L3904E Linerless Label Print and Apply System

2023 NED Innovation Award Finalist

The L3904E Linerless Label Print and Apply System reduces environmental impact by taking the waste-heavy process of traditional labeling and completely eliminating the label liner and spent thermal transfer ribbon, which are typically thrown in the trash. Labels up to 4.65-in. (118 mm) wide are printed onto direct thermal, linerless label stock and accurately applied to products, cases, and pallets.

A standard 4-in. (102 mm) wide label on a 12-in. (305 mm) O.D. label roll generates approximately 500 ft² (46 m²) of liner waste per roll. If a company uses one 12-in. (305 mm) O.D. roll/shift at 3 shifts/day, 1,500 ft² (139 m²) of label liner is added to the waste stream in one day and 7,500 ft² (697 m²)/5 day week or 390,000 ft² (36,232 m²)/year. Additionally, each thermal transfer ribbon generates 656 ft² (61 m²) of ribbon waste per 12-in. (305 mm) O.D. label roll. Assuming the same usage, that's 9,840 ft² (914 m²)/week and 511680 ft² (47,536 m²)/year of ribbon waste thrown away. 

The addition of an electric application cylinder also reduces environmental impact by eliminating the high energy consumption of factory air. As the cost of running a compressed air system consumes up to 8x more than electric alone, not including the cost of peripheral systems such as drying stations, the cost savings of using an electric cylinder can be significant.

An additional benefit of linerless is being able to have more labels per roll, meaning longer production between roll changes, as the system uses continuous stock cut to size and eliminates the waste of the gap between labels.