At the Ernst Barre GmbH private brewery, a sense of tradition and a deep attachment to the region and its people go to hand in hand with innovation and strict quality standards. The brewery has been investing heavily in environmental protection measures for over 10 years. The beers and the beer-based mixed drinks – only traditional glass bottles are used – are filled in state-of-the-art bottling plants, running at a rate of up to 50,000 bottles per hour. A label with proof of origin and expiration date is attached to the back of the bottle, so that the consumer can see immediately that the drinks are in top condition. For reasons of traceability, an encrypted code is also applied, so that details of the filling can be pinpointed at any time.
The Barre GmbH brewery has already gained experience with laser-marking. However, as the mask laser in operation there was past its best, the firm was on the lookout for a flexible, economical and yet rugged laser marking system, which did not require any consumable resources. Thanks to tips from fellow brewers, who have had positive experiences with the K 1000 CO2 laser, Ernst Barre heard about the marking laser made by KBA-Metronic AG, of Veitshöchheim, Germany.
„During testing by KBA-Metronic-s competent staff, we discovered very quickly that this marking laser could be the answer. The design is much more compact than that of the masking laser, and no additional gas mixture is needed,“ said Dirk Stapper, the Technical Director. „It was much easier to integrate into our bottling line than we had expected.“
The K-1000 CO2 laser system used, with a power of 60 W, marks the filled and labelled bottles inline, in other words, as part of the production process. The two-line code, consisting of the filling code and -best before- date is applied, contactless, during product transport, on the paper rear label, by removing the upper layer of the label. Regardless of which product is being bottled – Pilsner (lager), wheat beer or any one of nine different beer and beer-based drinks – the shape and position of the labels are always the same. The marking system receives the signal to activate the laser beam from sensors that announce when the bottle arrives to be marked.
An ideal location for the CO2 laser was found on the production line above the label dispenser. This puts it outside the general cleaning and working area and in no way affected by the challenging production process. „KBA-Metronic-s marking laser operates with full availability even at high speeds, and produces a clear, legible typeface without the need for any pre-treatment of the labels“ confirmed Michael Boschan, Head of Production. „It was a good choice from our point of view“, he added.
Only registered users can comment.
