Offline overprinting

Understandably, much effort is focussed on the efficiency of production lines: the hours in a day for which they are producing and the speed at which they run. The coding system is often a small part of such a line, yet can be one of the more complex items. In addition the range of coding technologies avaialble for use online can be limited by the speed and production method.

Coding packs offline may not suit all applications, but can offer great benefits if a large amount of high quality print needs to be added to a pack. It can also solve the problem of how to supply one or a number of hand-pack lines with coded components, be they cartons, sleeves, envelopes or labels.

One such common technology employed offline is Thermal Transfer as it offers a high-resolution print in a package that is easy to set up and totally clean in operation. The can be few production facilities that do not have somewhere a bench top thermal printer producing labels.

By combining the right type of thermal printer with a suitable feeding system just about any item can be printed offline and at surprisingly high rates of throughput.

For many years Rotech has produced a feeding system for folder and glued cartons and sleeves that has satisfied the demands of the food, pharmaceutical and healthcare markets to add a simple lot number, expiry or use-by date to their packs offline. More recently the range has expanded to include systems that can feed a much wider range of materials such as blister cards, seed envelopes, single cut sheets of paper and further systems are currently under development to handle a still wider range.

If you have an application that you think would benefit from such a system or, indeed, if you are a manufacturer or supplier of thermal transfer printers and are looking for a feeding system to satisfy a customer requirement, why not give us a call or drop us an e-mail?