By the time you purchase medicine at the pharmacy, it has gone through a rigorous amount of quality control for both the medicine and its packaging. Manufacturers, when using the proper pharmaceutical coding, labeling and packaging technology can track individual lots of medications throughout the supply chain from point of origin to point of sale.
Labeling and coding is critical in the pharmaceutical industry. One of the systems adaptable to pharma packaging is the Re-Pack Series 6 Print & Apply. This versatile printer/applicator integrates with all major brands of thermal transfer printer print engines – Datamax, Sato, Zebra, etc. The applicator is operated by a simple PLC and with a simple software command change the labeler prints either labels on demand so each one can be unique or in batch mode with each one the same. The labeling head may be configured for a wide variety of applications. These configurations include:
- Tamp apply
- Blown-on
- Tamp/blow
- Swing tamp
- Multi panel tamp, and
- Our unique cage style application device allowing long narrow labels to be applied directly to the side of a product.
In addition to the packaging for the pharmaceutical item, manufacturers also need to identify the shipping cases and pallets as a means to track them through the supply and distribution chain. This is necessary, for example, in the event of a recall so the manufacturer can identify which lot number of product went to which area of the country. A Re-Pack Series 6 Print & Apply labeler is a perfect solution.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers are faced with continuous changes in regulations and those lead to unique packaging demands for their products. Having the correct labeling and/ or coding system is critical to meeting these requirements.
What kind of coding technologies should pharmaceutical manufacturers and suppliers look for in a print system? Here are a few to consider:
- Thermal Inkjet printers that are ink-based, non-contact printing on cartons, labels, plastics and synthetic fiber materials.
- Laser printers that offer a permanent marking on, as examples, cartons, labels, bottles, blister foils, ampules and tubes.
- Thermal Transfer Overprinting systems are high resolution, ribbon-based solutions that can print on flexible packaging materials such as labels, pouches, sachets, films along with other materials.
- Continuous Inkjet printers which are fluid based (ink and solvent are mixed in the system) non-contact devices that are ideal for printing on bottles, vials, blister foils, tubes and other flexible packaging in high speed production environments or when printing from below is required.
Staying current on the regulations in the industry is challenging, but having a printing and labeling system in place that helps you adhere to them is key to your operations.
