High-Quality Printing for Gypsum Products

Here in the US, it seems just about the interior of just about every house, apartment, and many other buildings is constructed of a product that has so many different names: drywall, plasterboard, wallboard, sheetrock, gypsum board, buster board, custard board (I’ve never seen this called custard board before, but I saw it on Wikipedia, so it must be right).

Whatever you call it, the sheets of this gypsum material all need to have variable information printed on them – compliance logos, date codes, product and lot codes, barcodes, etc.

If you checked out this printing on drywall products, you might have noticed that it often isn’t very good. A lot of the printing is done using low-resolution drop on demand (DoD) inkjet printers, that can’t produce good quality printing and suffer from the dusty conditions encountered in gypsum plants.

A great alternative is to use thermal inkjet (TIJ) printers from our Code Tech brand.

TIJ printers offer higher resolution, effectively no maintenance and are simple to install and use – with hugely improved print quality as well.

Why are Code Tech printers so well suited for this demanding application?

As you can see in the image above, the Code Tech TIJ printer provides much better print quality than the traditional printers. This makes it easier throughout the supply chain, including ensuring the contractor easily identifies the right item for the job.

Changing the print cartridge effectively replaces the complete printer – no more downtime due to maintenance. Multiple printheads (up to 8) can be “stitched” together, providing a print width of up to 4 inches.

To also add to the system robustness, the printhead controller is mounted in a fully enclosed IP65 enclosure to keep dust away.

The inks used for these applications is water based. This is perfect for printing on porous substrates, such as those used in drywall – it produces a durable print and has the huge additional advantage of being non-hazardous. This means that no special handling or storage for the inks is needed and no harmful solvents are introduced into your facility.

A final (and yes, also potentially important) feature of the Code Tech printers is the availability of an optional bulk ink system. This is a great solution for installations with many printheads or those with specialty inks – radically reducing the number of cartridges you to have to change.

Want to learn more about how Code Tech thermal printing systems can help your gypsum/drywall manufacturing process? Just use the contact form or email us at IDT@ProMachBuilt.com