Are you in the market for a new continuous inkjet (CIJ) printer? Often, when people are deciding amongst brands and models, they are future-focused — which printer will actually last, solve an operational need, and improve downtime and cost savings. While there are many CIJ options, the Hitachi UX2 Inkjet printer is known for its low maintenance and durable design, adding valuable longevity to your operations. To ensure the Hitachi UX2 meets your needs, it’s important to understand its benefits and review maintenance practices to ensure optimal performance. In this guide, we’ll give you an overview of the Hitachi UX2 Inkjet printer, its benefits, and our service team’s recommendations for maintenance, installation, and best practices.
What is a Hitachi UX2 Inkjet Printer?
The Hitachi UX2 Inkjet Printer is an industrial continuous inkjet (CIJ) coding and marking system designed to print variable data on products and labels, including barcodes and batch codes. At MarkPack, we partner with Hitachi, a global leader across multiple industries, including industrial equipment and automation, to deliver dependable, high-speed marking and coding systems to our customers. Using a non-contact approach with controlled ink droplet technology, the Hitachi UX2 Inkjet Printer can print on a wide range of materials for both primary and secondary packaging, providing adaptable coding for product identification and traceability.
Let’s break down the Hitachi UX2 Inkjet printer
What’s the science behind how a Hitachi Inkjet printer works?
- To start, the ink is pressured in the ink supply pump and sent to the nozzle.
- While in the nozzle, ultrasound vibrations make the ink droplets.
- The droplets then go through the charge electrode tunnel and are assigned character signals.
- Then, deflection voltage and deflection electrodes work together to apply force and control to determine how far and where the ink droplets travel.
- The gutter captures any additional droplets that were not used and cycles the ink back in.
What can a Hitachi Inkjet Printer typically print?
- Lot and batch codes
- Barcodes
- Logos
- Best-before dates
- Data-matrix codes
What substrates and materials can Hitachi print on?
- Flexible and rigid plastics
- Glass
- Cardboard
- Various metals
- Wood
- Paper
- Films
- Foils
Hitachi Inkjet printers are commonly used in which industries??
- Food & Beverage
- Cosmetic
- Tobacco
- Electronics
- Wire and Cable
- Pharmaceuticals
- Automotive
- Packaging & Manufacturing
Why is the Hitachi UX2 Inkjet a smart investment?
When investing in industrial equipment, it’s important to consider how the system will integrate into existing production lines and support long-term operational success. Hitachi has built a reputation for reliable industrial equipment, and the Hitachi UX2 continues that legacy. Understanding the benefits of a Hitachi inkjet printer can help you maximize your investment and fully leverage its capabilities—creating meaningful value on your manufacturing floor.
Reliability
If there is one necessity in any company’s production, it’s reliable equipment. The UX2 has a durable design, giving it an advantage in rigorous environments that require long run times. The model’s key components are all developed in-house by Hitachi, ensuring high-quality construction and access to reliable replacement parts when needed. With user-friendly, proactive maintenance features built in, such as the patented “ink guard,” which extends the time between printhead cleanings, this printer is backed by quality and built with longevity in mind.
Efficiency
Is one of your goals to increase production efficiency? The Hitachi UX2 Inkjet delivers line efficiency with long service intervals, compatibility with a wide range of ink formulations, low ink and solvent consumption, and self-cleaning properties that help keep production on track. And most importantly, the UX2 provides the lowest cost per code in the industry.
Ease of use
A lack of properly trained staff is often a major operational gap when handling industrial equipment. Our MarkPack services team especially attributes the UX2’s success to its user-friendly software and built-in maintenance support. Having a piece of equipment that is easy to operate and clean can help reduce service costs and provide an ease of use that is incredibly valuable in a busy environment.
Precise print
The Hitachi Inkjet Printer utilizes a dot control algorithm and, when properly equipped, can print up to six lines of text, delivering high-quality prints at faster production speeds. It also offers 3–4 nozzle sizes for a wide range of printing options. Hitachi’s ink technology is designed for strong, legible coding, reducing errors and ink and solvent waste. From fast-drying inks to heat-resistant inks, Hitachi inkjets ensure precise printing across any industry.
