Consumables

Bizerba thermal label for harsh industrial environments

Friday 10. August 2012 - Food producers rely on BPT90

The Bizerba label factory in Bochum produces thermal labels that are designed for use in particularly harsh environments. This is because many producers face the problem of labels that come unstuck in wet and cold conditions as well as the problem that printed text and barcodes quickly fade or become scratched during transport.
The logistics sector and particularly companies from the meat and fish and fruit and vegetable industry must be sure that their products reach the retailer in perfect condition. Otherwise, the image suffers and expensive returns may result. “This is where investing in the BRL90, Bizerba’s own laminate for the production of labels, quickly pays off,” explains Marc Büttgenbach, Sales Director for Labels and Consumables at Bizerba.
Even stands up in harsh conditions: the BRL90 thermal label
BRL90 is a thermo-reactive label based on paper with robust surface protection. The product meets the specifications for digital printing and is designed for use in harsh environments. Bizerba is the only company that offers the thermo-top material combination comprising surface protection, a thermal layer, a primer, base paper, protection on the reverse side and adhesive. “Often,” says Büttgenbach, “customers ask us for solutions that other companies haven’t given them. This is because other companies get their laminates from standard suppliers.”
The label can be completely or partially lacquered. This provides images, writing and barcodes with the best protection against water, grease, solvents and UV light, and the labels are resistant to temperatures of up to minus 40° Celsius and humidity of up to 80 per cent. A wide range of adhesives ensures sufficient sticking. These include freezing and permanent adhesives. Büttgenbach: “Paper and adhesives are specified separately from one another. Bizerba creates an interplay between the two to make the perfect laminate. This means that the paper meets all of the requirements of marketing and end customers, whilst the adhesive meets the optimum production specifications.”
High thermo-sensitivity allows printing speeds of 300 millimetres a second
The customer is free to define the layout of the label, have images pre-printed and print variable information – price, barcodes, images and logos as well as batch numbers – himself during series production. Büttgenbach: “The thermo-sensitivity is so well developed that a printing speed of up to 300 millimetres a second is possible. These are the necessary prerequisites for high-performance industrial labelling. In addition, the labels also achieve a high level of printing resolution and image stability, meaning that even small symbols can be printed, for example QR codes or very small matrix codes.”
The labels create even more added value in that they protect the thermal printing head. Printing at a slow speed also increases the lifespan of the printing heads as energy supply can be reduced. In order to extend the functionality of the labels and to optimise the retraceability of products, Bizerba can even apply RF and RFID tags to the underside of the labels during production.
No thermal transfer ribbon necessary: production becomes noticeably more efficient
The new product offers yet another special feature: The heated elements of the printing head work directly on the label and not on a thermal transfer ribbon lying in between; as a result, blackening takes place on the inside of the label and not on its surface. Büttgenbach: “Writing and barcodes are no longer mechanically removable, meaning that labels remain unharmed even under icy and wet transport conditions. In addition, equipment times for the transfer ribbon and high waste disposal costs disappear completely. Therefore, production becomes considerably more efficient.”
As the label can never stand alone, all material combinations are optimally matched and very intensively tested on Bizerba price labellers. “These high-performance machines come into their own with Bizerba’s own labels; after all, aside from the parameters already mentioned, there’s much more to optimally matching labelling devices and labelling machines.