A recipe for success – laser applications forthe food and drink industry

Luxinar’s CO2 lasers have found somesurprising applications in the foodindustry.
From grill marking of meat products toThe packaging industry widely uses our

baked bread rolls, the food and drink

marking. They make ventilation holes inscribing eggshells and marking freshly

industry uses Luxinar’s laser sources innumerous imaginative ways. Our lasers

are also employed extensively in packaging
and bottling applications, where they canapply best-before dates, batch codes andother information at high speeds.

Laser processing is fast, clean, and flexible.
A laser mark is indelible andtamper-proof and is ideal for various

packaging materials. Lasers eliminate

inks and solvents from the production
line, so the process is cleaner, moreenvironmentally friendly and eliminates
consumable costs. Laser coding iscommonplace in market sectors including
brewery, dairy, cereals, soft drinks, andmore.

lasers for cutting, perforating, scribing, andplastic packaging film for fresh produce,scribe lines to create “easy-tear” openingsin plastic pouches, and mark information
on cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, andpainted metal cans. Our laser range isavailable in three wavelengths to suitvarious packaging materials.

Case study:

marking and scribing food
Our MULTISCAN® CO2 lasers mark andscribe directly on a range of foodstuffs,

Lasers can mark product dataon eggs.* Laser-scribed eggs
can be broken cleanly, reducing
contamination from eggshellfragments in egg-based productmanufacturing.

including eggs, meat, cheese, fruit andvegetables, and baked goods.

Laser coding can apply product informationsuch as dates, batch codes and place oforigin, add logos and graphics for branding
and advertising and produce grill patterns.
Lasers help food retailers who want todisplay food without packaging, reducing

cost and environmental impact. The laser
process uses no potentially harmful inks

or chemicals; it also reduces plastic waste
in the form of empty cartridges. Marking
directly onto a product can eliminate theneed to affix additional labels or packaging.

Pre-cooked meat products often appear
fresh from the grill, but most are notgrilled at all. To deliver consistency oftaste, visual appearance and overall

product quality, burgers, fish, and chicken

are typically oven baked and later brandedwith a grill pattern using a laser.

* This application illustrates the capability of a CO₂ laser to mark eggshells. No research has been
carried out to prove that the eggs are suitable for human consumption after being laser marked.

Lasers can mark or engrave logos
and graphics for branding

Case study:

keeping food fresher for longer
With volumes of global food waste

be monitored and adjusted on the fly, andfood such as fruit and vegetables fresher

In this way, customers can enjoy fresh foodincreasing year-on-year, keeping perishable
for longer is a key priority for many food

manufacturers and retailers. By precisely
laser perforating packaging according tohole spacing is easily changed.

and retailers and consumers can reduce
waste.

the specific needs of its contents, the shelf
life of fresh food can be increased.

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)

technology uses MULTISCAN® CO2 lasers to
perforate holes at regular intervals acrossthe plastic packaging film to regulate
the levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide,nitrogen, and other gases inside the pack,maintaining the freshness of the produce
inside. The optimum conditions vary

according to product type, so the hole sizeand spacing must be precisely controlled.

The laser process is flexible – hole size canKeeping vegetables fresher for longer with laser perforating

Case study:easy-tear laser scribing
Our CO2 lasers can create easy-opening

The MULTISCAN® HE and MULTISCAN® VSproducts. The laser selectively weakens

different packaging films. The process ispouches and sachets for various foodthe packaging material, enabling it to teareasily along the scribed line. As the laser

does not cut through the packaging film,

the pouch remains airtight until opened by
the consumer.

are available in three wavelengths to suit

fast and highly flexible; the same laser canscribe, mark and perforate the packaging

as required. The non-contact nature of theprocess means there is no downtime due
to tool wear or breakage.

Laser scribing of easy-tear openings in plastic and paper pouches

Case study:

marking packaging
The MULTISCAN® CO2 laser ablates theinked coating on paper and card packaging
materials, leaving a clear, high-quality

mark on the surface beneath. Variable

information such as best-before dates,batch codes, barcodes and 2D Data Matrix
codes can be applied on the production

line on the fly, with information continually
updated as required.