Optimizing Hitachi Inkjet Performance
While the UX2 is known for its reliability and ease of use, it still requires proper installation and intentional preventive maintenance to ensure it continues to perform at its best and maintain long-term print quality. Here is our best advice for installing and maintaining your Hitachi UX2 Inkjet printer:
Installation
It’s always important to carefully read your specific model’s installation manual and review the maintenance menu found on your printer’s screen to ensure proper installation. Before fully implementing your Hitachi Printer into your production line, double-check key components are functioning properly by running precautionary tests! This practice can also provide a baseline of performance and cleanliness to inform future maintenance schedules and expectations. Here is a checklist:
- Check the printer’s valves (Maintenance Menu MV1-MV8) to make sure they open and close freely.
- Verify that ink and solvent levels are within proper operating range.
- Perform a nozzle check and alignment test before running production.
This checklist can also be adapted and added as routine maintenance to ensure thorough checks that can help your team catch maintenance issues early and reduce costly repairs.
Maintenance
If there is one thing our MarkPack service team makes clear to our customers, it’s the impact a solid maintenance schedule can have. Not only does it keep equipment clean, reduce buildup, and boost consistent performance, but it also helps your team stay knowledgeable about specific machine needs and catches maintenance issues before they turn into costly errors or repairs. Here are a few tips we recommend to Hitachi owners:
- Keep up to date on preventive maintenance procedures, including weekly printhead cleanings, nozzle backflushes, and ink-stream alignment to keep the orifice plate free of sediment deposits.
- Implement routine filter changes throughout the year (recommended filter replacement is once every 4,800 hours of runtime).
- Inspect and clean the printhead at least once per week or when you notice the printhead cover has excessive ink buildup on it.
Having an issue?
Many of the issues customers request support for include poor print quality or electronic faults. Often, these can be prevented and corrected by implementing a clear preventive maintenance plan. Before moving forward with the next steps, we advise our customers to perform a nozzle backflush and/or ink stream alignment in the circulation menu. Top three mistakes we see customers make:
- Letting the printers sit for extended periods of time with ink in them and not running. This can cause the ink within the ink circuit unit (ICU) to thicken and block the ink from properly running.
- Mishandling the printheads when cleaning and dropping them. This can break the gutter assembly or knock the ink stream out of alignment.
- Improper setup of print specs for specific jobs, causing printing errors, including poor resolution or spacing.
By understanding your printer setup and regularly performing those checks, you can identify what may be causing the error more quickly, helping you save time and money. At MarkPack, we also offer 24/7 service and support for both over-the-phone and on-site requests. If you are experiencing an issue, our trained technicians can perform repairs and provide maintenance plans to prevent future issues.
The Hitachi UX2 Inkjet in action
A recent customer, Reese Pharmaceutical Company, faced multiple challenges with their existing printing equipment. These included reliable ink adhesion on HDPE (high-density polyethylene) packaging, which is particularly difficult due to HDPE’s nonporous surface. The ink adhesion issue affected the legibility of lot codes and expiration dates, impacting industry compliance. The company was also experiencing recurring printer downtime, poor print quality, and limited technical support.
At MarkPack, we worked with their team and eventually implemented two Hitachi UX2-D160W printers into their production. These printers addressed their ink adhesion issue, improved print quality, and reduced service calls. The installation of the Hitachi Safe Clean Station further simplified printhead maintenance, allowing operators to keep the printers running smoothly with minimal intervention.
Hitachi Inkjet Resources
Partner with MarkPack
At MarkPack, we come alongside our customers and provide free consultations and on-site visits to understand their needs and current operational gaps. By partnering with our customers, we’re able to provide key recommendations that have real operational impact. Whether you’re interested in the Hitachi UX2 Inkjet printer or one of our other marking and coding systems, connect with our team for support throughout the shopping process, installation, and ongoing maintenance.