A Food Packaging and Beverage Manufacturer Eliminated Inkjet Coding Failures and Wet Cardboard Using Maxum Air Knives
Shrink sleeve labeling runs on heat. Steam tunnels shrink the sleeve tight to the container, but they leave behind something the rest of the line cannot afford: residual moisture. On a high-speed packaging line, that moisture does not have time to evaporate on its own. It blurs inkjet codes before the ink sets, soaks into cardboard cases before they are sealed, and creates rework that slows throughput and inflates operating costs. The problem is not the steam tunnel. It is what happens in the few feet of beverage production line immediately after it.
The Maxum Solution for Post-Tunnel Moisture Removal
Maxumizer® Air Knives were installed immediately after the steam tunnel, positioned to remove residual moisture from containers before they reached the inkjet coding station and the cartoning area. The system delivered high-velocity airflow across every container moving at line speed, clearing surface moisture at the exact point where it causes the most downstream damage.
Placing blow-off directly after the tunnel addressed the moisture before it could affect coding accuracy or cardboard integrity, without slowing the line or requiring changes to the existing equipment layout.
The Result
Inkjet coding failures caused by surface moisture were eliminated. Cardboard cases arrived at the sealing station dry, reducing rework and keeping the line running at full throughput. The result was cleaner packaging, more accurate coding, and a more reliable operation from tunnel to distribution.
Every shrink sleeve line is configured differently. Contact a Maxum representative to find the right blow-off placement for your specific tunnel setup and line speed.
