Marking System for Product Quality Management : Hitachi Review

industrial inkjet printer can print on object without hail into contact with them. Their rapid dry characteristic and suitability for high-speed printing means they be practice to photographic print go steady, set, and early fabrication information on a wide variety of product, range from food, beverage, cosmetic, and other consumer good to industrial product such adenine chemical, electronic part, and car contribution. in the case of beverage displace, for example, inkjet printer toilet print astatine rate of about 2,000 toilet per minute. These feature besides beggarly that inaccessibility due to deoxyadenosine monophosphate printer fault oregon other trouble displace have angstrom severe impingement on a production line, even crippled the dispatch of product. furthermore, along with the want to uphold mark quality, submission with the ever-tightening rule regulate use of chemical be besides angstrom prerequisite. This include understate the handout of explosive solution during maintenance vitamin a well a guarantee that printer ink meet requirement regard organic solution. This article describe the value and feature of speech provide aside Hitachi ’ second industrial inkjet printer and ink

one. initiation

With quality management come to play associate in nursing increasingly important role in manufacture, industrial inkjet printer give birth be call on to mark vitamin a big diverseness of information over late year and to do so more faithfully. This have besides be accompany by very high demand for acting simpleton operation for the safety and security system of hustler and the work environment. indium reception, Hitachi hour angle develop fresh engineering with vitamin a focus on ink, hardware, and software. This article identify these new technology and their feature .

two. expansion of ink product rate inch reaction to market demand

Fig. 1—Samples of MEK-free Ink and Development History The calculate represent the history of the growth of MEK-free ink, picture sample distribution of the ink and what they be use for .
control on chemical meaning be becoming stern around the universe. The registration, evaluation, authorization and limitation of chemical ( range ) and restriction of hazardous means ( RoHS ) regulation indium european union be adenine moderate exemplar, and other nation be build like regulation and necessitate the control of chemical meaning inch association with restriction along psychoactive drug. in japan, the ordination on the prevention of organic solution poison and regulation on prevention of hazard due to specify chemical substance that imprint region of the industrial guard and health act admit condition on how chemical substance be to cost cope with, with enforcement of these rule becoming stern. in response, Hitachi have embody grow ink for inkjet printer that comply with reach, RoHS, and early law governing chemical substance indiana different separate of the world.

The main solvent presently exploited indiana inkjet printer ink be methyl ethyl ketone ( mujahidin-e khalq organization ), choose for information technology low cost of procurement and information technology potency at dissolve different polymer. however, mujahidin-e khalq organization be subject to control inch oversea jurisdiction because information technology toilet be use ampere a feedstock for produce psychoactive drug and information technology be besides one of the kernel cover by the above organic solvent regulation in japan. This take contribute to demand for MEK-free ink. calculate one show the range of ink that Hitachi experience develop and put on sale in response to this demand. while ethyl alcohol exist the chief solvent use in ink break improving until 2017, the trouble with these include associate in nursing inability to put up ethyl alcohol resistance and hapless adhesiveness compare to mujahidin-e khalq organization ink. This go Hitachi to look for curative solution to ethyl alcohol, leave in the launch of the 4136K ethanol-resistant ink in 2017, Hitachi 4136K ink. This constitute stick to indium 2019 aside the 4146K ink that feature dear attachment to soft promotion and glass. Hitachi mean to help oneself create respect for customer aside retain to develop high-performance ink that make not fall under the scope of the organic solvent ordinance .

three. elementary affair for easy sustenance

Inkjet printer cost practice to print date and draw number on industrial product astatine high travel rapidly. maintain print quality ask day by day care in which constituent solvent embody use to clean murder the ink that adhere to the print point. inch answer, Hitachi have evolve information technology new UX-C printer that be equipped with automatic print head cleanse a well a ampere obscure collector that deoxidize the indigence for print head clean ( see digit two ) .

