Industrial Marking Blog | Durable Technologies

Marking Steel Sheets and Bars with Portable Inkjet Printers

Written by Matt Martin | Tue, Jul 19, 2016 @ 12:07 PM

New Source Corporation, located in Orlando, Florida is a stocking distributor of raw materials, primarily used in the aerospace industry, including aluminum extrusion and steel plates. New Source Corporation recently purchased a Handjet 250 portable inkjet printer to direct part mark the metals and their packaging.

We interviewed Jason Miller, Quality Manager, about direct part marking and working with Durable Technologies to make their mark on the products they distribute.

Q: What is the material being marked, type and function?

A: At both our Florida and California locations, we are marking primarily aluminum extrusion, aluminum and steel plate, and the outer packaging around them.

Q: What information is being marked on the materials?

A: Text, part numbers, purchase order numbers, specifications - whatever information we need internally to track the parts and anything our customers require to be marked.

Q: How often do your people use the Durable Technologies solution?

A: Daily, to meet the marking requirements of our customers in the aerospace industry

Q: What issue or problem is the Durable Technologies portable inkjet printer solution solving?

A: We were using stencil board with a punch machine to make tags that were then spray painted. That method requires regular tool sharpening, produces spray paint fumes, and was both time and material consuming.

Q: What were the results achieved using the Handjet 250 with black acetone ink?

A: We saved a lot of time and money, as well as having a more versatile solution that marks just about anything we have coming through our facilities. The Handjet 250 is better for our operator's health compared to spraying many parts with stencils and a spray can.

Q: Any additional comments on working with Durable Technologies as a supplier?

A: Durable Technologies has delivered on time, on budget, and at the quality levels we expected...thank you. We always appreciate responsive and responsible suppliers.

About the Handjet 250 Portable Inkjet Printer

This battery operated printer offers great mobility and can print on a variety of materials, including both porous and non-porous substrates as well as uneven surfaces and irregular shapes.

The HandJet 250, with its patented print technology, offers an affordable upgrade to traditional hand coders (such as stencil machines, rubber hand stamps and roller coders). This portable ink jet printer is perfect for a wide range of applications where product identification and portability is a must. Messages are created through your PC and transferred to the Handjet via a Bluetooth module (cable-free).