Appliances, tools, electronics, and power equipment include a wide array of different products designed for consumer and industrial use and used in indoor and outdoor environments. From dishwashers, and ovens to power tools and transformers.
Regardless of their size or use, they all need labelling for manufacturing, component traceability, inventory, and consumer safety information. The labels must remain highly legible throughout manufacture, sale, and use with so many critical functions.
Choosing the right thermal transfer ribbon for your label will enable it to withstand potentially-degrading factors including extreme heat and chemicals during manufacturing and cleaning, ultraviolet rays from sunlight exposure and abrasion during use and storage.
A printed circuit board (PCB) is the core component of most electronic appliances, including computers, printers, home entertainment equipment, “smart” kitchen appliances, and mobile cellular phones. To ensure long-term PCB traceability, most boards are barcoded to communicate information such as:
- Board manufacture date
- Component lot numbers
- Test data
Many individual PCB components, including capacitors, resistors, and transistors, are also marked or labelled with similar information. Labels and markings need to be scannable at a tiny size and resist the high temperatures and harsh chemicals associated with hot soldering, aggressive fluxes, and acidic cleaners.
Thermal Transfer technology is the most reliable print technology for printing these labels, enabling extremely accurate printing of all types of barcodes (vertical, horizontal, datamatrix, 2D, etc), alphanumerical characters and logos, even on very small labels. Inkanto Resin inks in combination with synthetic labels (polyester, polyamide, polypropylene or polyimide) offer the best solution in terms of print quality and resistance to temperature, abrasion and solvents.
The rating plates on electrical, electronic, and household appliances are subject to a wide range of harsh environmental conditions such as:
- Heat for an oven or refrigerator motor
- Abrasion and dust for a drill
- Cleaning chemicals or corrosive food products for a kitchen appliance
Thermal transfer printing technology is ideal for meeting the demands of print quality and durability, offering very high compatibility with synthetic labels (such as polyester, polyamide and polypropylene) which are generally used to label electrical components and accessories.
Outdoor appliances are often exposed to rain & snow, humidity, ultraviolet rays from the sun, extreme temperatures, and harsh use conditions. Therefore, product information labels on these types of equipment must be highly durable against both mechanical and environmental factors. The durability of the labels is critical for consumer information, education, and safety as these labels generally communicate safety warnings and other important information about the equipment.
