Marked improvement

29 November 2005



The need for greater consumer protection and pressures within the supply chain is elevating the profile of coding and marking. Des King reports on a new breed of technological innovation aimed at rewriting the marketing code of behaviour


Even its greatest proponents would be amongst the first to admit that there's nothing exactly glamorous about coding and marking. While innovative structural design and eye-catching graphics are the proven formula for creating on-shelf pizzazz, the humble barcode customarily merits a moment's attention at best to check the sell-by date; very much a case of all function and no fun.

The way in which goods are stocked and monitored, however, and the way in which we soon could become accustomed to shop, may be about to elevate coding and marking from its rather dreary Cinderella role within the supply chain. Indeed, the dovetailing of what is essentially a secondary control mechanism into a far more pro-active on-pack role is now very much within the brand manager's reach.

Constantly improving technology is fundamental to a growing realisation of the barcode's true potential. The standard barcode, the EAN 128 for example, is basically a rectangular strip pretty much limited to providing details of the name, number and rank variety. Encoding in two-dimension, the increasingly adopted data matrix solution not only more than doubles up on readable information, but has built-in redundancy to allow for surface damage and produced in UV-sensitive ink can be rendered invisible to the naked eye.

Hitherto, conventional coding – be it laser, inkjet or even embossing – has provided manufacturers with pretty much everything they might have needed, with the possible exception of marketing and promotional applications. "Now that coding technology has become ubiquitous, people are thinking about new ways of using it", says Domino UK sector development manager Lee Matters. "I genuinely believe that we're on the boundary of a revolution, within which coding will provide a much tighter degree of control in the supply chain; also, a route for consumers to gain a lot more confidence about the products.

"It is quite conceivable that within a few years time, you will be able to buy a pack of drugs and by sticking it in front of the web cam on your PC, the barcode will be read and you will be directed to a website where you will be able to find out the complete history of where that pack of drugs came from. The technology is available to do that; it is just not yet rolled out.

"It could apply equally as well to products like meat and fish. We did some work a few years ago on how we could identify the specific animal from which the food came. I have a project on the go at the moment that's about improving the traceability of drugs into animals, so that when you look at its ear tag you can have a complete history of everything that animal's been given.

"Now, that's about supply chain confidence upstream. There are no plans to extend that to consumers at the moment. Nevertheless, it's about the industry putting its house in order. The justification for putting the infrastructure in place will be inventory management, spoilage and control. Once you have done that, the degree of control that consumers can have over what they eat becomes much greater."

Enabling technology

The current wave of innovation sweeping through the coding and marking development sector could develop it into the enabling technology to allow RFID to become justifiable. In the meantime, it represents a cost-effective alternative stepping-stone.

"There is both government and industry interest in tightening down the supply chains in terms of both waste reduction and consumer protection," notes Lee Matters. "Ironically, one of the drivers for this is RFID as people are looking for ways to justify it. While its is very good at the secondary and tertiary stages of packaging, it may be too expensive as of now in terms of primary application.

"So, therefore, the variable printing of something like a barcode or a data matrix will give them the same degree of traceability, but at a much lower price point."

Markem is another coding and marking specialist currently positioning itself to take advantage of supply chain interest in RFID solutions. The company has just launched the 800 Series high-speed RFID encoder/applicator for tagging cases of consumer goods.

With increased speed and throughput capabilities, the 800 Series is being targeted at the beverage and consumer goods industries. It is EPCglobal Gen 2 compliant and is claimed to be able to tag up to 100 cases/min and can handle all form factors of RFID tags, including the application of on-pitch inlays. Additional options include the CoLOS modular software package ensuring compliance with the European Food Law and safer food for consumers.

Codeway has introduced its EPC 2D initiative as a prospective standard for GS1 approval for the use of Datamatrix 2D code symbols to uniquely identify items in supply chains. Companies can use existing equipment to add the postage stamp sized symbols to labels on traded units and print sequentially coded labels for other items.

While RFID protagonists continue to grapple with how best to equate additional spend with supply chain commoditisation, the latest coding and marking technology is on surer ground in providing a viable alternative to digital print within the short-run variable data labelling market.

Domino's new K-Series drop on demand inkjet printing solution just does that in providing an inline system capable of running speeds of up to 100m/min at 316dpi high resolution quality compared to 16m/min for a digital press.

Incorporating three times the number of print nozzles than Domino's first generation of drop on demand printers, the K-Series printhead can be integrated within any existing piece of equipment. Cost ranges from £50,000 to around £150,000 depending on how many heads (up to 8 on the K-200) are employed and the type of UV system used.

According to Domino's inkjet commercial printing business unit's commercial director Philip Easton, the K-Series directly challenges the digital print proposition as to quite what extent differentiation is actually required. "With a digital press every label can be different, but in reality, when you look at the applications they are nearly all short-run work. Likewise, what you normally find is that only a little bit of the standard label needs to be variably printed.

"Although you will see a digital press that can print different pictures of people or products and everything else, where's the market application for that? There isn't one. Nobody wants to have a label that is so different. However, they may well want a label with a variable barcode.

"This system could go onto a flexo press and print the variable data at the same time and speed up the primary process. The big additional factor is that the cost of the digital print inks is ten times higher than normal offset or flexo inks; pretty critical as the ink cost is the highest element within overall label cost".

