Robust coding and marking solutions for wood, wood products and pallets
Thick beams, standardized pallets or entire stacks of wood: the wood processing industry provides a wide variety of products with markings that contribute to safety and serialization. We have developed robust and reliable inkjet coding and marking systems for wood processing machines for this purpose.
Direct marking of solid wood, plywood, material boards
INKJET MARKING IN WOOD PROCESSING
When processing wood, markings and codes are usually applied in-line. The product name, production location, date and time are required for serialization and product traceability. CE marking, information on the DIN standard or grading classes and quality seals, for example, are required by law or trade associations. Manufacturers also often add their logo for marketing purposes. The direct marking has to be clearly readable for man and machine, which is not always easy on the natural, usually very absorbent surface of wood.
Printing systems are available for wood marking that have been developed for the dusty environment and fluctuating temperatures in sawmills. Large character printers (inkjet) are particularly suitable for use under these adverse conditions and when a high-quality print image is not required. If, on the other hand, logos and more text are to be printed, high-resolution inkjet printers are also used.
What is important for inkjet coding and marking solutions?
- Reliable work in dusty environments (IP protection class 65)
- Easy integration into saws and wood processing machines
- High printing speed for high cycle rates
- Flexibility for adaptation to changing wood types and products
- Standard-compliant marking, e.g. for pallets (EPAL mark, IPPC logo)
The marking of Euro pallets is subject to the specifications of the European Pallet Association e.V. (EPAL) . The international association organizes the Euro pallet exchange pool. Every EPAL pallet has to bear the EPAL mark and the IPPC logo on the pallet blocks. The IPPC marking provides information about the pest-free nature of the pallet. Another mandatory marking is a QR code, which enables the serialization and traceability of the pallets. More and more inkjet printing systems are replacing the brand stamps previously used for pallet marking. On the one hand, Inkjet Printers enable the required printing of variable data, and on the other, they reduce the risk of fire in dusty environments compared to the burning method and are significantly more energy-efficient. The inkjet printing systems and inks used have to be certified and approved by EPAL.
Industrial inkjet coding and marking solutions are used throughout the wood processing industry. They are used to mark tree trunks as well as boards, timber, panels, construction timber, packaging wood and pallets. As integrated systems, our coding and marking systems are optimally adapted to the respective marking requirements and thus support the quality standards in the wood industry.
Application examples for wood marking
- Position markings on logs, boards and panels
- Quality class and quality markings on solid wood
- Printing of large logos on the edge surfaces of stacking material
- Edge marking of material boards with batch number, standardization, trade shows, CE mark
- Feather or edge lettering in small print on plywood
- End face labeling of beams
- Markings for the processing process on solid wood (saw protection markings, strength classes)
- Marking of packaging wood and pallets in accordance with legal requirements
Discover the various application possibilities of our industrial-strength inkjet coding and marking solutions. They ensure process-reliability and support automation in the woodworking industry.
EPAL organizes the EPAL Euro pallet exchange pool and contributes to the safety, quality and sustainability of international supply chains with standardized pallets made from the renewable raw material wood. There are currently around 650 million EPAL pallets in circulation. These and other EPAL load carriers are produced by over 1,600 EPAL licensees and repaired as required.
The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) prints the heat treatment of wood packaging to eliminate possible pests in the wood. This is intended to prevent them from spreading to other ecosystems. The treated packaging and pallets are marked with an IPPC logo and the manufacturer's license number.
