Matthews Intelligent Identification - Product Identification and Traceability Systems for Packaging

Matthews provides a variety of product identification and traceability systems for the packaging industry, including coding, labelling and data capture equipment. We can design a process or system solution to place a brand, bar code or serial number on virtually any manufactured product or package, and can even include software integration into your existing systems.

Labelling and coding for the packaging industry

Our full range of coding technologies includes laser, thermal transfer, continuous inkjet, valve-jet, hi-resolution inkjet and laser. Matthews also offers a range of label printers, label applicators and label printer applicators.

Thermal transfer overprinters for flexible film packaging

Matthews' Linx thermal transfer overprinters are ideal for coding onto flexible film packaging, labels or gloss card — efficiently, easily and with low ownership costs.

Thermal transfer overprinters are ideal for the snack food, confectionery and pharmaceutical industries. With different models (TT3, TT5 and TT10) that print up to widths of 107mm, Linx thermal transfer overprinters are suited to printing ingredients, logos, promotional information, best-before dates and batch codes.

Continuous inkjet printers for packaging coding

Linx continuous inkjet printers facilitate fast, reliable non-contact coding and marking of a wide range of packaging, whatever its size, shape or material.

The Linx 7300 continuous inkjet printer is a fully featured coder that can efficiently print three lines (optionally four or five lines) of text, graphics and bar codes at single printed line speeds of up to 8.4m/s. Its key features include an intuitive, colour, user interface with what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) display and menu system, low-maintenance operation, low cost of ownership and an attractive curved appearance with a standard IP55 protection rating without the need for factory air.

Our continuous inkjet printers are proven to have the lowest cost of ownership and the highest reliability in the market place.

Print and apply / label printer applicators for packaging

Matthews offer the robust yet user friendly Fox IV and Avery label printer applicators for carton and pallet barcoding.

The Avery ALX series of print and apply applicators / label printer applicators is extremely efficient. It features an automatic foil-saving mechanism, conveyor speeds of up to 400mm/s and the ability to apply labels up to 30m/min with the utmost precision.

With Fox IV print and apply applicators, you get the best of both worlds — print quality and high-speed application. As a fully programmable label printer applicator, it can scan, look up, print and apply, retain label formats, control peripheral devices and utilise logic programming, all without a PC on the production line.

Label applicators for packaging

Matthews supplies a complete range of label applicators designed to dispense pre-printed labels on to primary products. Our range of Avery label applicators is perfect for high speed, reliable and accurate placement of labels.

Drop-on-demand inkjet printing systems

Our drop-on-demand inkjet printing systems ensure reliable and user-friendly variable non-contact printing. These printing systems are flexible and can be used to mark a variety of surfaces including plain and coated cardboard, timber, most plastics, expanded polystyrene, cement sheet and coated steels.

Laser marking / coding systems

Solaris lasers are high-performance marking and coding systems without the hefty price tag. Cost effective to run due to nil consumable requirements, Solaris lasers are ideal for marking either moving or stationary products.

The e-SolarMark FL is a steered-beam laser marking / coding system with the ability to code onto materials ranging from flexible packaging such as foils to metal and plastics. It is compact and modular in design and features an intuitive, touch-screen interface. A key feature of this laser technology is that it will not pierce flexible packaging films and does not generally require a special marking field.

Product traceability and identification software for packaging

Matthews' in-house software, iDSnet, provides the means to integrate product traceability and identification systems throughout a business, therefore creating the delivery of tangible benefits to customers.

iDSnet communicates seamlessly with coding and labelling equipment, integrating it into one complete and controlled infrastructure. Automatic fault-detection with vision systems is another strength of iDSnet, avoiding costly product recalls or hours of undetected errors.