While the application of road markings has moved ahead by leaps and bounds over the past few decades, the constant push for productivity moving the industry forward has left striping contractors, private companies and municipalities concerned about safety.

MRL Equipment Company Inc., a veteran of road marking equipment manufacturing, and Trysil RMM, a Norway-based road marking machine company, closed the gap between productivity and safety. The release of the TrafficPrinter sets a new standard for the road marking industry, providing a solution to the notoriously dangerous and time-consuming job of road symbols.

“This is truly a revolutionary product for the road marking space,” said Boyd Montgomery, Director of Sales at MRL Equipment Company. “The TrafficPrinter by MRL and Trysil RMM is the culmination of decades of experience and was designed out of a necessity for a safer, more productive way for stripers to mark and maintain roads.”

An industry game-changer

Built on the backbone of MRL’s industry-leading thermoplastic striping apparatuses, the TrafficPrinter is strategically designed to address existing concerns for striping contractors.

Productivity

Large-capacity thermoplastic premelters allow operators a full workday without expensive downtime. MRL’s 4K melter set (8,000 pounds total capacity), is interconnected via a valve and flex bellows and recirculation system. Additionally, operators can select DOT-approved symbols as the job requires via a touchscreen computer.

Cost efficiency

Typically, applying a symbol with a handliner and/or crew on the roadway with traffic takes approximately 20 minutes. The TrafficPrinter takes a fraction of the time and manpower to apply a symbol, allowing operators to safely cover more miles. Consequently, the TrafficPrinter relieves pressure on DOTs and contractors struggling to find qualified workers by minimizing the staff needed for any given project and improving ROI.

Safety

The TrafficPrinter removes the need for boots on the ground, enabling a single operator to run the printer from the cab of the truck. Utilizing the front-mounted scanner and a rear-mounted printer, operators can print or repair road symbols in seconds. To maintain the safety of the operator and the traveling public, a rolling barricade can be used if allowed. Designed to be operated in live traffic with minimal need for traffic management, the TrafficPrinter reduces work-site accidents for both workers and the public and keeps traffic flow reduction to a minimum.

Ease of use

MRL’s in-place customer service and support teams enable owners and operators to confidently use the TrafficPrinter and minimize downtime. Additionally, the extensive computerized symbols database and operating system is user-friendly, accommodates custom needs and requires minimal training to execute.

How it works

Built on the backbone of MRL’s industry-leading equipment, the TrafficPrinter combines decades of engineering and field testing between the truck and the printer.

As the operator drives over the symbol, the scanner at the front of the truck communicates with the printer system at the rear. The printer is able to automatically align and print the road symbol in the exact spot needed. Once in proximity to the marking location and the chosen symbol is selected, the printer applies the thermoplastic paint and deposits the glass beads onto the symbol within approximately 30 seconds.

The thermoplastic application combined with the glass bead system achieves drivability quickly, the same as most thermoplastic materials being used today.

Engineering the TrafficPrinter

Inspired by the safety and productivity benefits of both MRL trucks and the Trysil RMM printing technology, the two organizations established an exclusive partnership in January 2023 to introduce the printer to the United States and create the TrafficPrinter.

Since its initial release in 2019, the TrafficPrinter has been used in Sweden, Finland and England. In 2023, it successfully field-tested in the United States. The TrafficPrinter is exclusively available through MRL with limited availability in 2024.

The TrafficPrinter tour

After extensive field testing and custom engineering, the MRL/Trysil teams are excited to launch a demo tour across the southern United States in February 2024 following the debut of the TrafficPrinter at the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) expo in San Diego.

“We’re excited to get on the road and get the TrafficPrinter in front of contractors and their federal, state and municipal officials,” said Montgomery. “The TrafficPrinter checks the safety, productivity and cost savings boxes that striping contractors require.”

The MRL and Trysil RMM TrafficPrinter tour will begin on the West Coast in San Diego in February and conclude for the season on the East Coast in Florida in April. Planned stops on the tour route include California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida. To schedule a live demonstration of the TrafficPrinter in your city, email sales@markritelines.com or contact us through the QR code.

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