The laser marking process is quick, clean,
and reliable. Marks are indelible andtamper-proof, and consumable costs are

effectively non-existent with a laser coder,making it an attractive alternative to
traditional ink-based technologies.

Laser marking on

packaging is quick, clean and reliableCase study:
PET marking

The soft drinks industry uses plastic
bottles mainly made from PET(polyethylene terephthalate), a clear,strong, lightweight, and food-safe plastic.

CO2 laser codes applied to PET bottles areindelible and tamper-proof. Coding directlyon the plastic bottles preserves theinformation, even without the label.
PET responds particularly well to the

9.3µm wavelength of the MULTISCAN®
CO2 laser system, which makes marks
with enhanced contrast and higher

visibility. Best-before dates, batch codes,
and other information can be appliedon the fly, using a high-speed galvo

system to track the products on theproduction line.

CO2 lasers mark indelible

product data on PET bottles

Case study:

high-speed beverage marking
The CO2 laser marker comes into its own

in the brewery industry to mark goodquality codes onto labels on the fly at

extremely high speeds; modern labellingmachinery can run up to 70,000 bottles

per hour (20 bottles per second). Beveragemarking systems must be able to operate
in hostile environments and withstandregular washing down to comply withstrict hygiene legislation.

The MULTISCAN® HE excels in thebeverage industry; it is IP66-rated towithstand the harshest environments

where liquids or dust may be present withno adverse effects. High-speed galvo

technology allows the system to keep

up with production at the fastest speed
without compromising mark quality orreliability.

The beverage industry benefits fromhigh-speed laser marking of drinks
bottlesBenefits of

CO2 laser processing:• Non-contact process increases productivity• No chemicals, abrasives or solvents used, reducingenvironmental impact• High level of accuracy• Fast and consistent process• Flexible method that is easily automated• Design changes can be implemented quickly and easily• Largely maintenance free• No consumable costs (compared with inkjet printingprocess)• No mess (compared with inkjet process)MULTISCAN® HE and MULTISCAN® VS – 125W
CO2 laser marking systems

The MULTISCAN® range of CO2 laser marking systems offers an inklessmethod of applying alphanumeric text, QR codes, 2D and traditional

barcodes, as well as complex graphics to a wide variety of materials; itmarks substrates including glass, plastics, wood, paper, card, painted
metals, and more. The flexible software allows intelligent data to beplaced anywhere within the specified scan area, and the system canmark stationary objects or moving products on the fly.
• Clean, ink-free production lines• Static or on the fly marking, scribing and drilling• Large scan area, up to 300x300mm• High quality vector generation for precise rendering of graphics• Low maintenance – fit and forget• Available in three wavelengths – 10.6μm, 10.25μm and 9.3μm

Pre-sales technical support
Could a laser improve your manufacturing process?
Find out by sending us samples of your material or product to test in our labs. Luxinar’sengineers can carry out cutting, marking, engraving, drilling, scribing, ablation, and more
to replicate your application in the lab.

You’ll receive your processed sample within 10 working days and a detailed report ofour findings even sooner. You can also receive complimentary advice ranging from fumeextraction to sample positioning.

Whatever your process, we can help you to find the best laser for your application.

Contact us on https://www.luxinar.com/contact/ or info@luxinar.com
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Please note that while every effort has been made to ensure that the data given in this document is accurate, due to a policy of continued
improvement, the information, figures, illustrations, tables, specification and schematics contained herein are subject to change without notice.

Luxinar Ltd

Meadow Road

Bridgehead Business Park
Kingston upon Hull
HU13 0DG UK

Tel: +44 1482 650088© 2023 Luxinar Ltd903-0303-00 Rev 1

MULTISCAN is a registered trade mark (in the UK, EU and elsewhere) owned (in the UK, EU and elsewhere) by Luxinar Ltd, and must not be usedwithout permission from the owner.

sales.uk@luxinar.com
www.luxinar.com

Registered in England: 3477444