Multi-panel labeling with a single label

Rotary labeling machines efficiently apply one or many labels to the same bottle or container by rotating the bottle 360⁰ during the application. Each bottle is held between a bottle plate and a centering bell when traveling on the rotary turret. The rotation of each bottle plate is controlled either mechanically, with cam and steering cross, or electronically with servo motors.

Rotary labelers are ideally suited for 3, 4, or 5-panel applications because bottles are firmly held, which is helpful to wipe the labels. We control the rotation/angle of the bottles for label application.

Bottle handling is critical for multi-panel label application because each bottle panel requires a perfectly centered label positioning (facing). Bottle rotations need careful adjustment to maintain tension during wrap-around label application on squared bottles. 

When it comes to multi-panel labeling, the main difference between inline and rotary is bottle handling. On inline labelers, bottles are secured between a conveyor and a top hold-down motorized belt and don’t rotate. Rotary labelers transfer bottles to individual bottle plates and are held in place with centering bells on top. Then, the bottles can turn 360⁰ in any direction while moving around the turret.

Regulated industries like pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and food require increased space on labels to communicate information to consumers. You can use pressure-sensitive booklet labels to provide instructions or bilingual information, which can be applied with our rotary labelers and verified with vision systems.

Pressure Sensitive labels are also ideal for unique die-cut designs and can be applied to any bottle or container, whether glass, PET, or metallic.

One of the great benefits of pressure-sensitive labels is the versatility to run various lengths, heights, and shapes without buying costly label-size parts. Changeover times when running a different product because only bottle format parts will be required. Label applicators will need height adjustments, and their parameters are memorized in the PLC. Click the following link if you want to learn more about the additional benefits of using pressure-sensitive labels.

Like anything else, bigger is more expensive, and many product categories are highly competitive, so every cent matters. Hot melt is an economical solution for more extended labels applied to bottles like juice, edible oil, and chemicals.

The labels supplied in stacks or rolls, come without adhesive and backing paper, as with pressure-sensitive labels. When applied to the bottles or containers, only the label edges receive glue, and the rest of the label remains glueless.

One of the enormous benefits of Gernep Hot Melt Labelers is the closed-loop glue system that always uses new glue instead of recirculating glue. Depending on applications, spraying in dots or spiraling will also reduce the quantity of adhesive used to a bare minimum. Gernep integrates either Nordson or Robatech hot melt systems according to customer preference.

Applying a long label around a square or rectangular container certainly represents a challenge because we must work against gravity. Remember that only the leading edge of the label has glue. Therefore, we have to keep it straight until we reach the trailing edge of the label to tack it against the bottle or overlap the label’s leading edge. It is critical to control the bottle rotation to achieve perfect performance.

For wrap-around or multi-panel hot melt label application on square or rectangular bottles, we highly recommend using servo motors to control the rotation of the bottle plates. Bottle position and rotation speeds are indefinitely adjustable, which is very helpful when dealing with different corner radiuses. Please click here to find out more about the difference between Rollfed Hot Melt Labeler and Hot Melt Cut & Stack Labeler.