Client
Leading manufacturer of label printing solutions (name withheld for confidentiality)
Industry
Packaging, logistics, retail (linerless label printing)
The challenge
A prominent manufacturer of advanced label printing solutions was encountering significant challenges with the rubber rollers in their linerless label printers. Linerless labels, which do not have a release liner, require extremely precise and consistent feeding to prevent adhesive build-up on the rollers, jamming, and misfeeds. The existing rollers were struggling with:
- Adhesive contamination: Over time, adhesive residue from the labels was accumulating on the rollers, leading to inconsistent feeding, print quality degradation, and frequent cleaning cycles.
- Inconsistent feeding: Variations in roller grip and surface properties caused labels to slip or bunch, resulting in misaligned prints and wasted material.
- Premature wear: The constant friction and adhesive contact were causing the rollers to wear out quickly, necessitating frequent replacements and increasing operational costs for end-users.
- Temperature and humidity sensitivity: Performance was inconsistent across different operating environments, impacting reliability in diverse logistical and retail settings.
The client needed a specialized rubber roller solution that could withstand the unique demands of linerless label printing, ensuring clean operation, precise label transport, and extended durability.
The solution
Enbi Group, leveraging its extensive expertise in engineered rubber compounds and precision manufacturing, partnered with the client to develop a custom rubber roller solution. Enbi’s approach focused on:
- Proprietary anti-adhesive rubber compounds: Enbi engineered a unique rubber formulation with inherent non-stick properties and high resistance to adhesive transfer. This minimized residue build-up, ensuring smoother operation and reducing the need for frequent cleaning.
- Optimized surface geometry and hardness: Through meticulous design and testing, the rollers’ surface texture and durometer (hardness) were precisely calibrated to provide optimal grip on the linerless labels without causing damage or slippage, even in high-speed applications.
- Enhanced durability and wear resistance: The selected rubber compound exhibited superior abrasion resistance and resilience, significantly extending the service life of the rollers under continuous operation, even with adhesive contact.
- Environmental stability: The new rollers were designed to maintain consistent performance across a wider range of temperatures and humidity levels, ensuring reliable operation in various real-world environments.
The results
The integration of Enbi Group’s custom-engineered rubber rollers led to transformative improvements for the client’s linerless label printers:
- Dramatic reduction in adhesive build-up: Printers experienced significantly less adhesive contamination, leading to cleaner operations and a substantial decrease in maintenance and cleaning frequency.
- Superior feeding accuracy: The optimized roller design ensured precise and consistent label transport, virtually eliminating misfeeds and improving overall print quality.
- Extended roller lifespan: The enhanced durability of the new rollers resulted in a 30% increase in service life (specific percentage can be adjusted if actual data is available), drastically reducing replacement costs and downtime for end-users.
- Improved printer reliability: The consistent performance of the rollers across varying environmental conditions enhanced the overall reliability and operational efficiency of the label printers.
- Strengthened partnership: This successful collaboration solidified Enbi’s role as a critical innovation partner, demonstrating its ability to solve complex material and engineering challenges for high-performance printing applications.
This case study demonstrates Enbi Group’s commitment to delivering tailored, high-performance component solutions that directly address industry-specific challenges, leading to enhanced product performance and significant operational savings for its partners.
