Rotech delivers precise positioning
of coding and messages for ice
lollies in compostable film
L
eading the frozen treats category
with its use of compostable plas-
tic-free film, UK ice lolly producer
LICKALIX is now applying low-cost
thermal inkjet (TIJ) codes, text and
graphics from Rotech to its premium,
better-for-you products.
Five years ago, the London-based family
spotted a gap in the market for ice
lollies which offered more in the way of
quality than colourings, flavourings and
sugar-water. Co-founder Karis Gesua
says: “There was nothing on the market
that was healthy, and we came up with
a concept where the ingredients are
organic, use whole fruit, and avoid all of
the major allergens.”
Producing over a million ice lollies a
year, the next stage in its development
involves aligning its packaging with
sustainability credentials. This year,
LICKALIX has taken the bold step to
move out of polypropylene (PP) film to
a compostable alternative. “Once we
have worked through our remaining
stock of PP film, we believe we will
become the first ‘frozen treat’ company
to use material which is compostable,
and carries the ‘Plastic Free’ consumer
trust mark, to wrap its products,” says
Karis.
When LICKALIX opted to purchase
a new PLC-controlled flow-wrapper
from Ilapak, the machinery company
suggested that it should consider in-
line TIJ coding as the optimum solution
for its best-before dates, batch codes
and other variable information.
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coder keeps pace with the flow-wrapper
and maintains consistent code quality.
“I did my own research, and it certainly
seemed the best fit for our needs,”
Karis recalls. “I wanted everything to
be uncomplicated, reliable, capable of
high-speed coding with a consistently
clear print.” After initial consultations in the
autumn of 2018, LICKALIX purchased
the horizontal wrapping machine with
integrated TIJ printer in December, and
by the end of January this year, the
combined system was operational in the
customer’s factory. “One of the aspects of the Rotech printer
that I like best is that we can add
additional messages to the packaging,”
says Karis. “We can flag up this
information about our compostable film,
references to the particular flavour or a
limited edition lolly. It takes only a matter
of seconds to pull different settings from
the memory. On graphics, you can achieve
almost photographic quality.”
The Markoprint Integra One TIJ printer
meets all of these needs, with an
OLED display and rotary dial for menu
selection. An encoder ensures that, as
machine speeds ramp up and down, the Rotech account manager Steve
Ryan explains that the company ran
comprehensive trials in the lead-in to the
installation to confirm good ink adhesion
on to the compostable film, in particular. LICKALIX says it has a possible coding
area running the length of the wrapper
and up to 2.5cm across it. “Code
placement is precise to around 1mm
within that area,” says Karis.