Not every line that needs a variable barcode needs an industrial print and apply head.
The Altech ALcode LT is the economical member of the ALcode print and apply family. Like the industrial ALcode, it prints a label at the moment it is applied, so the barcode can carry a lot code, a batch, a date, a weight or a serial number that changes with every pack.
Marapack Services is the Pacific Northwest distributor for Altech labeling systems, importing direct from the factory in Bareggio, Italy, and print and apply is the core of what we install and service. Marapack Services is an independent company, not Altech S.r.l. and not ALTech US.
Deciding between the ALcode LT and the industrial head? Book an equipment audit and we will measure the line before either one is quoted.
What is the Altech ALcode LT?
The Altech ALcode LT, price list code CD06, is the economical print and apply head in Altech's ALcode family. It prints each label as it applies it, so variable data such as a lot code, a date, a GTIN or a serial number goes on the pack in one step.
It does the same fundamental job as the CD20. What separates them is Altech's own positioning: the CD20 is the industrial head, the CD06 the economical one. That makes the LT the head to price first when a line needs print and apply but the business case for the industrial head is not obvious.
Should you choose the ALcode LT or the industrial ALcode?
Choose between the ALcode LT and the industrial ALcode on the line walk, from your case rate, your label, your print engine and how many hours the line runs. Altech positions the CD06 as the economical head and the CD20 as the industrial one. Neither price list line carries a throughput figure, so we get current figures from the factory.
| Altech code | Machine | Position in the family |
|---|---|---|
| CD06 | ALcode LT | The economical print and apply head |
| CD20 | ALcode | The industrial head. Also written CD-20 in order paperwork |
The full bill of materials for the industrial version is on our page for the ALcode industrial head. The LT is the one to price first when budget is the constraint, and the site visit confirms whether it suits the line.
We do not publish a spec table for the ALcode LT yet, because we do not have one we can stand behind. When we have documented figures for the LT we will publish them here. A machine page with a borrowed number on it is worse than a machine page with a gap, because a buyer will hold us to the number.
How Altech names it
Altech's price list carries this as CD06, family name ALcode LT. The code is the identifier that never changes and it is what any parts quote is written against.
SX and DX on Altech paperwork are the Italian abbreviations for left hand and right hand. They appear in factory serial records and on order confirmations, and handing is a build option rather than a field adjustment: it sets which side of the conveyor the head mounts on and which way the web runs.
Already own one? Send the serial number and the Commessa number from the machine plate. Factory parts quotes are keyed to those two numbers rather than to a model name, and Altech maintains a 3D viewer per machine for part lookup, which is how we identify a part on a machine we did not sell.
What is the ALcode LT used for?
The ALcode LT is used where the label data changes per pack but the line does not justify the industrial head: moderate volume lines, seasonal and secondary lines, smaller pack houses with a retail barcode requirement, a second labeling point beside an industrial head, and replacing a desktop printer with somebody applying labels by hand.
- Variable data on a moderate volume line. Lot codes, batch numbers, dates, weights, counts, GTINs and serial codes that change per pack
- Seasonal and secondary lines that need proper print and apply during a window rather than year round
- Smaller pack houses and processors that have a retail customer barcode requirement but not a case line running at production speed
- A second labeling point on a line that already has an industrial head elsewhere
- Replacing a manual print station that consists of a desktop printer and somebody applying labels by hand
If the label content never changes, you do not need print and apply at all. A labeling head such as the Altech ALstep or ALritma is cheaper and simpler.
What does an ALcode LT need around it?
An ALcode LT needs a print engine with its matching integration assembly, a data interface to wherever your lot codes live, an applicator matched to the product face, conveying that presents the product consistently, and label sensing. Print and apply is a system rather than a box, and the applicator decides whether the label lands.
Print engines. SATO thermal transfer engines are the standard on Altech print and apply: the S84 series at 200, 300 and 600 dpi (TX42, TX43, TX46), the S86 series at 200 and 300 dpi (TX62, TX63), and the LT408 module (CD40). Each needs its matching integration assembly, ST40 for the CD40 and ST50 for the SATO S series engines. The integration assembly is an easy line item to leave off a print and apply quote.
Interfaces. Ethernet, RS232C, Centronics, USB, RS422 and RS485, and wireless LAN options (CD70 to CD77), because a print and apply head is only useful if it can be fed data from wherever your lot codes actually live.
Applicators. Air blow with fixed tamp, tamp, tamp blow, rotary arm, air blast multi format, air jet, large format tamps, three axis, multi format soft touch, vacuum belt and servo drive. The applicator, not the head, is what decides whether the label lands.
Conveying and presentation. Altech ALbelt compact, single, flighted and two section conveyors, spacers and gapping units, timing screws and stabilizing belts.
Sensing options. The standard label sensor, the CE06 label tracing sensor for transparent product, label presence check, laser scanner, mark reader, and the smart camera options for over print reading and label presence. All are Altech equipment line items and are quoted with the machine.
For how the LT fits among other print and apply formats, see our overview of label printer applicators.
Can the ALcode LT handle PTI labels on a smaller produce line?
It has the right architecture for one. A Produce Traceability Initiative case label needs a GS1-128 barcode carrying the GTIN and lot, printed as the case is labeled, and the ALcode LT is a print and apply head taking a thermal transfer print engine. Whether it suits your line comes down to rate, label size and case surface.
A packer that needs a PTI case label for one retail customer, on one line, for a season that runs a few weeks, is badly served by a quote for an industrial system and equally badly served by a desktop printer and a roll of labels. The LT is worth pricing in that gap.
The label requirements do not change with the size of the operation. A PTI case label still needs a GS1-128 barcode carrying the GTIN and lot, still needs to be readable at the receiving dock, and still needs the print quality grade the standard asks for. What changes is how much machine you need behind it.
Who services the ALcode LT and its print engine?
Marapack Services services the ALcode LT and the print engine inside it. We stock parts for Altech, PackLeader, some Label-Aire and Tach-It machines, and we service Altech, Label-Aire 3100 applicators and 5100 systems, PackLeader, CTM and Tach-It equipment. When a print engine wears out, we manage the rebuild.
Our page on SATO print engine repair covers the engine side. Wear parts and the ordering route are on our page of ALcode LT spare parts, quoted against your machine serial number and Commessa.
Frequently asked questions
How much slower is the ALcode LT than the ALcode? We are not going to give you a number we cannot source, and neither price list line carries one. Give us your case rate and your label size and we will get the current figures from the factory rather than repeat a specification from memory.
Can we upgrade to a CD20 later? The head is the head, so an upgrade is a new head rather than a conversion. The parts around it, the applicator, stand, conveyor and sensing, may carry over, which changes the economics of the decision. Worth asking before you buy rather than after.
We already have one and it is missing labels intermittently. That is usually a sensor, a peeler bar, a web tension or an air supply problem rather than a printer problem, and in that order. Our label applicator troubleshooting guide walks through those checks; or call us before the season starts rather than during it.
How much does an ALcode LT cost? The price is set by the head, the print engine and its integration assembly, the interface, the applicator, the sensing and the conveying around it. We quote after the line assessment, because a print and apply price without a specification behind it misleads both ways.
Get the size of the machine right the first time
The expensive mistake in print and apply is not buying the wrong brand, it is buying the wrong size of system for the line. Too much machine wastes capital. Too little machine becomes the bottleneck in the weeks you can least afford one.
We walk the line, measure the rate and the labels, and tell you which head your line actually needs, including when the answer is that you do not need print and apply at all. Call 253-709-5566 or get the LT or CD20 question settled on site.