Machinery Update September \ October 2017

112 MACHINERY UPDATE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 www.machineryupdate.co.uk
Labelling, Coding & Marking
Feeder/overprinter meets
new rules and sales need
The RF2 standalone
friction feed overprinting
system fitted with
iJet coding from Rotech is
enabling e-cigarette company
Shoreditch to meet new
labelling rules without having
to make changes to the rest
of its production line.
It is also helping Shoreditch
to protect its branding and
minimise the number of
unique carton designs it
needs to deploy across its
range of vaping products.
Following the 19 May 2017
deadline, all vaping liquids
and cartridges for sale in the
UK must comply with the
Tobacco and Related Products
Regulations (TRPR) 2016.
This includes displaying a
health warning about nicotine
over at least 30% of the two
largest surfaces of the unit
packaging.
“We’re a brand-led business
and we didn’t want to use
the real estate of the bottle
for the health warning since
it wouldn’t leave much room
for anything else,” explains
Andy Kirby, director of
Shoreditch. “We therefore
decided to insert the bottles
into individual unit packs so
they can have the warning
and all the other information
on there.”
The other challenge for
Shoreditch is the huge number
of products in its range.
Its line-up includes 15 flavours
and more than 100 SKUs.
It also sells via high street
stores, adding to coding
requirements, such as the
need for EAN barcodes.
“The offline Rotech system
means we can have 15 packs
for the 15 flavours, while
other information like the
barcode, batch code and best
before date can all be coded
separately using thermal inkjet
technology,” says Kirby. “We
don’t need to print 101 different
versions of the underlying
packaging, which would be
prohibitively expensive.”
The RF2 fitted with an iJet
coder is a standalone coding
station that takes flat cartons
from a stack, feeds them to
a thermal inkjet printer and
delivers them to a stack of
finished packs.
T 01707 393700
W www.rotechmachines.com
Labelling systems division has invested in
expanded production facilities to aid sales
Herma’s Rob Jenkinson (left) and Simon Pagram
officially open the new, expanded production site
The RF2 allows Shoreditch to handle 15 packs for the 15 flavours, easily
Herma UK’s
labelling
systems division
has increased
production
capacity by over
30% to meet an
ever growing
demand for its
equipment.
At the same time,
the company is
also celebrating its
silver anniversary.
By investing in
the foundation of
the business and continuing
to develop new solutions for
the market, Herma hopes that
the success it has achieved
in the last few years will be
replicated in the future.
“This expansion should
ensure that Herma can
continue to offer the high level
of service and support that
our customers have come to
expect and provide us with
the scope to meet our future
growth ambitions,” says
Herma divisional director
Rob Jenkinson.
Fast coding
on difficult
materials
The challenge of achieving the
highest quality codes on ultrafast
packing lines with difficultto-mark
substrates is being met
with the launch of a new laser
marking solution from Linx
Printing Technologies.
The Linx CSL60 laser
combines a powerful processor
and 60W laser tube with Linx’s
Visicode system to produce crisp,
clear codes on difficult-to-mark
materials such as glass and PET
at high speeds. This enables
manufacturers across a plethora
of sectors to meet all compliance
requirements and provides
effective brand protection and
enhancement.
This new laser incorporates
a processor that is able to relay
messages from the control unit
to the marking head very quickly,
which ensures that line speeds
are unaffected. As a result, up to
70,000 packs per hour can be
marked, says Linx.
In addition, the Linx CSL60
supports production line
efficiencies. For example, the
availability of complete IP65
protection for the controller
and laser head means that a
fully integrated system can now
remain in situ during wash down
to minimise downtime.
Equally important, the Linx
CSL60 offers 25 different head
and lens options, providing over
16,000 combinations of lens,
marking heads and tubes.
With the SHC150c head
option, the Linx CSL60 offers
a larger marking field than
any comparable laser, claims
the company. This provides
additional versatility for the
marking of wide web applications
such as flexible packaging and
outer case coding, and coding of
products across multiple lines.
T 01480 302100
W www.linxglobal.com