For the processing company itself, an appropriate and comprehensive labeling is already inevitable with a view to its own logistic requirements. What must, after all, be a given is the need to keep a smooth product flow going, while at the same time keeping the storage administration and management effort on a low and readily discernable level. But then, imprints and labels must not only be viewed as a troublesome burden and a necessary evil. Much rather, they also offer an opportunity, representing an otherwise frequently unused advertising field that is to be utilized. There is no doubt that documentation purposes can be readily interlinked with advertising measures. As such, when labels double as an advertising medium, they provide ideal space for logos and decorating elements making for ready re-recognition in customers’ minds an effect so necessary in a competitive environment and so essential for customer loyalty. But food product labels must not only be clear-cut in format and decorative at the same time, because over and above that, they must also come with strong adhesion and withstand lots of stress. As such, they are frequently applied to moist, cool or cold surfaces and, in some cases, directly to the product. With all of that boiling down to the fact that they must be repellent to cold and humidity as well as to oil and fat. Over and above that, pertinent hygiene regulations require that printing and labeling systems deliver results that are both hygienic and cleaning-friendly. And finally, the systems in place must be compatible with the software and hardware in place, in order that their integration into the packaging line can be optimized, without any compromises in terms of labeling precision or products’ throughput rate.
Efficient labeling
- picture: MR The cross-lane labeling system MR625 OP/MR635 UP comes with new functional modes that offer cost benefits. full size
MR Etikettiertechnik, labeling technology specialist of Enger, Germany, has added a specific functionality to its cross-lane labeling system series MR6000, a functional feature intended to offer distinct cost advantages, that is. Starting immediately, customers now have the option of only labeling those packages that have actually been filled. Which, when put in practice, means that no more empty packaging material, as may for instance arise from a production line start-up or from malfunctioning of the automatic package filling system, shall no longer be an object of use material wastage.
The MR transport belt labeling product series has initially been conceived for top and bottom labeling of trays and deep-drawn packagings. The labeling systems in this series are in compliance with the IP65/NEMA-4 protection class, coming as hygiene and cleaning-friendly units. Apart from top and bottom labeling devices, versions for bottom or top labeling only are now also part of the range. All models are conceived for the high performance field and also available with automatic changeover to a labeling head in standby position, enabling them to operate practically without standstill, as the manufacturer points out.
How waste resulting from non-supported labels can be avoided, is something the manufacturer wants to demonstrate with a prototype of a new Linerless labeling system. The endless labeling material is drawn from the reel, with a printing mark allowing an individual label to be cut off in an accurately fitting manner. That label is then moved over to its point of application by way of a transport belt and subsequently put in its proper place. As the manufacturer indicates, rewinding and disposal of support paper are being dispensed with, while the material itself is being utilized to almost 100 percent. Since the labels on the reel are without any interspacing, the number of labels per reel and with it the machine’s uninterrupted running time are increased as well.
In addition, the company has also developed a new line of MR290 film/foil direct printers which, integrated into the Multivac deep-drawing machines, can consequently be controlled via the Multivac operating terminal. Labeling system with film/foil direct printers are particularly suited in cases where variable data are to be printed directly onto the deep-drawing film or foil without going the label detour. As such, barcodes, logo, text info, minimum shelf life date, charge numbers and similar data can, as the manufacturer states, be placed onto the top foil or film individually and in a flexible manner. In which context the customer can choose among hot dye, thermotransfer and injection printers of all leading manufacturers currently active in the marketplace.
Turning to the mechanical side, MR has placed the subject of highly hygienic design into the foreground. As is the case with other product series, the company banks on increased use of stainless steel, as is for instance the case with the overall equipment frame, protective devices as well as holding and supporting parts.
The integrated film/foil brake which, in turn, can be used as an option with particularly thin or heavily extensible foils, also comes as a novelty. Its positioning behind the printer unit makes for precise imprints independent of the printing foil’s specific extension behavior. To make access to the thermotransfer printer easier for the maintenance people, a counterpressure plate can be shifted to the sides; and for the thermobar to be cleaned, the printer must only be moved in the opposite direction.
In addition to its labeling technology, MR also offers quality control systems, among them X-ray controls, check and control scales with integrated metal detector, as well as seal testers for deep-drawn packagings with optional label checking from the top.
Precision down the line
- picture: CFS The new TirolabelNT allows label changeover without a standstill pause. full size
When it comes to exchanging label reels or when a carrier belt is torn, standstill times have immediately become a thing of the past, as CFS of Bakel, the Netherlands, point out in presenting its TirolabelNT crossbelt labeling system touted to assure entirely uninterrupted operation. Further to that point, the manufacturer also points to greater efficiency and hence lesser costs as particular benefits. As for the TirolabelNT system itself, CFS promises precise positioning and perfect printing in single second time cycles, as well as labeling solutions which, depending upon type of packaging, machine or special labeling desires, are stated to be at an optimum.
