Correct labeling is crucial if products are to comply with legal labeling requirements, be easy for customers to identify, and be informative and traceable. The integrated labeling and printing units from GEA (Biedenkopf-Wallau, Germany) cover a wide range of packaging applications. Customers can choose between inkjet, thermal transfer, hot stamping and rotation printing systems, alone or in combination with a labeler. The printers not only print labels, but also print directly on films – either on the lower film of a shrink-wrap film package before the forming station or on the upper film before the sealing station, where the product is packed. The printing on the upper and lower films remains perfectly legible even after running through the shrink tunnel.
No matter whether it is printing on the top or bottom, in the same direction or across the direction in which the package is moving, the GEA TiroLabel labels in multiple lanes, with millimeter precision and at a speed of up to 200 labels per minute. It accurately and consistently positions labels via a special clamping device and an applicator with flexible pins that ensure precise, gentle placement. This technology, which is suitable for any surface, allows quick, reliable labeling. It adapts to any surface – which is particularly advantageous for lower film labels. Even irregularly shaped labels can be reliably placed with maximum speed.
GEA’s inline cross web labeling system shares a common drive for two dispensers, each of which can be equipped with a special printing system. During the thermoforming process (directly after the sealing station), the first labeler dispenses functional labels, while the second prints label data on a freely programmable thermal transfer printer that has a resolution of 300 dpi. The data can be changed at any time. The respective axes are controlled by servo drives to guarantee the previously defined position of the package for the labeling process. This technology works at 20 cycles per minute. The advantages of this system include greater labeling and identification flexibility and the option of printing and applying even extremely narrow labels to small packages. Dual operation is a further feature of the GEA TiroLabel, which is designed to ensure minimum standstill times.