Applications

The benefits of high resolution over branding or stencilling are:

Better marking quality:
Wood is a variable substrate, and even the best processes can have slightly misaligned blocks or overhanging boards. The brands do not always contact the wood with an even pressure, so only the deepest brands mark the wood. Stencils or stamps can result in smudged or unclear marks.

The MERLIN ink jet printer is non-contact, and sprays fine ink droplets at the pallet from 5-10mm. Misaligned, cracked, curved or composite blocks can be printed successfully, enhancing a pallet's quality, and conforming to the requirements of the wood marking programme.

Customisation:
Competing for your customers' business is more effective and easier by offering custom designs. Customers' logos, production dates or stock numbers can be printed onto the pallet. Sales people have the possibility of offering an impressive additional service to the customer, bringing added value to the contract in terms of customer loyalty or enhanced margins.

Flexibility and productivity -quick line changes, high throughput:
The MERLIN makes it possible to achieve instant changeovers on the marking section of the line, by selecting a message from the keypad, or from a remote computer using the CONNECT message creation and management software. Pallets can be marked at up to 40 m/minute, which would enable a theoretical 30 pallet/minute throughput rate. For hand pallet assembly, stamping the pallet after production takes labour off assembly. As an alternative, the ink jet system can pre-mark the blocks so that no time is lost in the assembly operation so that less time is required for marking, and the operators can devote their efforts to producing more pallets.

Low running costs:
Electricity consumption for the printer is around 30 watts, compared with 15-20 kilowatts for a six-head brander. Due to a tiny droplet size, the ink cost per print is around 0.3p per block, taking an ISPM15 design as an example. The message creation software enables users to calculate the cost of a message before printing. For stamping or stencilling, estimates of around 1p per mark labour cost are common, and rework due to poor marking quality is a real possibility. The offline block marking system can process around 1 block per second, giving an equivalent labour cost of 0.2p at a £6/hr labour rate.

Safety - low fire risk:
Because the printer works at ambient temperature, the workforce protection and fume extraction measures required for branding are not required. The ink base is a light oil, similar to central heating oil, and the pigment is carbon black, again a safe and non-reactive material to use.

(Back to Pallets)