Wire and Cable Marking Printers and Lasers

Wire and cable extrusion is a demanding process that requires high efficiency and quality hardware to succeed. Extrusion lines often move at hundreds of meters per minute and may be exposed to harsh elements, including:

  • Extreme temperatures
  • Vibrations
  • Dust and airborne particles
  • Humidity
  • Grease, oils, and similar substances

Harsh elements can damage unfortified machines and disrupt established processes—especially product marking. Product codes and messages fulfill important roles in wire/cable production, including:

  • Aiding supply chain traceability
  • Providing essential product information
  • Fulfilling relevant regulations
  • Demonstrating quality to consumers

Lower-quality marking hardware is susceptible to damage and malfunctions from extreme conditions, leading to misprints, rework, and profit-draining downtime.

InkJet, Inc's industrial coding solutions help manufacturers boost efficiency, eliminate errors, and create consistently excellent results. Our continuous inkjet printers and laser systems offer resilient builds, fast marking speeds, and diverse coding abilities. We carry numerous models to meet the needs of companies with different line setups, output requirements, facility conditions, and unique situations.

Read on to learn how InkJet, Inc's wire and cable marking printers and laser systems can improve your daily operations. 

InkJet, Inc’s Wire and Cable Marking Solutions

Wire and cable manufacturers must run their lines at-capacity to generate profit. Production goals are demanding enough that seemingly minor issues can create significant consequences. After all, powerful extrusion hardware and high-speed production lines cannot be stopped without causing substantial downtime or generating scrap.

To maintain profitability, wire/cable producers must use marking solutions that can resist challenging conditions, fit well into their workflows, and satisfy production demands. InkJet, Inc's CIJ printers and laser systems fulfill these requirements by providing users with powerful specifications and diverse functionalities. 

This table lists our wire/cable marking technologies and displays their general specifications. Additional information on each option can be located further below. Click the title in the table’s leftmost column to skip to a specific section.

InkJet, Inc’s Wire and Cable Marking Printers and Laser Systems

Coding Technology

Operating Method

System Options

Maximum Resolution and Print Height

Maximum Marking Speed

Cost Factors

Compatible Materials

Continuous Inkjet Printer

Propels pressurized ink droplets towards the substrate

DuraCode Touchscreen, Keyboard, & Pigment

70 DPI at 15 mm height

320 m/min.

Low to moderate unit cost, low consumable cost


Cardboard, paper, wood, metal, plastic, rubber, flexible packaging

Laser Marking Solution

Creates a concentrated light beam to mark or engrave the substrate

F8100F Fiber, F8100C CO2, LDR 7100, & F8100U UV Laser Marking Systems

Lenses up to 300mm x 300mm 

2,000 characters per second

High unit cost, little to no consumables

Varies by model

Continuous Inkjet Printers: DuraCode Touchscreen, Keyboard, and Pigment

Continuous inkjet (CIJ) printers are non-contact production line printing systems designed to mark substrates moving at 300 m/min and above. Built with powerful ink circulation systems, CIJ printers can operate up to 24 hours daily without downtime. The speed, wide ink compatibility, and versatile printheads of CIJ printers enable wire/cable companies to mark their products with durable, highly visible markings.

InkJet, Inc’s comprehensive CIJ ink catalog contains dozens of formulas ideal for wire and cable marking applications. We have been producing inks for over 30 years, and carry numerous formulas that excel in traditionally-challenging conditions and offer special properties. 

Notable wire/cable ink properties include:

  • Superior substrate adhesion
  • Ultra-quick dry times
  • Anti-transfer
  • Rub resistance
  • Alcohol resistance
  • Heat resistance
  • Extreme temperature resistance
  • Oil/grease penetration
  • Condensation penetration
  • Soft and hard pigmentation

By working with InkJet, Inc, you can find a formula compatible with both your wire jacket material and your production process, ensuring that all codes are durable, visually appealing, and consistently legible.

InkJet, Inc. carries three CIJ systems:

  1. DuraCode Keyboard
  2. DuraCode Touchscreen
  3. DuraCode Pigment Printer

 

All DuraCode systems can mark porous and non-porous substrates at speeds up to 320 m/min. Equipped with an IP55 outer structure and able to operate in temperatures ranging from 41-113° F, the DuraCode CIJ can withstand potentially hazardous environmental elements to deliver consistently excellent results. 


The DuraCode Keyboard and Touchscreen offer the same specifications and ink compatibility. The only difference between them is their input medium. The DuraCode Pigment has the same functionalities and specifications as the DuraCode Keyboard and Touchscreen but uses pigmented ink instead of dye ink. Pigmented codes are brightly colored and highly visible on dark surfaces, which makes them well-suited for wire/cable applications.

See the chart below for a closer look at the DuraCode models’ most important specifications. 

Specification

DuraCode Touchscreen, Keyboard, & Pigment CIJ Printers

Nozzle

40, 50, 60, 70 μm

Print Height

1.2-15 mm

Maximum Print Speed

Up to 1,050 ft./min (320 m/min)

Print Distance

1-3 in. (25.4-76.2 mm)

Input System

Touchscreen or Standard Keyboard / WYSIWYG

Print Font

5x5, 7x5, 9x6, 11x8, 16x11, 24x17, 32x22

Operating Environment

  • Temperature: 5-45° C (41-113°F)  
  • Humidity: 0%-90%, no condensing

User Defined Field

Bar Code, QR Code, Logos, Clock, Counter, Classes, etc.

