Primera Technology has introduced its new high powered, laser-based label printer, the DL500e Durable Label Printer. 

The printer allows fast and easy in-house production of highly durable labels for a wide range of rough-service applications, such as labels for the US Defence Department’s marking of equipment, car VIN numbers and other car part numbers, warning and instruction labels, aerospace and solar panel labels, serial tags for outdoor equipment, building materials and much more.

Text, graphics and linear or 2D bar codes can be laser ablated onto a range of adhesive-backed label materials. Finished labels are extremely robust and do not require lamination to withstand extended exposure to UV light, chemicals, liquids and temperatures of up to 300 degrees Celsius. 

Instead of ink, the printer utilises a specially designed laser diode along with high precision, matched optics. This type of laser and optics combination has never before been used in a roll-fed, desktop laser label imager. Labels produced with this method are typically used to replace metal plates or labels produced by resin thermal transfer that are laminated in a secondary process but are still not durable enough for many applications.

Both ‘smoke’ and ‘smokeless’ label substrates are available and each substrate has its own advantages for certain applications. For substrates that generate smoke, the DF-30e smoke and fume filter is available. DF-30e has five stages of filtration, which allows the DL500e printer to be used indoors without the need for an outside exhaust. 

‘We are excited to introduce this ground-breaking new laser-based label printer,’ said Mark Strobel, vice president of sales and marketing. ‘For companies which need to make laser imaged labels for use in harsh and severe service environments, it is the most affordable and easiest to use laser marking label printer available.’

Instead of a more traditional but far more complex and expensive computer-controlled galvanometer with beam steering mirrors, it was designed more like a standard industrial label printer such as the LX900e. This approach results in a machine that is far less complicated with no special maintenance or on going calibration required.

DL500e installs on a PC as a standard Windows printer and it can be driven by virtually any popular label creation software with no special operator training or certification is required. Typical systems will be priced between €18,000 and €22,000.