Nautilus Systems, Inc (NSI) is pleased to announce a new product for product identification and labeling. Multiple customers have approached NSI about the possibility of a ‘laser and apply’ system. NSI has already been providing conventional ‘print and apply’ systems which utilize thermal transfer printers to print data onto label materials. In some cases the thermal transfer printing does not provide the necessary combination of durability and readability for long-term use. In those cases some customers use lasers to mark labels with barcode and/or human readable content.
The issue that our customers have previously experienced is that no ‘Laser and Apply’ systems exist. These customers currently must run label materials through a laser print station, rewind the roll of labels, and then move it to a separate applicator system to apply the labels to their products. This is a cumbersome process from a logistical and scheduling perspective and is very limiting in the type of applications that it can serve because it requires batch printing, rather than real-time printing of labels.
The NSI solution provides the best of all worlds. We have taken our tried and true PL Applicator technology and integrated a CO2 laser right at the point where labels are dispensed resulting in just in time or real-time label printing. This means that each item to be labeled can have product-specific information such as date/time stamp or other data printed and applied to it. In addition NSI can integrate a vision system to inspect and verify the printed data and can even include an automatic reject station that will ensure that any rejected labels are not applied to a product but are placed back onto the label liner to be rolled up on the takeup hub. ‘Laser and Apply’ from Nautilus Systems, Inc.
There’s never been anything like this. Stay tuned!