2kg plastic cartridges

The Packaging Standard of the Future

The 2-kg ink cartridge for automated ink feed systems has arrived. The principal benefits of this system are:

• Significantly reduced makeready and cleaning times.
• Dramatically less ink residues requiring disposal, because the contents of the ink cartridge are used up almost completely.
• No ink is lost as a result of intermediate storage and reuse of opened containers.
• The workload of press operators is noticeably reduced.
• Lower investment costs lead to a relatively fast ROl.

The 2-kg Cartridge:
An innovative, Open Industry Solution

Cans of different sizes and shapes were the most popular containers used for pasty printing inks. Despite continual efforts to introduce improvements, it eventually became quite clear that there is no good way to automate ink feed on the basis of ink cans. It was necessary to find and develop an entirely different type of container.

The result is a modern, economical and environmentally friendly alternative: 2-kg plastic cartridges designed specifically for printing ink. Major companies serving the graphic arts industry agreed on the size, principle of operation, and appearance of these cartridges in the runup to drupa 1995. Leading roles were played in this development initiative by the Huber Group, BASF Drucksysteme GmbH, and Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG.

2-kg ink cartridges offer printers numerous economic benefits. But that’s not all. They are also considerably more practical, cleaner, and more reliable than conventional ink cans. It doesnt take a prophet to see that 2-kg ink cartridges are going to replace ink cans as the new packaging standard soon.

The 2-kg Cartridge: Construction

The 2-kg ink cartridge consists of three parts:

• Cartridge body with integrated valve
• Sealing cap
• Plunger for pressing out the ink.

The cylindrical cartridge body is filled with two 2 kg of printing ink. The integrated valve is a special feature: it opens when pressure is applied to the ink, and automatically closes again when the pressure eases off.

The ink cartridge is now equipped with a sealing cap that is very easy to remove by hand. The cap makes sure that the valve stays closed while the cartridge is being filled with ink, and also provides security during transport. The cap can also be used to tightly reseal a partially emptied ink cartridge after use. Both full and partially emptied ink cartridges have a very long shelf life. Even after being stored for a long time, they can be opened and used without any loss of ink.

The plunger has special air channels that ensure reliable venting of the cartridge while pressing the ink out. Ink penetrates the air channels, where it hardens to seal them off airtight. The special geometry of the plunger with molded-on scraper rings makes sure that nearly 100% of the ink is pressed out of the cartridge. The cartridge can be filled with any offset ink or varnish. For use of UV inks, there are special cartridge versions.

Numerous ink-feed systems based on these proven, established 2-kg ink cartridges are now available on the market.

The 3 components                    The Raw Material

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For further information contact Richard Sivyer at Ritter Technik UK
4 Bracken Hill · Cobham · Surrey KT11 2EW
Tel: +44(0)1372 841401 · Fax: +44(0)1372 841400

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