Reducing costs is an ever-present challenge for Australian manufacturers, which is why it’s understandable that cheaper alternative brands of consumable items such as ink cartridges can seem appealing. However, what many of these same manufacturers fail to realise – often until it’s too late – are the long-term consequences this can present to their business, as well as the risks for their end user or consumer.
Not compliant or suitable for the application
There are many non-certified inks on the market that aren’t suitable for both direct and non-direct food contact. For food and beverage manufacturers it is critical to establish whether the ink used in the inkjet coder is suitable for direct or non-direct food contact, whichever is applicable for the product in question. All of Domino's inks are manufactured to stringent criteria and certified to be used for specific substrates. For example, Domino’s black ethanol plastics ink (1BK111) for the Ax-Series (CIJ) is suitable for a wide range of substrates, but is primarily suited for application onto food packaging, beverage and dairy. Designed for non-direct food contact (i.e. the outside of food packaging), this ink has been manufactured to EuPIA standards and is ketone-free, meaning it’s environmentally friendly. For peace of mind, Domino can provide certification on every ink they manufacture, reaffirming the ink’s compliance and suitability for your application.
Affects the performance and quality of your coder
Domino inkjet coders are specifically configured for compatibility with genuine Domino ink cartridges. So, when non-genuine cartridges are used it can affect not just the performance of the machine, but also the quality of the code printed on the product. Additionally, the consistency of non-genuine inks can be thicker than Domino ink, which will shorten the life of the pump inside the coder, as well as causing blockages inside the filters – resulting in expensive repairs which otherwise would not be required. Overall, the use of non-genuine cartridges will cause costly long-term damage to your inkjet coder.
Increased service costs to restore the machine
Following on from the last point, the damage non-genuine cartridges can cause to your inkjet coder will result in increased service costs. This includes (but isn’t limited to) replacing the pump, changing the filters, flushing the non-genuine ink from the coder, replacing parts and the associated labour costs. Ultimately, the coder will need to be reset to factory standards, which presents additional hidden costs from downtime in production and lost revenue.
It’s clear there are critical factors for manufacturers to consider when evaluating their supplier of inkjet consumables for Domino inkjet coders. A major benefit of genuine Domino consumables is that both direct and non-direct food contact coding inks are EuPIA certified. It’s also evident that for both the safety of the consumer and the longevity of the Domino coder, genuine Domino ink cartridges are used inside Domino inkjet coders. Although non-genuine consumables may tempt the short-term gain of affordability, you’ve got to ask yourself is it worth the long-term cost.
As the sole Australian distributor of Domino products insignia offer a range of high quality coding solutions tailored to your industry.
