Herma Inc., the
subsidiary of Herma GmbH – a Germany-based provider of labeling machinery and
self-adhesive labels and materials to the global packaging marketplace - has
introduced a self-adjusting system for high-precision top labeling. Now available
on the company’s premium 452E Top Labeler, the novel system automatically adjusts
on-product label position to ensure tight tolerances, even with particularly challenging
applications.
With an output of up
to 250 products per minute, the aesthetics-minded 452E Top Labeler is ideally
suited for applications in which final presentation and appearance is
paramount. Herma is the first in the industry to introduce a self-adjusting
system for tracking and automatically adjusting label position in this type of
application. The flexible setup can also compensate for production tolerances
of labels and product packaging.
The system works as
follows: A camera first inspects the products after labeling, checking not only
for the presence of the labels but also their positioning. The data collected regarding
the label position is subsequently used for fully-automated adjustment of
ensuing label applications.
The tracking system
can intervene to make corrections in two ways: It achieves the adaptation in
the run direction of the products by advancing or retarding the label start signal;
in a lateral direction, it can readjust the two side belts that guide products
using a linear servo motor. This system enables the labeling machine to apply
round or rectangular labels to product surfaces, while keeping labeling
tolerances at a very low level.
“These are minimal
discrepancies, which are not identifiable with the naked eye”, says Ulrich
Fischer, Head of Product Management at Herma Labeling Machines. “We can achieve
this result even with particularly challenging applications, such as when round
labels are applied to a round surface with extreme precision.”
Inconsistent
slitting of the backing liner is a common problem with self-adhesive labels and
can cause variation in label placement; the Herma system resolves this.
Products with a missing, incorrectly positioned or wrong label are registered
and transported into a reject box with a compressed air blast, with a checking
sensor ensuring that these products leave the machine.
High precision at high speeds
Even without the new
auto-adjust system, the 452E Top Labeler provides a high level of precision and
flexibility for all top labeling. Side guides can be adjusted quickly and
without tools to various product dimensions at any time. Together with the
digital position indicators for additional machine settings and the integrated
high-performance applicator Herma 500, reproducible labeling results can be
achieved at any time – even with high speeds of up to 250 products per minute.
This makes the 452E top labeler ideally suited to the requirements of Fast
Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), such as cosmetics, care and household products.
It is designed for rectangular or cylindrical structurally and dimensionally
stable products with measurements of 30 x 50 x 50 mm to 300 x 250 x 150 mm (L x
W x H).
