HPRT Thermal Transfer Overprinter FC53 Printing Principle Introduction

In this article, You’ll learn the thermal transfer technology, printing process, and working principle of HPRT thermal transfer overprinters(TTO printer)FC53 series.

TTO printer thermal transfer technology

1. FC53-Li/FC53-Lc/FC53-Ri/FC53-Rc coding machines use thermal transfer print heads, similar to that used in fax machines.

2. With specially treated paper (blackened when heated), the thermal transfer over printer can also work without ribbon. This is how the fax paper works. However, FC53 series ribbon coding machines basically use ribbon at all times.

3. All FC53 coding and marking printer use thermal transfer print heads for printing.

4. Along the print line, each print head has a series of heating elements (resistors). These print dots are 12 per millimeter and are protected by SiC.

5. When printing, the print head is removed by turning on the cylinder. This causes the print head to press the ink ribbon against the substrate or label.

6. The heat of the printing point will melt the ink, and the pressure between the print head and the substrate will transfer the ink to the substrate.

7. All FC53 coding printer use the principle of stepper motor to drive the print head or brake movement and ribbon feeding.

Thermal transfer overprinting process

1. For intermittent coding printers, the stepping rate of the print head carriage motor is directly related to the linear motion of the carriage.

2. The length of time that the dots are energized for is determined by the linear speed of the print head carriage.

3. For continuous mobile coding printers, the length of time that the dots are energized is determined by the speed of the ribbon, and the speed of the ribbon is controlled by the data from the speed encoder.

4. The print control processor will determine which dots to energize and when to activate them.

5. In both cases, the length of each dot should ultimately be 1/12 mm to maintain the aspect ratio of the printed characters.

Working Principle

1. The intermittent coding printers and continuous coding were designed with different operating methods to suit the running mode of the packaging machines.

2. When the ribbon cassette is inserted into the printer body and secured, the ribbon supply shaft and the waste ribbon rewind shaft will be connected to the ribbon drive motor clutch.

3. The FC53-Li/FC53-Ri intermittent thermal transfer overprinter uses a thermal print head and thermal ink ribbon to print information onto the material held against a flat print platen.

4. The FC53-Lc/FC53-Rc continuous thermal transfer overprinter uses a thermal print head and thermal ink ribbon to print information onto the material held against a print roller.