Making the mark

Packaging is designed to carry out a number of important and essential functions. For brand-owners, packaging should attract consumer attention and stand out from rival products while also protecting the contents within. In addition, packaging end-users must adhere to a growing list of demands from their clients that span stringent environmental requirements to strict cost pressures.

For food, drink and medicine packaging producers, content-critical information such as sell-by dates and manufacturing dates, as well as batch run and factory-specific figures are essential components of the packaging mix. It is therefore essential that end-users are equipped with the most effective, productive and high quality equipment in order to complete these important tasks.

"There are definitely higher levels of availability of coding and marking equipment in the modern market," observes Charles Randon, senior product manager at Linx Printing Technologies.

According to Randon, the manufacturer has witnessed a number of diverse driving factors behind investment in coding and marking equipment.

"Having more equipment available improves reliability within the packaging converting operation and also helps reduce the level of unplanned stoppages at the end-user," he explains. "This could mean a reduction in the amount of times an operator has to clean printheads, but also the time spent on scheduled interventions."

Inkjet expansion
In recent years, inkjet, thermal transfer and laser printing have each established their positions as the prominent technologies with the coding and marking arena. Both the back and front ends of these systems have improved, with manufactures pouring significant R&D investment into the software element of their products as much as into the printhead and inks elements.

The software that drives coding and marking technology is now characterised by menu-driven interfaces that both simplify and reduce system operation, while arguably simple facets such as the centralised and automatic creation of printing dates cuts out the need to manually input the date of manufacture or expiration.

In the inkjet space, newer machines have been designed with improved print quality and reliability in mind, while inks for such ystems have benefited from fast drying formulations that are often free of such elements as halogens and strong odours.

Another development in the field of inkjet printing has been the constant improvements in the production of CIJ (Continuous inkjet), machines. This technology has a key role on the production floor, enabling operators to couple portability and efficient set-up times with the benefits of self-cleaning printheads and minimal equipment maintenance.

Earlier this month, Linx Printing Technologies expanded its portfolio of continuous inkjet machines with the addition of a new printer that is claimed to offer up to 6,000 hours of production before a service interval in required. The upgradeable Linx 5900 is available in four configurations that include standard edition, BC model for bottle printing, DC model for dairy applications and also as the Linx 5900 Solven, which is said to cut solvent consumption by as much as 40% over the other configurations.

Charles Randon told Packaging Today that the latest kit launches arrive at a time where customers continue to demand high quality coding and marking equipment that will have a tangible impact on their bottom line. "Investment in such equipment continues to be driven by uncertain economic conditions that mean investment has to have a fast payback on the initial outlay," says Randon. "Customers look to invest in new equipment if there is a clear saving in year one over their current solutions. These savings can come from more throughput, and also in reduced running costs."

These demands have informed the latest Linx launch, which can be upgraded at a later date with additional enhancements, future-proofing the initial investment. New to the Linx 5900 is a 1,000 message memory store and built-in USB to allow for efficient code changes when required.

The new printer also has an adjustment-free sealed printhead meaning there are no exposed wires in the system, while the manufacturer's FullFlush self-cleaning technology is claimed to ensure that the machine will provide quality and efficient output upon start-up.

Printhead potential
An increasing number of manufacturers and suppliers in the coding and marking sector recognise the time and cost savings brought about by self-cleaning printheads and automatic power down functionality, factors which can both help to ensure efficient coding production.

According to Randon, reliable and consistent operation is "a must" for new CIJ printers, as are low running and maintenance costs."What is now becoming apparent is the need for an added layer of flexibility - many companies are reluctant to pay for features they do not immediately need, but before long they may have to consider investing in a newer, higher-specification model," he concludes.

Among the markets coding and marking technology has a key role in is the pharmaceutical sector. The need for accurate, clear and quality print output on such packaging is arguably the difference between a life and death situation, so it's unsurprising that many manufacturers are particularly active in this field.

Sunala has enjoyed good traction with its established Wolke m600 thermal inkjet printer for pharmaceutical applications. It recently introduced a new version that is claimed to couple high quality output up to 600dpi, a full-colour touchscreen and the ability to integrate with other equipment such as scanning technology.

The machine can carry out a range of functions, such as in the production of pharmaceutical applications that require optical character recognition (OCR) or optical character verification (OCV), which are used for quality control purposes.

According to Alan Turner, managing director at Sunala, the ability to integrate the machine into a range of end-users' packaging production lines means that the m600 Touch is suitable for many applications, particularly companies servicing science and industrial clients. The company highlights the Wolke m600's ability to drive up to four printheads independently or in a linked operation and its integration of HP water-based ink cartridge technology as key catalysts to quality and efficient production.

Food & beverage traceability
While Sunala and Wolke continue to innovate in the manufacture and supply of technology for pharmaceutical applications, among others, Markem-Imaje has been making strides in the field of continuous inkjet printers for end-users servicing food and beverage clients.

With its six R&D centres worldwide, the coding and marking specialist - winner of the 'Excellence in Customer Service' Award
at the 2013 PPMA awards in June - has invested in the development of both its 9000 and newer 9200 series of inkjet printers for small character applications.

These machines are designed to cater for a diverse range of applications that include food grade, UV cure and egg coding using a number of ink types that include water-based and alcohol-based through to MEK and ketone-free inks.

According to the manufacturer, the 9000 and 9200 can handle a number of substrates, including plastics, metal, cartonboard and glass, as well as directly onto foodstuffs. As a result, the machines are suitable for a range of markets, including food, beverage, electronics, cosmetics and toiletries.

Markem-Imaje is one of a number of firms active in the supply and manufacture of high quality systems for coding and marking applications.

Remaining in the food sector, a company's coding workload will inevitably be dependant on the type of client in hand. One facet that remains constant throughout the chain, though, is that of traceability, a potential headache for brandowners, particularly those in food, drink and pharmaceutical, that has been tackled head-on by manufacturers in this arena.

Process of elimination
A distributor can now ensure that a comprehensive set of details, such as the hour, minute and perhaps second, are marked on the packaging. In addition, a larger part of the package can be used for such print at source. With the advent of more fully featured equipment and even basic colour functionality, the end-user can print more detail onto larger surfaces rather than relying on potentially dated and irrelevant pre-printed material to which only basic coding is applied.

Videojet Technologies, which has just expanded its DataFlex line with two new thermal transfer overprinters, says it is imperative to output the right code every time in order to avoid regulatory fines and the damage they can have on a brand.

According to the US-headquartered manufacturer, common mistakes in this field include codes that may have a single erroneous digit, the printing of a date that doesn't exist, the wrong placement of a code, or simply a misspelled word. Videojet claims that this can be rectified by eliminating the reliance on operator interaction in the production process.

Its new DataFlex 6320 and DataFlex 6420 printers have been designed to cater for end-users who produce flexible packaging and labels for clients operating in the bakery, snack, meat and confectionery markets. The DataFlex 6320 model is available in
either a 32mm or 53mm print width format while the higher throughput 6420 configurations can handle 53mm and 107mm widths.

Both models use the manufacturer's code assurance feature set that is claimed to cut operator interaction, and leverage an optional USB scanner that enables the transfer of product-critical information direct to the printer.

In addition, the operator is able to access each of the machine's regular operations in "five touches or less" by using the supplied
colour touchscreen.