Inkjet & Digital Printing
Domino redefines primary coding with intelligent approach
Tuesday 23. November 2010 - Global product identification and traceability specialist Domino is today presenting brand new versions of its A-Series continuous ink jet (CIJ), V-Series thermal transfer overprint (TTO) and D-Series laser coding ranges, representing the most significant reworking of its product portfolio in over a decade. In doing so, the company is once again setting the benchmark and underlining its market and technological leadership.
Underpinning every one of the many technological advances in the new products is Dominos commitment to delivering maximum productivity and value for its customers. This is achieved thanks to widespread use of smart features: identified as
i-Tech intelligent Technology, these have been deployed to minimise or even eliminate the need for engineering intervention and to make routine operator functions as fast, simple and intuitive as possible.
The Domino A-Series, which debuted in 1998, is the worlds best selling CIJ system, with over 110,000 installations. The all-new A-Series on show in Paris can already lay claim to a world first: by incorporating an array of i-Tech intelligent Technology features, Domino has delivered a printer that completely eliminates the need for planned servicing – the first in the industry to do so.
This is just one example of how the use of intelligent Technology can deliver greater productivity, according to Robert Pulford, director – global products, at Domino. “Each of the new product ranges naturally delivers optimum coding quality and performance,” he says. “But beyond that weve studied how users interact with Domino equipment in daily use and how they integrate our technology with their production lines. We then looked at how we could deploy intelligent Technology to help them do more.”
In the case of the D-Series, the new i-Tech scanning head is compact and flexible, making for easy integration on host packaging machines, while the V120i boasts best-in-class economy and runtimes thanks to its i-Tech ribbon drive.
A recurring theme in each of the new products is that of reduced environmental impact. Domino is itself a world-class manufacturer recognised for its commitment to reducing the environmental of its operations on a global basis. This is evident in its policies on waste, recycling, energy and emissions, each of which continues to deliver a significant ongoing reduction in the carbon footprint of the companys operations. Applied to the new A-, V- and D-Series, these principles have resulted in smaller and lighter products – in some cases the weight has been halved – and lower material content. They all utilise intelligent Technology to manage power as efficiently as possible, with features such as automatic power-down when idle.
Most significantly, Domino is introducing a new, simplified graphical user interface that will roll out across its entire coding range over the coming months. QuickStep provides effortless control and status reporting, eliminating complex menus and parameters in favour of simplified set-up routines requiring minimal operator involvement.
“Ease of operation was one of our key areas of focus in developing these new products,” says Pulford. “QuickStep minimises the need for operator training, ensures familiarity across a range of different coding technologies and acknowledges the fact that workforces are increasingly mobile and that operators may not necessarily be working in their native language. Whats more, were delivering ultimate flexibility in how customers integrate our equipment with their lines by offering a choice of options, including Dominos colour TouchScreen and TouchPad or a direct interface with the host machine control panel.”
Domino managing director Garry Havens says, “As a company we have a strong commitment to R&D and by contrast with many others, we actually increased our investment during the recession. The results of this strategy are evident in the new product ranges launching at Emballage, which blend Dominos best-in-class coding and marking technologies with our unparalleled market expertise, gained over three decades of installing and supporting equipment across a wide range of industrial sectors.
“Our aim was to make production lines lower maintenance, lower cost and more efficient and i-Tech intelligent Technology has achieved that aim,” concludes Havens.