Shrink Sleeve Labels Deliver Low Cost and High Shelf Impact for the Craft Beer Industry

Apr 26, 2018

RALEIGH, N.C. – Axon, a product brand of ProMach, brings to BrewExpo America, May 1-3, Music City Center in Nashville, a wealth of information on its shrink sleeve applicators and heat tunnels – solutions for nearly every craft beer packaging environment. (Axon BrewExpo Booth # 2744)

Axon demonstrates the EZ-150SL and ThermoFlow heat tunnel combo for PVC, PETG, OPS, and PLA films. The duo illustrates the quality and productivity of Axon’s next generation shrink sleeve solutions. This mandrel-style applicator, rated at up to 150 units per minute, has a stainless-steel frame for long service life and the latest in computer-controlled adjustment for fast, accurate, and trouble-free film feeding and cutting. Axon’s axial knife mechanism ensures long blade life, which lowers operating costs. An icon-based display makes Axon next generation machines “EZ” to operate and maintain. A video of the unit is available on the Axon website.

ThermoFlow is a compact, self-contained steam shrink tunnel featuring gentle even steam heat that promotes precise shrink. Its 15-PSI low pressure steam generator does not require the licensing or certification necessary with high pressure boilers. It is easy to set up, changeover, clean, and maintain. It is ideal for craft breweries and mobile canners.

A what’s hot and what’s next desire drives sales growth in the craft beer industry

Craft beer customers and retailers ask every day what’s hot and what’s next? The answer is often the seasonal brews and one offs that brew masters develop to satisfy the public’s craving for new and different, and the retailers desire to bring customers into the store. The packaging problem for short run brews comes from the economics of purchasing preprinted cans. It makes no sense to purchase a trailer sized volume of 200,000 cans – the minimum order for preprinted – when the brewery needs a fraction of that number.

Axon believes the ideal solution for short runs is shrink sleeve labels. Made of heat-sensitive printable film, shrink sleeves mold perfectly to the contours of the entire can. Shrink sleeves fool the eye into believing the can is printed. Film offers designers the widest possible color pallet to draw the attention of consumers. This style of label gives the package an attractiveness that is impossible for preprinting to achieve. Shrink sleeve labels can be produced in less time than preprinted cans and in quantities suitable for short-run products.

Shrink sleeve application basics

Shrink sleeve applicators are sold in combination with a heat tunnel, which shrinks the film to the contour of the can. Tunnels are either electric or steam. For empty beer cans, both steam and electric tunnels work well to provide a high-quality shrink finish. Low-pressure steam tunnels, such as the ThermoFlow, consume less energy than high-pressure options.

Shrink sleeve applicators are designed to process and apply shrink sleeve labels that are provided in roll form. Applicators open and precisely cut individual labels along predetermined cut lines so that the registration of the label is perfect. The label is then applied to the can as it passes beneath the applicator on a conveyor. Long-service-life knives are the best as they reduce the cost of ownership. A major difference between applicators is the ease of changeover. Breweries and mobile canners benefit from easy, fast adjustment of the applicator. Easy and fast translates into quality labeling, greater uptime, and lower operator involvement.

Stop by Axon booth 2744 at BrewExpo America to learn more about the advantages of shrink sleeve labels for seasonal and other short run brews and what to look for in the best shrink sleeve applicator and heat tunnel combinations. Call Axon at 800-598-8601.

About Axon

Axon provides our customers the means to produce attractive sleeve labeled products and tamper evident protected packages with dependable performance and unmatched flexibility that translate into dollars and cents on the bottom line. Engineered for reliability and value, Axon solutions includes shrink sleeve applicators, stretch sleeve applicators, tamper evident band applicators, and heat shrink tunnels for pharmaceuticals, beverages, processed foods, dairy, health and beauty, household, and chemical products. Axon is a product brand of ProMach, a global leader in packaging line solutions. As part of P.E. Labellers and the ProMach Labeling & Coding business line, Axon helps our packaging customers protect their reputation and grow the trust of their consumers. ProMach is performance, and the proof is in every package. Learn more about Axon at www.AxonCorp.com.

Media Contact

David Starck | 1-720-390-7707

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