What is a Continuous (CIJ) Inkjet Printer?

What is a Continuous (CIJ) Inkjet Printer?

Continuous inkjet (CIJ) printer is a professional-grade industrial inkjet printing device, which is significantly different from the intermittent inkjet printer used at home. CIJ printer uses the working mode of continuous inkjet, which has the characteristics of fast speed, high resolution and strong durability. It is widely used in manufacturing, packaging, logistics and other fields. Let us take a deeper look at the working principle, characteristics and comprehensive solutions of CIJ printer.

Working Principle

The working principle of CIJ printer can be summarized as the process of "continuous jetting - selective charging - deflection and deposition".

First, the printer continuously extracts ink from the ink tank and applies high-frequency vibration to transform it into uniform small droplets. These droplets will acquire positive charges under the action of an electrode.

Next, the printing control system will selectively apply different charges to these charged droplets according to the content of the pattern to be printed. The charged droplets will be deflected to the desired position and deposited on the printing substrate under the action of the electric field, while the uncharged droplets will be guided back to the ink circulation system for reuse.

Through this selective charging and deflection method, CIJ printers can achieve a printing resolution of up to 600DPI and output clear and high-quality printing effects. The entire process is completed in continuous and high-speed jetting, ensuring the high efficiency of printing speed.

How it works

The workflow of a CIJ printer usually includes the following steps:

1. Ink supply and circulation

The ink is pumped from a large-capacity ink tank to the nozzle, and the unused ink is sucked back for recycling, ensuring a continuous supply of ink.

2. Droplet generation and charging

The nozzle uses a piezoelectric oscillator to squeeze the ink into uniform fine droplets, and applies a positive charge to these droplets under the action of electrodes.

3. Selective charging of droplets

The printing control system selectively charges each droplet according to the image data to be printed. The charged droplets are deflected to the required position for deposition.

4. Droplet deflection and deposition

Droplets with different charges are guided to different trajectories under the action of the electric field force, and finally accurately deposited on the printing substrate.

5. Substrate transportation and printing

The printer will cooperate with a complex transportation system to move the product or package to be printed to the printing position to achieve fully automated printing.

Integrated Continuous Inkjet (CIJ) Solutions

To meet the needs of different industries and application scenarios, CIJ printers are usually deeply integrated with other system equipment to form a complete solution. These solutions usually include the following key elements:

1. High-performance CIJ printers

The core is a CIJ printer that uses precision technology, which has the advantages of continuous high speed, high resolution, and strong durability.

2. Intelligent printing control system

Use advanced software and hardware technology to achieve precise control and automatic management of printing parameters and printing content.

3. Material conveying and processing equipment

According to different application scenarios, equipped with automated conveying, flipping, detection and other equipment to ensure accurate positioning and processing of printed objects.

4. Remote monitoring and data management

Remote monitoring of printing equipment and production processes is achieved through Internet of Things technology, and relevant data is centrally managed.

5. Integrated hardware and software platform

Integrate printers, control systems, auxiliary equipment, etc. into a unified hardware and software platform to achieve full process automation.

This integrated solution not only greatly improves printing efficiency and product quality, but also greatly reduces the burden on operators. It is an important part of the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry.

In general, continuous injection (CIJ) inkjet printers play an increasingly important role in industrial production, commodity packaging and other fields due to their unique advantages such as sustained high speed, high resolution and strong durability. With the continuous advancement of technology, integrated application solutions based on CIJ will also promote the development of manufacturing industry in a more intelligent and automated direction.