On the wire

HFCL Limited produces around 25 million fibre kilometres every year – enough to cover the distance between the Earth and the Moon 60 times over. This makes the Indian technology company one of the leading manufacturers in the global fibre optic cable market. A decisive factor in this success is precise cable marking. To ensure top print quality and maximum availability, HFCL has relied for many years on Leibinger’s continuous inkjet solutions and the expertise of its Indian partner Indomax.

For over 30 years, HFCL has been driving business transformations by harnessing the power of connectivity. The company began its operations in 1986 manufacturing telecom equipment and opened up its optical fibre cable (OFC) business in 1996 in Goa, India. HFCL manufactures an extensive range of optical fibre cable solutions, and its three plants now have a total capacity of some 25 million fibre kilometres.

Printing markings on many different types of cables is key to the company’s high quality portfolio. HFCL successfully deploys more than 40 machines across its three plants. ‘Over the decades, we have seen many changes in the printing industry. For us, Leibinger is the clear leader. The printers are doing very well for us,’ explained Pramod Aggarwal, vice president operations, HFCL

In the past, operators had to continuously clean the printer heads. Now, with Leibinger’s fully automatic Sealtronic nozzle sealing technology, this time consuming step is no longer necessary. ‘Inkjet printing is a key requirement for all the OFCs we supply to our customers around the world. Machine reliability, printing quality and accuracy are mission critical. We know we can always count on Leibinger printers,’ outlined Neeraj Jain, associate vice president manufacturing, HFCL. And Pramod Aggarwal added, ‘Our customers around the globe are all very pleased with the quality and accuracy of the printing on our cables.’

The Jet3 Up line used at HFCL includes advanced, feature rich printers ideally equipped to take on challenging applications. Complex production environments call for sophisticated coding and marking solutions – and they don’t come any smarter or more powerful than the Jet3 Up. It prints up to five lines, performs up to 403 metres per minute, and comes with a rich array of features and flexible options. The Jet3 Up is easy to use and its innovative Sealtronic nozzle sealing technology eliminates the need for cleaning or rinsing. The machine was designed to keep production lines running with maximum uptime.

HFCL also uses the PI variants of the printer series, which are specifically designed for printing on dark surfaces – a common requirement in the cable industry. These printers are optimised for high contrast printing with heavily pigmented inks.

Thanks to an advanced stirring system inside the ink tank, the pigment remains evenly distributed, ensuring consistent ink viscosity at all times. No sedimentation, no clogging – just reliable performance. The integrated stirring system combined with an intelligent interval mode requires as little as 20 minutes of stirring per day to guarantee an immediate start up – even after extended idle times. ‘The Jet3 Up printers are highly reliable. They deliver very accurate printing and are extremely user friendly. Even semi-skilled operators can work with the machines very comfortably,’ said Madhav Kothare, head of maintenance.

The fully automatic Sealtronic nozzle sealing technology is what sets Leibinger printers apart from the competition. It doesn’t require the cleaning cycles that are typical for conventional CIJ printers – and this eliminates production downtime. ‘Sealtronic technology gives us a real advantage. Our machines work at extremely high speeds. We are very happy with the Leibinger printers for our high speed lengths. They save us a lot of time and hassle,’ highlighted Neeraj Jain. How does it work? As soon as the printer stops printing, the nozzle in the printhead closes the ink circuit airtight and prevents the ink from drying out. When the printer starts up again, the nozzle opens and the printer continues printing seamlessly.

HFCL has been working with Leibinger and its local partner Indomax for several years. With decades of experience, Indomax has been at the forefront of providing innovative, high performance printers that cater to a wide range of industries in India – from pharmaceuticals to FMCG, automotive, electronics and beyond. Central to its success is its well structured sales and services distribution network, ensuring that customers receive prompt and reliable support wherever they are located. Leibinger has been partnering with Indomax for 20 years. ‘We work with a very good team of Indomax engineers. They are very knowledgeable. We are delighted with the service provided,’ said Madhav Kothare.