Unit 7 Labelling & Coding

Question 1

What is the information required on a label?

Answer 1

-Product name for customer identification
- Volume of spirit in the package for customer info
- Alcohol content (by vol) for customer info
Packaging code so the batch can be identified by producer.
Barcoding for retail and warehouse identification

Question 2

What is the purpose of labels?

Answer 2

• Informs the customer about the product giving details about name alcohol content volume etc.
  -Advertises the product by presenting an attractive appearance when displayed.
  Provides information for the manufacturer giving details about the code, date, bottling line, spirit tank or cask.

Question 3

What are the features of a labelling machine?

Answer 3

• A magazine to hold stacks of labels
  -A glue system that transfers glue from a reservoir onto a revolving drum which then glues profiled palettes.
• The revolving palettes to which the labels are transferred face up.
• A gripper cylinder which collects the glued label and transfers them to bottles.
• A revolving carousel that holds the bottles so that the glued labels can be attached.

Question 4

What are the objectives of labelling packaged products?

Answer 4

• Communicate legal info to the purchaser
• Enable good stock rotation and control throughout the supply chain
• Provide information to enable the producer to trouble shoot and identify the causes of any product quality issues as easily and efficiently as possible

Question 5

Describe the issue with inkjet coders?

Answer 5

They were unreliable and when they needed cleaning or resetting technicians inevitably ended up covered with ink.

Question 6

Describe Mask lasers.

Answer 6

C02 laser beam was generated in a box the size of a trunk and then it travelled down a tube and passed through a mask ( or stencil) with the code and this was then focussed or etched onto the label.

Pretty expensive - needed plenty of Co2, high power and cooling and also a lot of attention.

Question 7

Describe Continuous inkjet printing (CIJ).

Answer 7

Stream of continuously circulating ink which is applied onto a surface in a dot matrix pattern as it travels through the printhead. So long as the ink adheres to the surface to which it is applied it ca be used on that surface. The surface must be dry. The ink used for this sort of application is solvent based.

Question 8

What is a linear barcode?

Answer 8

Consists of a single row of dark lines and white spaces of varying but specified width and height,.

Retail favourite.

Question 9

What is a 2 Dimensional barcode?

Answer 9

configured into a stacked or matrix format. Two dimensional barcodes are special rectangular codes with “stack” information in storage in a smaller amount of space.

More data can be encoded in a 2D than linear.

Question 10

Describe Active RFID tags.

Answer 10

They are powered by an internal battery
memory size varies (1mb)
Longer reading range
Greater size, cost & limited operational life

Question 11

What are the ways of applying a barcode?

Answer 11

• Pre printed onto a label or pack.
  -Self adhesive labels can be pre printed or printed on line then applied as self adhesive labels
• They can be ink jetted onto the pack

Question 12

What is the purpose of packaging codes?

Answer 12

So the batch can be identified by the producer. The info to be taken from the code is usually the date of packaging, the source of the spirit and the packaging line used. This info is necessary if there is an investigation into a problem.

Question 13

What is the purpose of radio frequency tracking devices?

Answer 13

has advantage of being read at a distance and in multiple quantities.

Analogy of people being in a room and everyone shouting, all voices would be heard.

Question 14

What is the importance of record keeping?

Answer 14

Audit trails enable the history of packaged spirits to be unravelled and require detailed accurate records in a standard format, of each of the production and packaging processes.

Question 15

Describe RFIDs?

Answer 15

Can be read at a distance & multiple quantities

does not require contact or line for communication

data can be read through human body, clothing, and metallic materials

Question 16

How to extend printhead life

Answer 16

slower the better
lower power
best materials
less dots per mm.

Question 17

Describe Passive RFID Tags

Answer 17

operate without a separate external power source

Much lighter than active tags & less expensive & unlimited operational lifetime.
Shorter reading ranges & require a higher power reader.

Applied to some higher vale spirit products.