Coding & Printing on Rubber

Rubber varies in composition, colour, and elasticity. It includes an assortment of substrates including polyurethanes, polypropylene, slick plasticisers, and other challenging components. Coding and marking equipment systems must be powerful enough to mark different types of rubber and provide high performance, speed, and readability.  

Fulfil your traceability requirements with high-resolution coding and marking on rubber components. Our printers are designed to be efficient and reliable in the most difficult of production environments, such as hot, wet, dusty and treated with chemicals. This ensures that whatever industry you are looking to print for, Linx printers will work effectively through even the toughest conditions. And with the Linx range of accessories, they are versatile enough to fit into almost any production line.

Linx is highly experienced in ink development, offering a wide range of ink adhesion for marking and coding onto the rubber. With the variety of inks we offer, we can ensure clear codes on dark surfaces to ensure readability which is crucial for both manufacturers and traceability. 

Coding and Marking on Cured and Uncured Rubber

Cured rubber is formed from straight chains with very high molecular weights. Curing will take place using organic peroxide curing agents or platinum catalysts. Cured rubber offers great temperature and ageing resistance. The property of this material is perfect for many industrial applications such as hoses, building construction joints, electrical protection, and even pharmaceutical and biomedical applications such as tubes. 

The uncured rubber material can be moulded and deformed easily when it is warm, then becomes brittle when cold. This becomes a valuable material for many finished products when it has been left in its natural state, being a firm material to work with. Uncured rubber is used for insulating, adhesives, tapes, footwear and many other applications. 

Linx machines can mark on either form. Continue below to see which application is best suited for you.

Printer Types of Rubber Printing

When selecting the right technology for your product, you need to determine what is the most important outcome you need from your coding and marking. 

If you are after high contrast code visibility for your rubber products, continuous inkjet (CIJ) technology is better suited, with high pigmented inks and high contrasted inks available. If you need a permanent coding and marking solution, and the most important factor is not the contrast, laser technology is your best option. Laser marking on rubber, although it might not be contrasting like CIJ inks, will still deliver visible and clear codes. 

Whatever your needs are, we have got a solution. 

Continuous Inkjet

Working on industrial production lines the Linx continuous inkjet printers have environmental protection ratings of IP55 as standard to keep liquids and airborne contaminants out.

• Range of inks for specialist marking, e.g. high contrast inks
• Durable, high-quality multi-line coding
• Wide range of inks to keep your codes in place on nearly any substrate
• Optional IP protection for harsh environments

Laser Coder

Often found in the automotive and industrial component industry, offering discreet and permanent marking of rubber elements and products and elements. 

Both CO2 and Fibre lasers are suitable for coding and marking on rubber. CO2 laser engraves on the surface of the material, hence it is commonly used in rubber product marking. Fibre laser could also be used but would have to be specific to the application and subject to sample marking. 

• Permanent marking capability
• CO2 laser gives consistent marking
• Low operating costs – no need for consumables
• High-quality coding even on the fast line speeds 

Request a Print Sample

See what your code on rubber will look like.

To find out more information and to request your samples with no obligation, click the button below.