There is an industrial chemical that experts and the media have, for some time now, been fearing may cause problems by mixing with human hormones. Its name: Bisphenol A, BPA for short. It is contained in plastic dishes and tins – and also in thermal paper like till receipts.Bizerba changed its production methods even before this discussion came about and can, in the case of most labels, manufacture its products completely without BPA. The related chemical bisphenol S is only present in residue (<0.04%). In addition, Bizerba has developed a new protective layer for thermal paper, which, being based on resin, acts as the best possible barrier. An additional coating on the surface prevents BPA getting into the body via contact with the skin.
Marc Büttgenbach, Sales Director for Labels and Consumables: "Till operators that have an above-average level of contact with labels and thermal till rolls can breathe a sigh of relief too."
A photoinitiator is needed to set printing ink with UV light. However, its particles are so small that they can transfer into the food. In view of this, Bizerba set out on a mission to work with innovative flexographic inks, the components of which do not leak at all or only leak to a very marginal extent. Now, the label printing factory in Bochum only uses these low migration inks in the flexographic printing process.
Büttgenbach: "We have also invested in a new colour mixing machine and now mix all of our colours ourselves. As we only use low migration inks, we are certain that the printing inks used to make our labels are harmless. Thus, we are quite clearly positioning ourselves as the forerunner on the market."
Traditional labels consist of paper, adhesive and a liner (strip holding the labels). Bizerba linerless labels are manufactured without any liner strip. Instead, the paper is covered with a special coating with a separating effect, meaning that the rolled labels stick to one another in layers.
Büttgenbach: "Liner strips take up around 40 per cent of space on a roll. Linerless rolls have a length of 65 metres, whereas traditional rolls of labels are only 40 metres long but have the same diameter. The advantages are clear: you need to change rolls less often – and that means that customers save money. Furthermore, it saves the cost of disposing of the liner strips and contributes to environmental protection."
