts or learn more by following the links below.
FROM OUR LIBRARY More Insights on Printing on Wire, Cables, Jackets & Pipe
BENEFITS & MATERIALS Plasma Treating Wire, Cable & Pipe
-
Easy to Integrate
-
Faster Line Speeds
-
Indelible Printing
-
Improve Print Quality
-
Quick Changeovers
-
Variable Data Printing
-
PE, HDPE, LDPE, MDPE, XLPE
-
PVC
-
PP
-
ETFE, PTFE
-
FEP
-
EPDM
-
Silicone