The Digital Product Passport will by 2030 gradually transform the way manufacturers produce goods and the way suppliers and retailers distribute them within the EU. Compliance, quality assurance and traceability are key concerns. But only explicit QR codes on labels and reliable RFID tags as data carriers make a DPP practical for use on goods or their packaging. It centrally bundles all information about a physical product: technical data, details related to a manufacturer or supply chain, materials, origins, efficiencies and sustainability, instructions for use and safety. When it comes to implementing DPP labeling, tried and tested printing systems and applicators by cab excel.
Labeling is key
Each print operation is individual, so are its requirements: volumes and widths matter, so do label sizes and print image quality. When applying printed labels automatically onto objects, cycle rates are an issue, whether objects are at rest or in motion and from which direction labels are applied. Depending on the use, resistances are required to blurring and scratching, direct sunlight and temperatures extremely high or freezing low. Rugged work environments mean humidity, chemicals, dusts or oils. cab units range from ‘out of the box’ desktop devices to modular systems designed for installation into automatic plants, well-constructed on a high level of workmanship. cab systems operate autonomous or with each other, master computers or a plant control. DPP objectives are entirely met.
General objectives
- Machine readability
Industrial SQUIX and MACH 4S printers provide print resolutions as high as 600 dpi, high contrast and print images razor-sharp in all areas. By this, small product, series and batch numbers can be verified with the eye and micro 2D codes or barcodes by scanners. In addition, cab offers proper labels on a liner or linerless, as well as ribbons. The surfaces of labels offered by cab are optimized for perfect results in thermal transfer printing, while the diameters of rolls and cores are tailored to cab printers, so is the winding. This definitely helps to further increase productivity.
- Durability
Thermal transfer printing in particular suits wherever codes and other data must remain legible on labels for months or years, such as with internal warehouse. Color pigments are transferred from a ribbon to a label material. Provided correct materials are in use, thermal printing remains legible on goods during processing, inspection, picking, stock and transport. In contrast, direct thermal label materials react directly to heat, eliminating the need for a ribbon. While quick and cost-effective, the prints are sensitive to heat, UV light and wear. Direct thermal therefore primarily suits for short-term markings such as shipping labels or picking slips. Many cab label printers support both methods and can be flexibly used for various tasks.
- Print volumes
When running with maximum print speeds of 300 mm/s, several thousand labels per day can be labeled in quality as mentioned before in continuous operation. cab printers process labels on rolls. Users remain flexible with large label volumes, as well as individual ones. There is no need of label sheets be reload over and over again. Label waste is reduced.
- RFID
Because cab label printers integrate seamlessly into information systems, data on DPP labels can be identified, assigned, recorded and transmitted based on production or consumer-specific criteria even without direct visual contact. For RFID tracking and tracing, special cab printers integrate an UHF RFID write-and-read module. Radio waves carry information within an electromagnetic field. RFID labeling differs from standard label printing. In addition to a print job, the printer receives information that is to be stored on a label’s RFID microchip. RFID labels are self-adhesive labels with an RFID chip and antenna. Together, they form an RFID tag. Requests sent by a reader system to a tag within the magnetic field are received by the tag antenna, sent to the chip and finally responded – for example, a serial number. The response received by the reader can be captured and processed by software.
- Print & Apply in one operation
Industrial businesses, in particular, opt for labels be further processed after printing. In terms of label printers, cab at present provides the most extensive range of accessories on the market. Label rolls can be rewound or unwound. Printed labels can be separated and collected in a tray, or perforated, to be easily separated by hand later. Linear 1D, 2D or stacked codes can be verified on validity and readability by scanners. cab goes even deeper when it comes to applying printed labels onto objects. The print units of SQUIX models, even more HERMES, can be expanded by a wide range of applicators. In cases of operations changing, changeover is easy. Whether labels are to be automatically pressed for the DPP, rolled or blown onto objects, corner-wrap, in motion or at rest – cab offers solutions for any operation. This is unique on the market. Thanks to standardization, the modular concept is global.
- Labeling heads
When applying pre-printed self-adhesive labels onto objects, industrial companies require systems that achieve high processing speeds even when products follow one another close on a conveyor. ROXI labeling heads dispense such labels fully automatically in a manufacturing plant. The master encoder - rotary or linear – automatically synchronizes the label feed with the speed of a product or its packaging on a conveyor. This ensures precision when applying labels as fast as 30 meters per minute, onto both flat and recessed surfaces. For maximum high-speed of 120 meters per minute, IXOR+ labeling heads are first choice with motoric roll unwinders and rewinders.
Great impact
The DPP makes physical products digitally accessible. cab provides the appropriate labeling technology. Each product scan is transmitted in real time to a company’s ERP system or a database – provided the data is readable by machines, follows standardized formats and is permanently and securely available to all authorized parties. Only seamless interaction between physical labeling and digital data management creates traceability that meets industry standards and the demands of major clients. Serial and lot numbers give every product a traceable history. In cases of errors, affected batches can be precisely identified and recalled quickly, without major extra effort. External entities such as public authorities can verify compliance with legal requirements more efficiently.
cab delivers equipment tailored to exact needs, shortens process times, simplifies operation, integrates seamlessly into existing information systems and pops by to fully understand every requirement. Those who now develop a future-proof labeling strategy create the basis for long-term performance and consistently efficient processes.