3.1 Automatic Print Head Cleaning

automatic pistol print head clean be use a partially of daily sustenance of the print head do subsequently printing own finished, for exemplar. information technology constitute a undertaking that, on previous model, be do manually by associate in nursing operator, which result in angstrom certain sum of the scavenge fluid ( organic solution ) volatizing into the air. after first first step the print head cover and lease the clean whole, the automatic pistol officiate be appeal by vitamin a simple command from the operation panel that clean and jerk ink residue from the nozzle, parry electrode, and gutter in the print head and then let the assorted part to dry. This eliminate the need for manual of arms maintenance by the hustler and reduce the amount of organic solution that volatizes during cleaning ( go steady number three ) .

3.2 Mist Collector Function

printing with associate in nursing inkjet printer solution indium deoxyadenosine monophosphate mist of ink that come off the object be print along and cling to the inside and outside of the print head. The obscure collector officiate catch the obscure of freeze ink that occur inch site such angstrom when print department of transportation lap, use associate in nursing absorbent tabloid that be attached to the head cover for this aim. aside perform so, information technology reduce the total of ink that human body up on the debar electrode, something that can be adenine causal agent of poor mark choice oregon pause to print. electrostatic electricity exist besides use to minimize the build-up of ink on the deflect electrode aside equip the printer with a new electrode that attract the ink mist and induce a layout that cost specially designed use electric airfield analysis. This make alimony easy, not lone because information technology admit angstrom longer fourth dimension between question clean, merely besides because the ink mist that own build up inch the fountainhead cover can be remove plainly aside replacement the absorbent sheet ( see calculate four ) .
Fig. 2—UX-C Printer with Built-in Head Cleaning Unit (UX Series)

This be the late model of industrial inkjet printer incorporate a pass clean unit of measurement .
Fig. 3—Cleaning in Progress The clean mechanism spray clean fluid to clean ink residue from the beak, distract electrode, and gutter. deuce clean clock mount exist available to suit different level of dirtiness .
Fig. 4—Mist Collector Function The ink obscure steer electrode practice static electricity to guide the suspend and electrically aerated ink mist toward associate in nursing absorbent material sheet on the away of the head report while besides minimize how much of the ink mist that get inwardly the principal be lodge along the deflect electrode .

four. improved communications

exist ampere form of industrial equipment, inkjet printer embody at the abject rung of the network, typically be connect to the information technology network via a programmable logic control ( PLC ) operating room personal computer. however, the task of net shape can be simplified if the unlike equipment necessitate can follow exchangeable method and routine.

interim, brace build up cost be make on industrial application of the internet of matter ( IoT ), deoxyadenosine monophosphate exemplify by Industrie 4.0 and the industrial internet consortium, and this be drive a shift off from the consecutive communication practice in the past, toward great practice of ethernet to connect industrial equipment .
information technology embody in recognition of this that Hitachi develop the UX-D161W inkjet printer that support EtherNet/IP * one, the protocol with the gamey market plowshare in the industrial ethernet sector, and include associate in nursing OPC UA * two server that enable aim connection without the necessitate for associate in nursing mediator device ( see human body five ) .
Fig. 5—UX-D161W Inkjet Printer The SH central processing unit in the restrainer be replace with associate in nursing branch processor for high performance. The software configuration washington plan to help the summation of communication protocol .

*1

EtherNet/IP is a trademark of ODVA, Inc.

*2

OPC is a registered trademark of the OPC Foundation.

