Did you know that much of the electricity used in industry goes into the production of compressed air? It’s a pity considering that up to 90% of the energy used to generate compressed air ends up as waste heat! Targeted measures such as reducing the pressure, eliminating leaks and recovering heat from the compressor can already save some costs. However, it is even more efficient to replace compressed air with electric drives. Let’s start with your labeling systems!
Electric driven instead of compressed air labeling
An electrically driven label printer and applicator offers a high potential for savings. They significantly reduce the cost of compressed air and offer even more benefits. In pneumatically driven labeling systems, compressed air is mostly used for the following operations:
- To support the label when it is peeled off the label roll
- To create a vacuum that sucks the label under the stamp plate
- For the automatic punch movement of the dispensing cylinder
- For blowing off the label onto the product (contactless labeling)
The vacuum for holding the label can also be generated with a fan or blower and the dispensing cylinder can be moved with a servomotor or stepper motor. Depending on the machine’s design, the support of the label is not necessary or can also be realized with an electric blower. If the labels are stamped directly onto the product by the applicator (tamp-on procedure) or stripped off (wipe-on procedure), no compressed air is needed at all!
Somewhat different is the contactless labeling via blow-on or tamp-blow method: Currently, in application processes where the label is blown off, you cannot quite do without compressed air. Nevertheless, we are already able to provide control units to ensure that compressed air consumption is only temporary when necessary. This significantly reduces costs.
Fully electric labeling machines and their advantages
The newer generation of Weber Marking Systems labelers is powered by economical low-energy motors (<0.75 kW). Our “energy-saving miracles” include the high-speed labeling system Legi-Air 6000. Electrically powered labeling machines offer clear advantages for industrial applications:
- Reduce costs due to less energy consumption
- No or lower maintenance costs of the compressed air system
- Higher production performance during labeling
- More precision in label positioning
- Extended application possibilities (eg in the freezer area)
- Better control
- Longer life, less wear
- No production losses due to polluted compressed air
From our point of view, it makes perfect sense to reduce compressed air consumption whenever possible. Reducing environmental impact does not only contribute to greater sustainability but reduces operational costs as well!
Get in touch for more information and FREE consultationTitle image source: © industrieblick – Fotolia.com