Domino Printing Sciences has unveiled a new Vx-Series of cutting-edge thermal transfer overprinters (TTO) designed to enhance productivity on flexible food packaging lines. The Vx-Series aims to maximize production uptime and reduce ribbon usage in flow wrap and vertical and horizontal form fill seal (VFFS and HFFS) applications.
Developed in direct consultation with customers experienced in TTO printers and flexible packaging, the Vx-Series addresses key issues such as downtime caused by complex ribbon drive technologies and excessive costs from inefficient ribbon usage. The series underwent extensive testing at customer sites prior to its official launch, including trials at Woochun Foods Company, a tofu producer and contract packer for major Korean food brands.
Woochun Foods Company was highly satisfied with the trial and became the first customer to place a printer order ahead of the official launch. According to Domino, a spokesperson for Woochun Foods Company praised the Vx150i printer, stating, “The printer was very easy to use and provided consistent, high-quality prints, even when using ribbon save modes.”
The Vx-Series printers use up to 60% less ribbon per print, offering four ribbon-saving modes to suit various applications, thereby reducing waste and overall cost per print. Moreover, the series features extra-long ribbon roll capacity for extended production runs, and its lightweight cassette-based ribbon loading enables faster ribbon changes to minimize downtime.
Notably, the Vx-Series operates fully on electricity, eliminating the need for factory air, thereby reducing energy requirements and running costs. Sharmil Ghouse, global head of TTO and P&A at Domino, emphasized that the Vx-Series was developed to provide an efficient and cost-effective solution for food manufacturers printing on flow wrap and flexible packaging.
The Vx-Series currently comprises the Vx150i, offering print rates of up to six prints per second with a maximum print size of 53x100mm, and the Vx50i, providing up to four prints per second at 32x55mm. All Vx-Series printers deliver high-quality 300dpi prints for text, graphics, and high-resolution machine-readable codes.
Manufacturers can also benefit from additional performance pack add-ons for serialisation, advanced security marking, and promotional coding.
In conclusion, Domino’s Vx-Series range is poised to meet the evolving needs of food manufacturers, providing advanced solutions for efficient and cost-effective printing on flow wrap and flexible packaging. “Increasing production costs linked to the price of energy and raw materials are putting pressure on food manufacturers, many of whom are already operating with very thin margins,” said Sharmil Ghouse, emphasizing the significance of the Vx-Series in today’s challenging manufacturing landscape.
