Shrink-sleeve prowess

PDC International Corp. offers a new iteration of its R Series Shrinkbanders that provide labeling and neck banding at line speeds from 400 to 1,000 containers a minute, the company says. Engineered for 24/7 service, with continuous material web flow that doesn’t pause for cutting, R Series machines apply 1- to 3.75-inch diameter bands at heights as high as 2.375 inches with precision and repeatability, it adds. The company’s single-head, in-line and tamper evident R-Series Shrinkbanders apply thin-gauge banding materials of 25 to 40 microns that are compatible with such shrink-sleeve films as PET, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), PET glycol-modified (PETG), biaxially oriented polystyrene (OPS) and polylactic acid (PLA) films, it adds. Designed for the high levels of compliance and sanitation required in the pharmaceutical, food and dairy industries, the R-series system features an easy-to-use touchscreen and a programmable logic controller. It also can be outfitted with a zero-downtime, splice-on-the-fly accumulator unwind stand that eliminates downtime for roll changes, it adds. Additional features include ink jet and thermal transfer coding, 2-D and barcode scanning, and vision system inspection.

PDC International Corp., 8 Sheehan Ave., South Norwalk, Conn. 06854; 203/853-1516; pdc-corp.com.

Redefining mobility

Brother Mobile Solutions Inc. introduced its RuggedJet 2 (RJ-2) Series, the company’s first 2-inch format mobile label and receipt printers that are compact, lightweight, versatile and reliable for in-store, warehouse and supply chain operations, the company says. Designed to wirelessly print both labels and receipts from 1 to 2 inches wide, the RJ-2 is engineered to meet the varied and rigorous demands of today’s mobile environments. Available in four models, the printers support Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technology and are compatible with iOS, Android and Windows, it adds. Additionally, the RJ-2050 and RJ-2150 models are the first in the 2-inch category to feature Apple MFi certification and Apple AirPrint compatibility, allowing easy wireless printing from iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, as well as Windows operating systems. Other features include IP54 certification; an 8.2-foot drop protection; fast mobile printing of as many as 6 images per second at an industry-standard 203 dpi resolution; a lightweight, ergonomic device weighing 1.2 pounds; and multiple simultaneous connectivity options with enterprise-level WLAN security to handle inside and outside applications.

Brother Mobile Solutions Inc., 11030 Circle Point Road, Suite 100; Westminster, Colo. 80020; 303/464-6707; brotherruggedjet2.com.

Laser precision

To address manufacturers’ need for power and speed, Videojet Technologies Inc. launched its new 100-watt fiber laser marking system that complements and completes its existing range of systems, it says. The Videojet 7610 enables beverage manufacturers’ to mark high-contrast, high-legibility codes at line speeds 600 meters a minute faster than previous lasers on hard plastics and metals, including aluminum cans, extruded tubes and cables, it adds. The new high-speed fiber lasers can be used by manufacturers requiring promotional coding solutions of intelligent variable codes to directly connect with consumers, saving manufacturers time, resources and manpower. In addition to faster line speeds, the new system has a large marking window that provides more time to mark, increasing product throughput and maximizing productivity. The compact, flexible system seamlessly fits into a packaging line, has a source life expectancy of as many as 100,000 hours and features optimized PC SmartGraph software to aid in laser system configuration, parameter setting, template creation, and job setup and editing.

Videojet Technologies Inc., 1500 Mittel Blvd., Wood Dale, Ill., 60191; 800/843-3610; videojet.com.

