Maxwell would have been proud of the title
“Get Smart with Label Material Selection” – a recent Chicago talkfest – covered a wide ranging series of label-related topics. They included such issues as difficult-to-stick- to substrates, down-gauging films for cost savings and the various sustainable materials available to converters.
One panel’s suggestion was that when working with substrates that are difficult to adhere to, it’s important to conduct extensive testing and to record the data. Another discussion on films produced the proposition that downgauging is challenging because of the level of stiffness required for dispensing. If stiffness is increased too much, conformability is then decreased, was a warning.
An exploratory session on printed electronics began with a Mark Andy-led explanation of the technology and its evolution, which found that although the hope for a large RFID industry has not materialised, work in that field set the stage for printed electronics.
The printing of electronic circuitry and components onto a variety of substrates using conductive inks and other transferable products is resulting in a variety of new technologies. The advantages of printed electronic products is that they can be flexible, cover a large area, have a lower cost, are light, small and thin, and can be manufactured inline at production speeds. For the converter, the field offers differentiation and an added margin.
No more danger of breaking out in a rash
The pharmaceutical industry has just received a boost to avoiding scary mistakes of wrongly prescribed prescriptions, thanks to California-based VIPColor Technologies’ recently announced pharmaceutical application that reduces medical errors through the use of colour printing.
The key to the solution is its VIPColor 485e on-demand digital printer linked to dedicated software. The application permits the pharmacist to compare the actual medication against a colour image of the product. The patient can also verify if the image on the label matches the medication in the container and any difference between the two can immediately be identified. The software, the company says, can be programmed to access databases and retrieve and print variable data such as prescription and record numbers, patient names and personal information.
Label credited with contributing to 23% sales increase
It’s not often that a label alone can be credited with boosting sales. One example, a redesigned label for German beverage company, Landkelterei Höhl, is credited as having contributed to a dramatic jump in turnover of its Pomp, a wine launched a few years ago that comprises a mixture of cider and sparkling Riesling and is described as an alternative to Proseco (some people will drink anything, it seems!).
The company reports its redesigned label has contributed to a 23% growth in the product’s turnover. GEW’s eSystem range of UV curing lamp heads debut One of the newer developments in UV land made its debut at Labelexpo Asia in Shanghai earlier this month. GEW introduced its e-System range of UV curing lamp heads to the Chinese label printing market, to very positive reactions.
The systems are claimed to offer affordable, high technology curing without sacrificing quality, plus the combined benefits of 30% less electricity consumption, increased UV output and low carbon emissions.
Then there are enhancements to its VCP model with a reflector profile that includes cold shutter and cold filter to optimise UV efficiency and cooler running. Based on a typical eight-colour, 330mm printing press, a GEW UV system would boast energy savings of approximately $8,000 per year “and thus pay for itself,” the company claims.
Aussie converter up there with world’s best
As has been reported to the accompaniment of numerous trumpet voluntaries, WA e-based Supa Stik Labels & Labelling Systems beat out stiff competition from among more than 270 label printers from around the world in the alcoholic beverage labels category in the annual HP Indigo Digital Labels and Packaging Contest. Entries were judged by a panel of independent experts, including Paul Baker, principal scientist at Procter & Gamble Technical Centres, Paul Clayton, managing director of Royston Labels, Michael Fairley, director of strategic development for Tarsus’ Label Group, Andy Thomas, group managing editor, Labels & Labelling, and Tony White of AWA Consulting.
And while we’re in award country…
Hats off to Amcor Flexibles for its 2009 DuPont Award for packaging innovation. The gong was given for its Heatflex, which packaged a range of Unilever’s sauces. The stand-up pouches have been recognised for enhanced performance and resource and energy optimisation, the company reported, adding that the award recognises the replacement of glass jars with Heatflex pouches. The move has helped Unilever to reduce its structural material usage by 70%.
The lighter packaging also lessens the load when transporting the product, other costs and carbon footprint reduction (tests showed that one truckload of unfilled pouches equals 25 loads of empty glass jars). Then there’s the not unimportant advantage Heatflex provides in the pack’s increased print surface.
Dare I?
Dare I remind the venerable gentlemen guiding the destiny of Australia’s labelling industry under the guise of the LATMA moniker that their website still bears a distinct resemblance to one of Queen Victoria’s bottles of cough mixture?
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