P-S labelers handle the markets' pressure: health care products and beverages find satisfaction with today's versatile pressure-sensitive labelers - Pressure-Sensitive Labeling Equipment - labeling industry, products and usage

Food & Drug Packaging, April, 2003 by Christopher Barry

For bottlers and packagers, the number of labeling choices--from shrink sleeve and wrap-around to hot melt and cold glue applications to in-mold labeling (IML)--is a boon. The challenge is in deciding which application to use.

In recent years, pressure-sensitive (P-S) labeling has become the preferred decorating method for many packagers looking to keep their line speeds fast while giving packages the lucrative market shelf `pop' that's so important to seduce consumers.

Two areas of critical advancements in pressure-sensitive labeling equipment include:

* How to validate/inspect labels for pharmaceutical and medical products.

* How to increase application speed and gain decorating flexibility for high-speed beverage bottling lines.

Alleviating the validation pressure

The pharmaceutical and medical industries must comply with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. Part of that involves validating packaging materials and processes.

Because these companies have to account for every label used, it's necessary to know exactly how many labels you have and where they are at all times.

Label inspection is key to making sure that the right label is matched up with the right package and the right product. There are procedures in place on labeling equipment, which includes a label "interrogation" system that makes sure the correct label is applied to the correct container.

With older interrogation systems, labels were applied to containers and then checked either by a bar code reader or vision system. If the label was tagged as "bad," the container with the wrong label passed down where it was eventually ejected off the line.

Current interrogation systems can determine if there is a bad or incorrect label prior to application by reading codes or other markings embedded on the label. Mounted above the web path where labels head for the peeler tip, the process includes a vision system with character recognition capabilities for accurate label reading.

Once a label is read, it is analyzed using software to see if it belongs on a specific package on a particular packaging line run. If the label doesn't match the run, the label is flagged, taken out of the system and containers simply won't be mislabeled.

The whole system, including various software packages offered by the labeling equipment manufacturer, allows the pharmaceutical manufacturer to have more control while being able to reconcile all rejected labels. As "bad" labels are found, their information is saved within the software program database so they can be further accounted for. Some leading labeling equipment manufacturers include Accraply, Label-Aire, Label Technology, Logotech and Quadrel.

Beverages drink up flexible systems

Where label application accountability is a necessity in the health care industry, economics drive P-S labeling in the beverage industry--whether it's labeling bottles for beer, spirits, wines, flavored alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. The best chance for cost reduction, says Dan Muenzer, marketing director at Spear, takes place on the filling line.

Historically, pressure-sensitive labels have not been applied in-line with bottle filling because of application speed limitations. You simply couldn't apply a label fast enough to keep up with high-speed lines running at speeds up to 1,600 bottles per minute (bpm). P-S labeling has typically been a secondary operation on beverage lines--which adds to the cost.

Originally, P-S labeling in the beverage industry was done predecoration--containers were labeled before they hit the filling line. However, over the past two to three years, some P-S labeling applications have been integrated with filling lines that run at slower speeds--typically those in the 500 bpm range, which covers wineries (Sutter Home labels in line with film P-S labels) and some spirit companies (Bacardi, for instance).

But, for some beverage operations--lines found at Anheuser Busch, Miller or Coors breweries, for instance labeling equipment wasn't fast enough to keep up with filling. However, there are now P-S labeling machines that can be incorporated in-line with filling that can run up to 900 bpm. These rotary-style labeling machines come equipped with up to six label heads capable of dispensing labels at 140 meters per minute. Label heads also switch over automatically at the end of each roll for fast roll changes with little or no downtime. Heads are mounted on slides that enable operators to rethread a label head while the machine is in full operation. To increase labeling efficiencies, two labelers can be incorporated, doubling labeling output to keep up with high filling line speeds.

B&J Machinery Inc., Krones, Label-Aire and Spear are among the manufacturers of high-speed rotary P-S labeling equipment.

No matter what the market category, though, P-S labeling is a dominant force in package decoration. New technologies continue to ensure application accuracy at high speeds and efficiencies. And, in a world where multiple stock keeping units (SKUs) rule, pressure-sensitive labeling--a versatile, flexible and genuine workhorse--an easily accommodate most products' needs.