Thanks to a new inkjet marking system, General Chemical Canada Ltd has automated and greatly improved its bag lot numbering capability and thus its quality assurance to all of its customers. General Chemical produces thousands of 50 and 100 lb high density polyethylene bags of calcium chloride each year.

According to Rick Lehoux, superintendent of engineering at the facility, the Matthews International inkjet marking system automatically applies legible lot numbers to the paper and plastic bags, allowing the company to readily track its products and identify which customers have received them. Among the customers are highway departments, concrete manufacturers, and food processing companies all over North America, who use the material to melt snow, consolidate and de-ice roads, for food additives, and in other applications.

Traceability

From Lehoux's point of view, it's now much easier to trace any polyethylene bags in which the chemical material is packaged and about which customers might inquire. Each bag's lot number appears in large 1 ½ in. characters, which change automatically on a daily basis.

In addition, since the new Matthews International S.C.I. F.I.™ 3200 inkjet marking system was installed last summer, the packaging line is free of the ink-smudging maintenance problems previously encountered and the printing system easily supports operators at the required 120 ft per minute line speed.

At the Plant

The Matthews 3200 inkjet system is mounted in a fixed position, at the proper angle for the large print size. The bags arrive at the printhead in a controlled and consistent manner, with head close to bag surface to be marked for best print results. Printing is done horizontally on the side of each bag. The unique 16-valve design allows longer open time between prints, and the 3-way valve permits a single pushbutton to activate the purge cycle, when needed. Maintenance of the Matthews equipment is minimal during shut-down periods. It needs an occasional wipe of the printhead face, a pushbutton purge and nozzle fire. The flexible system uses MATTCOM™, a unique script language and protocol, for easy interfacing.

Automation Program

"This system has been part of an overall program to automate General Chemical's packaging processes. It includes an automatic palletizing machine and automatic stretch wrapping operation, as well as the automated marking system. Working in sequence, the new equipment operates in tandem to reduce worker fatigue, improve and neaten palletizing, and improve marking clarity. The entire operation is smoother today," Lehoux says. "It was selected primarily because of cost and maintenance considerations.

"The new marking system is so much better than the old one, because we rarely have to purge the coagulated inks -- washing the printing heads out with thinners -- which resulted in a lot of downtime and lost efficiency. In addition, today we can use very efficient quick-drying inks that are less prone to the smudging problems of the past," he says.

"The new marking system is a big asset in our move to automating our packaging operation."