Tight labelling requirements grow ever more important when the traceability of parts and assemblies through the entire production process is required by the basic conditions of product liability, expanded warranty obligations or established quality standards such as ISO/EN 9001:2000, QS9000, VDA6.2 and TS16949. Brady continues to develop new comprehensive labelling solutions to support these requirements.
Labelling: The key to traceability
“There is real demand for quick, precise and consistent solutions for the identification of components for traceability purposes,” says Tim Van den Eede, EMEA Product Manager Materials at Brady.
“Labels are moving towards ever smaller formats. This simultaneously raises placement accuracy requirements. The best results are delivered by the combination of easy-to-use, high-end applicators with label materials specifically developed for automatic processing.” Because of this Brady sees labelling for traceability as a production-related holistic solution. “This applies to the label material as well as to its application system.”
Dedicated labels
“Durability and reliability are highly dependent on how label materials were produced and converted for automatic application. That is why our R&D department created materials like B-496, a polyimide specifically built for auto-dispensing and circuit board identification.”
Having developed materials specifically for automatic application, Brady turned their attention to special methods of converting materials to labels. “Part of a complete view on traceability is converting a specialised material into a readily applicable label that will consistently identify components in a production process, without slowing it down. Brady offers labels with ‘clean liner technology’, developed to prevent any over cutting into the liner as well as eradicating any adhesive seepage.”
Easy integration
Brady’s newest automatic print and labelling innovation is the BSP™61, a lineside labeller with a small footprint and exceptionally easy integration. BSP 61 is capable of putting a lot of information down onto a tiny label and places it very accurately. It picks labels up cleanly every single time, and offers great reliability when used with label materials developed for auto-dispensing.”
Traceability as a system
Qualified labels are the central elements of traceability. Labelling solutions that can be integrated seamlessly into the MRP system or other control software of manufacturers ensuring that barcodes, established 2D codes or variable information get printed and can be read by every individual component or assembly.
Since this data is transparent through the MRP system for production control purposes, quality testing can be executed more efficiently, resulting in faster fault finding.
From a system point of view, the following aspects are important to integrate:
- high-quality label materials,
- matching ribbons,
- suitable, compatible printers,
- regular printer maintenance,
- adequate software infrastructure,
- trained operating personnel.
Brady can support you in setting up an automated traceability system to answer the growing demand for identification on all fabricated components. We offer traceability solutions that are easy to integrate and simple to use with quality labels that can resist most chemicals, solvents and temperatures. Please email emea_request@bradycorp.com if you have any questions, or join our free webinar ‘The cost of an ineffective traceability system’ on Thursday, October 16.
