More reliability in label handling News | 21.02.2023

Applying labels to highly textured surfaces or extremely challenging substrates is one of the most demanding tasks in sectors such as steel production, precast concrete construction and the automotive supply industry. In practice, this inevitably leads to a classic trade-off: to guarantee a reliable bond on rough surfaces, a thick layer of adhesive is required. Whilst more adhesive increases the necessary adhesive strength, it also makes further processing of the label considerably more difficult. Under pressure from the dispensing systems or during rewinding, excess adhesive oozes out at the edges. This so-called ‘bleeding’ leads to contamination of the printing rollers and is an absolute deal-breaker for machine application, causing costly downtime in the logistics chain.

Another residual physical risk lies in conventional manufacturing. When die-cutting and stripping the labels, there is always a risk of damaging the extremely thin silicone layer of the backing material or failing to completely cut through the thick adhesive layer right down to the liner. Both errors disrupt the automated peeling process or lead to unwanted adhesive carry-over.

The evolution of intelligent adhesion: over 10 years of partial precision

S+P Samson recognised this issue at an early stage and has been working successfully with partial adhesive application technology for over 10 years. In this specialised process, the adhesive deliberately covers only a precisely defined section of the label’s total surface area. The major functional advantage of this tried-and-tested system solution lies in its extremely simple and clean handling – for example, during manual application whilst wearing thick work gloves in demanding three-shift operations.

Over the years, we have continuously perfected the precision and technology of edge control during adhesive application. Building on this technological foundation, we have now realised a groundbreaking new approach: The label’s contour is provided with an inner adhesive field so precisely that a minimal, completely glue-free edge is created all round. The technical implementation in our machinery is highly complex, as the material web with its glue-free zones must be turned with high precision and guided in exact synchronisation.

Maximum process reliability through groundbreaking manufacturing technology

Our development team, working hand in hand with experienced machine operators, is gradually pushing the boundaries of what is physically possible. The stated aim is to achieve the thickest possible adhesive layer for uncompromising adhesion to difficult substrates, combined with an extremely narrow, adhesive-free outer edge.

With over 45 years’ experience in industrial labelling, we know that subtle differences can make all the difference to the efficiency of entire production lines. With this innovative adhesive application geometry, we completely eliminate the risk of adhesive leakage in printers and dispensing systems. The result is a perfect symbiosis of excellent adhesive strength and fault-free handling in automated operation. Once again, S+P Samson has transformed a technological challenge on the factory floor into a robust, process-reliable solution for Industry 4.0.