Sample Custom Solution:
2138 Print & Apply for Varying Size Products

The Challenge
A large pharmaceutical company required a system to apply a variably printed 3" x 5" (76 mm x 127 mm) side panel label or a 4" x 10" (102 mm x 254 mm) side and back corner wrap label to small and large corrugated cases.

The Solution
Label-Aire provided a Model 2138 Print & Apply applicator with a Zebra print engine integrated onto a Hytrol belt conveyor.  The variably printed side panel label is applied using tamp-blow technology where the air cylinder application pad holds the dispensed label by vacuum and then extends and blows the label onto the product from a short distance.  The corner wrap application for light cases is accomplished by dispensing the 4" x 10" (102 mm x 254 mm) label onto the tamp pad with 5" (127 mm) of the label flagged out over the trailing edge of the pad.  The leading 5" (127 mm) of the label is tamp-blow applied to the trailing side of the case.  A clamp and fold station mounted to the conveyor awaits the product down stream.  An air cylinder clamp is extended to capture the product while an air cylinder roller applicator completes the corner wrap by extending and laying down the trailing edge of the label.  For heavier cartons, the clamp is merely turned off and the foam roller is swiveled into a downstream slanted position to extend and fold the label onto the rear panel of the case while the product is moving.  The system design for the corner wrap application applies labels at a rate of 10 products per minute with an accuracy of +/- 1/16" (1.6 mm).