Primera Technology, Inc. offers its Catalyst Laser Label Marking System.
"Catalyst allows fast and easy production of highly durable, synthetic labels for a wide range of rough-service applications," said a company spokesperson. "Labels produced with lasers, including Catalyst, are typically used to replace metal plates or less durable labels produced by resin thermal transfer printers on polyester substrates."
Typical applications requiring such high-durability labels include the US Department of Defense's IUID program, UDI labels for medical devices and healthcare equipment, automobile VIN and under-hood part numbers, warning and instruction labels, aerospace and solar panel labels, serial tags for outdoor power equipment, vehicle and marine spare parts, building tools and materials and more.
Text, graphics and linear or 2D/3D bar codes are laser-imaged onto Color Laser Film (CLF), developed and manufactured by Schreiner ProTech GmbH in Germany. CLF labels are explicitly designed for extreme environment applications and do not require extra lamination to withstand extended exposure to UV light, chemicals, liquids and extreme temperatures.
Instead of ink, Catalyst uses a bundle of two, four or eight fiber-coupled laser diodes along with matched, high precision lenses (patent pending) to image onto CLF. Bundled fiber lasers have never before been used in a roll-fed, desktop laser label imager, making Catalyst unique in its class. After imaging the CLF material, Catalyst's built-in Digital Die-Cutting system cuts the labels to any shape, eliminating the need for pre-die-cut labels. "Unlike other laser-based marking systems, it uses a knife blade instead of the laser beam to cut out the labels. This feature eliminates the need for a smoke and fume extraction system, saving even more money on the initial equipment costs and the ongoing costs of periodic filter changes, cleaning and other maintenance," said a company spokesperson.
Catalyst's imaging method has several advantages for producing highly durable labels. Instead of a more traditional but more complex computer-controlled galvanometer with beam steering mirrors, Catalyst was designed more like a standard industrial label printer, such as Primera's LX910 Color Label Printer. This approach results in a less complicated and more rugged machine with no special maintenance or ongoing calibration required.
Catalyst installs on a PC as a standard Windows printer. Any popular Windows-based label creation software can be used to send image files. No special operator training or certification is required.
A printer driver for Windows 10+ is available online for download. Also available for download is an easy-to-use label design and printing software from Seagull Scientific called BarTender 2021 for Windows. Wired USB and Ethernet connectivity are standard. Wireless Ethernet is available using an inexpensive Universal Ethernet to WiFi adapter.
Three different models are available: entry-level Catalyst V2; Catalyst V4 with four laser diodes for twice the speed of the V2; and Catalyst V8 with eight laser diodes for twice the speed of the V4.
For more information contact:
Primera Technology, Inc.
Two Carlson Pkwy. North
Plymouth, MN 55447
800-797-2772
sales@primera.com
www.primera.com