Product labeling and coding, which initially began to appear in the food and medical industry's life cycle, are now considered commonplace. Today, virtually all industries' products are coded as part of the production process. In addition to the effective date, the lot number, real-time production date, bar code, and various other information are usually identified on the product. This allows manufacturers to trace their products when they need it, and allows consumers to perform some safety assessments during the purchase process. Coding is also an important part of any quality program, whether it is Six Sigma or other types of full quality management procedures.
Traditionally, the most commonly used technology for printing and marking on products and packaging is ink, thermal transfer printing, or labeling to form logos or bar codes. These technologies include: thermal transfer, mechanical imprinting systems, inkjet coding systems, and print labeling systems.
Although these methods have their own advantages in specific applications, recent advances in technology have allowed lasers to enter traditional marking and coding applications, offering manufacturers another choice in marking and coding.
Laser and coding
Laser code technology mainly implements the coding process through cauterization and etching. Cauterization is the process of removing the skin of a material, such as printing ink on the surface of a package. This process uses enough energy to evaporate the moisture in the ink and burn the surface layer of ink. The key is to use laser energy effectively to make the process less expensive. Similarly, etching uses appropriate laser energy to melt or etch on plastic materials to form a good groove, such as polypropylene (PET), polyphenylene styrene (PS), and polypropylene. The end result of both options is high quality, permanent instant coding.
The word LASER is actually an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. It is a high-density light source, or a high-powered light bulb, which converts electrical energy into light energy. The laser beam has the characteristics of high intensity, high accuracy and single frequency wavelength.
How to code laser
There are three main types of laser coding: vector, dot matrix and Marken SmartLaseTM dot matrix. The quality of the vector-style coding graphics is good, however, the printing process is slower and energy-consuming than the dot matrix. Bitmapped graphics have lower resolution, but in a small range, the system will be faster. However, the conventional dot-matrix laser code has a short residence time on the surface of the object and the laser is inefficient, and can only use 10% of the energy. Usually, a high laser power (represented by 100 watts) is required to melt the ink. Such a system high cost.
The unique dot matrix coding method of SmartLase laser machine has the speed of dot matrix and the vector type printing effect. The SmartLase laser printing process is very efficient and 95% of the laser energy is used for coding. Therefore, low power coding can be achieved and the cost can be reduced.
Why use laser coding
In the past, lasers have not been the method of choice for coding. Mainly the past system has many shortcomings, including high procurement costs; large and heavy equipment; high cost of installation difficulties; high maintenance costs and laser safety issues. However, the defects of the old laser printing system have now been replaced by advanced technologies and new laser marking systems, such as the Marken SmartLase laser marking system.
Marken's SmartLase uses a low-energy CO2 laser tube, which is low cost and safer. Because of its small body, the lens can be rotated from 0° to 90°, so it is easy to install the wire assembly online. Ultra-stable, with an average time to failure of more than 20,000 hours, requiring little maintenance. Moreover, Smartlase coding is based on a dot-matrix system and requires less area to be printed, so it is faster to code.
From a global perspective, laser coding technology has become a common method of packaging coding in today's market compared to other competing technologies. The key factors in favor of laser coding include: It does not require any cost, no maintenance costs, short system downtime, environmental protection, a variety of materials, easy installation and user-friendly interface.
SmartLase coders use these advantages to provide users with today's most cost-effective coding solutions. The equipment has little daily maintenance and can print clearly, instantly and permanently, making laser coding a high-yield coding solution.
Thanks to the accessories, tools and technology used in the laser coding system, it is inherently able to complete the coding work with minimal downtime. In addition, many industries, such as frozen foods, pet foods, medical equipment, consumer products and auto parts, require lasers to provide digital information input and permanent coding.
According to the needs of today's market, digital information input is becoming mandatory in many industries. These needs include:
â—† In fact, coding has become the focus of every industry management.
â—† As the code content is enriched, the return rate is reduced.
â—† The coding requirements are announced by authoritative agencies and restrict the production of toxic materials.
â—† Needs pollution-free and easy-to-use coding solutions.
Laser marking materials have a wide range of applications and increase the diversity of coding schemes. Currently available materials are: paper labels, printed paperboard (grain boxes, etc.), PET (water and Suoda water bottles), waxy cardboard, polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC ), printed metal, ABS, glass.
