EA | = Enterprise Automation |
A | = Automation |
PRO | = Professional |
BSC | = Basic |
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Feature is fully supported |
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Partially supported |
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Supports shareable centralized databases |
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Supports local databases only |
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Supports all printers and print jobs on the network |
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Works for local and network printers (and print jobs) that have drivers installed on the local PC |
For any durable label application, both print quality and resistance of the printed image when exposed to chemicals and abrasion is essential. In most cases the base label material is identified first as it needs to fulfil its key objective, e.g. a Polyimide material for PCB serial number labels, required to withstand the SMT reflow or direct wave processes.
The ribbon choice however is more complex and the range of thermal transfer ribbons is vast therefore in order to achieve the best printed label result it’s important to select an optimum thermal transfer ribbon suitable for the label material, the application and for the thermal transfer label printer itself. Given that a typical manufactured product could be using any or all the label types listed below we also need to consider ribbons that can provide flexibility by offering high quality printing across a wide range of materials and applications.
For this reason Link Hamson has selected some key performance ribbons ideal for the electronics manufacturing industry:-
For versatility our RHT40 is a clear winner and our most popular resin ribbon. It’s suitable for use with all our polyimide, polyester and vinyl label materials and offers good performance on our standard paper label materials. Available to suit all the major thermal transfer printers such as SATO, Zebra, Datamax and TEC it’s simply the most cost effective single ribbon solution for thermal transfer printing.
For maximum solvent resistance our 140 or 104 ribbons can be used with polyimide and polyester label materials for use through the PCB cleaning process even with high density barcodes, we recommend testing to find the best solution for you own application.
For high quality printing on polyester, rating and product labels use our high performance RR113.
For maximum durability our 181 ribbon combined with our high durability white or metallised polyester label materials offers an ultra-high durable label solution for very harsh environments.
Applications |
Materials |
Durability and Cost |
|||||
Low |
Med |
High |
V. High |
||||
Premium Wax |
RR113 |
RHT40 |
104 |
140 |
181 |
||
PCB Serial, Barcode Label |
Polyimide, Polyester |
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○ |
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● |
● |
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Component Label |
Polyimide, Polyester |
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● |
● |
● |
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Rating Label |
Polyester |
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● |
● |
● |
● |
● |
Product Labelling |
Polyester |
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● |
● |
● |
● |
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Harsh Environment Label |
High Durability Polyester |
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○ |
○ |
● |
CSA Approval, UL/MIL also |
Polyester |
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● |
○ |
○ |
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Tamper Evident Label |
Vinyl |
○ |
○ |
● |
○ |
○ |
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Cable Marking Label |
Vinyl |
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○ |
● |
○ |
○ |
○ |
Packing and Carton Label |
Paper |
● |
○ |
● |
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Packing and Carton Label |
Polypropylene |
● |
○ |
● |
● |
● |
○ |
All our ribbons offer excellent print contrast against our thermal transfer label materials which makes them perfect for both standard barcode applications (e.g. Code39 or Code128) and also 2D barcodes (e.g. Data Matrix or Micro PDF417).
Thermal Transfer Ribbons – Application Guide
For any durable label application, both print quality and resistance of the printed image when exposed to chemicals and abrasion is essential. In most cases the base label material is identified first as it needs to fulfil its key objective, e.g. a Polyimide material for PCB serial number labels, required to withstand the SMT reflow or direct wave processes.
Applications | Materials | Durability and Cost | |||
Low | Med | High | V. High | ||
Premium Wax | RHT40 | 140 | 181 | ||
PCB Serial, Barcode Label | Polyimide, Polyester | ○ | ● | ● | ○ |
Component Label | Polyimide, Polyester | ○ | ● | ● | ○ |
Rating Label | Polyester | ○ | ● | ● | ● |
Harsh Environment Label | High Durability Polyester | ○ | ○ | ○ | ● |
CSA Approval, UL/MIL also | Polyester | ○ | ● | ○ | ○ |
Tamper Evident Label | Vinyl | ○ | ● | ○ | ○ |
Cable Marking Label | Vinyl | ○ | ● | ○ | ○ |
Packing and Carton Label | Paper | ● | ● | ○ | ○ |
Packing and Carton Label | Polypropylene | ● | ● |
● | ○ |
All our ribbons offer excellent print contrast against our thermal transfer label materials which makes them perfect for both standard barcode applications (e.g. Code39 or Code128) and also 2D barcodes (e.g. Data Matrix or Micro PDF417).
