The introduction of a Wolke m600 digital thermal ink jet printer, supplied by Sunala, at leading fish processors IFP Trading has enabled the company to move from off-line to on-line printing.

The introduction of a Wolke m600 digital thermal ink jet printer, supplied by Sunala, at leading fish processors IFP Trading of Grimsby has enabled the company to move from off-line to on-line printing for its range of fresh and frozen products supplied to leading retailers. The Wolke is used to print use-by dates and batch codes onto 300g and 400g cartons. Prior to its installation the packs were coded off-line by continuous ink jet but this proved an unsatisfactory arrangement.

'Pre-printing the cartons the day before production meant we were printing to predicted rather than actual orders,' explains IFP Trading's Engineering Manager Nick Robinson.

'This invariably caused waste through printing too many cartons or delays while additional packs were prepared.

'We therefore wanted to move to an on-line coding operation but our CIJ printers were proving unreliable and they were also messy to use, so we were not convinced they would be an appropriate choice.' The m600 provided an ideal alternative.

Its unique HP cartridge system contains both the ink and the print head to ensure a maintenance and trouble-free operation since the key elements of the printing system are replaced at the same time as new ink is required.

This also ensures a consistently high quality and easily readable code.

Equally important, using cartridges prevents ink spillages both during operation and changeovers to maintain a clean working environment.

The easy to use control panel allows product set up and changeovers to be carried out by operators on line, another key benefit for IFP with around nine different products to be packed and coded each day.

New cartridges are simply clicked into place in a matter of seconds to minimise downtime.

Thanks to the success of the first m600, Sunala has now supplied a second system to I.F.P.

'We have been delighted with the effectiveness of the m600s,' concluded Mr Robinson.

'They have practically eliminated downtime in our coding operation and provide legible, quality codes.'