Videojet Coding and Marking Solutions - a Showcase in Simplicity through Innovation
New intelligent print and apply labeling, thermal-ink jet, CO2 laser marking, code detection and pre-production print postponement innovations pack a punch at this year's Interpack
Chicago, Illinois – Videojet Technologies, a global leader in coding, marking and printing solutions, showcased pioneering advancements in design and engineering printing concepts at Interpack 2014. Located at Hall 6, Stand A01, senior executives demonstrated Videojet's ground-breaking technologies created with the "simplicity through innovation" concept at the heart of the development process. Attendees witnessed how the latest in print & apply labeling (LPA) innovations – intelligently designed to remove manual adjustments and 80% of wear parts – eliminate the common causes of daily operational problems and downtime. Videojet also presented its advanced range of CO2Â laser marking systems, engineered to extend marking speeds; breaking the boundaries of traditional laser printing capabilities. Also showcased is Videojet's breakthrough print solution that combines the high resolution and simplicity of Thermal Ink Jet (TIJ) Technology with Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) industrial ink performance. Unveiled at the show was an intuitively-simple Code Detection System which verifies the presence of ink jet printed codes, providing an advantage over manual sampling by increasing the sheer number of products that can be inspected.
Chris Riley, Vice President of Marketing for Videojet said, "Our research and development team has made some incredible developments and innovative steps that are a first for the industry. We are very proud to showcase coding, marking and printing solutions which we believe to be a huge step forward to help our customers across the globe improve their operational reliability and productivity. We are living in a highly competitive and time-demanding era so now, more than ever, traceability and authenticity of products are essential requirements manufacturers need to address and supply; not only to continually produce new products to meet consumer demand but to also protect brand identity, and help ensure they are not coming up short under strict legal directives".
Riley continued, "We are fully committed to innovation and it's through our embedded culture of delivering great results - combined with our ongoing focus to providing quality coding, marking and labeling technologies - that we set a benchmark for the industry and partner with our customers to help them achieve their business goals".
Simplicity through Innovation - Videojet 9550 LPA System
Taking an innovative approach to print & apply labeling design, the Videojet 9550 fixes the common causes of lost productivity. This new design removes the mechanisms that frequently cause everyday operational problems, such as label jams and routine manual adjustments. The Videojet 9550 LPA System with Direct Apply™, places the label onto the pack without the need for a tamp or air blast applicator, achieving throughput of up to 150 packs per minute for typical 4" x 6" GS1 bar code labels. Never missing a label, even after line build-backs, the Videojet 9550 LPA System helps enable manufacturers to tackle the key issue of everyday operational coding, marking and labeling problems such as label slippage and constant manual adjustments.
Integrated with Intelligent Motion™ technology, the Videojet 9550 LPA system enables all the design elements to be automatically controlled with precision. Labels are fed with highly accurate speed and position without the use of manual adjustments, clutches or nip rollers. The simple web path also allows quick, easy ribbon and label changeover.
Not only does it eliminate downtime – a constant scourge on manufacturers – but the Videojet 9550 LPA system also incorporates Intelligent Motion™ technology and a clutchless ribbon drive, for precise ribbon feed and printhead control, helping to ensure optimum print quality and improved performance while substantially reducing ribbon waste and improving printhead life.
Requiring no factory air, the Videojet 9550 LPA is the only solution to print and directly apply labels to cases and trays at high speed – enabling manufacturers to increase production efficiencies and enhance their profitability.  To further help manufacturers improve quality and adhere to applicable legal and statutory regulations, the Videojet 9550 comes equipped with the Videojet industry-leading CLARiTY™ touch screen interface which includes intuitive job selection, comprehensive feedback, and diagnostics to minimize human error. A single, easy-to-use interface provides manufacturers with built-in Code Assurance solutions that focus on getting the right label on the right case, time after time.
Simplicity through Innovation – Code Detection System
Videojet also introduced a new Code Detection System which allows manufacturers to easily inspect ink jet printed codes on packaging. A combination of hardware and software, the system verifies each captured code against a trained image in the target marking area is sufficient, helping to catch the most common printing issues including missing, miss-positioned, and clipped codes.
Automatic code detection provides an additional level of coding confidence by inspecting every code, and delivering an earlier alert than would typically be provided using manual inspection processes. The Code Detection System allows users to easily set a threshold for a code to be considered unacceptable, as well as set a limit for the number of bad codes that can be detected before a fault is indicated.
When the specified quantity of bad codes is detected, the system automatically sends an alert signal to eject the product or stop the production line, allowing operators to take corrective actions. By enabling issues to be resolved immediately, users can quickly identify the root cause of the printing error by reviewing the bad code images stored on the system controller, and subsequently take action to prevent reoccurrence.
