Cable marking – fast, transfer resistant, and process reliable

Fast production lines, continuous operation, rising quality demands, and increasing cost pressure define the reality of the cable industry. At the same time, metre markings, technical specifications and batch numbers must be applied permanently legible and abrasion resistant – even on dark or pre-treated surfaces. At wire 2026 in Düsseldorf, Leibinger is setting a new performance standard for marking extrusion products (hall 9, stand 9F55): high speed printing combined with maximum ink adhesion and absolute process reliability.

This position is no coincidence. Whether it be global players such as Prysmian, HFCL, Encore Wire and Fenner, machine manufacturers like Rosendahl Nextrom, or regional mid sized companies such as EP Connectors – they all rely on Leibinger for marking solutions. As a continuous inkjet (CIJ) specialist, the company sees itself not only as a printer and ink manufacturer, but as a long term partner to the extrusion industry – offering deep application expertise and a global network of more than 150 partners to ensure customer proximity and on-site service worldwide.

Leibinger offers CIJ systems specifically developed for the cable industry, enabling print speeds of up to 1000 metres per minute. In addition to the technical features of the printer system itself, three specially developed printhead covers ensure maximum speed.

The standard ‘Rapid’ printhead cover is ideal for larger character heights or multi-line printing. The angled ‘Speed Plus’ version enables maximum speeds for cables with diameters above 5 mm. With the stepped ‘Wire’ printhead cover, even cables of 5 mm or smaller can be printed at speeds of up to 1000 metres per minute.

How is this achieved? Thanks to the specially designed geometry, the cable can be guided extremely close to the nozzle – every millimetre of reduced distance contributes to achieving outstanding print quality at maximum speeds. To provide maximum flexibility for cable manufacturers, printers in the Jet Rapid Wire series are supplied as standard with the two special printhead covers – at no additional cost.

The Jet Rapid Wire also features an integrated printhead ventilation system as standard. This ventilation prevents ‘back splashes’ – tiny, dust fine ink droplets that are deflected back toward the printhead when products pass by at high speed. As a result, they do not enter the nozzle. This ensures permanently stable marking without additional cleaning effort.

One of the biggest challenges in marking cables, wires, hoses or pipes is reliable ink adhesion. Abrasion resistance, resistance to plasticisers and ‘transfer prints’ – ie unwanted impressions on neighbouring windings during spooling – are key considerations.

Leibinger develops its inks in its own in-house ink laboratory and produces them itself. With a portfolio of around 70 inks, the company offers the right solution for virtually every material and requirement. These include special inks for soft PVC, highly abrasion and transfer resistant formulations, and fast drying inks for high speed applications.

For dark substrates, pigmented inks are essential to ensure maximum contrast and permanently legible, standards compliant marking.

The Leibinger Jet Rapid PI is a CIJ system specifically developed for these requirements. Proven in the market for years, it is known for its exceptional reliability. Two components are crucial: first, the automatic nozzle seal, which reliably protects the ink at the printhead from drying out during pauses in printing; and second, the ink management system designed for pigmented inks. This system ensures consistently stable viscosity and uniform pigment dispersion through regular, automatic stirring of the ink in the tank – effectively preventing sedimentation and deposits, so that print quality remains consistently high. Both system components are unique in the CIJ market.

High energy efficiency and resource conservation are also key success factors in the cable industry. The IQJet makes a tangible contribution here, offering optimised total cost of ownership with a strong focus on sustainability. The IQJet features an extremely low solvent consumption of just 2.7 ml per hour, compared to 6 to 10 ml for conventional competitive printers on the market. In addition, evaporated solvent is returned to the system. Its low power consumption of approximately 36 W further underlines the economic and ecological efficiency of the device.