Global printing industry leader Inkcups Europe GmbH will showcase its glass pre-treatment system and leading digital cylindrical printer with its top features at Glasstec 2022. Glasstec has been the industry’s leading trade fair for technical developments that will help move the future of glass products and glass specific technology forward. The show will be held from September 20-23 at the Messe Düsseldorf in Germany. Inkcups Europe will be located in Hall 12, Booth F22.
The Inkcups Europe display will feature the MagiCoat® Glass Pre-treatment System and a single Helix® machine equipped with Transparent Pin Curing (TPC). Together the MagiCoat® System and the Helix® will showcase Inkcups complete glass solution. During demonstrations, the MagiCoat® will be pre-treating pint glasses, followed by the Helix® decorating them.
MagiCoat® is a pre-treatment system that offers eight rotating stations, three flaming stations, and a fine mist spraying system in order to prepare glassware for the printing process. Flame treating eliminates any debris or other coatings already on the glass that may inhibit adhesion. The fine mist spraying system ensures that each item gets evenly coated with water-based MagiCoat® primer as part of the post-flame treatment. This primer allows for a stronger adhesion between the ink and glass surfaces than any other product on the market. MagiCoat® is fast and efficient, allowing companies to pre-treat glassware up to 15 items per minute. Glassware items that were prepped with MagiCoat® can handle up to 200 residential washes, demonstrating its strong durability.
The Helix® is designed to print superior quality full-color (CMYKWW and varnish) images on straight-walled and tapered cylinders. The digital cylinder printer is an ideal balance between speed and image quality due to its patented Helix® software, which places 7-picoliter drops of ink precisely along the cylinder at high speed. The Helix® also minimizes set up time with an advanced quick-change tooling fixture that easily adjusts for straight or tapered parts as well as a programmable tilt which stores the exact specifications for each cylinder position. The extended range kit features a tooling extension mechanism that increases the part diameter allowance to 38 mm to 127 mm.
With TPC, the Helix® can print on clear glassware without filling the vessel with a UV-blocking substance, improving production processes for companies. Through the TPC system, glassware remains uncontaminated and sterile on the inside while protecting the wear and tear of print heads. It uses a unique and proprietary curing lamp to ensure uniform pinning radiation over a range of radii, taper angles, and curvatures in the vessel.
MagiCoat® and the Helix® with TPC is ideal for use in print-on-demand, short and medium volume drinkware printing applications.