Demonstrations took place throughout the show, detailing just how the Code Detection System works. The system bracket holds the product detectors, printhead and camera system automatically in alignment with each other, providing optimum performance without the need for physical adjustments. Integrated lighting takes the guesswork out of system configuration, removing the need for manual alterations and helping to eliminate errors associated with changes in ambient light. Sophisticated camera-based verification systems have been used on packaging lines for years, but they often deliver more technical capabilities than most packaging lines need. They also often require special training for set-up and use. To overcome this, the Videojet Code Detection System offers a simple three-step set-up process that simplifies training and minimizes changeover time.
Simplicity through Innovation - CO2 Laser Marking System
The latest in laser marking systems – the Videojet 3330 30-watt and the Videojet 3130 10-watt lasers – were also on show. Delivering a superior code quality across a range of marking speeds, the systems are suitable for a wide array of substrates, marking simple and complex codes while providing easy integration for virtually any application. By utilizing the dot font mode in both the 3130 and 3330, the systems can mark up to 30% faster than vector fonts, with print speeds increased to 150,000 products per hour.
Recognizing that line integration is a critical element in delivering peak performance, Videojet offers over 20,000 standard configurations within its CO2 laser marking line including 21 mark window options and three laser wavelengths. With ever-increasing demands for traceability marking, customers require high quality alphanumeric and DataMatrix marking. As such, the Videojet CO2lasers are ideal options for serialized coding applications in the food, pharmaceutical, tobacco, cosmetics, and other industries – and enable manufactures to adhere to regulatory or retailer demands.
Simplicity through Innovation - Videojet 8610 ink jet Printer
Introduced at the show was Videojet's innovative thermal ink jet printer, the Videojet 8610. Utilizing fast-drying inks including Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK)-based fluids, the 8610 provides high resolution print on non-porous packaging materials including films, foils, plastics, and coated stocks – ideal for the needs of food packaging, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics operations for high resolution coding on non-porous packaging.
Incorporating a patented cartridge for industrial inks including MEK-based printing fluids, the Videojet 8610 offers the ideal suite of performance attributes for any thermal ink jet solution on the market today. It is a great example that demonstrates how Videojet recognizes the growing needs of packaging professionals to in-line print multi-line codes and other high resolution marks such as DataMatrix and QR codes, without modifying their packaging designs. The innovation inherent in the 8610 is the new industrial ink cartridge technology – a fully contained, high resolution print cartridge designed specifically to print MEK-based inks. Coupled with the automated Cartridge Readiness System™, the 8610 print system is seamless to integrate, regardless of the frequency or length of common line interruptions.
Simplicity through Innovation - Videojet and Esko
Manufacturers are expanding their range of products to align with increasingly changing consumer buying behaviour. For improved interaction with customers, it is important for manufacturers to achieve highest accuracy and consistency when printing a variety of elements on packages, including brand assets such as logo, graphics and colour as well as critical information such as ingredients, formulae and dosage. In addition, to comply with industry regulations, it is compulsory for manufacturers to print critical information such as bar codes and best before dates accurately on packages.   Â
With Esko software solutions, the creation of package variants is automated based on the use of smart templates, avoiding unwanted downtime and operator errors. The elements are converted in smart fields that link to content in remote and secure databases over the internet. The workflow server instantiates all variants of the product package without any further operator intervention.
Videojet and sister company Esko combined their technologies at Interpack 2014 to demonstrate their prototype for how to manage dynamic or variable data related to a manufacturer's product, including nutritional information and traceability data such as production and expiry dates. The collaboration between the two technologies allows manufacturers to print certain variable elements on the package at the end-of-line and at the very last moment. This management of print postponement is dramatically simplified and, above all, conducted in a way that allows for a zero-error environment. For manufacturers with significant SKU complexity, Videojet demonstrated how this variable information can be printed real time at the packaging line using a Videojet Thermal Transfer Overprinter.
For more information, please visit www.videojet.com
About Videojet
Videojet Technologies is a world-leader in the product identification market, providing in-line printing, coding, and marking products, application specific fluids, and product life cycle services. Our goal is to partner with our customers in the consumer packaged goods, pharmaceutical, and industrial goods industries to improve their productivity, to protect and grow their brands, and to stay ahead of industry trends and regulations. With our customer application experts and technology leadership in continuous ink jet (CIJ), thermal ink jet (TIJ), laser marking, thermal transfer overprinting (TTO), case coding and labeling, and wide array printing, Videojet has more than 325,000 printers installed worldwide. Our customers rely on Videojet products to print on over ten billion products daily. Customer sales, application, service, and training support is provided by direct operations with over 3,000 team members in 26 countries worldwide. In addition, Videojet distribution network includes more than 400 distributors and OEMs, serving 135 countries.
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