An east coast manufacturer of caulk and sealants sought a more flexible technology for labeling its products. The manufacturer had been pre-printing the tubes of its products which resulted in packaging inventory and ordering issues, not to mention higher costs and little to no flexibility in production runs. To stay competitive they needed a faster, more flexible labeling solution.

The manufacturer required that the new solution print and apply a primary and secondary label directly onto each tube of product. Both labels would need to be positioned precisely on the product.

Following an input meeting with the customer, the specialists at ID Technology attacked this complex labeling application. The recommended solution featured dual ID Technology 250 printer applicators mounted in-line and equipped with photoelectric sensors and a microprocessor.

The new system is configured to work within the existing line, which works as follows: product is fed from the filler into an infeed hopper. The hopper then feeds product onto a live roller conveyor two at a time, one tube dropped into place when the cycle is stopped and the next during the index phase.

In the normal mode of operation, the conveyor indexes two products at a time. Odd numbered products are labeled by the first IDT Model 250 unit and even numbered products are labeled by the second IDT Model 250 unit. The tube not being labeled passes under the indexing roller is spun for a fraction of a revolution and moved to the next position. Each IDT Model 250 unit and indexing station can be enabled and disabled. In the event that one of the applicators is paused to reload ribbon or labels, the system can be switched into Mode 1 or 2, depending on which printer applicator is off-line. When in mode 1 or 2 the system will only index one position per cycle and the corresponding IDT Model 250 will apply a label to every tube. To ensure accurate placement, a photoelectric sensor detects a mark on the tube before dispensing a label. Label position on the tube depends on the delay value programmed into the controller.

To find out more about this print and apply solution, or the complete line of ID Technology Print and Apply products, email ID Man at idman@idtechnology.com.