There is a point where you stop adding heads to a conveyor and buy a machine.
Most labeling installations start as a head bolted over an existing line. That works, and for a lot of operations it is the right answer for good. But when a line needs two opposing heads, transport that suits the container rather than the plant, a curve, a buffer and one control system, the sensible answer is a complete machine, and the Altech ALline labeling machine is Altech's range of them.
Marapack Services quotes and supplies the ALline range, and services Altech machines whether we sold them or not.
Weighing a second head against a complete machine? Book an equipment audit and we will tell you which one your line actually needs.
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 Altech ALline labeling machine?
The Altech ALline labeling machine is Altech's range of complete linear labeling machines: a base with one or two opposing labeling heads, transport sized to the container, and options for curves, pharmaceutical packs and ampoule handling, built and controlled as one machine rather than a head bolted over an existing conveyor.
It is the complete-machine end of our industrial labeling machines, and it suits a buyer who has outgrown a head on a conveyor.
The ALline range, by Altech's own part codes
Machine bases
| Altech code | What it is |
|---|---|
| LN10 | ALline compact base |
| LN11 | ALline base with one labeling head |
| LN12 | ALline base with two opposing labeling heads |
Two opposing heads on one base is the front and back configuration, and it is the reason many buyers look at an ALline in the first place. More on that format: two-sided labeling machines.
Transport
| Altech code | What it is |
|---|---|
| LN14 to LN24 | ALline slat conveyors: 83, 115, 152, 191 and 254 mm (about 3.3, 4.5, 6.0, 7.5 and 10.0 in) |
| LN25 to LN29 | Roller conveyors, intermittent motion |
| LN32 | Two way connection |
| LN34 | 90 degree curved section |
Slat conveyors are chosen by container footprint. Intermittent motion roller conveyors suit applications where the container has to stop to be labeled rather than being labeled on the move. The connection and curve sections are what let a machine fit a plant rather than a plant fit a machine.
Pharmaceutical options
| Altech code | What it is |
|---|---|
| LN40 | Pharma pack |
| LN42 | Stainless steel AISI 316 cover plate |
| LN50 / LN52 | Integrated ampoule handling mechanism |
These are covered in more depth on our ALpharma vial labelers page.
Configurations named in our own quote traffic
ALline E and the ALline wrap system are configurations we quote by name: front and back labeling, and wrap around labeling on a complete machine base.
When is a linear labeling machine the right answer?
A linear labeling machine is the right answer when the line needs two opposing heads on unstable containers, transport built around a difficult container, a layout that turns corners, one control and documentation set for a regulated site, or format changeover designed in. Below that, a labeling head over your existing conveyor is usually cheaper.
When you need two opposing faces labeled and the containers are round or unstable. Two heads on a shared, purpose built base with proper container control is a fundamentally different machine from two heads over a plain belt.
When the container is the difficult part. Small bottles, vials, ampoules, jars, tubes and anything that will not stand up on a plain belt need transport built around them, which is what the slat conveyor sizing is for.
When the line has to fit around an existing plant. Curves and two way connections let a machine turn a corner rather than demanding a straight run nobody has.
When you are validating, auditing or regulated. A complete machine with one control system, one set of documentation and one validation package is a very different proposition to five integrated components with five manuals. A pharmaceutical validation documentation package is available as an ordered line item.
When changeover matters more than speed. A machine that runs several container formats needs the changeover designed in. Adding a fourth format to a system that was integrated for one is where a lot of labeling projects go wrong.
If two or more of those describe your line, that is the conversation to have before anyone orders a second head.
What can an ALline label?
An ALline labels bottles, jars and other cylindrical containers with a wrap, a front and back pair or a single panel; vials and ampoules with the pharmaceutical handling options; tubes and cosmetic containers; tubs and shaped packs with the right transport; and cartons and flat packs on slat or roller transport.
- Bottles, jars and cylindrical containers. Wrap around, front and back, or a single panel
- Vials, ampoules and small parenteral containers, with the pharmaceutical handling options
- Tubes, cartridges and cosmetic containers
- Tubs, tapered containers and shaped packs with the right transport and orienting
- Cartons and flat packs on a slat or roller transport
For heads mounted over an existing conveyor instead of a complete machine, see the ALbelt belt conveyor range.
