HIGH THROW TECHNOLOGY – CURVES AHEAD

An ink-throw distance refers to the gap between an inkjet printhead and the item or substrate to be printed. For most smooth, flat surfaces and even with cylindrical direct-to-object (DTO) printing, this gap will typically be just a few millimetres. However, High Throw printing is a specialised form of digital, DTO printing that increases this distance and allows the ink to be ‘thrown’ further. 

Many of Inkcups’ customers print onto items that have been sourced outside their own business. This means that there is often a reasonable degree of variability in the height of items to be printed on, even when they are ostensibly the same product. But while a quarter-millimetre deviation may not be noticeable for the end user, it can make a huge difference when it comes to decoration. 

Inkcups developed the technology to jet ink from a significantly greater distance than conventional systems. As a result, printers can easily tolerate part-to-part variation without compromising image quality or wasting time on reprints.

Additionally, by increasing throw distance, printing around concave and convex curves – as well as in recesses – becomes possible. This development opens up numerous new applications that may not previously have been possible with DTO printing. For example, with High Throw, some of Inkcups’ drinkware customers have been able to achieve as much as a 25% wrap around of a curved product such as a fixed-handle mug or tumbler without any image distortion. Before High Throw technology was developed, this would not have been possible. Another important driver is that so many businesses are looking for equipment that will enable them to diversify their offerings.

“With High Throw, it is possible to create much larger print areas”

To make longer throw distances workable – without image distortion or blurred edges – heavier ink drops are required. Enabling High Throw capabilities for Inkcups’ X5-T flatbed printer entailed looking at both ink formulation and software. The majority of this work went into refining the waveforms (electrical signals) that define each ink droplet’s shape and timing. There is no universal ink for all applications. Because of this, development also involved working closely with the company’s inks team. Whatever the substrate, optimum balance was needed to achieve outstanding image quality and maximum throw distance. 
In addition, some hardware adjustments were necessary to ensure that any overspray would be captured in order to avoid damaging the machine.

“Inkcups developed the technology to jet ink from a significantly greater distance”

In the past, decorating on non-uniform, uneven or curved surfaces was typically not cost effective, unless producing large quantities using a conventional method. This meant that the wide colour gamut, precision and image quality offered by digital printing was often not an option. Furthermore, it made print-on-demand (POD) and customisation quite challenging and expensive. With High Throw capabilities, DTO printing is moving beyond these boundaries and opening up a wide range of possibilities for these kinds of hard-to-print objects.

It also means that Inkcups’ customers are able to tolerate more deviation in the objects they print onto. This reduces the need for manual intervention, speeding up production times and potentially reducing waste. Almost every industry is looking to increase its stock-keeping units (SKUs). High Throw DTO printing capabilities puts businesses in a great position to offer shorter runs, customisation options and on-demand production.

With High Throw’s ability to print onto curves, Inkcups’ drinkware customers were immediately interested in the possibility of using it to digitally print directly onto handled drinkware. Previously, most of these customers would have been decorating with one or two colours using pad printing or other techniques. However, with High Throw, customers can now digitally print high-quality, full-colour images, easily achieving a 63.5mm logo wrapping around about 25% of one side or even both.

“To make longer throw distances workable, heavier ink drops are required”

A lot of the initial interest in High Throw capability on the X5-T came from existing and new customers in the promotional products market. In addition, the drinkware sector, which was driven largely by the huge demand for handled drinkware. Cooler manufacturers – some of whom already used the X5-T for its suitability for decorating objects up to a height of 50cm – are also keen to use High Throw to expand the printed areas of coolers. These include recesses, buckles, hinges, spigots and cup holders. High Throw is also ideal for other popular promotional products, such as pens and spiral notebooks. 

Inkcups has seen a huge amount of interest from sporting equipment companies. Most of their products have irregular, non-flat surfaces, such as balls and protective and practice equipment for sports such as hockey and American football. With High Throw, it is possible to create much larger print areas, 
as well as offering the option to print small volumes and even enable customisation, if desired. With the growth of individualisation options in the sporting goods market, this is certainly an area for development. 

Finally, given the height range possible with the X5-T High Throw – and its suitability for curves and recesses – it is ideally suited for printing directly onto industrial parts, such as metal housing, control panels, tools and safety gear.