BARCODING, LABELLING & PACKAGING
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING – INSIDE INOTEC’S LABEL LABORATORY
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stablished in 1999, inotec UK has become a worldwide leader in developing, manufacturing and installing durable labels, floortags and line marking solutions. With customers in a variety of industries including warehousing and logistics, healthcare and automotive, inotec has developed a range of products to meet customers’ specific requirements.
Based in Germany, inotec GmbH’s headquarters is home to its head office as well as its product development, testing and manufacturing facility. Over 20 years ago, inotec built its own laboratory to ensure its innovative products meet and maintain the high standards required by customers. Today, the company produces around 300 million labels a year for customers across Europe and many other countries around the world.
PRODUCT TESTING – CREATING SPECIFICATION DATA
One of the most fundamental aspects of developing labelling solutions is the product testing procedure. Product testing enables inotec to guarantee how long labels will last in a particular environment. This allows it to predict a lifespan for each label type.
On occasion, inotec is asked to produce bespoke labelling solutions for unique environments, therefore having its own in-house laboratory and testing facility is essential to do this successfully. There is a standard specification sheet produced by inotec to advise customers of product durability and life span. This spec sheet is derived from data collected during its core testing procedures including weather resistance, erosion resistance, adhesive durability and label readability. The thorough testing process allows inotec to provide customers with a report which details exactly how long it guarantees its labels will resist such conditions.
WEATHER TESTING – UV LIGHT AND WATER RESISTANCE
To test a label’s durability against weathering, both UV light and water, inotec uses high specification Q-SUN machinery at the German testing facility. These machines are used by professional laboratories worldwide for the weather testing of materials and coatings. The Q-SUN testing chambers allow inotec’s technicians to continuously run alternating UV light and water cycles to replicate realistic weather patterns. This allows inotec to examine how the labels will last when used outside.
The Q-SUN standards for UV light exposure are calibrated using the number of sunlight hours experienced in the Arizona desert. The US state has the most UV light in a 12 month period - 20 per cent more than even Florida. This ensures that all testing can reliably determine UV resistance above the minimum requirement for less sunny countries such as Europe.
The machine can also be adjusted by temperature and humidity as well as the strength and wavelength of the UV light. Customers can compare both the label quality and readability before and after the weathering cycles to see how durable they are for an outdoor environment.
IN-MOULD LABEL TESTING FOR PLASTIC CRATES
The range of in-mould labels produced by inotec has been specifically designed for use within environments that require a high level of hygiene, for example, those in which meat, food and medical supplies are processed. The in- mould labels are placed inside the mould before the injection of the molten plastic. This allows the label to become a permanent fixture on the surface whilst the crates are produced.
10 FEBRUARY 2021 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
The advantage being that in-mould labels have no adhesive edge so no bacteria or water can sit underneath the label. This is essential not only to maintain hygiene levels but also to ensure that the in-mould labels can endure intensive wash processes for a long lifespan – sometimes up to 10-15 years.
To be able to test the resistance of in-mould labels during wash processes, the inotec lab has wash machines which imitate the wash cycle. The machines were designed and built specifically for inotec and therefore no competitors have the same extensive testing processes.
The lab technicians use a supplied sample of plastic crate or tray with an in-mould label and place this within the machine. They are then able to replicate the wash cycle with various water pressures and temperatures.
The length of the wash depends on the life expectancy of the crate – whether it needs to resist 100 or 1000 washes. The results of the wash cycle test enable inotec to guarantee the in-mould labels will survive wash processes without compromising the quality and readability of the label.
THE INOTEC LABEL COMPETENCE CENTRE
Within the laboratory, there is a dedicated Label Competence Centre that continuously tests the quality of products to ensure they consistently meet inotec’s specification standards. The specification sheet confirms all labels go through the same testing for water resistance, wash resistance, UV light and temperature resistance and scratch resistance. Labels are tested to check factors including the quality of the label itself, the adhesive, the reading quality of the barcode, the sharpness of lines and the contrast between black and white. All materials and products are not only tested to the required
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