What does an ALline integrate with?
An ALline integrates with the rest of the Altech catalog: labeling heads from the compact ALstep to ALcode print and apply, wrap around units, orienting and gapping equipment, rotary accumulation tables, label sensing, camera and control options, direct coding units, and electrical cabinets with pharmaceutical validation documentation.
Labeling heads. An ALline base carries Altech heads: ALstep at the compact end, the Altech ALritma range at production speed, ALritma X where the backing web should look after itself, and ALcode where the label carries variable data.
Wrap around units. Hand wheel, vacuum, four axis and three roller wrap units, plus a flag label brush kit for tag and flag applications. The format is covered on our wrap around labeling machines page.
Orienting and gapping. Side belt aligners, double chain arrangements for elliptical containers, twin grippers for oval containers, double timing screw units that orient and gap in one pass, plus pneumatic gates, rubber wheel spacers and twin roller gapping. Orientation is what stops a label landing on a seam or a mold line.
Rotary tables. Infeed and outfeed rotary accumulation tables, including versions for pharmaceutical vials, so an upstream stop does not immediately become a downstream stop.
Sensing. The standard label sensor and CE06, the label tracing sensor for transparent product, which is what a clear label on a clear container requires.
Control and camera options. Label presence check, laser scanner, mark reader, smart camera for over print reading, smart camera for label presence, camera vision, product ejector, acoustic alarm and compressed air presence detection. Each is an Altech line item, ordered with the machine.
Direct coding. Hot foil printing units, and thermal transfer intermittent coders based on the Markem SmartDate X30 and X45, carried as line items on the Altech price list, where a date or lot code goes onto the pack rather than the label. Our coding and marking page covers the options.
Cabinets and documentation. Electrical and protection cabinets, machine manuals, and pharmaceutical validation documentation.
How Altech names this range
The LN codes are the identifiers that never change, and every parts and service quote is written against them. The family name is ALline.
SX and DX in Altech's factory records and order confirmations are the Italian abbreviations for left hand and right hand, which on a complete machine sets the operator side and the direction of travel. It is a build option decided before fabrication, not a field adjustment.
Which brings up the part of the process that surprises people buying a complete machine for the first time: an ALline is built to order, and there is an approval drawing you sign and return before fabrication starts. That drawing is your last chance to correct the direction of travel, the operator side, the head positions and the machine footprint. It is worth an hour of somebody's real attention.
If you already own one, quote the serial number and Commessa number from the plate rather than a model name. Factory quotes for parts for Altech machines are keyed to those, and Altech maintains a 3D viewer per machine for part lookup.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an ALline and a head on a conveyor? An ALline is a complete machine: base, transport, heads, controls and documentation designed together. A head on a conveyor is components integrated on site. The components route is cheaper and more flexible. The machine route is more repeatable, easier to validate and easier to change format on.
How fast does an ALline run? That depends on the container, the label, the number of heads and the transport, so a single headline number would mislead. Give us your container, your label and your target rate and we will get the current figures from the factory rather than quote a specification from memory.
Can an ALline do front and back labeling? Yes, that is what the LN12 base with two opposing heads is for, and ALline E, the front and back configuration, is one of the two ALline builds we quote by name.
Can it label round bottles all the way round? Yes, with a wrap around unit. Altech offers hand wheel, vacuum, four axis and three roller wrap units, and the ALline wrap system is the complete-machine version.
What is the lead time on a complete machine? Longer than a component build, because it is manufactured to order in Italy and there is an approval drawing step before fabrication starts. If you have a season to hit, the conversation needs to start well before the season, and we will tell you honestly when a component build on your existing conveyor is the faster route to a working line.
Do you service ALline machines you did not sell? Yes. We service Altech, Label-Aire 3100 applicators and 5100 systems, PackLeader, CTM and Tach-It equipment.
If you are outgrowing a head on a conveyor, say so early
The most common version of this conversation starts with a request for a second labeling head and ends with the realization that the line has quietly become a machine problem. That is not a bad outcome, but it is a different budget and a different lead time, and it is much better discovered in January than in June.
We walk the line, look at what you run now and what you are being asked to run next, and tell you whether you need a head, a station or a machine. Call 253-709-5566 or arrange a line walk before the budget is set.