Peter Howell from Great Engineering in Australia came to Color Label Solutions this week to provide additional training on their line of label applicators; especially covering small container labeling.
 |
| Color Label Solutions Team |
If you don’t know this company, Great Engineering (https://greatengineering.com/) makes world class label application equipment. Ideal for cylindrical containers for many industries: food and beverage, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. And don’t forget the boutique beverage and cannabis markets. Here is my previous post on the BenchMax applicator:
During our session, a few key points came out that I decided to share with you. First, the economical BenchMate (https://greatengineering.com/benchmates/) offers the capability to integrate with a C3500 label printer.
 |
| BenchMate Integrated with the C3500 |
Although using a hand crank, this manual applicator can apply a lot of labels, quickly and affordably. In addition, this manual applicator has the capability to apply 2 labels on one container, with very precise positioning. With the addition of the interface unit and foot press, you can print directly into the BenchMate, eliminating any requirement for rewinding. I find this capability very intriguing; especially given the price of the unit.
The BenchMate plus the Interface, Cable, Footpress and Freight to the US from Australia as seen in the above picture costs $1990. No other applicator at this price enables the printing of color labels directly into the applicator.
In you have containers less than 55 mm in diameter, the BenchMate+ offers the ability to apply labels to containers down to 17 mm (11/16”) in diameter. Be sure to watch this video of applying labels to very small bottles from the BenchMate’s webpage.
The BenchMate+ with the small container adapter and overhead roller costs $510 more than the BenchMate; totaling $2,500 with the components to apply labels directly printing from the C3500.
Second, Peter worked with us to apply labels to tapered bottles. Tapered containers, such as joint or “Doob” tubes, make label application very difficult; given the difference in diameter/speed of the container as it turns on the applicator. For example, we are currently working on a label that is .6875” on the tapered end; and 1.125” on the larger end. This .4375” difference is what makes label application tough.
Watch us apply a 2” x 1” label on a tapered joint tube with lip/lid.
As you can see in the video, the blue rollers of the small container adapter are moved to allow for the lip connecting the lid on top of the container. These type of design considerations make the BenchMax a very flexible machine.
And here is another video of the same application providing more detail on how the system works for applying labels to tapered containers.
And in this video, we applied several labels on the same tube; to show how the BenchMax applies labels in the same position each time.
In this last video, you can see how we cut the rollers to better apply the labels. Based on your containers, the BenchMax makes it easy to adapt the applicator for the type of container you have. No other label applicator makes adapting to the container easier. In this video, Peter from Great Engineering shows how to remove and cut the rollers to better fit your containers.
Third, the BenchMax offers an orientation capability. With this feature, you can apply labels on a round container in precisely the same position on every bottle. In our training, we used a Mason jar, and applied labels relative to the position of the embossed letters on the jar. Wish I had pictures; bummer.
Based on our meeting, I’ve found the BenchMax a very interesting choice for applying labels to a variety of round containers; especially small container vials. With the ability to integrate with the Epson printers, the ease of adapting to a variety of containers sizes and shapes, and the minimum sizes down to 8 mm in diameter make the BenchMax and BenchMate label applicators good choices for many companies. Contact us to learn more how these devices will fit your operation.
Guy Mikel
855-962-7670