Altech ALbelt Two Section Labeling System

Labeling the underside of a pack is a conveyor problem before it is a labeling problem.

A top label is easy: the head sits above the line and the product runs underneath it. A bottom label has nowhere to come from, because the product is sitting on the belt. The ALbelt two section labeling system is the standard answer. Two belt sections run in line with a break between them, and the underside of the product is reachable as it crosses the gap.

Altech's version is the BT52 ALbelt two section belt conveyor, and with a head above and a head below it labels both faces in a single pass.

Labeling a lid and a base on the same line? Book an equipment audit and we will size the station against your actual pack.

Marapack Services is an independent company, not Altech S.r.l. and not ALTech US. We are the Pacific Northwest distributor for Altech labeling systems, importing direct from the factory in Bareggio, Italy.

What is the ALbelt two section labeling system?

The ALbelt two section labeling system is Altech's BT52 belt conveyor: two belt sections in line with a break between them, so a head mounted below the line can label the underside of a pack while a head above labels the top. It turns a single conveyor into a station that labels two opposing faces in one pass.

Belt width is chosen for the pack.

For the other ways to label a lid and a base, including applicators added to an existing line, see our top and bottom labeling machines page. The rest of the range, including the single belt, flighted, heavy duty, vacuum and twin side belt options, is on the Altech ALbelt conveyor page.

What else does a two section labeling station need?

A two section labeling station needs two labeling heads, one above and one below, each with its own web, peeler bar and label sensor, plus product presentation that carries every pack across the gap square and at a known interval. On light or tall packs it also needs a stabilizing belt holding the product down.

Two heads and a two section conveyor is the skeleton. In practice a working system is:

Two labeling heads. One above, one below, each with its own web, its own peeler bar and its own label sensor. The head choice is the same decision as on any other line: ALstep for compact and lower speed work, ALritma where the line runs at production speed, ALritma X where the backing web should not need attention, and an ALcode print and apply head where either label carries variable data.

Two peeler bars, correctly specified. Peeler bars run AE10 to AE19 for the ALstep E and S and ALritma S and X S family, AE20 to AE29 for the ALstep M and ALritma M and X M family, and AE30 to AE39 for the ALritma L. Rigid, adaptive, spring loaded and quick change types exist. The bottom head's peeler bar has gravity working against it rather than for it, which is exactly why the spring loaded types exist.

Label sensing that copes with the product. The standard label sensor, and CE06, the label tracing sensor for transparent product. On a clamshell line, this is not optional. A clear label on a clear clamshell is the application that defeats an ordinary gap sensor, and CE06 exists specifically for it.

Product presentation. Guide rails, spacers and gapping units so that each pack crosses the gap square and at a known interval. Pneumatic gates, rubber wheel spacers, side belts, timing screws and twin roller gapping are all in the Altech range.

Stabilizing. An overhead stabilizing belt where the product is light or tall enough to move when the bottom applicator touches it.

Which packs is a two section conveyor used for?

A two section conveyor is used wherever a pack needs labels on two opposing faces and turning it over is not practical: produce clamshells and punnets, trays and tubs, cartons and small cases, and kits or boxed goods. One pass replaces two stations and the flip between them.

Clamshells and punnets. Berries, cherries, tomatoes, salad and fresh cut produce, where a top label carries the brand and the retail data and a bottom label carries the lot code, the pack date or a second retail requirement.

Trays and tubs. Prepared food, deli and dairy, same pattern.

Cartons and small cases. Where a customer wants a label on two opposing faces and turning the carton over is not an option.

Kits, boxed goods and general packaging. Any pack where two opposing faces need labels and the line will not accommodate two separate stations.

Why not two stations instead? You can label the top at one station, flip or invert the product, and label the other face further down. Every one of those steps is an opportunity to jam, mark the pack, or lose orientation, and it takes twice the floor space. On a produce line where the pack is fragile and the season is short, one pass beats two stations.

Complete machines built around this kind of station sit in our range of labeler machines.

What goes wrong with underside labeling on a produce line?

Three things go wrong with underside labeling on a produce line, and all three are specification decisions: the pack is transparent, so a standard sensor cannot see the gap; the pack is light and flexes, so it will not take a hard tamp; and the season is short, so a failure in week three is a revenue problem.

The pack is transparent. Clear clamshell, clear label, and a standard sensor cannot see the gap. CE06 is the part that solves it, and specifying it after the machine has been installed is the expensive way to find that out.

The pack is light and it is not always flat. A clamshell full of berries flexes. Vacuum belt options, stabilizing belts and soft touch application methods exist for products that will not take a tamp.

The season is short and it does not wait. A two section machine that fails in week three of a berry season is not an equipment problem, it is a revenue problem. That is a preventive maintenance conversation, held before the season rather than during it.

More on the whole shed, including PTI case labels, on our fruit and berry line labeling page.

How Altech names this machine

BT52 is the price list code and it is what a parts quote is written against. The family name is ALbelt, and this member is the two section belt conveyor.

SX and DX in Altech's factory records and order confirmations mean left hand and right hand. On a two section conveyor that sets which side the drives and controls sit on, and therefore which side the operator works from. It is a build option, not something to be changed on site.

If you already own one, quote the serial number and the Commessa number from the plate. Factory parts quotes are keyed to those two rather than a model name, and Altech maintains a 3D viewer per machine for part lookup. Belts, peeler bars and sensors for both heads are among the Altech replacement parts we stock.

Frequently asked questions

What is the smallest product a two section conveyor will handle? That depends on the gap between the two belt sections, because a product shorter than the gap is a product that falls into it. We do not publish a figure we cannot source for the BT52 specifically, so give us your smallest pack dimension and we will confirm it against the factory specification before quoting.

Can I add a bottom labeler to my existing single belt conveyor? Not without a gap for it to apply through. That usually means replacing the conveyor section under the labeling station rather than adding to it, which is exactly what the BT52 is for.

Do the two labels have to be the same size? No. Two heads, two webs, two formats. It is common for the bottom label to be smaller and carry the lot code while the top label carries the retail artwork.

Can one of the two labels be printed with a variable lot code? Yes. Mixing a labeling head on one face with a print and apply head on the other is a normal arrangement. The Altech ALcode head is the print and apply option in the same range.

We are missing bottom labels intermittently and the top is fine. That pattern usually points at the bottom peeler bar, the bottom label sensor or product presentation across the gap, in roughly that order. It very rarely points at the head. Our label applicator troubleshooting guide covers the checks your own team can make first.

Get both faces specified together

Top and bottom systems fail asymmetrically. The top head runs for years and the bottom one gets blamed for a problem that is really presentation across the gap. Specifying both faces and the conveyor together, against your actual pack, is what avoids that.

We measure your pack, the gap you need, the labels you run on each face and the rate, and specify the whole station rather than two heads. Call 253-709-5566 or have both faces and the belt specified on site.