Tracking and Identifying Plastic Bottle Caps
PREVIOUS PROCESS:
A manufacturer of plastic containers and caps for use in the beverage bottling industry needed to provide a mark on the outside of their shipping containers. This mark needed to identify the caps inside the box by product type and size, the customer code, the production line number, the date and time of packaging, and the quantity of the caps in the box.
Each of the four production lines manufactures up to 450 bottles per minute and the existing Markem systems could not provide an adequately clear mark.
ID TECHNOLOGY PROPOSAL OR SOLUTION:
ID Technology installed a large character inkjet printing system allowing up to 8 lines of print on the side of corrugated shipping containers. This marking system was integrated with a carton erector, two Kiwi roller coders, a case taper, and 3 Allen Bradley barcode scanners.
The production sequence begins with the erecting of the boxes that supply two production lines. Each line can contain different products. The boxes are filled and Kiwi coder place a barcode on the side of box to identify the production line.
Both production lines are then merged into a single line where the cases will be sealed. After the case is sealed a barcode scanner identifies the box then, via a custom programmed computer, downloads the correct information from a database into the inkjet printer. The required information is then printed onto the end panel of each box.
The boxes are then separated into two lines for palletizing. An additional barcode scanner for each line verifies that each box is sorted into the correct line after printing.
COST SAVINGS/PRODUCTIVITY GAINS:
The custom programming includes the ability to enter new items into the database, select which items belong with each production line, communicate with the printer and monitor the barcode scanners.
This custom package was designed by Rhyse Development, an ID Technology Packaging Partner. The customer has also purchased continuous inkjet printers to print refund information on the labels of each bottle.
