What is Drop on Demand (DOD) technology in digital printing? Discover its key benefits.
In the vast world of digital printing, there is a technology called Drop on Demand (DOD). This method is based on a simple and ingenious principle: print drops of ink only when they are needed, with no waste.
In this article, we take you step-by-step through how this technology works, using a typical example of printing using the piezo method, while discovering the key benefits that make it the preferred choice for many industrial applications.
The Drop on Demand printing process by Ardeje Printing
Stage 1: Digital data as a starting point
It all starts with digital data transmitted to a computer. This data can be of various types:
- Text (numbers, letters),
- Images,
- Coded elements such as data matrices or barcodes.
This information forms the content to be printed and is the basis of the whole process.
Stage 2: Converting data into colour plans
Once the data has been received, it passes through software called RIP. This software plays a key role:
- It analyses and interprets the data,
- It converts them into colour plans suitable for printing.
These colour plans are then sent to an electronic card for the rest of the process.
Stage 3: Translation into electrical impulses
The electronic board takes over, translating the colour maps into electrical impulses. These impulses are then sent to the central element of the printer: the print head.
Step 4: Creating ink drops in the print head
The print head, the centrepiece of Drop on Demand technology, is made up of thousands of nozzles that allow the ink to flow. Here's how it works:
- Each nozzle is equipped with a chamber containing ink, with which is associated an element called a piezo.
- The piezo has the particularity of deforming when an electrical signal is passed through it.
- When the electronic card transmits an electrical impulse to the piezo, it deforms and creates a wave in the chamber that expels the ink through the nozzle. The drop is created.
And that's it: a perfectly controlled drop of ink is printed on the substrate in precisely the right place.
This level of precision and control positions DOD printing technology as one of the most advanced solutions for high definition on the fly.
The main advantages of Drop on Demand
🔹 Asset No. 1: flexibility
Whether you are printing on flat, curved or irregular surfaces, DOD digital printing adapts to all requirements. Installed on a robot arm, a linear axis, a magnetic conveyor, a belt, etc. Whatever the mechanical constraints, the variety of print heads and their robustness make them the best allies for manufacturers.
🔹 Asset No. 2: versatility
DOD digital printing is innovation's best friend. Whatever the fluid to be printed, whether basic or acid, water-based, solvent-based, UV or oil-based, functional or graphic ink, CMR or non CMR, a huge playground is open to researchers wishing to innovate in their field of research. It is currently an award-winning technology in renewable and alternative energy research.
🔹 Asset No. 3: a friend of savings
While each project entrusted to Ardeje Printing has its own profitability objectives, some of the most frequently sought after are listed below:
- Saves time: DOD printing allows you to change images without changing tooling. On-the-fly printing also means you can decorate without stopping production, unlike pad printing and screen printing, where the technology requires a step-by-step process.
- Storage savings: the manufacture of small series, dedicated to the volumes ordered by each customer, is now standard.
- Less rejects: as a precise, repeatable technology, DOD digital printing is a guarantee of production quality, drastically reducing the rate of rejects and ink losses.
- More markets: with its ability to precisely deposit fluids in controlled quantities on perfectly controlled surfaces, this technology is highly sought-after by researchers and manufacturers looking to innovate.
Drop on Demand technology offers an unbeatable combination of quality, versatility and efficiency, allowing you to unleash your full creative potential. Find out today how DOD can transform your printing process!
Contact us : we'd be delighted to discuss the subject with you.