Compared with the most commonly used conventional coding technology, the Continuous Inkjet Printer (CIJ), laser coding technology has an advantage in almost every field. Continuous inkjet (CIJ) printing systems are costly operations—an average of $6000 (RMB50,000) per year. These costs include: annual consumables, annual maintenance fees, weekly maintenance time, pre-boot time up to one hour; waste of packaging due to bar code stains generated by liquid ink; and system downtime.
Therefore, many marking and coding applications today are suitable for laser marking systems, and the market is also ready to convert their coding needs into laser technology. Currently, more than 50% of existing coding applications can use laser coding. In addition, the material and online speed of the original code application are completely matched to the laser code without any adjustment. Laser marking greatly reduces production costs while increasing overall output.
Marken's SmartLase laser coder uses advanced, patented dot matrix technology to code lasers. The advantage of this method over vector coding is that the laser is always on during the coding process of the entire code segment (ie, the content to be printed by each product) during the SmartLase codec.
In vector format, when playing a code segment (that is, each product needs to print content), the laser tube needs to be switched on and off by one each time a character is played. The life of a laser tube is like a light bulb. If you leave the light bulb on and not on and off repeatedly, the life of the light bulb that has been on will last longer. This is the same with dot matrix and vector format. This is why Macken has recently obtained a patent on this method.
This also means that Marken's unique dot-matrix technology can extend the life of the laser tube more than a vector. Laser tubes have a longer service life and higher stability.
In addition, the Marken laser machine also has the following features:
â—† Low investment cost (free consumables and maintenance)
â—† Super stability, MTBF is higher than 20,000 hours (up to 3 years, based on 24 hours/7 days operation)
Light weight, small size, compact structure, easy to install â—† Low power CO2 laser, less than 15 watts â—† Direct air cooling, no need for external compressed air â—† Continuously visible red positioning frame surrounds the print content, positioning becomes very easy â—† Digitally adjustable and settable dwell time â—† Height and width of printing content can be adjusted within the print range â—† Instant permanent coding â—† Rotatable printing area â—† Can be printed perpendicular to the direction of movement of the product â—† Can be still and Mobile printing â—† System cleaning, no ink pollution
Since the launch of the Marken Smartlase laser machine, many domestic customers have actually felt the benefits of the Marken laser machine. Instant permanent coding makes it possible for many manufacturers to use laser coding to prevent “chaining†and more effectively manage sales channels. No consumables, no maintenance, so that the original use of inkjet printer customers save a lot of consumables, greatly reducing the amount of maintenance.
Applications
The Ningxia Xiangshan Wine Group (hereinafter referred to as the group) originally used the CIJ printer to perform date identification, and the name of the sales destination was used to prevent the serial goods. However, due to the fact that the ink could be altered, the effect was not satisfactory, and the consumables were very large. Beautiful. The local sand and dust weather makes the device often clog the nozzles and requires a lot of routine maintenance and repair work.
So, the group chose the Marken Smartlase laser machine. The printing effect is very beautiful and clear, and it is more harmonious and beautiful with the packaging design of the product. Moreover, the group leaders were very satisfied with the fact that they could not be wiped or changed, and indeed played a role in preventing the occurrence of string goods.
In addition, since the purchase of the Markon laser machine for nearly one year, the Group has not had any consumptive material expenses, the equipment does not need maintenance on a daily basis, and it can be used after being switched on. The employees also feel that the Marken Smartlase laser machine is simpler and more cost-effective than the inkjet printer. Makan equipment is small in size, easy to install, ie, still printing and mobile printing. The printing area is large. It can be printed vertically and parallel to the direction of movement of the product. It can be used on small packaging lines and can be used on the outer box line. The machine is versatile, very flexible, and with the good after-sales service of Markon, the Group has purchased several Marken Smartlase products in series.
The Chengdu cigarette factory has been using the Markon laser machine for more than two years. There are no consumables and laser tubes have not been replaced. The company has saved a lot of money and has received many praises from customers. Excellent product stability and good printing results have won the trust of more tobacco companies. At present, the laser equipment of Marken is adopted in the high-speed fume hoods of many tobacco companies and has achieved very good printing results, which has been well received by customers.