Beverage Manufacturers Can Satisfy Growing Consumer Demands with a Turnkey Laser Marking Solution

With an increased demand for the use of aluminium containers, beverage manufacturers can lean on the Videojet Lightfoot™ canning solution and fiber laser technology to mark permanent codes

CHICAGO — February 15, 2022 — In the high-speed, high-output beverage industry, manufacturers are facing shifting consumer behaviours that could impact operational efficiency. The trends include movement away from PET bottles in favour of containers made from other materials like fully recyclable aluminium. Beverage manufacturers are reacting by updating their packaging lines along with their coding and marking systems.

Inkjet printers have long been the popular choice for printing dates, lot codes and other product information on beverage cans. Yet laser marking technology has evolved over the last 20 years to become an equivalent or even more advantageous can coding solution, depending on a code’s desired quality and permanence and beverage makers’ demands for lower supplies usage. Since fiber lasers do not use inks or solvents and time is not spent replacing consumables, laser users can experience greater operational continuity.

Introduced in 2021 by Videojet Technologies, a global leader in coding, marking and printing solutions, the turnkey Videojet Lightfoot™ canning solution marks on cans at ultra-fast speeds and is robustly designed for harsh environments. Featuring two IP69-rated fiber marking heads, the solution delivers high-quality, precise codes in an all-inclusive system.

Videojet product manager Anuj Chourey commented, “Working with beverage manufacturers, we engineered the Videojet Lightfoot canning solution to answer the need for advanced fiber laser marking and superior speeds. Videojet customers have shown great interest in the solution, especially its turnkey aspects, washdown-proof IP ratings and redundancy feature.”

The system’s dual Lightfoot fiber laser marking heads are guided by a single controller to enable marking of up to three lines of text at speeds up to 100,000 cans per hour, depending on a particular application’s code requirements.

With its modular design, the Videojet Lightfoot canning solution can be mounted directly around a conveyor. An IP65-rated cabinet allows the system to stay in place during washdown, while the two IP69-rated marking heads are suitable for operation in a humid, sugar-laden canning environments.

Chourey added, “Now with strains in the aluminium can supply chain, we are seeing some beverage producers placing even greater importance on reducing errors and waste and maximising efficiency. The Videojet Lightfoot canning solution’s fiber lasers offer an excellent way to achieve this as they require minimal intervention once the lasers are installed.”

Best-in-class safety measures on the Videojet Lightfoot™ canning solution include a fume extractor and an enclosure built to Class 1 standards to block laser emissions.

Laser Coding Advantages

On aluminum cans, laser marking produces clean and reliable dates and codes that include production details to help lower the risk associated with batch recalls. Other benefits include:

• Consumables elimination and a reduced carbon footprint that canboost an organization’s sustainability mission.
• Infrequent operator interventions required compared to inkjet coding. Many lasers can run for years with virtually no maintenance required, apart from occasional cleaning of the laser optics and replacement of exhaust unit filters.
• Strong counterfeit protection with high-quality codes that cannot be altered or removed other than by destroying a can’s surface.

Learn more about the Videojet Lightfoot Laser canning solution.

About Videojet Technologies:

Videojet Technologies is a world leader in the product identification market, providing in-line printing, coding, and marking products, application specific fluids, and product life cycle services. The company’s goal is to partner with customers in the consumer-packaged goods, pharmaceutical, and industrial goods industries to improve their productivity, to protect and grow their brands, and to stay ahead of industry trends and regulations. With customer application experts and technology leadership in Continuous Inkjet (CIJ), Thermal Inkjet (TIJ), Laser Marking, Thermal Transfer Overprinting (TTO), case coding and labeling, and wide array printing, Videojet has more than 400,000 printers installed worldwide. Customers rely on Videojet products to print on over ten billion products daily. Customer sales, application, service and training support is provided by direct operations with over 4,000 team members in 26 countries worldwide. In addition, the Videojet distribution network includes more than 400 distributors and OEMs, serving 135 countries.

©2022 Videojet Technologies Inc. All rights reserved. Videojet is a registered trademark of Videojet Technologies Inc.

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