How to Automate Your Pill Bottle Labeling
The pharmaceutical industry has strict standards and regulations regarding the packaging and labeling of over-the-counter pill bottles for consumers. Different products have different requirements, and prescription pill bottles are no exception to those regulations.
The FDA requires labels for all over-the-counter (OTC) medicines (available without a prescription) to have a Drug Facts label. The Drug Facts label was created to reduce confusion by standardizing usage and safety information to be more understandable for the average consumer.
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Drug Facts label must clearly show and state the following information in order:
Name of the product
- Table of Drug Facts
- Product’s active ingredients
- Purpose of the product
- Intended uses of the product
- Specific warnings for products such as side effects and activities to avoid
- Dosage instructions, including when, how, and how often to take
- Products inactive ingredients (inactive ingredients may include allergens)
With so much mandatory information and branding to display on pill bottles, the labels are often very text heavy and with small font sizes. Some companies use extended content labels (ECLs) to keep their labels readable while still complying with health and safety information requirements. Extended content labels come in many different forms but the most common ECLs are Peel-back and Booklet labels.
Peel-back labels lay flat on the packaging and then peel away to reveal more information on the back. Booklet labels are much more extensive, both in size and the amount of information it can hold. The booklets provide several pages of information while using very little surface area with the pages laying flat as a booklet on the package until unsealed and unfolded.
Pharmaceutical companies must adhere to strict product labeling regulations, and with the abundance of vital information on pill bottle labels, the utmost care and precision is vital. The company’s credibility also lies in a successful labeling process. Skewed and improperly labeled pill bottles can make customers question the company’s professionalism and credibility.
There are many different ways to label pill bottles and the right method depends on the pill bottle’s size, type of label, and the labeling machine.
Wrap Labeling
Wrap labeling is the ideal labeling method for most pill bottle labeling. As the technique’s name implies, the label wraps around the pill bottle. One belt rolls the label off of the backing and holds it against the bottle. The other belt spins the bottle over the label. These two actions move the container forward while applying the pressure needed to create a tight bond with the label adhesive.
Another version of the technique uses rollers to move and secure the labels onto the bottles. The pill bottles travel on their side down a roller conveyor to the labeler which sits over the top of the conveyor. The labeler dispenses a label when it senses the bottle and the rolling motion of the bottle wraps the label around the bottle. A roller helps secure the label as it travels down the roller conveyor.
As long as the labels do not need to be placed on a certain part of the bottle, wrap labeling is one of the most effective and fast ways to label a large amount of bottles as the technique uses the motion and momentum of the bottle to label.
Automation Solutions for Pill Bottle Labeling
Booklet to Web
The Booklet to Web System is ideal for creating extended content labels as it is explicitly designed for booklets. Booklets can be difficult to label accurately as they commonly skew as they travel down the conveyor for labeling. The Booklet to Web System uses the proven and patent Lead Edge Registration technology to eliminate this problem.
Hard carcass belts pull the rigid folded edge of the booklet forward into lugs to quickly square the products with accuracy and precision that carries into the final placement onto the web. This avoids pushing against the open trailing edge of the ECL, which may not properly register the products. With the ability to be mounted directly onto a web printing system, the Booklet to Web system easily integrates into existing lines for more productivity.
The MFT Impresso Bottle Labeler
After the booklet is integrated into the label, the label can be applied to the bottle easily with a labeler. The MFT Impresso Bottle Labeler system is also recommended for peel-back labels and normal labels. The MFT Bottle Labeler aligns and applies labels with consistent pinpoint accuracy. The MFT Impresso Bottle Labeler’s adaptable design is configurable to label pill bottles of all sizes and even rectangular or irregularly shaped ones. The labeler handles labels of varying sizes up to eight inches, from large bottles to smaller bottles.
The robust labeler includes customizable computer controls, a 1000-watt brushless servo motor for unwind and rewind, and durable stainless steel shafts to provide maximum life expectancy. If larger production requirements are needed, the MFT Impresso Bottle Labeler is highly mobile and easily integrates with third-party components.
