Thermal Print head Technology is the core of your label printer and it plays a crucial role in its performance. It produces the heat to melt and transfer the thermal transfer ribbon (TTR) ink onto the labels, resulting in the printed image. This process is what makes the thermal printer so reliable, particularly when used in high-speed industrial applications, and it is important to understand how this technology works to improve performance and durability.
The Thermal Printhead Technology head is a thin, flat printed element that’s positioned directly over the thermal paper or label media. It consists of a series of small heating elements that create the heat to melt and transfer the ink onto the media.
To produce the image, a heater in the Thermal Print head generates an electrical current that’s fed into a circuit that heats up. As it does so, the liquid ink within the thermal print head vaporizes and expands, forcing a drop of ink out through a hole (known as a nozzle) at one end of the print head. The temperature at the nozzle then cools, condenses and contracts, pulling fresh ink into the nozzle through surface tension. The result is a single dot of the selected colour that’s then ejected across the print area. Canon, joint inventor of the thermal print head with Hewlett-Packard, coined the term Bubble jet for this type of printing in reference to the way ink is ejected from each nozzle.
Achieving the desired image requires precise control of the ink volume – and thus dot size. This is achieved by controlling the motion of the micro-piezo crystal inside the ink reservoir. The movement of the piezo crystal flexes the meniscus, which in turn produces small ink drops that are nearly perfect spheres and land with superb placement accuracy.
Material Flexibility: The advancement of thermal Print head technology allows for a greater variety of eco-friendly materials to be used in labelling applications, offering companies a more sustainable and environmentally responsible printing option. Additionally, it provides for a wider range of resolutions, so users can print more detailed images.
Abrasion Resistance: Often, printers are used in environments where the prints are exposed to harsh conditions, such as wind and rain. For this reason, it is important for printers to have improved abrasion and oil resistance to prevent them from becoming damaged. Kyocera’s thermal print heads feature various overcoat layers that offer abrasion and environmental resistance performances.
Preventive Maintenance: Regular scheduled maintenance checks can identify and rectify potential issues before they cause damage to the print head. This can include identifying alignment issues and other wear and tear on the entire printing mechanism, as well as ensuring the thermal print head is clean.
The environment in which the printer is stored can also have an effect on the longevity of the thermal print head. Exposure to dust, water or heat can all lead to unwanted residue that builds up on the print head and affects its performance. This can lead to the need to increase the heat in order to get a darker mark and may eventually damage the print head. Keeping the printer in an appropriate environment will ensure that it has a longer lifespan.