Top-loading packaging perfection

At the FackPack 2016, Gerhard Schubert GmbH unveiled its new Flowmodul solution, a flexible, space-saving solution for horizontal flow-wrap packaging, the company says. The eighth system component in the packaging machinery manufacturer’s portfolio, Flowmodul was developed to perform without an electrical cabinet. Image recognition, pick-and-place robots and the Flowmodul all converge into a single system with a scanner that detects rotational position, shape, color and volume of each product, and then transfers the data for products that have passed the quality control to the F4 robots, it adds. Products are then picked from the running product belt and positioned in the feed system, which consists of a flexible, fully automatic adjustable chain. Other features include automatic film roll changing (splicing) as well as servo-driven film rolls, which enable secure handling of even very thin film, it says. The Flowmodul also enables the seamless integration of flow-wrap bags into the transaction-level modeling system, which is intrinsic to the company’s ongoing commitment to reduce system mechanics and interfaces while increasing functionality and flexibility.

Gerhard Schubert GmbH, Hofäckerstraße 7 74564 Crailsheim, Germany; +011/49-0-79-51-400-0; gerhard-schubert.com.

Driving integrated automation

Siemens Industry Inc. announced it has expanded its extensive drive portfolio for servo applications to include the Simotics S-1FG1 servo-geared motor that now is paired with the Sinamics S120 drive system. The combination enables a complete, totally integrated automation system that reduces engineering time and cost, it says. Available in helical, parallel shaft, bevel and helical-worm gearboxes with as many as 25 transmission ratios depending on the gear type and size, the Simotics S-1FG1 servo-geared motor includes high-efficiency and low-torsional backlash for precise, dynamic motion sequences. With a highly integrated functionality and scalable number of axes, the S120 drives are suitable for use in a number of demanding motion-control applications, such as printing and packaging machines, storage and retrieval machines, material handling conveyor systems and dosing pumps, it adds. Additionally, rugged, pre-fabrication motion-connect signal and power cables provide an easy and reliable method of connecting the components via the Drive-Cliq system interface, fostering fast online connectivity, it says.

Siemens Industry Inc., General Motion Control, 390 Kent Ave., Elk Grove Village, Ill. 60007; 847/640-1595; usa.siemens.com/drives.

Strong box reinforcements

Toray Plastics Inc. released a new high-tensile-strength polypropylene film designed for die-cut box handle-reinforcement tape applications that also can be integrated into the sides of corrugated and paperboard boxes for reinforcement, it says. The Torayfan RS03 high-tensile-strength orientated polypropylene (OPP) film can replace PET- and fiberglass-filament-based reinforcement tapes and provides important sustainability benefits, it adds. Used to reinforce die-cut box handles, the new RS03 exhibits tear resistance in both the transverse and machine directions. Boxes and box handles reinforced with RS03 provide the end-user with a secure, sturdy construction in such applications as beverage cases, corrugated bulk bins, and moving and storage boxes. Additionally, the RS03 offers the reinforcement tape market important source-reduction benefits because it weighs less than fiberglass and polyester filament materials, resulting in less material needed to produce the tape, the company says. No special machinery is needed to produce the tape, which is available in custom colors.

Toray Plastics Inc., 50 Belver Ave., North Kingstown, R.I. 02852; 401/294-4511; toraytpa.com.

Transmitting temperatures

Schneider Electric recently launched a new family of temperature transmitters, the Foxboro RTT15S optical temperature transmitter, featuring a large, backlit LCD display with optical configuration buttons that are operable through the glass cover of the unit’s explosion-proof housing, it says. Users can locally configure and operate the transmitter even in hazardous locations without the need for process shutdown, it adds. Designed to serve a wide range of temperature applications, the RTT15S transmitter is microprocessor-controlled, uses the HART version 5 or 7 communication protocols, and can receive input signals from thermocouples, resistance temperature detectors, and ohm or millivolt sources, it adds. The microprocessor-based electronic device also minimizes ambient temperature effects while delivering high accuracy, repeatability and linearization of input signals. In addition to three configuration buttons, the RTT15S optional LCD display offers a selectable red or white backlight, five lines of text or symbols, configurable bar graphs, intuitive menus, and scrolling help text in seven languages.

Schneider Electric, 38 Neponset Ave., Foxboro, Mass. 02035; 866/746-6477; schneider-electric.com.