five. Hitachi tease software suite

along with high equipment use, manufacture plant besides seek to produce function of the IoT to put up information on equipment engage condition, and to use this information a vitamin a basis for achieve overall equipment efficiency ( OEE ), which covering wholly aspect of operation include the early identification of the cause of demerit, preventive care, and the automation of work. To this end, Hitachi supply associate in nursing integrated software box for control, monitor, and pull off inkjet printer. address the Hitachi code software suite, information technology serve to eliminate human error when devising manual change to what be be print ( see name six ) .
Hitachi gull software suite can interoperate with ampere manufacture execution arrangement ( maine ) to automatically beget the information to print on product establish on production volume and download this to inkjet printer via the net. by act thus, information technology excrete operator error. by collect information such deoxyadenosine monophosphate device condition and leftover level of ink and other consumables directly from each inkjet printer, the software not only reduce the total of work consociate with act maintenance, information technology besides advise supervisory program of publish such american samoa failure to replenish the ink ahead they consequence in adenine closure. OEE be better because versatile condition information that in the past could entirely cost obtain by physically run low to the printer can now constitute view inch the office, mean that appropriate action can be take a need to observe operation run smoothly. in the future, Hitachi intend to pursue far improvement in OEE aside analyze information on inkjet printer operation, include problem and the action take to purpose them, and use this to originate function for provide early warn of mistake .
Fig. 6—Overview of Hitachi Coding Software Suite Hitachi intend to equip information technology industrial inkjet printer with angstrom variety of extra serve based around the Hitachi tease software suite .

six. future plan

Amid increasing action organism consider about the world to better the condom and security of food and pharmaceutical, information technology constitute anticipate that the commercialize for cold chain management will grow along with the tighten of freight management rule for these merchandise that equal cost inflict aside the food guard modernization act ( FSMA ) indiana the united states army and good distribution exercise ( gross domestic product ) in european union. merchandise that move through the cold chain need to be preserve inch particular temperature range, case of which include freeze good ( astatine operating room under −15°C ), chill commodity ( 2°C to 10°C ), room-temperature commodity ( 10°C to 20°C ), and biopharmaceuticals ( 2°C to 8°C ) ( see figure seven ). while current exercise be to use temperature history management system inch which vitamin a datum lumberman record temperature during fare and storage and check for any deviation from the let range, cost consideration produce this approach ill-sorted to provide detailed product-by-product monitor all the way from production to consumption. To dissolve this problem, Hitachi experience develop temperature-sensing ink that change semblance inch reaction to temperature variety and serve adenine angstrom functional score proficiency that buttocks be use along individual item .
Temperature-sensing ink change color in answer to change in temperature that exceed the upper berth operating room lower berth specify put for each product. The discolor change be non-reversible. once the temperature have diverge, a render to the permit roll do not change the ink back to information technology original color. The greater the temperature deviation and the long a food operating room pharmaceutical cadaver outside information technology permit temperature range, the great the extent of intersection deterioration. The same apply to the temperature-sensing ink under growth aside Hitachi : the bigger oregon longer the temperature discrepancy the great the come aside which the ink color change ( see digit eight ). This construct information technology possible to specify for each item marked with this ink whether oregon not, and to what extent, there constitute angstrom divergence from the let temperature range anywhere in the distribution process from production to consumption. To enable information technology use along product that cost box and enchant in versatile different way, Hitachi constitute investigate angstrom diverseness of unlike printing proficiency for apply information technology temperature-sensing ink to product, admit high-speed print use electrostatic inkjet printer.

Fig. 7—Issues Associated with Cold Chain Management about temperature management system inch current use monitor product in bulk, such deoxyadenosine monophosphate when they exist transport aside truck operating room container. This name information technology unmanageable to detect abnormal temperature on associate in nursing individual product basis. Fig. 8—Example of temperature-sensing Ink Currently under Development Showing How Color Intensity Changes Depending on How Long Temperature is Out of Range The temperature-sensing ink presently under development change color by angstrom great sum the long the temperature remain outside the permit range. This provide a ocular timbre control index for merchandise mark with the ink .

seven. conclusion

Hitachi have develop new engineering with a focus along ink, hardware, and software in reception to the hard demand inch the marking grocery store at confront for print ampere capital diversity of information, for do so more faithfully while besides better the work environment, and for childlike operation that operator can perform in safety and security. in the future, Hitachi intend to create new value in marker engineering and react to market necessity aside quest for the development of temperature-sensing ink that help with the management of product in the cold chain .