A national manufacturer of mozzarella cheese was experiencing problems with their product identification system. The coding imprint was hard to read and the placement varied from box to box.

The customer’s existing packaging line features a conveyor that moves 15 lb. cases down the line to the coding system. The system then imprints sequential numbers, date and lot codes on each case of cheese.

The customer called in the specialists from IDT to review the situation and recommend a solution. During the site visit, the IDT team identified that the customer’s issue was the result of several factors. Poor image quality was a result of the older coding equipment, but that issue was further impacted by the material handling at the product identification station. The material handling equipment was not delivering the boxes to the printhead at a uniform distance.

IDT came back with a simple, yet effective solution. First, upgrade the coding system to high-resolution inkjet technology controlled by a Marksman ProController to ensure image quality and placement. Next, IDT recommended the installation of guide rails to the conveyor. These rails would stabilize the cases as they moved through the product identification station, thus creating a uniform distance between the box and the printhead. This simple solution improved accuracy of the placement of the imprint, while the high resolution inkjet technology delivered a highly visible mark.

As a result, the customer selected IDT for the application and has since realized significantly less operating costs due to a 30% savings in consumables and significantly increased uptime.

To learn more about this IDT High-Resolution Inkjet system, or any of the full range of IDT Inkjet systems, email ID Man at idman@idtechnology.com.