In addition, the TirolabelNT from CFS allows label reels to be exchanged during operation, as the manufacturer indicates, adding that another system’s benefit also comes with a separation of the label dispenser and set-off unit into separate modules. Turning to another point, a smooth servomotor technology is also there to cut down on the occurrence of label belts being torn. The reel-off unit can take label reels with a diameter of up to 500 mm, with both the above-named features stated to additionally contribute to a higher line capacity. The label is mounted onto the PowerkakNT thermoformer and can be upgraded from a basic model all the way to one delivering a maximum performance solution. As for yet another point, the TirolabelNT from CFS also comes with spring-suspended, elastic press-on pins in order for extraordinary labels to positioned fast, safely and precisely even on uneven surfaces, and all that, as the manufacturer emphasizes, is being performed with a very high cycle speed and without any package damaging.
As for other machine novelties, there is the entry of labels outside the protective devices for one thing, and simply and easy cleaning for another, because the dispenser module can simply be removed from the machine or while the depositing unit is integrated into the cleaning process. In addition to all that, the TirolabelNT is also the first labeling system with a wear-free linear motor.
Reliable, fast and accurate
- picture: Espera The ES 7800 multi reel printer: one each printer and labeling system, but 5 cassettes for different labels. full size
The new ES-1000 series labeling systems are there to perform product labeling in a reliable, fast and accurate manner, as the Duisburg, Germany-based manufacturer Espera points out, adding that these machines will label any product, whether from the top or the bottom or from two sides, and also whether in a semi- or fully automatic process. To cope with hard and difficult tasks, Espera has conceived its ES-6000 series which, as the company points out, makes weighing and labeling of items up to 80 kg in weight an unproblematic task. Next, and again quoting from the manufacturer’s own product statement, the ES-7000 series allows labeling of packages at a rate of up to 120 packs per minute, including several label printers involved in the process.
A newcomer in this series is the ES 7800 with multireel printer: with only one printer and labeling system, but with 5 cassettes for different labels in a small space, products are to be labeled in such a way as the customer desires also doing all that, as the manufacturer emphasizes, without any loss of time when product articles or labels are up for change. A novelty in terms of software comes with the Esprom NG product management program which can be used to centrally control all Espera systems. Basic data, labels, barcode formats, designating processes, order data and production data can all be administratively managed via a new user platform. And finally, an EST drive module is also available for interfacing with external programs.
Coder for industrial use
- picture: Bluhm The new continuous inkjet coder Linux 6900 Solver reduces solvent consumption by up to 40 percent. full size
With its new continuous inkjet coder Linx 6900 Solver, Bluhm Systeme of Unkel, Germany, holds out the promise of a particularly efficient solution for coding different materials such as glass, metal, carton or plastic.
In addition, the new coder is also pointed out to reduce solvent consumption by up to 40 percent. As for its practical use, it is singled out as a particularly useful piece of equipment where several systems are in operation around the clock, and it is particularly in such a case that the Linx Solver can open up great savings potentials, as Bluhm Systems also emphasizes, adding the explanation that, instead of reducing solvent consumption by mechanical means (as by way of a Peltier cooling element or pulsated suction, for example) the Linx 6900 Solver makes this happen by way of an especially developed ink system in combination with an intelligent software. Further to the manufacturer’s own statements, optimum savings are achieved in a temperature range between +5 and 20 °C; and as much as is the case with the Linx 6900, the 6900 Solver enables the user, always dependent upon press-key setting, to print out up to 5 lines of text, graphs or barcodes as well as data matrix codes.
Text input is via the WYSIWYG print copy color display, and text copy can also be generated and preview-checked and controlled as the coding process goes on. Given type sizes starting with 1.1 mm, depending upon what printing head is being used, the Linx 6900 Solver is also suitable for printing onto small marker surfaces, as the manufacturer states, adding that the coder, when operating in a single-line setting, can achieve a speed of up to 8.4 m per second.
Turning to another factor, the patent-protected automatic pressure head rinsing device is to assure that the printing head is cleaned whenever the system is turned off, and is thereby ready prepared for the next startup. The well-rounded stainless steel housing is designed to avoid dirt pockets so that the Linx 6900 Solver can also be used in such an ambience where hygiene and sanitation requirements are particularly high.
