When it comes to date marking, industries like food, beverage, pharmaceuticals and OEM manufacturing must ensure this critical information is printed in way that’s readable and can withstand all types of environments – even those known to be harsh on printed information. For its durability and versatility, cardboard is often the material of choice that’s utilized across a wide range of industries to package a wide range of products. Cardboard also takes well to date marking, but for added assurance it’s wise to heed some best practices related thereto.
Date Marking with CO2 Laser Technology: A best practice for this type of printing onto cardboard is to consider using CO2 laser technology. These laser coders use electrical energy to prompt the laser’s carbon dioxide gas to emit a beam of invisible light. This heats the surface so that the information can be engraved on the surface of the packaging or that a pre-printed colored block is etched , which then creates the mark. The beam of light that comes from the laser is directed at movable mirrors controlled by a computer, which then creates a dot matrix image of the mark that is to be applied to the cardboard box or other type of packaging. A prime example of machine that employs this best practice is the MARKEM SmartLase, which optimizes the area to be marked on the packaging so that an air-cooled laser can be used to do the marking. Its small size, yet powerful laser technology, keeps the process low cost. The machine is also versatile as it can print on both stationary and moving surfaces.
Green Machine: Another best practice related to printing with a CO2 laser date marking machine is in the realm of environmental sustainability given the low amount of energy that is used, which also delivers a lower utility cost. Beyond its eco-friendly benefits, this type of technology also allows for a greater level of control over the process to ensure that high standard of quality while still providing for the necessary flexibility to print a wide range of dates and information onto cardboard packages. Ensuring versatility and adaptability is another certain best practice. In kind, it’s also notable that the MARKEM date marker with CO laser technology fits anywhere along the production line—no matter the production line configuration—as the printer is small and can be easily modified. Taken altogether, these are best practices that can lead to date marking excellence on cardboard boxes not to mention many other types of materials.
The main points to remember include the following:
- Accurate and durable date marking is critical to a wide range of industries, including food, beverage, pharmaceuticals and OEM manufacturing.
- Date marking best practices includes the use of CO2 laser technology for precise and durable marking of information on cardboard boxes and other substrates.
- Cost savings, flexibility, adaptability and low energy use are other best practices commonly found in MARKEM’s SmartLase machine.
