Labeling products is a standard practice in all production lines. It involves applying labels or stickers to display useful information about the product. Labeling can take many forms depending on the product type and the production quantity. This article discusses the sticker labeling machine, how it works, and its features.
How Does a Sticker Labeling Machine Work?
Stickers are special kinds of labels that are attached to a product using an adhesive. The machine used to create this sticker is known as the sticker labeling machine.
These machines apply printed stickers on a variety of products. They could be products in bottles, jars, sachets, and pouches. The sticker labeling machine has a conveyor belt that moves the product to the sticker placement unit.
In practice, the mechanism that works to apply the sticker works in sequence. This means it starts from steps A to Z, with each step involving a specific function. After the machine has been fed with the desired label, it pushes the product to an applicator that performs either engraving or printing on the surface of the product.
The sticker placement process is quite fast, especially in large production lines. Additionally, it is quite accurate to avoid any errors. This helps improve the efficiency and production capacity of the system.
Types of Sticker Labeling Machines
Essentially, sticker labeling machines are classified based on the mechanism of action. From this classification, we have automatic and manual machines. Manual machines require physical operation for them to work, while automatic sticker labeling machines can be programmed to design, mock-up, and apply stickers on products.
Manual sticker labeling machines
While the term machine mostly refers to automated equipment, there can be machines that are completely manual-operated. These types of machines require you to control them all the way. Of course, the lack of some level of automation on these types of equipment makes sticker placement quite a time-consuming job for large-scale producers.
Manual machines should not be confused with manual labeling. The latter refers to the use of any means to place a sticker label on a product.
Automatic sticker labeling machines
When something is automated, it generally means that there is little human intervention involved in its operation. The human aspect is replaced by computer algorithms or robots that mimic human action.
These systems are equipped with features that augment human action. For instance, they work faster since they do not get fatigued. This means that will improve productivity levels to a greater extent.
Double-sided sticker labeling machine
These types of sticker labeling machines are common in industries such as pharma, cosmetics, food processing, and such. Side labeling is used to label products that have stickers on both sides of the package. The result of this is a simultaneous and synchronized system that leads to high throughput in manufacturing. These types of sticker labeling machines can either be semi-automatic or fully automatic.
Functions of a Sticker Labeling Machine
It is all in the name — the sticker labeling machine is a machine that adds sticker labels on the surfaces of products or their packaging. Stickers are essential in products because they provide necessary information such as product identity and other relevant information.
Sticker labeling machines act like dispensers. In most cases, they are fed with the design and the material where they are supposed to place the sticker, and then they add it to the product. Still, some machines are equipped with components and tools to design, create, and dispense a sticker to a product.
The design of the sticker on a product has an influence on aspects such as appeal to customers, resellers, and regulatory bodies. To start with, customers choose products that have appealing stickers, especially for fast-moving consumer goods. Resellers also seek out goods that have convincing messaging on them to promote resealability.
Lastly, regulatory bodies such as FDA and others set standards for labeling products. These standards include what to include and what to exclude on the labels. The rationale for such regulations is to protect the consumer from false marketing and scams. Therefore, this makes sticker labeling machines essential in production lines.
Components of Sticker Labeling Machines
Sticker labeling machines differ in design and mode of function. However, one thing that remains constant across the board is that they all have standard components that enable them to place stickers on products. Most of the components we will discuss here apply exclusively to an automated sticker labeling machine. They include;
Dispensers
Automatic sticker labeling machines have a section where the sticker label comes through to get to the product. This section is known as the dispenser or the label dispensing unit. This unit can either be custom or regular. Custom label dispensers are made for products that have a unique design. Such products require specific shapes and sizes to ensure that the label is placed correctly.
The label dispenser is also equipped with other components such as sensors that determine the placement of the sticker on the product. These sensors “look” at the product and trigger another component such as the conveyor to move the product in the right position. Therefore, the components making up the machine have to work in sync always.
Sensors
Sensors are essential components in machines such as labelers since they perform various functions. As we pointed out above, sensors are required to adjust the position of the product in relation to the dispensing unit. As a result, these sensors need to have high accuracy to prevent errors in labeling.
Another essential function of the sensor is to ensure that the final sticker is placed as expected. In production, this is known as quality control and it explains why there are such few incorrectly labeled products that make it out of the production line.
Conveyor system
In large-scale production, conveyor systems are everywhere from the first to the last step of the production. They facilitate easy movement of items from one section to another. This is the same case for conveyor systems in sticker labeling machines.
The conveyor system in the sticker labeling machines is used for transporting the product from the final stage of production to the labeler. This is because labeling is usually the final step in the production process. It is a system consisting of a belt, a motor, and a timer that controls the rate of movement to the label dispenser.
Control interface
The control interface of a sticker labeling machine is where the whole machine gets controlled, as the name suggests. Settings that control the speed of the conveyor, the type of sticker, and other aspects of the label are controlled by this unit. Typically, the control interface is a touchscreen module that contains all these settings.
Features of Sticker Labeling Machines
For us to understand sticker labeling machines better, we can explore some of their standard or common features. Some of these features include;
Speed control
In production, speed is essential. It controls aspects such as production volume. Controlling the speed of the sticker dispenser is also essential during troubleshooting. To clarify, when you have an issue with the quality of the stickers, you can reduce the speed and try to check whether the label dispenser works as expected.
Speed control is also essential to ensure a synchronized speed between the manufacturing and the post-production, which includes labeling. Therefore, when the production volume is high, you need to increase the speed of the labeler to ensure that it can handle more products per unit of time.
High Accuracy
Accurate labeling is vital in manufacturing. Besides, it is a legal offense to mislabel products either knowingly or by mistake in certain instances. Additionally, it would reflect poorly on your target audience if your labels had errors of omission or similar errors.
Moreover, since labels are supposed to improve the appeal of the product, high accuracy is needed to attain this goal. The accuracy of the machine is influenced by factors such as the type of sensors used and how well it is maintained. High-quality sensors and proper maintenance of the machine result in high accuracy, provided all other aspects remain unchanged.
Ease of use
Simplicity is vital in several sectors, including manufacturing. Sticker labelers need to be as simple as possible to improve their functionality. This means that if they are complicated, they can produce not-so-desirable results. In this case, they need to have a straightforward structure, control interface, and mode of function.
Easy to maintain
Maintenance is another thing that promotes the efficiency of a sticker-labeling machine. In essence, it involves repairs and replacements and defective components of the machine.
Proper maintenance requires to be done on a schedule by professionals. In many cases, it is done either quarterly or twice a year. The technicians will inspect all components of the machine and compile a report based on their findings. They will proceed to give you recommendations and perform the necessary adjustments.
Multiple language settings
Language is important in labeling. If you are keen enough, you must have noticed that most products have labels in multiple languages. The goal of this is to ensure that the product can reach a wider audience, especially if it is a necessity. As such, these machines need to have the capability to read and interpret multiple languages to ensure this goal is achieved.
Conclusion
Sticker labeling machines are indispensable in a world where the design of the product affects its sales. They have the features, components, and functions that support the smooth application of labels on a variety of products. Over time, they have improved in speed, accuracy, and designs with more of this expected in the future.
