Seafood products are usually packed in skin packs, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) trays, aluminium trays or cans. The fresh or frozen products are generally labelled with a simple top/bottom label, a cardboard sleeve, or complete carton.
The cardboard sleeve encloses the product like a banderole – it is pushed over the outer edge of the pack and is completely wrapped around it like an envelope.
According to Multivac, the problem with these options is that with the label approach the labels often do not reflect the high quality of the product, and if cardboard sleeves are used then the manual application becomes very time-consuming and costly.
Enter Multivac, which offers an alternative with its L 310 full wrap conveyor belt labeller with its patented, servo-driven press-on brushes, which makes it possible to automatically apply a self-adhesive full wrap label on up to four sides of a pack.
The maximum label width is 500mm, and the labelling output is up to 120 packs per minute. And, depending on the requirements, a wide range of thermal transfer or thermal inkjet printers can be integrated into the labeller.
Thanks to the automated labelling process, Multivac says producers and packers will benefit from a high level of precision, process reliability and throughput. The labeller can also be equipped with a zero downtime function for even higher overall output.
Also, optional label and print inspection ensures that only perfectly labelled products get onto the market.
In addition to PP and PET labels, materials made of paper or from other renewable sources are available for selection, to cater for today’s customers who are increasingly focusing their attention on recyclable and sustainable packaging concepts.
“By matching the label material to the packaging material, we can ensure that the constituent parts of the pack can be separated to meet the recycling requirements,” says Michael Reffke, product manager at Multivac Marking and Inspection.
“If we also use adhesives, which can be dissolved or washed off, the individual packaging components can easily be separated after use, so that they can then be directed to the particular recycling stream.
“Particularly, light label material also reduces the transport weight of the packs along the entire supply chain – and this therefore improves the CO2 balance as well.
“When compared with cardboard sleeves, the full wrap label can reduce the weight of the banderole by half, and even higher material savings are possible in comparison with complete cartons.”
Application scenarios and design variants with the full wrap labelling solution range from a banderole for skin packs, a complete full wrap envelope with cut-out sections and overlapping, and an all-over label for tray-packed ready meals.
Depending on the requirement, additional functions such as perforation, opening aids, viewing window or adhesive-free zones can be integrated into the full wrap label.
The material range from Multivac includes label thickness from 70-130g per cubic metre.
Finally, if required, to achieve a larger area for product information and brand communication, an additional label can also be applied from below to the pack on the same machine.
“Full wrap labelling far exceeds the classic top/bottom labelling in every respect. It is also in no way inferior to cardboard sleeves, as well as being significantly more efficient than a complete carton,” Reffke concludes.
|
