From:Packaging News

Allen Coding will be highlighting a wide range of high performance marking and coding systems for several sectors at the PPMA show.

The newly launched Hitachi RX2 and UX continuous inkjet printers and NGT4+ thermal transfer coder complete with advanced a:touch 2 touch screen and a:control software will be on display in the UK for the first time.

The company will also be demonstrating a Super Compact hot foil coder and several models from its XL range of cost effective intermittent and continuous thermal transfer coders, including the 53XL80 with PR5 handset and 53XLC with iView touch screen.

Allen Coding said the new environmentally-friendly Hitachi UX inkjet printer series offers reduced fluid consumption, ease of use and ergonomically designed print head ideally suited to printing on drinks containers such as milk and juice cartons. Using the latest patented Hitachi technology, it features a new fluid consumption reduction system, significantly reducing running costs.

The Hitachi RX2 continuous inkjet printer is capable of applying best before dates, logos, graphics, barcodes, lot numbers and 2D data matrix codes onto uneven or flexible substrates including glass, plastics, metal and rubber.

An economical yet high pressure ink system and low maintenance minimises the overall total cost of ownership of the RX2. The ‘quick disconnect’ design of the main ink filter allows easy and convenient replacement by the customer, without any tools. Operation is via an intuitive 10.4 inch colour TFT-LCD touch panel display.

The RX2 is manufactured using Hitachi components. The print head is produced from cast aluminium making it suitable for use in harsh environments.

The standard RX2 can print up to three lines of text (option: up to five lines) and 120 characters (option: up to 1000 characters). It can operate at speeds up to 1148 characters per second, with the option to upgrade to 2296 characters.

The high speed NGT4+ thermal transfer coder is suitable for chemical, agricultural and hardware manufacturers who require large amounts of information to be applied to packaging or labels. It has a compact and lightweight design and can be easily switched between intermittent and continuous mode via the robust and flexible a:touch 2 which is the company’s latest Windows 7 based IPC touch screen with a:control printer software

Allen Coding’s 53XL80 thermal transfer coder with PR5 handset will also be on display. As well as a two component, space saving design, the 53XL80 offers Ethernet and USB connectivity, and dual processors (one for communication and one for printing) to ensure high speed performance.