Dates, lot codes and barcodes that stay on cans, glass bottles and foil lidding, printed with thermal inkjet and Odyssey solvent ink.
Metal cans, glass bottles and aluminum foil lidding are hard, smooth and completely non-porous. There's nothing for the ink to soak into, so the code has to bond to the surface itself. Water-based ink beads and wipes off. And these parts are often curved, and can carry a film of oil, dust or condensation from upstream, all of which fight adhesion.
Get the ink and the surface right, and thermal inkjet codes metal and glass cleanly at high resolution: dates, lot codes and barcodes, from sealed cartridges with no make-up fluid and almost no scheduled maintenance.
Pre-set for this job: ½" codes, balanced cost. All of these run Odyssey solvent ink.
One dry line, everyday coding: ½" or 1" codes on cans or bottles from a 7" touchscreen controller.
Everything in one unit with a 5" touchscreen; runs solvent cartridges at ½" or 1".
A ½" unit with no controller that builds into packaging machinery or onto a robot arm. Run it from a browser or the NexLink app (Android).
Wet filling areas, two lines, or long runs.
X1 + Type-HWet or dusty filling and canning areas, or two lines from one controller: an IP66 controller housing.
X1 Lite + T2XL · 160 mLLong runs: Odyssey solvent ink also comes in the 160 mL cartridge, 4× the ink of a standard one, at 300 × 600 dpi.Coding in a wet area? Find your system with “Wet or dusty area” set →
We supply the Anser printers, the Odyssey inks and the on-site technical support behind them, and we work alongside your distributor, who handles the quote and local service. On metal and glass, the ink and the surface decide whether a code lasts, so before you buy, we'll help you test it on your own cans, bottles or lids. Every Anser NexGen printer carries a 5-year warranty, honored by TPS.
A solvent ink. Metal and glass are smooth and non-porous, so water-based ink beads and wipes off, while a solvent ink sets fast and bonds to the sealed surface.
Usually it's water-based ink on a non-porous surface, or a contaminated surface. Switch to a solvent ink and make sure the code zone is clean and dry: oil, dust or condensation prevents adhesion.
Yes, within reason. Thermal inkjet prints up to 6 mm from the surface, so keep the head close and stabilize the part as it passes. Very round or recessed shapes at high speed may suit continuous inkjet (CIJ) better, and we're happy to talk that through.
Condensation on the code zone fights adhesion, so dry the code zone before the head. Tell us where the code goes and the line conditions, and we'll help you set it up.
It depends on the ink and the process. For washdown, retort or other heat, tell us the exact process and we'll source and trial a specialty ink matched to it. Test the cured code on your own part before you commit the line.
It depends on the resolution. At 300 dpi, 60 m/min (about 197 ft/min); at 600 dpi, about 30 m/min. The "up to 300 m/min" figure you'll see for thermal inkjet is at 60 dpi, which is too coarse for a readable code.
A TPS coding specialist will contact you, then connect you with the right distributor.
