Nov 12 2007
DSM said this week that its Micabs laser marking additive is now fully compliant with the food contact requirements of the US FDA and EU framework directive 1935/2004.
Already well established in the automotive and electronics sectors, laser marking is generating a great deal of interest among food and beverage producers, says Valerie Reid, new business development manager at DSM Micabs, driven by factors such as product liability, environmental awareness and product traceability.
Laser marking is already used by some beverage companies for "under the cap" promotional marking of one piece liner-less closures. But manufacturers are now looking at placement of 2D data matrices or barcodes to provide unique product identities, which laser technology can place on complex closures that would not be markable using traditional direct printing techniques.
Falling laser prices, improved reliability and faster scanning systems, alongside developments in marking additive technology, has also made it possible to integrate fully automated "on-the-fly" systems into bottling or cap production lines.
"This combination allows high speed marking of text and logos with production speeds up to 90,000 caps an hour," says Reid.
The Micabs laser marking additive is suitable for use in PP and HDPE closures, with typical addition levels of between 1-5% resulting in a high definition, durable and ink-free mark.