Automatically tamper-proof
- picture: Poly-clip System With the labeling system ES 5000 in use, the label is fastened to the product during the clip-closing process. full size
With a new labelling system ES 4000 for its PDC series, Poly-clip System of Frankfurt, Germany, offers users the possibility of providing a label with current day-by-day-pertinent data, attaching them in a falsification-proof manner to the product during the clipping process. Custom-developed for butcher shops and medium sized operations, the PDC 600/700 can process all plastic, fibrous, collagen and natural casings and, together with the ES 4000 labelling system, label marking and batch tracing is now also possible. The latter being a particular case in point since tamper-proof product designation has become a topic of ever rising importance in the food processing field. Quoting from the manufacturer’s own statement, the PDC 600 closes calibres from 20 to 80 mm safely and without a problem, while larger calibres, from 30 to 115 mm, are clip-closed by the PDC 700; and both the PDC 600 and 700 can also be upgraded with the labelling system ES 4000. Directly mounted to the machine, the label holding reel holds up to 4,000 labels, which can also be individually printed ahead of time as for advertising messages, for instance. The label is automatically clipped in during the closing process so that sausage labelling at a later point in time becomes unnecessary. This type of lettering cannot be manipulated, offering the ultimate users, i.e. consumers, safety when shopping and purchasing a product. The labels themselves, as such blank or coloured, pre-printed with the user’s logo or presented as decor labels, are abrasion- and boil-proof. The labelling system itself operates with an embossing-type stamping unit, whereby up to three lines can be vertically set, with each line offering space for up to eight characters. The individual embossing die can be readily exchanged, and can also be adapted to a new product as production goes on.
In developing the overall system, hygienic aspects are also borne in mind. As such, printer, label dispenser and attachment fixtures are completely made of stainless steel so that effective and effortless cleaning is assured.
The ES 5000 labelling system also allows tamper-proof label attachment to the product during the clipping process. Which in this case also means that accurate labelling and batch tracing is possible at any time. In combination with the automatic double-clippers FCA and ICA, Poly-clip System thus offers a great variety of product marking and labelling options. Further to that point the labelling system ES 5000 is now offering even more benefits in terms of operator friendliness and reliability, as the manufacturer points out, emphasizing the following points: being easily positioned at the automatic double-clipper and coming with a reproducible label transfer position, i.e. no adjustments and settings required. Adding to that, Poly-clip System also makes a point of the fact that the label dispenser can be removed and reattached fast, making for easy reload of labels and for unproblematic machine cleaning as well. On the bottom line, 5,000 labels per reel, blank and/or coloured, prepared with customer logo or coming as decor labels, can be readily processed without the print image being smeared or stained and with barcode printing also possible.
And as the manufacturer also indicates, the labels offer sufficient room for all necessary information as well as for creating an individualized, company-specific format. Variable data can be adjusted and updated fast. Since plain text is requested by the consumers, a label imprinted and clipped-in during the closing process is the ideal solution, with all necessary labelling elements being reproduced in a readily readable form. And lastly, by also imprinting additive lists or product designations, labels can be utilized as an element of packaging format creation as well.
New labeling software
- picture: Sato The Label Gallery labeling software is now available in a new version. full size
Sato of Hirschhorn, Germany, is presenting the most recent version of its Label Gallery labeling software. As such, and as the company indicates, the new Windows-certified Sato software LG3 combines a multitude of functions around the barcode and RFID labeling, from label design to label printing control and all the way up to a seamless integration into existing systems, with examples including warehouse management, enterprise resource planning or hospital information systems. As Sato further points out, the improved label design options of the LG3 software also comprise material-saving label printing in variable lengths, adding that, when printing is in process, the LG3 dynamically adapts the length of each individual label to the amount of data to be printed a specific advantage offered by endless label material as is used is the textile industry, for example. In addition, the LG3 is also pointed out to support the user with relative positioning of elements to be printed, such as text copy, barcode or graphs, at the same time making sure that, as the manufacturer underscores, the elements as such are not inadvertently in overlap with each other, or extending over the label limits.
Label Gallery 3 is available in different editions so that all requirements in terms of scalability and flexibility, as may pertain to different application scenarios and practical use environments, are being fulfilled. For developers, the Software Developers Kit for PC and mobile units can be added to the LG3, while Sato has a Demo-Dongle with the full functionality of the LG3 software available for resellers. Label Gallery 3 from Sato has, as the company underscores, also passed numerous independent tests about safety, reliability and compatibility with Windows Vista, bearing the Microsoft “Certified for Windows Vista” logo seal on its nameplate. Much as the Windows-operating system, the LG3 system also supports all Unicode languages. To furthermore quote from the manufacturer’s own product statement, the Label Gallery 3 software provides the user with a further improved checks and control system for its label printers and printing activities. Operating the LG3 is similarly easy as that of the well-known Windows printer control, with status reports coming back when, to give one example, labels are empty or printing heads open. The readily adjustable, Wizard-supported operating display makes for simple and easy handling, as does the new reprint function. More to that particular point, the user can select from all already printed labels so that an entire printing order, or parts thereof, can be printed again, either on the same printer or on another one.
