Tamper Evident labelling instead of sealing with film

Games manufacturer Ludo Fact is increasingly focussing on sealing labels. A new Tamper Evident labelling machine from Herma ensures secure, gentle and efficient sealing with high process stability.

4 December 2024

The joints are tight after sealing, even with large boxes. (Image: Herma)

As Europe's leading publisher-independent games manufacturer, Ludo Fact is increasingly focussing on seal labels. This solution is more sustainable, but requires extreme dexterity when labelling and efficient handling of an enormous variety of formats. A new Tamper Evident labelling machine from Herma ensures secure, gentle and efficient sealing with high process stability.

Sealing board games, card decks and puzzles with sealing labels instead of shrink-wrapping is definitely the more sustainable way. However, implementing this efficiently is challenging, as labelling has to be extremely precise and extremely gentle. In this case, an enormous variety of formats comes into play: board game and puzzle manufacturer Ludo Fact produces for all well-known game publishers. Among the around 250,000 units per week are also many bestsellers such as Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, Halligalli or Ticket to Ride. The company, headquartered in Jettingen-Scheppach in Swabia, therefore relies on a individually developed Tamper Evident solution from Herma We manufacture products whose packaging is highly variable, from very small, such as for a card game, to quite large, for example for a game box measuring 500 x 250 millimetres,„ explains Andreas Kulle, Production Manager at Ludo Fact. There are therefore several, sometimes quite blatant format changes per shift.

Because the packs are made up on the conveyor belt and then transferred via a conveyor belt after sealing, the new Tamper Evident machine can be operated and converted from one side for the most part. This saves the operating personnel having to walk long distances around the packing and packaging system. But despite the high tempo of 120 beats per minute the cartons, which are no longer surrounded by a protective film, must not be damaged or scratched.

The sealing labels are attached to the lid of the box on two sides at a defined position by two Herma 500s. (Image: Herma)

The trick with the split conveyor belt

Variable guide rails with rounded edges are already waiting for the cartons at the infeed to gently hold the products in the correct position and, above all, to protect their particularly sensitive edges. In addition an adjustable top band with hold-down device ensures that the carton lid lies neatly in place and does not lift. To prevent vertical deviations, the cartons run on a divided conveyor belt that can be spread quickly depending on the format. „This is the only way to ensure that all packs remain stable on the conveyor and do not tilt if one side is heavier, which happens more frequently,“ explains Kulle.

A labeller is positioned to the left and right of the conveyor belt. As soon as the carton passes through a light barrier, the system uses the speed of the product to determine when the labels need to be dispensed so that they sit exactly in the defined positions. All label formats and their positioning are stored in the control system and can be reliably called up at the touch of a button. All packs receive at least two labels from the side, but some also receive two or three. A sensor then checks whether all labels are actually present.

The particularly tricky part begins before the ironing station, where the labels are also applied to the carton base: „The joints between the lid and base must be absolutely tight after sealing“, emphasises Andreas Kulle from Ludo Fact. „Otherwise, large acceleration forces are generated during subsequent handling, for example when an order picker at an online retailer lifts the game on the box lid.“ The possible consequence: the seal tears or damages the packaging. If the gap is too large, it may also form a bulge at the bottom and the protruding seal can quickly be damaged. „This must not happen under any circumstances, as the packaging no longer has any other protection against opening,“ emphasises Kulle.

Three spring-loaded rollers gently press the lid and base walls together, closing the gap and preventing the labels from bulging. (Image: Herma)

However, exerting mechanical pressure on joints requires a sure instinct, as scratched boxes are hardly saleable. The moment the sealing labels are „ironed over“, three spring-loaded pressure rollers gently press the lid and base walls together. A second sensor then checks whether the label has actually been folded over. An ejection station ensures that products without the correct number of sealing labels are gently pushed off the conveyor belt.

Andreas Kulle, Production Manager at Ludo Fact. (Image: Herma)

The complex task solved with process stability

„The Herma machine is characterised by a high degree of practical know-how and suitability for everyday use,“ emphasises the Production Manager at Ludo Fact. „Here, someone has given a lot of thought to how a very complex task can be solved simply. That's what I call Cleverness in product development. It begins where it goes beyond the pure technology of dispensing. From our point of view, Herma offers this added value like no other in the industry. This solution gives us the security of high process stability: it is the be-all and end-all of efficient production.“ And stable processes form the basis for the targeted further automation of production. Ludo Fact already has its sights firmly set on the use of robotics, for example in the form of cobots for packaging.

Source: Herma