Toughwash Harsh Washdown Labels can also send an alert to in-line metal detectors to stop unwanted products entering the food stream.
Tim Van den Eede, product manager materials, EMEA, Brady told FoodProductionDaily, most industrial manufacturers use labels and signs but food and beverage production facilities are mostly precluded from these to guarantee food purity and quality.
He said to make sure the symbols and messages remain legible on the labels throughout numerous washdown cycles, Brady has created thermal heat transfer printable ink ribbons with a topcoat to produce a permanent print.
Harsh cleaning processes
“Toughwash labels can better protect customers and employees in the F&B processing industries by respecting both hygiene and workplace safety requirements,” added Van den Eede.
“The label has outstanding durability and survives harsh cleaning processes due to its specialty topcoat, a strong facesheet, engineered label interfaces and edges and superior adhesive.”
According to Van den Eede, factory cleaning processes involve spray washing with extremely high temperature and pressure water jets, exposure to acidic or alkaline detergents, and scrubbing with abrasive tools.
Ingress Protection Rating
To create a label that resists these ordeals, Brady constructed an application lab to test, evaluate and adapt its product until it resisted the abrasion, chemical exposure and the harshest spray conditions mentioned in the Ingress Protection Rating for DIN 40050-9 IP69K.
“Safety signs play an important role in workplace safety because they can prevent accidents by communicating vital information where it is needed,” he said.
“However, stringent hygiene requirements and the thorough cleaning process that comes with it, prevented food and beverage industries from enjoying the benefits of durable and long-lasting safety signage in their production units.”
Metal detectable labels
“As an extra safeguard, Brady’s Toughwash label also comes in a metal detectable version that can be recognized by standard metal detection equipment in the F&B industry.”
The product uses steel instead of aluminium and in-line detection equipment which will recognise the label without fault due to steel’s stronger alternating current field generation.
Brady also made sure the detection layer cannot be accidentally removed from the remainder of the label.
Toughwash labels can be printed with Brady’s BBP31, BBP33 and Globalmark printers.