UDI Implementation | UDI Landing Solution: How to Choose UDI Inkjet Printer and Coding Equipment

       UDI coding is just about creating a code, then printing it out with a printer, and sticking it on the device." This was the response from a company regarding "UDI coding" during our research.

      Currently, some companies underestimate the coding process, believing that UDI coding only requires purchasing a printer, then printing and labeling. They do not pay necessary attention to the details of the coding process.

      One company started UDI implementation on their own. Before the UDI coding reporting process was even straightened out, they took advantage of a equipment vendor's promotional discount and spent tens of thousands of RMB to purchase several printers. However, when actual production began, they found that due to the large volume of products, the "printer + manual labeling" model was simply not suitable. They had to purchase inkjet coding equipment again for production line modification, and the previously purchased printers had to be left idle, resulting in cost waste.

       Therefore, before formally implementing UDI, companies need to understand what UDI coding really is and what factors need attention in this process.

                     What types of UDI inkjet printers and coding equipment are there?

       UDI coding refers to compliant coding according to the regulations of the National Medical Products Administration and the coding requirements of the issuing agency, and then realizing the code on products, equipment, or packaging in the form of data carriers.

     For companies, the first thing to consider is how to choose the appropriate coding equipment. Common#UDI Inkjet Printer# and coding equipment include the following types:

          1: Desktop Thermal Transfer Printer

          Desktop thermal transfer printers are relatively small, take up little space, are easy to install, have fast printing speed, and low printing cost. They are suitable for small batch production and outer box coding.

          2: Online Thermal Transfer TTO Inkjet Printer

          Through digital ribbon control, ribbon waste is reduced, allowing each roll of ribbon to complete more printing. No need to manually change characters, reducing human errors. The printing is clean and clear without manual adjustment. It can print real-time information, control production accuracy, and is suitable for continuous and intermittent packaging lines with inkjet printers.

          3: UV Inkjet Printer

          UV inkjet printers use UV ink, offering high printing precision and high-speed printing. They provide stable ink supply, save ink, and have strong adhesion. The layout is flexible, supporting one-dimensional barcodes, two-dimensional barcodes, regulatory codes, digital libraries, text, images, and more.

          4: Laser Inkjet Printer

        A laser inkjet printer is a marking device that uses software control to directly form marks on the surface of objects using a laser. Its marks are indelible and can be identified intuitively without any auxiliary tools. This device has no consumables and is easier to maintain.

          5: Thermal Bubble High-Resolution Inkjet Printer

          Thermal bubble inkjet printers are simple to operate, easy to install, offer multiple ink cartridge and color options, have low maintenance, and can print real-time data, barcodes, QR codes, databases, text and images.

                     Comparison of Advantages and Disadvantages of Various UDI Inkjet Printers and Coding Equipment

          Different inkjet printer coding equipment, based on their processes, have advantages and disadvantages compared as follows:

                           Key Factors for Enterprises to Choose UDI Inkjet Printer Coding Equipment

          1: Product Output

          The product output of an enterprise is a factor in considering UDI inkjet printer coding equipment. If the output is very large but the chosen equipment requires manual labeling, it may require more labor costs and possibly affect existing production efficiency.

          Desktop printers are essentially suitable for small output, simple workflows, and outer packaging cases. For enterprises with a certain level of automation, it is recommended to consider online coding and fully automatic inkjet printers as much as possible in the early stage.

          Therefore, when selecting coding equipment, enterprises need to consider their output and workflow comprehensively to avoid unnecessary cost increases or waste.

          2: Packaging Material

          Different packaging materials have a certain correspondence with coding printing methods. If the packaging material is not compatible with the inkjet printer coding equipment, it can lead to labels not meeting quality requirements, affecting label firmness and clarity, ultimately impacting product circulation in the market. Special attention is particularly drawn to special requirements regarding label waterproofing, alcohol resistance, abrasion resistance, etc.

          3: Coding Environment

        The use of inkjet printers and the coding environment include the location of the factory and warehouse, network environment, packaging workshop space, existing packaging processes, etc.

         For example, some factories are set up in a network-free environment, and UDI inkjet printer coding equipment requires a network connection for coding, which may require reconfiguring the network. Or if the packaging workshop space is too small and the original single process of packaging is already crowded, accelerating transportation within the factory may make it unsuitable to deploy some coding equipment in the packaging workshop, or only small, lightweight equipment can be used. Therefore, enterprises need to consider their own coding environment based on local conditions.

          4: Label Adhesion Requirements

         UDI carriers need to present clear and readable requirements. If the label is damaged, it may cause the UDI carrier to be non-compliant. Therefore, certain adhesion requirements are placed on the label. First, choosing different UDI inkjet printer coding equipment for different materials is a technical hard requirement. Even for the same equipment, different surface adhesion on the same material requires different process treatments before coding; otherwise, the entire label may easily become unreadable.

         5: Enterprise Budget

        Different coding equipment has different functions and correspondingly different prices. Enterprises can choose according to their budget and act within their means.

                    Factors Easily Overlooked in Cost Consideration - Later Consumable Costs

        Generally speaking, enterprises with high output mostly use inkjet printers, while those with low output can use desktop printers. However, both require consumable materials, such as label paper.

         Therefore, for enterprises to ensure the continuous and effective progress of UDI work, long-term cost accounting is needed to determine which equipment is more suitable, rather than just looking at the short term. Enterprises need to consider that after output reaches a certain level, choosing UDI inkjet printer equipment with higher initial investment costs can actually save significantly on label costs (ribbon and ink cartridge) in later production.

         In summary, the choice of UDI inkjet printer coding equipment is not as simple as it seems. Selecting the appropriate coding equipment and mode will greatly help enterprises reduce costs and increase efficiency in the later stage. Of course, we cannot avoid mentioning one issue here, which is the human background problem. Generally, in our medical device manufacturing enterprises, there are rarely professionals who understand such products. Therefore, the trial-and-error cost, exploration labor cost, etc., are all issues that enterprise managers need to consider.            

        Xiaoding Inkjet Printer company has 15 years of experience in the inkjet marking industry. It has already connected with many domestic UDI software service providers and platforms, completed data connection debugging, and provides products at prices lower than the market price, so that enterprises have no worries in UDI implementation, truly achieving one-stop service. Looking forward to your consultation.