Packaging
Hapa Launches New LabelJet DOD Inkjet System to US Market at Pack Expo
Wednesday 12. November 2008 - Hapa AG, world leader in Just-In-Time pack printing solutions, will use Pack Expo International as the platform to launch its new Hapa 800 LabelJet UV Drop On Demand InkJet system to the US marketplace.
The LabelJet joins an 800 series line-up that also includes systems for finished blisters and for flat, folded or erected cartons, enabling pharmaceutical manufacturers to benefit from greater flexibility and productivity, as well as improved Overall Equipment Effectiveness across their packaging operations.
Available in reel-to-reel or inline executions, the LabelJet system is a complete unit incorporating printer modules combined with a customized label feed, offering a full digital four color (CMYK) approach. The system includes the intelligence to complete the current print cycle during line stoppages, thereby ensuring that there is no impact on print quality or packaging line efficiency.
The Hapa 800 series UV Drop On Demand, digital printing technology produces extremely high quality print thanks to sophisticated drop placement, with the capacity to print at full blister, carton or label web width. The printheads operate with high specification UV inks, which are extremely resistant to both smudging and scuffing.
Handling systems are designed to accommodate different sizes of blister, carton or label web widths respectively and to ensure accurate printing. To comply with pharmaceutical quality and Good Manufacturing Practice requirements, inspection systems are integrated at the infeed and outfeed to verify that the correct information has been applied to the correct product.
Print data from standard artwork packages can be uploaded to the printer by means of a secure digital interface and the system is fully compliant with the FDAs 21 CFR part 11 regulations. The increasing demand for sequential numbering and unit dose coding are also catered for thanks to the fully-digital system concept. At the same time, the ability to print both artwork and variable data in a single pass brings high flexibility to production planning.
Commercial Director at Hapa AG, Christoph Staub, explains that the Hapa 800 series is the ideal late stage customization solution for pharmaceutical manufacturers facing the most extreme demands on their production. “Variations in product, dosage strength, pack sizes and local market requirements traditionally create the need for hundreds of different packaging variants,” he says. “With in-house late stage customization, however, the need for huge inventory is largely alleviated: instead, companies can use blank or part-printed stock which, for the handling of complex production schedules with many short batches, delivers a host of benefits.”
These include easier and less costly stockholding, elimination of obsolete packaging stock resulting in significantly reduced waste, and the ability to save through bulk purchasing of blank materials. In addition, changeover operations on packaging lines become markedly more simple, as in many cases the same blank or generic stock can be used from one batch to the next, radically reducing the complexity of line clearance and reconciliation procedures.
“Late stage customization with the Hapa 800 enables pharma producers to satisfy customer demand almost immediately, thereby meeting the twin objectives of increasing customer satisfaction through reduced lead times, while improving operational efficiency and profitability,” concludes Christoph Staub.