Case study: industrial labelling machine for carton blanks with camera inspection
The Print & Apply station built by Etisoft – an industrial labelling machine for flat carton blanks – labels them at about 60 units/min. Maximum machine output is 70 units/min, and a camera checks the required label position tolerance of ±2.5 mm. Previously the customer from the HVAC industry labelled the carton blanks by hand. Now 1-2 operators run the process, and changeover between product variants takes under 10 minutes. This gives real time savings, less manual work and higher efficiency across the line. The same people can take on tasks the machine does not perform.
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The challenge: manual labelling of carton blanks
Our customer from the HVAC industry labelled flat carton blanks by hand. An operator took the blanks from a box and applied the labels manually. This method required many staff, limited process output and did not ensure full repeatability of the label position on the carton wall.
As production demand grew, the customer needed to automate the process. The customer expected a solution that speeds up labelling, increases application accuracy and reduces the number of people involved.
The solution: an industrial labelling machine as a complete station
In response to the customer’s needs, Etisoft designed and built an automatic station for labelling carton blanks. The station took over the main tasks operators had performed manually.
The process starts when an operator places the flat carton blanks in the feeder as a stack. The station handles blanks with a width and length between 100 and 300 mm.
The machine picks the blanks from the stack automatically and delivers them one by one onto a short conveyor, at up to 70 units/min.
The carton blank then enters the application zone. There the station applies the label to its top surface automatically, using the Arca Evolution 250 applicator, which handles labels up to 250 mm wide. The core of the station is the industrial labelling machine: the Arca Evolution 250 applicator. The other modules – feeder, conveyor, camera inspection and reject unit – form the complete process around it.
Automation of this stage gave much higher repeatability of the label position than manual application. The Etisoft station uses the Arca Evolution 250 applicator, and the applicator places the label consistently, independently of the operator. Every unit receives the label in the same position, whatever hour of the shift it is.
Station parameters
| Parameter | Value |
| Maximum machine output | 70 units/min |
| Output achieved at the customer’s site | approx. 60 carton blanks/min, depending on blank length |
| Label position tolerance | ±2.5 mm |
| Carton blank dimension range (width and length) | 100-300 mm |
| Maximum label width | 250 mm |
| Applicator | Arca Evolution 250 |
| Quality control | camera inspection of the label position |
| Reject of non-conforming units | pneumatic drop flap |
| Changeover time between product variants | under 10 min |
| Staff in the process | 1-2 operators |
| Operator interface | HMI panel: parameter setting and recall of settings, fault signalling and fault description, diagnostics |
Vision system – certainty of correct marking
Automatic camera inspection is an important element of the solution. After application, the carton blank passes the inspection point, where a camera checks the label position.
The inspection covers the distances between the label edges and the carton blank edges. The system compares the measured values with the defined requirements and assesses automatically whether the label is correct. The project required a label application tolerance of ±2.5 mm.
Quality control therefore moved from the operator to an automatic system. Every carton blank can be verified against the same defined criteria. The camera system in the Etisoft station measures the label position on every unit, so correct marking is no longer visual judgement but a measurement. That is an argument in itself towards customers who require documented quality.
Automatic reject of faulty products
If the camera system detects an incorrect label position, the station rejects the carton blank automatically.
A pneumatic drop flap removes the faulty product from the conveyor. The flap opens at the right moment and drops the carton blank off the main transport path.
This separates correctly marked products from those that fail the defined quality criteria, without manual inspection and sorting.
Results of the project
The most important result was the move from manual labelling to an automated process of feeding, marking and inspecting carton blanks.
The solution brought the customer several key benefits:
- a very large increase in labelling speed through automatic feeding and application – up to 60 carton blanks per minute, depending on their length,
- higher accuracy and repeatability of the label position,
- automatic quality control of every marked carton blank,
- automatic reject of incorrectly labelled products,
- a smaller influence of the human factor on process quality,
- a reduction in the people needed to run the process, from several doing the labelling to 1-2 operators,
- a changeover time between carton blank and label variants of less than 10 minutes,
- an HMI display for setting and recalling parameters for every carton blank and label size, for fault signalling and fault description, and for machine diagnostics.
From manual work to a stable automatic process
The station allowed the customer to change the process organisation significantly. Tasks that previously required manual picking, manual label application and manual position control are now integrated in one automatic solution.
The feeder, the conveyor, the industrial labelling machine (the Arca Evolution applicator), the camera system and the pneumatic reject unit form a complete process. The station picks, marks and checks the carton blank automatically, and rejects it when it detects a non-conformity.
This is an example of a project in which automation increased output and also raised process quality and repeatability, while it reduced manual work. Etisoft delivered a complete label application station with camera inspection to the customer from the HVAC industry. The scope ran from the carton blank feeder to the automatic reject of non-conforming units.
Are you interested in automating labeling in your company?
FAQ
Is this station an industrial labelling machine?
Yes. An industrial labelling machine is the machine that applies the label. Here it is the Arca Evolution 250 applicator, which handles labels up to 250 mm wide. The station described here is that labelling machine, extended with four modules: an automatic carton blank feeder, a conveyor, camera inspection of the label position and a pneumatic reject unit.
What output does automatic labelling of carton blanks achieve?
In this project the station runs at about 60 carton blanks per minute. Maximum machine output is 70 units/min, and the real figure depends on blank length.
How accurately does the station apply the label?
The required label position tolerance is ±2.5 mm. The camera checks every unit and measures the distances between the label edges and the carton blank edges.
What carton sizes does the station handle?
Carton blanks with a width and length between 100 and 300 mm, with a label up to 250 mm wide.
What happens if the label is applied incorrectly?
The camera system detects the incorrect position, and the pneumatic drop flap drops the carton blank off the main transport path.
How many operators does the station need?
After the project 1-2 people run the process. Before it, several employees performed the labelling.
How long does changeover to another carton blank or label format take?
Under 10 minutes. The HMI panel stores the settings for every carton blank and label size, and the operator recalls them from memory.
