Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging News
Magazine
PMPN Article Index
Originally Published PMPN July 2005
Product Update
Expanding Labels and Cartons
Labels and cartons are expanding their capabilities to other dimensions, such as RFID.
RFID Starter Kits
Ten RFID starter kits are available to assist first-time users in complying with RFID requirements according to users’ needs, budgets, and timetables. The kits include bundled hardware, software, and SmartTherm labels. They feature such brand names as Alien Technology Corp., Symbol Technologies, Sato America Inc., Printronix Inc., and Zebra Technologies Corp. Four Alien kits (A1, A1P, A1S, and A1Z), three Symbol kits (S2, S2P, and S2Z), and four no-reader kits (P3Z, P4P, and P5S) are available for purchase. The company determines which kit best meets a client’s needs. The turnaround time for the kits ranges from two to five weeks. The Kennedy Group, Willoughby, OH; 440/951-7660; www.kennedygrp.com.
RFID Tag Production
An RFID tag production facility will offer its services in Fletcher, NC, beginning in the final quarter of 2005. The facility’s specialty will be the production of high-quality ultra-high-frequency tags. Annual capacity is predicted to be one billion tags. UPM Rafsec will develop its business with Raflatac and its label converter partners. UPM Rafsec, Tampere, Finland; +358 204 168300; www.rafsec.com.
Pharmaceutical Labels
 |
Various types of labels are designed to facilitate the work of hospital staff and protect patients. Pharma-Comb labels are detachable for easy reapplication to another surface. This feature permits information from the product vial to be transferred directly to the syringe. It also provides a simple way to document therapy. E-Temp labels accurately record temperatures to which a product has been exposed for subsequent evaluation. The labels help determine whether a pharmaceutical product in transit has stayed within its predefined temperature limits. The Safety Syringe labels are designed for use with safety syringes that include needle protectors. After administering a pharmaceutical, an end-user can peel two detachable labels off of the protector for documentation, simply by rotating the syringe. Schreiner Group GmbH & Co. KG, Oberschleibheim, Germany; +49 89 31584400; www.schreiner-medipharm.com.
Label Stock
Security-label printing stocks are self-adhesive and combine Creo Traceless taggants with Acucote label materials. The stock is then sold to label converters for the manufacture of pharmaceutical and other labels. The Creo Traceless Marking and Sensing system enables the creation of unique, forensically invisible identification codes that can be used for anticounterfeiting, inventory management, product tracking and tracing, or simple brand authentication. The security-label printing stocks are inexpensive and machine readable. Creo Inc., Vancouver, BC, Canada; 604/451-2700; www.creo.com.
Carton Design Services
A company offers services from packaging research and design to printing collateral support material. Pharmaceutical folding cartons and blister cards are available. Using computer-to-plate (CTP) technology, a job can go straight from the computer to the press, thereby eliminating the need for films. CTP reportedly features a reduced occurrence of printing errors as well as simple, nearly instantaneous corrections to proofs. Additionally, source files are tightly controlled, with only the last approved versions available for use. Clients can remotely download and examine layouts and final production files via the company’s FTP servers. A ProSoft management tool tracks every stage of a project in detail. Pharmapak Inc., Longueuil, QC, Canada; 450/646-1107; www.pharmapak.ca.
PET Film
Label converters can streamline processing with a coextruded PET film. The polyester label film, Lumirror PS10, makes it possible for converters to eliminate costly and time-consuming corona treatments or chemical priming processes and produce a high-quality label product that prevents migration of silicone to other surfaces. The film has good peel strength and release speed. It is made with a coextruded sheet consisting of a thin layer of amorphous material over a thicker layer of crystalline polyester. It can be laminated, printed on, or vacuum metallized. Applications include labels for creating and improving brand awareness and permanent or semipermanent labels for attachment to parts or components. Toray Plastics (America) Inc., North Kingstown, RI; 401/294-4511; www.torayfilms.com.
Island Placement Labels
Island placement provides a label-on-label construction designed for tracking, tracing, and increasing information. A custom release system permits the top, or island, label to be easily and cleanly removed from the base label, producing a dual-labeling configuration. The island label can then be reapplied to a variety of surfaces, including glass or plastic vials, syringes, patient charts, or medical records. Consistent information printed on both labels can be used to provide greater reliability and security in the transfer of critical data. The labels can be designed and customized for a number of applications. Alcohol-resistant printing and double serialization can be performed, and a Reduced Space Symbology code and integrated two-dimensional code can provide increased data capacity. Topflight Corp., York, PA; 717/227-5400; www.topflight.com.
Copyright ©2004 Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News
