How to inspect an in-mould label before it is moulded
An in-mould label has to be inspected for print and for the cut blank before moulding. After moulding, the label is already plastic-welded into the bottle, and many defects cannot be taken out.
An in-mould label has to be inspected for print and for the cut blank before moulding. After moulding, the label is already plastic-welded into the bottle, and many defects cannot be taken out. The conclusion from before moulding travels with this stack of blanks. Do not write shrink distortion back as a print-register failure.
Why it is judged this way
Once an in-mould label is injection-moulded in, dirt and a wrong label cannot be taken apart. The value of a full inspection is before the blank enters the mould. A sample after moulding only checks whether the wrong stack was used and whether the place is badly off. It does not replace the print inspection.
What to compare
| What you see | What to call it | What not to do |
|---|---|---|
| Text or a barcode on the blank is already bad | Do not send it to moulding | Wait and pick it after moulding |
| After moulding the place is slightly off, but the print record passed | Treat it as a moulding problem | Send it back to print |
| The blank has no batch number | Add traceability first | Say by mouth that this stack was inspected |
At job change or when a roll is opened
- Put the camera after die-cutting and before moulding.
- A bad blank cannot enter the good-blank stack.
- The sample after moulding is written apart. It does not overwrite the print conclusion.
