Coding machine reduces printer head clogging at brewery

Figure 1: Leibinger JET2 NEO printer in use in production at Four Peaks in Arizona.

Production downtime and unforeseen costs due to faulty marking systems posed significant challenges for Arizona's Four Peaks brewery. Frequent printhead clogs severely impacted production efficiency. The solution came with the switch to printing technology from Leibinger, headquartered in Tuttlingen, Germany. Thanks to the patented nozzle seal technology in Leibinger printers, clogs are now a thing of the past, ensuring smooth, uninterrupted production and maximum efficiency (Figure 1).

At the vanguard of the craft beer industry in the United States, Four Peaks has built a loyal following since it was founded in 1996. Famous for beers such as Kilt Lifter and Wow Wheat, it was acquired in 2016 by beverage giant Anheuser Busch. Four Peaks is therefore not just the creator of beers, it is a modern and highly efficient business, and the person responsible for ensuring high levels of both quality and quantity is Gary Fogg, head of production since 2018.

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The challenge: A fresh approach to coding

To enjoy craft beer at its best, you need to drink it fresh. The brewery therefore prints an expiration date on every can or bottle, which encourages customers to consume the beer within 120 days of leaving the brewery. This helps to ensure quality, but it can also create a headache for people like Fogg because printing the expiration date can be problematic unless you have the right equipment.

Figure 2: Leibinger JET3 UP printer in use in production at Four Peaks in Arizona.

Before the Leibinger machines were installed, quality issues would often arise as the print heads on the printers became clogged. Every 15 minutes, the legibility of the print would be checked. If the expiration date was not perfectly clear, the production line would have to stop for up to an hour while the print head was cleaned.

Even worse, with 250 cans rolling off the line every minute, Fogg might find himself with almost 4,000 misprinted beers. And this happened at least once a week, sometimes even every day.

The solution: Listening to the voice of experience

This wasn’t the first time Fogg had seen this problem. Starting his career with another beverage producer, Fogg recalls similar problems with coding machines: “We were printing 24/7, and we would struggle with every other brand of printer. There was always one down, and it had a big impact on our productivity.”

Figure 3: Leibinger printers are used for printing on glass bottles.

The solution to that problem came from Tim Robinson of RMH Systems, a coding machine specialist, who replaced the faulty machine with a Leibinger to keep production running (Figure 2). Fogg came to trust Robinson: “Every time he would come on site, we would put a Leibinger on and it would work straight out of the box.”

Fast forward to 2009 and his new position at Four Peaks, Fogg faced the same problems with the same mix of manufacturers and promptly replaced them with more reliable Leibinger printers.

The impact on productivity was instant. “When I first started we were doing cleanings every week at least, sometimes every day. Now we don’t even have to do it every month.” Fogg admits that the cleaning schedule they follow may even be unnecessary: “Sometimes I think we just clean the heads for fun.”

The sustainability advantage

Figure 4: Leibinger printers are used for coding on cans.

There were other benefits apart from saving time. Cleaning print heads requires solvent, which can have a harmful impact on the environment. If the print head doesn’t need to be cleaned, you don’t need so much solvent, improving the environmental impact of the plant while also saving money.

Fogg also points out the environmental advantage of Leibinger cartridges/ bottles: “They’re designed to empty completely, so no hazardous waste. With other cartridges, I had to empty residual solvent and ink into a tank and have it pumped out every month by specialists for proper disposal. That takes time and money.”

Breweries can be busy, hot, humid places, which makes coding difficult for some printers: “I’ve seen Leibinger machines working perfectly in possibly the most difficult environment you could find, such as above the pasteurization funnel where the air is damp, hot and dirty. But it still worked fine,” notes Fogg.

Figure 5: Leibinger print heads are all equipped with an automatic nozzle sealing technology which ensures uninterrupted operation without failures and does not require regular cleaning.

Another problem arose with the condensation on the outside of pre-filled bottles (Figure 3). This meant that the soft-pigmented yellow ink Fogg was using was flaking off instead of sticking to the glass surface. Robinson suggested changing to a hard-pigmented silver, which adhered better. He also noted how the choice of Leibinger was important: “Once you put a certain ink in there, some machines are not big on changing. You have to change the nozzles, the oscillators, and we would never recommend it. With Leibinger, you can just flush it out and start again with a different ink (Figure 4).”

The result: A focus on quality

Figure 6: Even under extreme production conditions, Leibinger printers are designed to mark reliably.

The relationship between Fogg and Robinson is typical. Leibinger works closely with regional partners who are not only knowledgeable, but also highly responsive, usually able to come to the site at short notice and advise on every situation (Figure 5).

Four Peaks and Leibinger make good partners since both companies believe that success comes from quality, a point that Fogg summarizes neatly: “At the end of the day, our job is to brew great beer and get it out there to thirsty customers. And coding should be such a simple task. If it’s legible and repeatable and we don’t have downtime, that’s all we need (Figure 6).”