Label applicator. Semi-automatic label applicator

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Many large well-known manufacturers of commercial and control equipment, among other things, produce devices for sticking various labels. These devices differ in performance, the number of functions performed.

What the label applicator is for

There is no person who does not encounter labels on goods. Barcodes, product composition, prices, company logo and other information are placed on such stickers.

Labels are affixed to goods not only at enterprises that produce finished products, but also at retail outlets. Especially where food products are packaged before sale. And you can imagine how long it would take in large grocery centers to stick labels by hand. To speed up this process, self-adhesive label applicators were invented.

Device classification

Label applicator is a device for applying rolled self-adhesive labels with printed information on the packaging of goods, both industrial andgrocery.

According to the principle of operation, applicators are divided into manual, automatic and semi-automatic devices.

Manual or mechanical applicators fire when the trigger is pulled. They are used in warehouses of goods and in stores.

Automatic applicators are installed in large food production or packaging enterprises on the conveyor after packaging devices and can perform several functions.

In semi-automatic devices, the operator feeds the product for labeling, and the label is separated by a motor.

Hand-held devices

The manual label applicator is a pistol type device. The principle of its operation is simple: first, a roll of labels is loaded, then each time the trigger is pressed, the label is pulled out, separated from the base and, using a soft rubber roller with spikes, is glued to the package in the place necessary for the operator. Using a mechanical device increases the productivity of labeling by several times compared to performing this operation manually.

Regular manual devices are designed for a certain width of self-adhesive roll, but some models have sensors that allow you to adjust the applicator for labels of various shapes. It can be not only rectangular and square labels, but also round and oval.

Hand-held devices can be mechanical, such as Japanese TOWA applicators, orelectromechanical, like Italian Dynamic.

If in a mechanical applicator the operator needs to press the lever of considerable size with his whole palm, then in the electromechanical applicator it is enough to press the button with one finger to turn on the mechanism for separating the label from the base and sticking it with a soft rubber roller on the surface. Dynamic devices are significantly faster, but require battery charging after eight hours of use.

TOWA label applicator

The mechanical applicator gun is easy to operate. The tape drive mechanism is actuated by pressing a lever, the substrate (waxed base) of the label on the tip of the applicator, which is called the "beak", bends and peels off so that a small part of the self-adhesive remains in the device, preventing it from falling out. The label is finally applied to the surface of the package when a studded rubber roller passes over it.

The feed length of one label is regulated by a special mechanical sensor that reacts to the difference in height of the label with the substrate and only the substrate.

The sensor stops feeding when the edge of the next label rests on its tip.

The TOWA mechanical applicator can apply labels from 20 to 60 mm long and 20 to 100 mm wide. True, the device is not adjustable in width, and for rolls of different widths, separate applicators are needed, which are marked TOWA AP 65-30 (roll width 30 mm), TOWA AP 65-60 (60 mm), TOWA AP 65-100 (100 mm). The label roll diameter is the same forall models and is 110 mm.

The design of the applicator provides a strap that is put on the hand during intensive work. This helps to protect the device from drops.

Automatic devices

Automatic applicators are divided into groups according to the degree of process automation and the number of functions performed. An automatic label applicator can be built in line and only apply ready-made labels to products, such as the Brady dispenser. This device automatically separates the self-adhesive label from the substrate and sticks it on the package. The design includes a photoelectronic label sensor. The dispenser can handle small labels as small as 6.35 x 6.35mm, making it ideal for applications where compactness is key.

There are also automatic industrial applicators, which are whole complexes for weighing, packaging products, printing and labeling. An example is the automatic line of CAS or DIGI.

The automatic applicator is used in factories where it is necessary to mark large batches of products.

As a rule, in such a device, the speed of all other parameters is automatically synchronized with the changed indicator, which makes it easy to change the labeled products. In addition, the automatic label applicator prints in any size, can work with fragile items, and marks objects of any geometric shape.

Working principlesemi-automatic device

There are also more compact devices for quickly applying self-adhesive labels to products. The semi-automatic label applicator is a desktop device powered by a household mains, used for applying all types of labels. When a small package, such as a bottle of sauce, is placed under the pressure roller, the operator presses the pedal with his foot. At the same time, the bottle (container) begins to rotate, and the label is separated from the substrate. After the pasting operation is completed, the applicator will automatically turn off. In this way, one or two labels are stuck on the container.

To work with the device does not require special knowledge and serious skills. On the front panel of the applicator there is a fairly clear scheme for installing the roll, the speed of the sticker is simply adjusted, the sensitivity of the label sensor is high. The roll is loaded into the device, the power is turned on - the applicator is ready for use.

Types of semi-automatic applicators

The American series of applicators PRIMERA AP is intended for semi-automatic sticking of ready-made labels. These devices are suitable for marking various cylinders and cones (bottles, cans, tubes, canisters, etc.). The speed of the applicator reaches 1200 self-adhesive labels per hour. The maximum and minimum diameters of rolls, their width, label sizes are slightly different for different models, but the main thing is that the devices are made of durable materials, professionallydesigned and certified.

You can also find devices similar in principle of operation from manufacturers in Russia and Lithuania.

When labeling perishable products, a semi-automatic label applicator is used, which not only sticks a label on a round glass or polymer container, but also simultaneously applies variable data to it, for example, series number, release date.

The first stage of operation of such a device is no different from sticking ready-made labels. The dating unit is turned on after the automatic stop of the labeling mechanism. While the data is applied to the next label, the operator installs another container in the device.

The market for devices and devices for applying self-adhesive labels is quite diverse. Both small retailers and hypermarkets can find equipment to label their products with the least labor and high quality.