Leading coding and
marking specialist Domino Printing Sciences recently premiered a video
highlighting the coding and marking capabilities of the G-Series thermal ink
jet (TIJ) printer.
Domino’s TIJ
technology is ideal for pharmaceutical manufacturers looking to implement item
level serialisation - one of the key themes of the EU Falsified Medicines
Directive (FMD) and other emerging legislation. Global legislations place an
increased focus on product authenticity, making way for changes to pack coding
and marking to protect against counterfeit goods.
“The change from
batch to item level unique identification is the single greatest challenge the
pharmaceutical industry has ever seen,” says Craig Stobie, Domino’s global life
sciences sector manager. “Serialisation implementation will impact right across
the business and through the supply chain, requiring a complete re-assessment
of operations.
“For coding and
marking, this means that printers must be able to handle unique numbers at
speed, inks must be durable, and any newly purchased equipment must be easy to
integrate into existing lines. Domino’s G-Series thermal ink jet products are
industry leading in all these areas and more.”
The video focuses
on key characteristics of Domino’s TIJ range that include high speed
serialisation at item level, achieved partly by independently certified market
leading dry time for its BK652 ink.
Stobie says: “We
know that most pharmaceutical manufacturers will want to apply tamper evident
labels immediately after printing. Our BK562 ink dries in less than half a
second, when many common inks would smudge and subsequent rework would be
required.” Other key characteristics of Domino’s TIJ inks include maintained
ink contrast and light fastness, vital for pack authentication at point of
dispense.
Simple integration
is an important factor for pharmaceutical manufacturers, many of whom will not
be purchasing entirely new lines but retrofitting kit to existing lines. “Our
G-Series TIJ range has been developed with compact controllers and print heads
that can be easily fitted almost anywhere,” says Phil Parkins, TIJ product
manager at Domino. “Our unique OEM board controller can be controlled from a
central user interface using the G-View browser, and offers a fully integrated
solution.”
One of the most
pressing issues for many pharmaceutical manufacturers centres on Overall
Equipment Effectiveness (OEE); in a recent Domino survey, over half of
respondents believed legislative compliance would reduce OEE by up to 20%.
Domino’s Auto Swap
system aims to reduce this risk. “Serialisation has the potential to
significantly impact OEE,” warns Stobie. “The features we have developed as
part of our TIJ range are unique to Domino and mean that the line never has to
be stopped to replenish ink, meaning OEE levels equivalent to laser can be
achieved.”
The four-minute
video is available to view here..