MFT Automation: Your Solutions Partner
MFT Automation has over 25 years of experience in the automation industry helping thousands of customers design, build, and integrate high-performance solutions. Our success is made possible by our engineering-oriented and customer-driven approach to finding the best automation solution for a customer’s application. With an expansive catalog of standard robust equipment that can easily be integrated into existing production lines or its own stand-alone solution. We focus on tailoring the solution to the application and not the other way around.
MFT Automation has an abundance of in-house resources that include Mechanical, Electrical, and Software engineers, and a machine shop with modern CNC and lathe machine tools. Our connections and partnerships allow for limitless opportunities and resources to create the perfect system. We work with customers from the first solution draft to integration to installation and training. Contact us with your latest labeling automation challenge, online or call us at 1-651-427-1255.
How to Automate your UPC Labeling and Tracking Process
Keeping track of inventory is one of the top priorities of internal operations for any business. A common way stores and companies track inventory is with barcodes which can be scanned to identify the product and its price. With barcode labels, products can be tracked from production to the point of sale, or even to contact a customer if there is a major recall on the product. There are two major types of barcodes used in the world.
Universal Product Codes (UPC)
Universal Product Code (UPC) is a unique 12-digit number assigned to a product or item by the Global Standards Organization (GS1). The GS1 manages global barcode standards, as companies cannot create their own UPC numbers. UPCs are widely known as the primary way businesses track inventory. The basis for UPCs was created by a group of trade associations from the grocery industry to increase efficiency while stocking shelves and decreasing check-out times at their grocery stores. Now, each industry dictates its own requirements for the UPCs. Though not legally required, UPCs are usually necessary to sell through traditional retailers and online marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and more.
UPCs are made up of a country code number (the code for USA and Canada is zero (0)), a company number code, and a product number code. With these parameters, there are billions of UPCs in the world with each company having hundreds to thousands of UPCs in its inventory. Each product and its variations need its own unique UPC code. For example, for every t-shirt design, there are size variations from extra small to extra large, meaning a company needs five UPCs (one for each size) for just one t-shirt design.
International Article Numbers (EAN)
The rest of the world uses International Article Numbers (also known as European Article Numbers or EANs) to track their products. With the popularity of UPCs growing in other countries, EANs were created to increase the number of codes for the different European, Asian, and African countries. The GS1 organization also assigns the EANs to companies. EANs have 13 digits and countries have specific codes while the USA and Canada’s country code is zero (0). Multinational companies can have both UPCs for their products sold in USA and Canada and EANs for products sold internationally.
Best UPC Practices
The main advantage of barcodes is their scannability, made for quick data capture and unobtrusiveness on the packaging. The barcode has to be readable otherwise it will not scan and important data tracking data can be lost. Let’s quickly cover some best practices and standards for your UPC labels:
To guarantee readability, UPCs must follow specific design standards. First, The area on the left and right side of the UPC barcode is required to be free of all printing. This area is known as the ”Quiet Zone”. Quiet zones are required on both ends to read the barcode from either direction to prepare the scanners for the barcode and tell the scanner when to stop.
The level of contrast between the background and barcode bars is important to maintain readability. In the same vein as contrast, the transparency of the package can cause problems. Transparent packaging, such as plastic bags or containers can be problematic as barcodes have trouble being read on the transparent material. It’s recommended that the background of the UPC on transparent packages be opaque white to increase the contrast with the dark bars.
The standard size of a UPC code is 1.469 inches wide by 1.02 inches high, including all the numbers on the bottom. The maximum recommended size, 200% of the standard size, is 2.938″ w x 2.04″ h. The minimum recommended size is 80% of the standard size or 1.175″ w x .816″ h.
The best location to place UPC barcodes on the product is anywhere that is easy to scan and find. Generally, UPCs are located on the bottom or backside of a product so the barcode doesn’t conflict with the packaging design. Though recent advancements in sensor and scanning technologies have boosted a new design trend of creatively incorporating the barcode into the packaging’s design. These vanity barcodes are still functional but they come in odd shapes and different colors and extraneous designs. But most companies stick to the standard design and many industries set their own specific standards for design and location.
Labeling
Large companies with mass-marketed products often integrate UPCs into the packaging design but small businesses might not have the resources. Labeling is a fast and cost-effective way to apply UPCs to your products. MFT Automation has a wide range of high-performance labelers for automating your UPC and barcode labeling process. From high-speed labelers to print and apply labelers, MFT Automation has a barcode labeler to fit your labeling needs. Compact and modular, our labelers are built to seamlessly integrate into existing production lines.
