Marking packaging alongside the production line

The primary packaging encloses the actual product and comes into direct contact with it. Beverage bottles, cosmetic jars and chip bags, for example, belong in this category. The packaging material protects the internal product with its barrier properties and also has a major impact on its consistent quality.

Markings on primary packaging are also important for consumer protection and information (e.g. best-before-dates). In many cases, certain marking elements for product identification and traceability are required by law. That is why you will also usually find barcodes, data matrix codes or serial-, lot- and batch numbers on them. However, these codes are not only essential throughout the entire supply chain or in the event of a product recall. They also become more and more important for factory automation.

Primary packaging in the food and pharmaceutical industry in particular, must be food-safe. Cartons may allow critical substances from the prints on it to migrate on and into to the inner product. Inkjet printers with GMP-certified inks such as from Weber Marking Systems’ Markoprint series have been proven to eliminate the risk.

One more factor to consider is the environmental conditions within the production line. For example, if a plant area has to be wet-cleaned on a regular basis for hygiene reasons, the marking system positioned there might need a sealed enclosure with IP65 protection. This also prevents the ingress of dust and moisture, which can come with certain products and processing steps. Other obstacles are extremely hot and cold temperatures (e.g. in the freezer area) which are not beneficial for every electronic device in continuous operation.

The secondary packaging is also known as sales packaging and is supposed to catch the consumer’s attention in retail. It encloses the primary packaging and has no direct contact with the contents. Instead, it might have additional barrier functions, serve for decoration, informational and promotional purposes (e.g. win codes) as well as improve product transportation. On top of that, it can aid brand protection and consumer safety by holding tamper-evident features. For prescription drugs packaging sold in the European Union, it is even required by law according to the Falsified Medicines Directive 2011/62/EU.

Since manufacturers must ensure the traceability of their products, secondary-packaged goods will often be marked with identifiers such as GTIN. They ensure the unique identification of trade items along the entire supply chain.

Examples of secondary packaging are, for instance, folding boxes for pharmaceutical products and variety packs with individually wrapped candies inside.

Tertiary packaging is used to prevent transport damage and simplify logistics. It typically involves transport packaging such as cardboard boxes for shipping or shrink-wrapped carton trays. The focus is on uniform and reliably readable markings.