Product category:
Conveying, handling and end-of-line equipment
News Release from: Imaje UK | Subject: 7031S CO2 laser coder
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 09 August 2007
CO2 laser marks PET bottles legibly
CO2 laser coders for marking PET bottles has specific wavelength properties to guarantee perfectly legible contrast print and operates at temperatures up to 35 deg C.
The Imaje 7031S CO2 laser coder is specifically designed for coding onto PET bottles Imaje has developed the 7031S vector laser coder with specific wavelength properties to guarantee perfectly legible contrast print on PET bottles
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 11 Jan 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Inks meet aerospace product marking standards
To meet the demands of US, Canadian and European aerospace corporations for reliable part marking by their contractors, Imaje offers a range of inks for use with its ink jet printers.
Food manufacturer crisps up its date marking
Giles Foods has tried most types of coders and printers to apply 'use by' dates and batch numbers to product packaging and have now standardised on the Imaje S7 deviated inkjet printers.
The Imaje 7031S has all the features of the 7000 series including a third generation printhead, which operates at temperatures up to 35 deg C.
It is an innovative modular design for easy integration onto production lines.
An intuitive user interface allows easy menu navigation and enhanced ease of use.
Standard lasers use wavelengths of 10.6 microns, which actually engrave the bottle.
The 7031S has a wavelength of 9.3 microns, which enables the beam to stay on the surface, thereby keeping the PET intact and preserving the mechanical characteristics of the bottles.
The lower wavelength also uses less energy, creates less dust and, more importantly, creates greater contrast on the marked material.
The code created by standard lasers is only visible as a result of light interacting with the engraved mark.
The 7031S beam stays on the surface and results in a colour change - slightly off white.
The contrast of the code is, therefore, enhanced and with bolder fonts available, consumers will find the codes easy to read, irrespective of whether the bottles contain light or dark liquid.
As well as an improved quality of marking, the 7031S can mark quickly leading to very high throughput speeds (up to 80,000 bottles/h).
With a variation tolerance of +/-10mm between the printhead and the bottles, different sizes of bottles (33cl, 50cl and 100cl) can all be marked on the same production line reducing or eliminating changeover times between different products.
This focal distance tolerance also compensates for problems resulting from product vibrations and movements whilst on the conveyor and ensures consistently high quality, high-contrast marking, even where condensation is present on the bottles.
Over the last ten years there has been a significant rise in the use of PET in the mineral water and soft drinks industry.
PET is much lighter than other materials and can be moulded into attractive shapes making it more versatile than glass.
• Imaje UK: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
