Date Coder Inkjet Printer - Industrial Date Coder & Date Printing Machine

All products that leave the production line carry critical information - expiry dates, batch numbers, MRP and manufacturing details. Printing this data correctly, at production speed, without halting operations, is where a date printing machine becomes an essential. Nilkamal Printing provides industrial grade date coder inkjet printers manufactured for continuous high-volume manufacturing environments across FMCG, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages and packaging industries.

What is a Date Coder Machine?

A date coding machine is an industrial printing system that marks manufacturing dates, expiry dates, batch numbers, MRP and traceability codes onto the product or packaging in real time without interrupting production. A date coder machine integrates seamlessly into existing production lines, ensuring every unit is coded consistently and correctly. 

Key Features of Our Date Coder Machine

The date coding solutions offered by Nilkamal are designed to perform on an industrial level. This is what makes them different:

High-speed, non-contact printing - prints on moving products without touching the surface, eliminating damage and producing uniform results.

·        Variable data capability - print manufacturing dates, expiry dates, batch code, MRP, barcodes, QR codes, serial numbers and counters on one pass.

·        Multi-surface compatibility - prints on bottles, cans, cartons, labels, flexible films, pouches, pipes, wires etc.

·        Rough factory construction - IP55-rated stainless steel enclosures (CIJ) and unibody aluminium controllers (TIJ) designed to operate in tough factory environments.

Low maintenance design - cartridge-based ink systems (TIJ) and simplified fluid management systems (CIJ) have less operator intervention and decreased downtime.

·        Fast drying inks - can be used with porous and non-porous substrates without smearing or any delays on the line.

·        Easy integration - can be used with HFFS and VFFS packaging machines and existing production lines.

·        Nationwide service support - 35+ service offices and depots in India with 300+ trained sales and service providers.

3 Types of Date Coder Machine We Offer

Nilkamal Printing offers three proven technologies to match every production environment and substrate requirement. 

1. Continuous Inkjet (CIJ) Printers

CIJ Printer is the most widely used technology for high-speed industrial date coding. It involves a constant supply of electrically charged ink droplets to print non-contact codes on moving products.

Best for: Bottles, cans, pipes, wires, cables, curved and irregular surfaces
Print speed: The maximum print speed that can be achieved is up to 320+ metres per minute.
What it prints: Expiry dates, batch codes, MRP, barcodes, counters, logos

Nilkamal's CIJ range includes:

·        F540 - 3-line printing with barcode and counter option.

·        F560 - 34-drop format, 34-drop format, high-speed 5 line printer with PC integration.

·        F560 Plus - The product used on dark surfaces by using semi-pigment ink.

·        F580 - Extrusion Gear pump based pigmented ink printer, a pigmented ink printer.

2. Thermal Inkjet (TIJ) Printers

TIJ technology involves the use of controlled heat to propel the ink droplets onto the substrate precisely. It provides high-resolution and solvent free printing, which is perfect when secondary packaging and porous surfaces are involved.

Best for: Cartons, mono cartons, labels, corrugated boxes, secondary packaging.
Print speed: 600 DPI or less.
What it prints: Expiry date, batch number, barcode, QR code, variable data.

Nilkamal's TIJ range includes:

·        F300 Series - Military-grade connectors, unibody aluminium construction, up to 4 print heads per controller, print height per head of 25mm.

3. Thermal Transfer Over printer (TTO) 

TTO Printers involves the use of a heated printhead and ribbon to print ink on flexible packaging films. It is a high-resolution and durable codes directly on pouches, sachets and laminated media - combined with HFFS and VFFS appliances.

Best for: Flexible films, flow-wrap, pouches, sachets, snack packaging.
Print speed: Can reach up to 200 packs/minute.
What it prints: Expiry dates, batch codes, barcodes, MRP, ingredient lists.

The TTO range of Nilkamal comprises:

·        S32A - is a solenoid actuator-based, 32mm, designed to suit the plants without compressed air.

·        S32U - Inexpensive 32mm wide, ribbon economy modes, perfect in normal throughput.

·        S53U - This is a high-speed, 53mm wide, barcode enabled, PC integrated, printer.

·        S107U - 107mm wide-format large parcels and e-commerce packaging.

Application of Date Coder Machines

Where Are Date Coding Machines Used?

Nilkamal's inkjet date printers and TTO systems are deployed across a wide range of industries and surfaces:

By Industry:

·        FMCG - high throughput coding box, labels, retail pouches and outer cartons.

·        Food & Beverage - best-before printing and expiry date printing on bottles, cans, pouches, and snack films.

·        Pharmaceuticals - regulated number on the vials, blisters, and cartons, the manufacturing date, and the expiry coding.

·        Packaging - coding of date and variable data on corrugated boxes, mono cartons and labels.

·        Wires & Cables - continuous metre marking, batch coding of cables and pipes with the CIJ technology.

·        Automotive - serial number marking on components, part identification, and traceability marking on parts.

By Substrate / Surface:

  • ·        Bottles, cans and containers (glass, plastic, metal)
  • ·        Flexible films, pouches, and sachets.
  • ·        Cartons, mono cartons and corrugated boxes.
  • ·        Labels and stickers
  • ·        Pipes, wires and cables.
  • ·        Unequal, curved and moving surfaces

Benefits of Using a Date Coding Machine

·        Regulatory compliance - comply with labelling requirements of expiry date, MRP, batch number, and traceability in FMCG, pharma and food sectors.

·        No production interruption - non-contact printing is ongoing and the line is continuous with no slowdown or manual intervention needed.

·        Human error free- uniform, legible codes in all units, all shifts, ensuring human error is eliminated.

·        Lower cost of operation - low-maintenance designs, easily obtainable consumables, and less downtime minimize the total cost of ownership.

·        Multi-format flexibility - print text, barcodes, QR codes, counters, logos and variable data on a single machine.

·        Scalability - solutions that can be used by SME manufacturers to large-scale industrial production lines.

·        Rapid integration - created to be integrated into available production lines with minimum set up time and disturbance.

·        Traceability and Recall readiness - all products with unique batch and date data will support end to end supply chain traceability.

Why Choose Nilkamal Printing Solutions? 

The Printing Division of Nilkamal, founded in 2014, is supported with the 30+ years of experience in the domain of coding and marking. With 2,000+ units in place, 1,200+ customers and a network of 300+ professionals in 35+ offices and depots across the country. Our systems are locally proven, and backed by four decades of Nilkamal's industrial strength