‘Splash-proof’ weigh-price labeller caters for industry demand

22 Mar 2012

A weigh-price labeller with extended durability for use in direct contact with primary packaging operations has been launched by a US firm.

Ossid’s ‘splash-proof’ WPL1522 machine was designed around customer feedback and to cater for the ‘rugged and versatile’ demands of the packaging industry.

The machine has no exposed electronics, IP67 rated connectors, touch screen and with sealed conveyor roller bearings it is available worldwide highlight Latin America and Europe as key areas.

The meat, poultry, dairy products and seafood labeller can produce up to 120 packages per minute, according to Ossid, a division of Pro Mach Packaging.

Side-by-side operation

Mike Alyounes, Ossid product manager for the weigh price labeller line said that the industry frequently puts machines in the same production room as primary packaging operations.

“In the poultry industry, typically[a]product comes to the machine from a freezer. The frozen product packaging carries moisture and frost. The machine gets exposed to splashes of water when the product runs on it.

“In the produce industry, a lot of water is used to wash the product prior to packaging. The product is soaked and sprayed with water in multiple stages of packaging preparation process,” he said.

The machine can run top and bottom labels in a variety of sizes with true type fonts and graphics up to 4"x 5" with standard tamp, said the firm.

Alyounes added: “Water and moisture introduce corrosion to electronic equipment and connection points. As our machine is highly automatic, more of these electronic cards, sensors, actuators and communication busses are utilised on the machine.

“The splash down version gives customers more machine reliability and less down time wasted in replacing parts affected by water. This yields higher production numbers and less machine ownership cost.”

Data collection

The machine connects to business systems and allows the collection of raw data for every package to create real-time reports in English or Spanish.

It can print 21 different bar code symbologies, including 2D and users have a selection of print engines with up to 16 inches (406mm) per second of printing speed, said the firm.

John Eklund, director, marketing for Pro Mach told this publication the design is based on customer feedback and around their needs.

“The real-time data collection helps companies compile reports and is one of the big-selling features.

“There is the ability to keep it in the same room, because moisture and labels is not a good mixture, so this means the customer doesn’t have to separate production lines.”

Source: Pro Mach