IP Rating

IP55 Industrial Protection

Gross Weight with Complete Package

45 kg / 99 lbs

Standard Features

Font library - Multi-language support - Traverse printing - 90-degree vertical printing - Special counter Counter replacement - Clock replacement - Encoder port - USB port - Ink recovery pump - Solvent flush pump - Micro print

Optional Add-Ons

Serial port - Network LAN connection - Positive air pump

Laser Marking Solutions: Fiber, CO2, and UV Laser Models

Laser marking systems are perfect for wire/cable production facilities that require high coding speeds, reliable accuracy, and exceptional code appearance. Laser users can mark, etch, and engrave their products with visually appealing text, scannable codes, traceable serial numbers, and other essential markings. 

Laser systems are more expensive than TIJ and CIJ printers upfront but do not use consumables. Moreover, they have minimal maintenance needs and do not require annual servicing. Depending on your product output, these factors can make laser marking more cost-effective than inkjet printing.

Inkjet, Inc. offers four laser models:

  1. F8100F Fiber Laser Marking Machine
  2. F8100C CO2 Laser Marking Machine
  3. LDR 7100 Laser Marking System (CO2 System)
  4. F8100U UV Laser Marking Machine

Our laser systems offer similar specifications and benefits. The F8100F, F8100C, LDR7100, and F8100U provide:

  • Marking speeds up to 2000 characters/sec.
  • 24/7 uninterrupted coding
  • Reliable ingress protections
  • Long laser tube life
  • Enhanced high-resolution mark quality
  • Plug-and-play laser module for easy line replacement
  • User-friendly control panel via computer or smartphone app

Material compatibility is the main difference between our laser options. Fiber, CO2, and UV lasers produce beams of different wavelengths. Beam wavelength significantly influences material compatibility, so it’s important to understand which laser technology best suits your substrates as you consider your system options. 

This chart illustrates the material compatibility of fiber, CO2, and UV laser systems:

Laser Marking Material Compatibility 

Material Category

Specific Material

Fiber Laser

CO2 Laser

UV Laser

Plastics

Polypropylene (PP)

Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)

High-density polyethylene (HDPE)

ABS

Polyacetal (POM: polyoxymethylene)

Polyamide (PA)

Polycarbonate (PC)

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)

Metals

Steel

Galvanized Steel

Aluminum

Titanium

Copper

Brass

  • = Full compatibility 
  • = Limited compatibility
  • = No compatibility

See the chart below for a closer look into our laser systems’ most important specifications.

Specification

F8100F, F8100C, LDR7100, & F8100U Laser Systems

Marking Speed

Up to 2,000 characters/second

Line Speed

Up to 200 m/min

Wave Lengths

  • Fiber: 1,055 - 1,070nm
  • CO2: 10.6um, 10.2um, and 9.3um
  • LDR: 10.6um, 10.3um, and 9.3um
  • UV: 355nm

Marking Formats

  • Standard industrial fonts (Windows TrueType®) and single line font  
  • Machine-readable codes (OCR, 2D matrix, etc.) 
  • Bar codes: code 128a, code 128B, code 128c, code39, code93, QR Code, Data Matrix, Aztec-Code, Han Xin-Cod
  • Graphics, logos, symbols, etc. 
  • Linear, circular, angular, reverse, rotate sequential, and batch numbering  
  • Automatic date, layer and time code, real-time clock 

Laser Tube

  • Fiber: Ytterbium (YT) pulsed fiber laser
  • CO2: Sealed CO2 laser
  • LDR: Sealed CO2 laser
  • UV: Solid-state UV laser

Beam Deflection

Steers beam with digital high-speed galvanometer scanners

User Interface

Personalized touch control screen with an easy-to-learn interface

Communication

  • UDP, TCP/IP, and RS232
  • Inputs for encoder and product detector triggers
  • 4 inputs/4 outputs for start/stop signals, machine/operator interlocks, and alarm outputs (in addition to safety circuits)
  • Customer-specific solutions are available

Integration

Flexible beam delivery options (beam extension unit/beam turning unit) 

Cooling System

Air-cooled

Operating Environment

  • Temperature: 5-40° C (41-104°F)  
  • Humidity: 0%-90%, no condensing
  • Inputs for encoder and product detector triggers

IP Rating

Cabinet: IP54 standard

Weight

Approx. 40 kg 

Enhance Your Operation with InkJet’s Inc’s Wire and Cable Marking Printers and Laser Systems

Wire and cable companies need product marking solutions that consistently deliver excellent results day in and day out. InkJet, Inc’s wire/cable marking technologies are versatile, powerful, and resistant enough to meet wire/cable production requirements, eliminate downtime, and maximize coding efficiency. Contact InkJet, Inc. today to discuss how you could benefit from our CIJ and laser systems. 

To learn more about our wire and cable marking printers and laser systems, contact us online today or call 1(800) 280-3245