Ad Tape & Label (ATL), a Wisconsin-based manufacturing and converting company, installed the first 3600 Series UV – Retrofit from Colordyne Technologies. The addition of a new digital print engine will allow Ad Tape & Label to expand its printing capabilities and enhance production flexibility.

Ad Tape & Label (an ISO-13485:2016 registered company) specializes in custom label solutions and FDA cGMP disposable medical device converting. These items are compliant to 21 CFR 210, 211 and 820. Ad Tape & Label provides the booklet, direct mail, retail, medical device and manufacturing industries with prime, promotional and extended content labels. The company has served its customers since 1951 with custom flexographic label printing. Its Menomonee Falls facility houses a full complement of converting equipment and flexographic presses. Ad Tape & Label invested in Colordyne’s 3600 Series UV – Retrofit to continue serving its customers with quality service and printing capabilities.

“The 3600 Series UV – Retrofit helps us be more competitive in the short run label market,” says Mike O’Connell, business development manager of Ad Tape & Label. “We can now offer current and new customers more affordable short run label quantities in less time. In addition, we are looking to incorporate more variable data applications into our production.”

The 3600 Series UV – Retrofit reduces turnaround times on short run jobs, which has given the company an edge in new markets. Ad Tape & Label has a lot of customers with multiple SKUs who only need a small quantity of each label. Prior to the UV retrofit acquisition high-mix, low-volume jobs like this were not time or cost effective to produce on flexo equipment. Using digital print technology makes executing short run quantities faster and more affordable for both Ad Tape & Label and its customers.

“The flexibility and high-quality of the UV retrofit helps us better serve new and existing customers,” adds Carissa Tesch, art director of Ad Tape & Label. “For example, when a customer comes in with artwork changes, they usually need it completed quickly. Digital print lets us make art changes on-demand, without sacrificing print quality or waiting for new plates.”

The 3600 Series UV – Retrofit uses digital UV inkjet ink, which is ideal for durable and industrial applications. The print engine allows users to maintain full use of existing flexo, tooling and finishing assets for flexible production on the same piece of equipment. The 3600 Series UV – Retrofit offers 600 by 600 dpi resolution at speeds up to 246 feet per minute (75 meters per minute).

Ad Tape & Label chose the 3600 Series UV – Retrofit for its hybrid printing capabilities. The company can print labels digitally and then finish them on the flexo press in one pass. Ad Tape & Label plans to expand its current print offerings with the digital technology to include UDI labels, lot codes and date codes.