ACE Issue 24 2019 | Page 30

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. 30 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.