Cost saving models

New coding systems also out on the market include the Imaje 9000 Series small character inkjet range (comprising the 9020 and 9030), which the company's md Mike Hughes claims "could save our customers up to 25% in cost of ownership compared to our competitors". Both models continue printing during cartridge change and adjust their parameters automatically in response to their environment.

Imaje 9000 inkjet printers are easily integrated into practically any production line configuration and they can be quickly removed from one production line and easily re-installed on to another line, even in the most difficult-to-access positions. The 9020 suits all standard applications – one or two-line coding at a 2 to 3 m/sec conveyor speed. It can code onto a variety of substrates including plastic, glass, cardboard and aluminum.

The 9030 printer is suitable for more advanced applications, such as up to 8-line coding, production in harsher environments and network connections.

Videojet Technologies has recently introduced the Marsh 1100 and Marsh 3100 large character ink jet printers which are able to print 17mm high and 70mm high respectively onto corrugated cases and trays. The patented automatic self-cleaning and self-maintenance system is said to ensure the printheads remain clear of dust and debris throughout production. It also avoids depriming caused by vibration, which is usually evident as a "missing dot". Because the self-maintenance system is non-contact, it also avoids the damage to printheads that is possible during the periodic maintenance required on alternative systems.

The self-maintenance printhead mechanism also eliminates the wasted ink and downtime caused by the regular priming, purging and cleaning essential on other ink jet printers. Ink delivery is simple and clean using sealed, non-pressurised containers. All ink used within the maintenance process is automatically recycled and filtered for re-use with no waste or spillage.

The Marsh 1100 and 3100 printers can operate either stand-alone or be integrated into the factory IT infrastructure. Multiple printers of any model can be linked together into a single print system.

Also new from Videojet is the DataFlex Plus thermal transfer overprinter (TTO) for high-resolution coding on flexible packaging and labels. The unit provides on-line printing of variable and real-time data such as expiry dates, batch/lot codes, ingredients/parts listings, barcodes and logos.

The DataFlex Plus system's patented direct-drive ribbon technology is claimed to increase reliability and minimise downtime and costs associated with ribbon breaks. The 1,000m ribbon is the longest standard length on the market so there are less frequent changes and higher production line efficiency. Additionally, the unit is said to feature the simplest ribbon cassette on the market, making changeovers fast, easy and "virtually fail-safe".

The printer has an intuitive 8.4in SVGA graphical user interface and colour touch screen with easy-to-learn, icon-based controls. The standard WYSIWYG job display features a zoom facility to reduce operator error and minimise the potential for printing incorrect codes.

"The DataFlex Plus offers superior flexibility for all production environments", says TTO product manager Kent Morris. "It has the built-in capability to change between intermittent and continuous modes in right hand or left hand operation and Serial, Ethernet and USB communications are standard, delivering the most comprehensive communications package in the industry. It provides the ability to manage up to four printers from one controller, delivering a simple and cost-effective solution for applications that require more than one printing system."

Officially launched at the PPMA Show, Linx Printing Technologies' 500SL laser coder is said to provide high-quality coding on the fastest production lines and on applications using substances that are traditionally difficult to mark, such as rubber and certain plastics.

According to Linx, the 500SL is particularly suited for high-speed label coding in the brewing and beverage industries – up to 90,000 labels/hr can be coded – applications that were previously the reserve of dot matrix and mask laser systems.

"The Linx 500SL sets a new standard within the laser coding industry," says Linx's marketing manager Simon Powell. "Its ability to deliver supreme print quality at high speeds, together with its integrated, industrialised design puts it well ahead of the competition. In addition, the combination of high speed scanning technology and high power laser means that it is equally at home printing one or two line date/batch codes on ultra high-speed labelling stations and marking complex messages in stationary mode on components or materials that are traditionally difficult to mark."

Capable of speeds of over 700m/minute and protected against hostile production environments the small footprint 500SL's long-life high powered CO2 laser tube produces a peak power of 100W so almost all materials used for packaging, as well as a wide range of industrial components, are "easily marked". Different spot sizes are also available, providing greater flexibility and enabling concentrated energy to be used on harder to mark materials.

The 500SL is programmed via a simple integral user interface that provides access to all routine set-up functions. There is also an option for a PC user interface for greater flexibility and/or more sophisticated print functions and graphics.


Barcodes and RFID working together – Domino says the current ... Barcodes and RFID working together – Domino says the current ...
Linx’s 500SL is particularly suited for high-speed label coding in ... Linx’s 500SL is particularly suited for high-speed label coding in ...
Domino’s new K-Series drop on demand inkjet printing solution provides ... Domino’s new K-Series drop on demand inkjet printing solution provides ...
Videojet’s  DataFlex Plus system’s patented direct-drive ribbon technology is ... Videojet’s DataFlex Plus system’s patented direct-drive ribbon technology is ...
The Image 9030 printer can code up to eight lines ... The Image 9030 printer can code up to eight lines ...
Videojet Technologies’ Marsh 1100 and 3100 large character ink jet ... Videojet Technologies’ Marsh 1100 and 3100 large character ink jet ...


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