News

Datalase, the colour-change ink specialist, is launching its first piece of hardware at the Total exhibition.

The Widnes-based company, which has so far concentrated on technologies rather than equipment, has developed a machine to apply its Casemark tape directly onto secondary packaging, such as corrugated outers, on the final production line.

The imaging station enables packagers to decide where they want to place variable information such as barcodes.

It will be available for purchase from 15 May, the first day of Total, on a three-week turnaround.

Datalase was not willing to reveal the price of the product, which it claimed could save up to 40 minutes of production time per line each day.

The Casemark tape was unveiled last year as an alternative to the firm’s pre-print offering, where the Casemark material is applied directly to the packaging substrate in the required mark area.

The chemistry in the Casemark tape produces a colour change from white to black on exposure to a low-power CO2 laser. The tape does not have any backing paper, and does not require any inks, ribbons or consumables.

The chemistry is integrated in the tape material and uses a low-power laser, so it is possible to laser through the PP surface to effectively encase the image within the tape.

Datalase claims it is virtually impossible to remove this image. If the tape is pulled off the carton after imaging, the image is automatically transferred to the box, leaving a permanent image as evidence.

Datalase is on stand number 4231 at Total.