During the busy day the priority is to get the barcode labels printed and stuck on the products or boxes, stopping to clean the printhead each time the roll of labels is changed, as recommended by most Thermal Transfer Printer manufactures, is just not realist is it?
In the perfect world you would do just that, it is realistic to say that sometimes we just haven't got the time, the customer is demanding the urgent order or the boss needs productivity to be up.
But then do you maintain your printhead at all?
What are the benefits? How can the printhead get that dirty anyway?
The Thermal Transfer Printer applies the print by heating up area's of the printhead which then melts the printer ribbon onto the label material.
Over time this process can leave residue from the process on the printhead, which can then build up on the printhead, effecting the quality of the print.
If remove periodically the printhead is maintained in good condition and this residue is easy to remove, if left and the print quality deteriorates, it maybe impossible to remove the residue, resulting in the need to replace the printhead prematurely, an expensive repair which could have been avoided with a good maintenance program.
So although cleaning the print head every time you change a roll of labels may not be achievable, creating a maintenance schedule which can be achieved, say at the end of every day/shift or depending on the quantity of labels printed, every friday afternoon, will extend the life of your Thermal Transfer Printhead.
Periodically use a print head cleaning sheet the maintain the print head printing quality.
First, clean the print head with a cleaning cloth to remove any surface debris.
The print head cleaning sheet will last for the normal life of a print head.
1. Turn the printer power off with the main switch.
2. Place the print head lock lever in the open position.
3. Remove label stock and ribbon from the area of the print head.
4. Place the Cleaning sheet ‘dull’ side up (towards the print head) between the print head and
the platen roller, with approx 1 inch extending beyond the print head.
5. Place the print head lock lever in the closed position.
6. Firmly grasp the portion of the sheet extending beyond the print head with both hands and
gently pull the sheet from the printer. Use a smooth, steady force. In severe cases, multiple
passes of the cleaning sheet may be required.
7. Place the print head lock lever in the open position. Remove all remaining dust from the
print head and platen roller.
8. Install a new thermal transfer ribbon and reload the label stock. The printer is now ready to use.
If a label becomes stuck to the Print head, remove as much of the label as possible first.
Only try to peel the label off, DO NOT try scratching the label off as this could damage the Print head.
Remove the remaining label by applying some label off to a cloth, then hold this over the remaining label.Once the label and label glue has largely been removed with the label off, clean the Print head with a Print head cleaning cloth, pass the Print head cleaning pen over the Print head a couple of times, then clean with the Print head wipe again.
Sourcing a label printer probably seems like an easy task until you start searching, you then find there are so many type and prices!
For quality durable labels a Thermal Label Printer, is the most suitable.
Obviously labels can be printed off your bubble jet or laser printer, but for certain jobs, that style of printing is not suitable.
To print the odd address label or for files in the office, an A4 sheet of paper labels would be fine.
To print a despatch label for your product with barcode, a dedicated Thermal Transfer Label Printer would possibly be better.
This type of printer has a roll of labels a tear of strip and prints the label at high speed, whilst dispatching good, the product can be scanned and the appropriate label printed ready to be slapped on the box, goods out is always a rush at the end of the day!
A Thermal Transfer Label Printer can also handle the many other types of label materials such as Polyester Labels and High Temperature Polyimide Labels
So a standard office printer is fine for the odd paper label, but for more specialised label printing requiring accuracy and speed, a thermal transfer label printer is more suitable.
The type of label and the application mainly decides which is the best label printer to use.
For printing many different types of high quality labels at high speed an industrial label printer would be best.
To print an occasional individual product I.D label a desktop label printer would be best.
Our range of label printers are all from well known and proven manufacturers of label printers.
The best label printer from the range we supply is the most suitable to your application.
Click on the link below which more closely suits your application to see the best label printer for the job.
Or give us a call and we can help find the best label printer for you.
PCB Barcode Labels
SATO CL4NX
Zebra ZT230
Zebra 110Xi4
Single packaging and product ID labels, low volume
Zebra GX420d
Zebra GX430t