Domino launches U510 UV laser coder

The U510 has built-in data serialization and traceability management and works alongside Domino’s range of vision inspection systems to provide an integrated technology for serialized coding on pharmaceutical products. 

The U510 laser creates pin-sharp human and machine-readable codes directly onto white and colored plastic substrates without requiring additives or laser-activated fields. Coding is achieved by a photochemical reaction in the very top layer of the plastic substrate, resulting in a smooth, indelible code without the risk of compromising the product packaging. Codes appear bright white on dark plastics and deep black on white plastics.

‘Lasers are a popular coding solution for the pharmaceutical sector, owing to their high-speed operation and ability to create high-quality codes that meet pharmaceutical serialization and traceability requirements and last the lifetime of the product,’ said Felix Rief, head of laser and extraction at Domino. ‘However, certain types of pharmaceutical packaging, including white and colored HDPE and LDPE bottles, are not ideally suited to printing with fiber or CO2 lasers. Domino has developed the U510 to fill this gap to ensure that all pharmaceutical manufacturers have an option for laser coding their products.’

The U510 can process large amounts of data while printing at high speeds, generating unique codes for every product on a manufacturing line. The system offers verified serialization via audit trail to support manufacturers achieving 21 CFR Part 11 compliance. At the same time, integration with Domino’s R-Series vision systems enables all codes to be checked and verified at the point of printing. 

‘We have tested the U510 UV laser coder at several customer sites across North America and have been delighted by the positive feedback that the product has received. Everyone has been very impressed by the code quality – which has been outstanding even at very high production speeds – and with the flexibility and ease-of-use of the solution,’ commented Jon Hall, senior product marketing manager for laser products at Domino, North America.

The printhead and controller unit are lightweight and compact for easy integration into existing production lines. The scan head can be mounted in a horizontal or vertical orientation to give extra flexibility.