Impresso Series
MFT Automation’s Impresso Labeler is small and compact for maximum flexibility and can be easily integrated into existing production lines or exist as a piece of standalone equipment. The state-of-the-art, high-performance labeler features a 1000-watt brushless servo motor for efficient unwinding and rewinding and durable stainless steel shafts provide maximum life expectancy.
High-Speed Modular Series
Most companies have a high volume of products to label with barcodes and UPC labels. A high-speed barcode label applicator will help you keep up with demand. With independently powered, synchronized servo drive motors for unwind, rewind, and drive, the High Speed Modular (HSM) series can function at high speeds while maintaining accuracy and precision while placing labels. Flexible and compact, the HSM series can be easily integrated into existing systems or be a standalone piece of equipment without sacrificing space in your production lines.
Print and Apply Labeler
The MFT Print and Apply Labeler system prints and adheres labels to most flat surfaces from packaging, and cartons to folders, pouches, and more. Print and apply labeling is a good technique for barcode labeling as it can print UPC and barcode labels on demand. The system has a modular design with the ability to use different print engines for the customization of print quality. Customization gives the option to match the printing engine to a customer’s existing print engine so there is no learning curve in maintenance for a new print engine, making it perfect for labeling applications.
Track and Trace System
Integrate one of our high-performance labelers into our innovative Track and Trace system. The Track & Trace system offers turnkey product handling for serialization coding/printing, and an inspection and rejects system providing a trackable data file. A powerful infrared sensor allows for accurate count using double-detect and overlap detection. This integrated manufacturing system is equipped with a highly adaptable software package that ensures flexible and precise controls.
MFT Automation
MFT Automation has been helping customers design, build, and integrate high-performance automation solutions for over 25 years. MFT Automation’s equipment, systems, and services are known for their flexibility, accuracy, and performance. Our success is made possible by our engineering-oriented and customer-driven approach to finding the best possible automation solution for customers’ applications.
With an abundance of in-house resources including Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, and a machine shop with modern CNC and lathe machine tools, we work with customers from the first solution draft to installation and integration. Contact us with your latest automation challenge, online or call us at 1-651-427-1255.
The Best Automated Labeling Method for High Speed Labeling
Manually labeling products works fine at a small production volume but once production increases even slightly, labeling becomes a monumental and tedious task. Automating a labeling system can seem like a daunting investment but the increase in productivity and savings on wages makes the return on investment worth it. Depending on the application, budget, and demand, high-speed labeling is a valuable option for companies to increase their productivity. High-speed labeling is an option for most applications, including labeling boxes, bottles, scratch-off games, Unique Device Identification (UDI) codes, Universal Product Codes (UPC), and more.
There are several automatic labeling methods, but which one is best for high-speed labeling?
Print and Apply Labeling
Comparatively to other labeling techniques, which use pre-printed labels on a roll, the Print and Apply technique has the labels printed on demand and then applied to the product. Depending on the application, Print and Apply labelers use the wipe-on or tamp-on techniques to apply the labels. But printing new labels for every product, in most cases no matter how fast the printer, slows the labeling process down compared to pre-printed labels on a roll. The Print and Apply method is not recommended for high-speed labeling applications.
Tamp Labeling
The Tamp label application uses air and a tamp pad to apply labels. The Tamp technique uses vacuum suction to hold the label to the tamp pad until the product arrives underneath via a conveyor belt. The tamp pad presses the label onto the product as it passed on the conveyor belt. With the tamp technique, the smaller the label the faster the tamp pad can place the label. MFT Automation’s Smart Tamp technique accommodates for variation of heights of boxes with a spring-loaded tamp pad that adjusts to the needed height.
Dispense and Wrap Labeling
The dispense and wrap labeling technique is used when wrapping labels around a product. It is most commonly used for labeling cylindrical products such as bottles of varying sizes, vials, and straight-sided buckets. The product is initially captured in a wrap belt with a stationary backup pad or 3-roller configuration and begins to rotate. While rotating, the label is dispensed off the peel plate in-between the rotating device and the product. The label is fully adhered to during the rotation of the product. While the dispense and wrap technique is the most efficient and accurate way to label cylindrical products, it is not the most efficient or effective way to label non-cylindrical products.
