In the label printing industry, staying ahead requires confident decisions and embracing innovation. Whilst buying pre-coated label stock is a cost-effective, hassle-free option for standard labels, it limits the customization options, and the possibility to produce specialty formats or to face last-minute, short run requests in a profitable manner. This is when printers can easily take charge by adding hot melt coating capabilities to their production processes to start making their own self-adhesive products and labels.
The Hot Melt Advantage:
Label printers who incorporate hot melt coating capabilities into their label printing processes enjoy multiple possibilities to enhance their offerings with new, higher added-value label formats. By applying adhesive in-house, printers not only expand their product portfolio but also streamline production efficiency for short print runs.
And how can label printers integrate hot melt application into their printing process? As leading suppliers of adhesive dispensing equipment with a broad experience in the hot melt coating and laminating industries, we recommend independent hot melt coating lines (link to LP web page – not ready yet) as they bring highly flexible and customizable options. Alternatively, hot melt coating stations (link to Akura coating stations web page) can be installed in any new or existing label printing line.
There are many advantages to using hot melt applications on coating lines. Specifically, there are four primary categories of benefits: line efficiencies, cost reduction through stock optimization, production flexibility, and an improved portfolio. Continue reading to learn more deeply about the benefits that label printers experience after incorporating hot melt application solutions into their printing processes.
The first benefit gained is Enhanced Line Efficiencies:
Configure specific pattern coatings
Easily create pull tabs with adhesive reserves
• Improve Printing & Finishing Line Working Speeds: The ability to apply spot hot melt coatings and to configure different pattern coatings eliminates constraints on finishing line speeds, more specifically during the slitting process, enabling printers to operate at maximum speeds. This translates into smoother operations and higher output without compromising quality.
• Apply Adhesive Reserves: Producing custom label stock internally enables printers to apply adhesive reserves, which is especially beneficial for labels needing pull tabs or easy peel features. When working with the pre-coated label stock, creating these pull tabs involves applying a varnish coat over the adhesive in the tab areas, followed by an additional lamination process, which reduces the line working speed up to 40%. In-house adhesive application streamlines production by allowing the reserve to be created directly during the hot melt application process, eliminating the need for additional processing steps and reducing production times.
Second, label printers can Reduce Costs with Optimization Strategies:
Reverse printing eliminates the need for overlamination
• For Multiple Label Formats: When printers work with a variety of specialty adhesives, face stocks, and label formats, in-house label manufacturing brings significant purchasing and storage cost savings compared to buying the pre-coated label stock for each of the potential combinations.
• Optimize Material Usage: Produce label formats that require less raw material usage, such as linerless labels, reverse printing, and stripe or window patterns without the need for additional varnish or overlamination. This reduces costs and environmental impact, and improves overall profitability.
Third, achieve Production Flexibility and Stock Management Optimization:
• Get Print Run Flexibility: Free from supplier constraints, printers can decide production volumes independently, with no ties to supplier minimum order quantities. This allows them to work with small print runs and tailor production volumes to effectively meet demands, ensuring maximum efficiency and responsiveness.
• Optimize Your Stock: Manufacture different end-products using the same face stock and liner but different adhesive add-ons or grades. This minimizes inventory overhead and maximizes flexibility.
• Make It Possible To Receive Last Minute Orders: With hot melt coating capabilities, printers have the agility to react quickly to unexpected orders or production events, eliminating dependence on supplier delivery times.
Fourth, expand your Product Portfolio:
Car engine labels require good thermal resistance
• Diversify Industry Reach: Confidently serve new industries with more demanding conditions, expanding market reach and revenue opportunities.
• Produce Innovative Label Formats: Expand product portfolio with innovative formats and application techniques, positioning your company as a reference in the label printing industry. These include:
• Labels Coated over the Printed Side: Applying a hot melt coating over the printed side allows to create two-sided labels, which maximize label space and provide versatility for transparent surfaces, and reverse-printed labels. Reverse printing on the back side of a transparent face material before applying the adhesive creates labels with durable printing, protected from surface scratches without additional varnish or top coat.
Booklet labels allow extensive information in a limited space
Multi-part piggyback labels are suitable for traceability
• Multilayer Constructions: Multilayer constructions allow to include a large amount of information in a reduced space by adding multiple layers. The most typical Multilayer constructions are the Extended Content Labels (ECLs) and the Piggyback labels. ECLs are ideal for industries requiring extensive information in a limited space, such as medical, pharma, chemicals, cosmetics and beauty, or food and beverage. ECLs include booklet labels, fold-out labels, peel and reseal labels, or dry release labels. Piggyback labels are multi-layered constructions that consist of two labels, one sitting on top of another. A frequent construction is multi-part piggyback labels, where the top layer is divided into smaller labels, so that each piece can be removed and applied to different surfaces, opening up many use cases for product traceability.
• Pattern Coatings: in this label construction, the hot melt coating is selectively applied to specific areas of the release liner or the face stock. This allows to create pull tabs for easy lifting of the label from the carrier, to establish dry edges around the label perimeter when working with high adhesive grammages, or to minimize adhesive usage by applying it only to the required area of the final label. It also allows to combine the use of different adhesives grades or grammages onto one same substrate.
• Linerless Labels: by eliminating the liner, this cost-efficient and sustainable label configuration reduces roll weight and space, adhesive usage, and waste. Additionally, it offers longer print runs with less roll change downtime.
These are some of the main advantages for label printers looking to expand their portfolio into non-standard label formats. In our next post, learn how to incorporate hot melt coating capabilities into your production processes.
Categorized in: Coating & Converting