New Print Technology Solves
“Small Problem” for Biotech Manufacturer:
Datamax-O’Neil Performance Series Near-Edge Printer Meets the
Challenge of Small Text and Copious Data on Cryogenic Labels
Healthcare Solutions
“Because the 1120n is a near-edge printer, it
does a fantastic job on the polypropylene labels.
It was designed from the ground up for thicker
and hard-to-image materials.”
For a leading ISO 13485:2003-certified OEM manufacturer
of enzymes, meeting the rigorous demands of commercial
entities engaged in the development, manufacture,
and distribution of platforms dedicated to nucleic-acid
identification is a daily challenge. Enzymes are critical to
the performance of these applications, and the industry’s
relentless pursuit of higher performance emphasizes the
need for analytical-reagent purity and absolute production
consistency. Operating from the perspective that they
are “a manufacturing division of their customer,” the
company consistently delivers the highest quality and
value enzymes, leveraging them to drive customer success
via a business partnership model. Part of that consistent
delivery means labeling goods so that they are easily and
accurately identified when they arrive in the lab.
— Dana Ritchie
Principal, PaladinID
Problem
When enzymes are manufactured, they start in batches
of 50-gallon vats, and then are broken down into small
vials as part of a kit sold to research and testing facilities.
These vials must be labeled individually; the labels include
a great deal of data, two-dimensional barcodes, and very
small type. Because of the temperatures at which they
need to be maintained, cryogenic polypropylene labels are
used.
“With the printers they had installed, they were having
problems with registration and print quality, primarily due
to the small size of the labels,” says Dana Ritchie, principal
at PaladinID LLC, a Laconia, N.H.-based specialist in
barcode labeling. “It was a label and ribbon issue, a clarity
and quality issue.”
Along with registration issues, the legacy printers were
having problems with label drift. Further, consistency of
printhead pressure was problematic: operators had to
make a judgment regarding how much head pressure
to apply; consequently, the manual setting could easily
vary from operator to operator. This could very well affect
consistency of print.
Solution
Ritchie recommended a switch to the Datamax-O’Neil
Performance Series 1120n Near-Edge printer, which
he describes as “designed for this kind of challenging
application.” The first of printer was installed in August
2011. Three more have been purchased subsequently;
and as the company phases out the balance of its legacy
printers, it’s committed to replacing them with the 1120n.
“Because the 1120n is a near-edge printer, it does a
fantastic job on the polypropylene labels,” says Ritchie.
“It was designed for thicker and hard-to-image materials.”
The 1120n’s near-edge printhead increases reliability and
provides clean, crisp graphics and ladder barcodes, which
results in a higher scan rating. Further, it has a one-millioninch or one-year printhead warranty—twice that of most
printhead warranties on the market today.
Healthcare Solutions
Other key benefits also made the 1120n a
compelling choice:
• Auto-loading
The auto-loading feature of the 1120n represented a key
step forward. On the legacy printers, two to three feet of
label stock would get kicked out to calibrate the labels
properly; the 1120n calibrates with one label. Because
cryogenic labels are expensive, this enabled significant
savings in material cost.
“There hasn’t been a single hiccough with this
printer,” concludes Ritchie. “The customer
absolutely loves it. As testimony to that, they have
established the 1120n as the barcode printer of
choice going forward.”
— Dana Ritchie
Principal, PaladinID
• Automatic control of printhead pressure
Results
As noted above, manual control of printhead pressure
was a potential source of quality issues. With the 1120n,
printhead pressure is electronically controlled; it is set once
and followed automatically. It’s exact.
Since its implementation, the 1120n has been kicking
out perfect labels for the biotech concern—hundreds
of thousands annually. There hasn’t been a single
maintenance issue over that time.
• Gear-driven performance
“They’ve bought an applicator since we first installed, so
now they’re doing much larger runs,” says Ritchie. The
printer accepts a 600-meter roll of labels, so the company
can put in a large roll and go.
The 1120n eliminates the belts and pulleys used in most
common label printer designs. Instead, it uses motor-driven
gears that offer increased reliability and better label print
registration.
• Die-cast construction; center-biased printhead
The 1120n is designed to last and is built with a solid
aluminum die-cast frame that resists bending or rusting.
Unlike frames that can bend or warp, the printhead
mechanism mounts on the bottom of the frame and is
center-biased so it is always balanced.
From an operational perspective, the benefits have been
outstanding:
• Faster, smoother labeling operations—no lost time due
to poor quality
• Easier set up and operation through faster calibration
and automatic control of printhead pressure
• Material-cost savings
• Labor savings—no maintenance required in over two
years of operation
For more case studies, visit www.datamax-oneil.com