Wipe On Labeling
Wipe-on is a commonly used pressure-sensitive labeling technique. The label is applied while the product is moving and the label applicator itself often matches the speed of the product as it travels down the conveyor. As the product reaches the labeler, it dispenses the label off the peel plate and the label is wiped onto the product. This labeling technique is often used for oval, square, rectangular, and some irregularly shaped products. Wipe-on is the preferred method for high-speed applications due to its simplicity.
Challenges with High-Speed Labeling
Accurate placement of labels is often a top priority in labeling applications. While wipe-on labeling has the most accurate placement rate of the methods, the high speeds still affect it. Accuracy is dependent on many factors including, maintaining constant tension on the roll of labels as it unwinds to dispense the labels. The tension comes from the dancer arms that maintain tension during unwinding/rewinding of the label roll. High-Speed labelers utilize strong motors to respond quickly to rapid changes in dancer arm position, maintaining tension at high speeds for accurate placement at the peel plate. Accuracy is also dependent on the labeler’s ability to adjust speeds quickly to match the variable speed of the conveyor belt. Adjusting speed can put a lot of strain on the motors as they have to react quickly to match the speed of the conveyor and products.
At high speeds, label rolls tend to be finished faster than when labeling at normal speeds. To keep up with the rate the rolls are used up, companies try to solve the problem by buying rolls with more labels. But just finding the largest roll of labels possible can be dangerous. If the roll of labels exceeds the labeler’s capacity it can have major consequences. Overworking the drive motors can shorten the lifespan of the motor as well as the other parts of the machine. There is also a high risk of damaging the labeler structure with an overweight label roll.
103 HSM+ Labeler
The 103 High-Speed Modular (HSM) Labeler is a high-performance labeler built for high-speed labeling applications. Equipped with three independently powered synchronized servo drive motors for unwinding, label placement, and rewind, the 103 HSM quickly adjusts labeling speed to match the speed of the product as it travels down the conveyor. Speed matching is vital for accurate label placement. Three motors also distribute the load and increase the labeler’s load capacity. Designed for flexibility, this small, compact labeler works as a stand-alone piece of equipment or can easily be integrated into existing production lines.
With over 25 years of experience innovating high-performance automation solutions, MFT Automation is your solution partner for your next automation challenge. Equipped with a diverse team of mechanical, electrical, and software engineers and a modern machine shop, MFT Automation works with you every step of the way from design concept to integration, to create the best solution for your application. Contact us for your next labeling project.
Know Your Limits: What is an Automatic Labeler’s Load Capacity?
In factories across the world, billions of products are being labeled before they go to customers. From warning labels on medical packaging to nutrition labels on food labeling, or Unique Device Identification codes on pharmaceutical drug packaging, labels are used for aesthetics but also to convey vital information to the customer. In any industry, customers look to labels to be applied in a neat and orderly fashion otherwise the product could come across as unprofessional or untrustworthy.
Where to Use Hygienic vs Washdown for Better Food Safety
In the food and beverage industry, food safety is a top priority. Keeping a sanitary environment at all stages of the food packaging process is vital for the safety of customers and the bottom line of the business. A joint study by the Food Marketing Institute and Grocery Manufacturers Association found that on average food recalls cost food companies $10 million in direct costs, this number doesn’t even include the damage to the brand’s reputation and the loss in sales while the company works to regain public trust. Investing in food safety as a business could save millions of dollars in legal damages in the long run.
Labeling on the Production Line: 5 Successful Ways to Print
When identifying which print and label options to use on your production line, there are a few factors you should keep in mind before making your decision. The first is your business model; you’ll want to be sure the printer and label application you choose supports your company’s processes and offers an opportunity for profit. You’ll also want to take into consideration the type of product or products the label will be printed on. The needs of your product(s) should directly influence which print/labeling method is right for you.
In this blog, we dive into the top five print and label methods to consider adding to your production line. Integrating equipment into your automation process that supports these efficient labeling and printing techniques is an excellent way to increase efficiency, output, and quality on your production line.