Working with a major system integrator, IDT was selected to deliver the Product Identification module of a complete warehouse solution for a national consumer electronics retailer. The solution adds an incremental conveyor line for the shipping department. During the holiday season, this incremental line is dedicated to fulfilling the large volume of orders received via the retailer’s online storefront. The rest of the year the line is used for order overflow volume.

The new product identification module prints and applies two labels, one (shipping label) on top of the other (packing list) to random weight cases of product. Due to the sophisticated nature of the application, the printer must maintain a registration accuracy of +/- 1/16th of an inch. This accuracy is required to ensure the receiving party can properly detach the shipping label from the packing list. Making the application even more challenging is the fact the cases are not uniform in height, which requires the Printer Applicator to adjust the label application to compensate for the height variation. All these requirements must be maintained on a line running at a maximum rate of 30 cases per minute.

The solution is comprised of dual IDT 250 Printer Applicators mounted in sequential order on the conveyor line. As the cases move down the line, a photocell alerts the system to approaching cases. The system integrator’s software, the brains of the solution, looks up the order, measures the box height and sends the variable data to the IDT 250s. The software provides the print engines on the Model 250s with the data to print, while the box dimensions are sent to the IDT PLC which adjust the electronic tamps so the labels are applied with near perfect accuracy.

The Zebra Thermal Transfer print engines print barcodes and human-readable characters in black on preprinted colored shells to provide contrast between the two labels. This contrast makes it easier for the receiving party to differentiate the packing slip and the shipping label. Then, the first IDT 250 Printer Applicator applies the packing list, a label with thin adhesive strips along two edges, to the case. A second IDT 250 applies a larger shipping label, with adhesive on all four edges, over the original packing list label to complete the application.

For more information on this IDT Print & Apply application, or any of the full range of IDT Printer Applicators, contact ID Man at idman@idtechnology.com.