The ALritma X is the ALritma built around the backing web problem.
Every self-adhesive labeling head produces waste liner, and on a busy line somebody has to deal with it. The Altech ALritma X S carries an integrated rewinder, so the spent web winds up inside the machine instead of onto a takeup reel that a packing crew has to stop and change in the middle of a shift.
Marapack Services is the Pacific Northwest distributor for Altech labeling systems, importing direct from the factory in Bareggio, Italy. RX10 and RX20, the two ALritma X heads, are live sellers in our own order traffic. Marapack Services is an independent company, not Altech S.r.l. and not ALTech US.
Weighing the X against a standard head for your line? Book an equipment audit and we will tell you which one the line actually needs.
What is the Altech ALritma X label applicator?
The Altech ALritma X is a self-adhesive labeling head from the ALritma family, running at up to 40 m/min (about 131 ft/min) and built around handling the spent backing web. The ALritma X S (RX10) carries an integrated 250 mm rewinder, so the liner winds up inside the machine instead of on a separate takeup reel.
Like the rest of the family, it applies a preprinted or blank pressure sensitive label from a roll onto a moving product, so no printer sits in the head. What the X S adds is fewer stops: a crew that is not changing a liner reel is a crew that is not opening the machine mid shift.
Which ALritma X model is which: RX10 or RX20?
The ALritma X comes as two heads on the 2026 Altech distributor price list. The RX10 (ALritma X S) runs at 40 m/min with a documented 250 mm rewinder. The RX20 (ALritma X M) runs at the same 40 m/min. RX12 and RX22 are high performance kits listed as options for each.
| Altech code | Price list name | Documented specification |
|---|---|---|
| RX10 | ALritma X S | 40 m/min (about 131 ft/min), 250 mm (about 9.8 in) rewinder |
| RX20 | ALritma X M | 40 m/min (about 131 ft/min) |
| RX12 | High performance kit for RX10 | Option |
| RX22 | High performance kit for RX20 | Option |
The integrated rewinder is documented for the X S. The price list extract does not state a rewinder for the X M, so we confirm the X M build against the current factory specification before we quote it for a line that depends on one.
When is the integrated rewinder the reason to buy?
The integrated rewinder on the ALritma X S earns its place in three situations: long runs with nobody standing at the machine, wet, cold or crowded installs where reaching into the head is a problem, and food areas where loose liner on the floor is a housekeeping issue. Outside those, the standard ALritma usually suits better.
Long unattended runs. A shift that runs a full pack of cases without an operator standing at the machine cannot have a liner reel filling up. The X S keeps winding.
Wet, cold or crowded environments. Fruit sheds, cold rooms and tight mezzanine installs are places where nobody wants to be reaching into a machine to swap a takeup reel. Fewer interventions means fewer chances to knock the web out of alignment.
Waste handling and housekeeping. Loose liner on the floor of a food packing area is a housekeeping problem before it is a machine problem. Wound liner is a bin problem, which is a much smaller one.
If the liner is not the problem on your line, the rest of our automatic label applicator range covers the other application methods, and a standalone rewinder is a separate option; see our rewind and unwind units.
Should you choose the ALritma X or the standard ALritma?
Choose the ALritma X only when the backing web is the problem. The X runs at 40 m/min against 50 m/min on the standard ALritma LR10 and LR20, so it trades top speed for the integrated rewinder on the X S. If someone is there to manage the web, the standard head is faster on paper.
| If your line | The right head is usually |
|---|---|
| Is low speed, bench or short run | ALstep |
| Runs fast and somebody is there to manage the web | ALritma heads at 50 m/min |
| Runs fast and nobody is | ALritma X S at 40 m/min with the rewinder built in |
| Needs a variable barcode or lot code printed at the moment of application | ALcode print and apply |
| Is a complete machine rather than a head on an existing conveyor | ALline linear labeling machine |
Why does Altech give the ALritma X two names?
Altech names the ALritma family two ways, and both turn up in real customer email and paperwork. The 2026 price list says ALritma X S and X M; the factory and serial records say ALritma XS, alongside M, MT, M SX and M DX for the wider family, where SX is left hand and DX is right hand.
- The 2026 price list: ALritma X S and ALritma X M
- Factory and serial records: ALritma XS, and the wider family as M, MT, M SX, M DX
Handing is a machine build option rather than a preference. It sets which side of the conveyor the head mounts on and which way the web feeds. Getting the handing wrong on a reorder is expensive, and it is not something you can fix on site.
Altech's peeler bar tables use the same split: AE10 to AE19 covers ALstep E and S plus ALritma S and X S, and AE20 to AE29 covers ALstep M plus ALritma M and X M. So the convention you order in has to match the convention the accessory list uses.
If you already own one and are not sure which it is, send us the serial number and the Commessa number from the plate. Factory parts quotes are keyed to those two numbers, not to the model name, and Altech maintains a 3D viewer per machine for part identification.
What does an ALritma X need around it?
An ALritma X needs the same surrounding parts as any labeling head: an applicator where the label cannot go on straight off the peel edge, a peeler bar matched to the head family, label and product sensors, a stand, and conveying or product handling that presents the product consistently. The rewinder removes one job; it does not remove these.
Applicators. Where the label cannot be applied directly off the peel edge, the head drives a pneumatic applicator. Altech's range covers air blow with fixed tamp, tamp, tamp blow, rotary arm, air blast multi format, air jet, large format tamp applicators at 500, 750 and 1000 mm, three axis, three adjacent label systems, multi format soft touch, vacuum belt, movable peeler bar, U shape and servo drive.
Peeler bars. Rigid, adaptive, spring loaded (AE14 and AE24) and quick change, grouped by head family. Placement accuracy is a peeler bar decision more than a head decision.
Label sensing. The standard label sensor, and CE06, the label tracing sensor for transparent product. Clear label on clear pack is the application that defeats an ordinary gap sensor, and CE06 is the part that exists for it.
Conveyors and product handling. Altech ALbelt conveyors, including the BT05 single belt in 200, 300 and 400 mm belt widths, plus compact, flighted, heavy duty and two section versions; twin side belt systems at 1000 and 1500 mm with height adjustment; vacuum belt kits; spacers and gapping units including timing screws; orienting units, wrap around units, stabilizing belts and rotary accumulation tables.
Stands and mounting. Floor stands, hydraulic raising columns, semi automatic support tables, brackets and adapters.
Camera and sensor options. Label presence check, laser scanner, mark reader, smart camera for over print reading, smart camera for label presence and full camera vision. All are Altech line items, ordered with the head.
Who stocks ALritma X parts and services the heads?
Marapack Services stocks parts for Altech, PackLeader, some Label-Aire and Tach-It machines, and services Altech, Label-Aire 3100 applicators and 5100 systems, PackLeader, CTM and Tach-It equipment. For the ALritma X that covers the wear items, the rewinder assembly, and field service on heads we did not sell.
Typical ALritma X consumable and wear items: peeler bars, peel plates, peeler blades, braking brushes, drive belts and sprockets, proximity sensors, bearings, stepping motor drivers, and rewinder and unwinder assemblies. Parts are quoted against your serial number and Commessa, which is how you get a part that fits the machine you actually own; the ordering route is on our Altech replacement parts page.
The rewinder is part of the label path, so web tension, unwind and rewind are on the checklist our pre-season maintenance visits work through, along with the peeler bar and the rest of the head.
Frequently asked questions
Can a rewinder be added to a standard ALritma later? An external rewinder can generally be added to a labeling installation, and we supply standalone rewinders. Whether one can be integrated into the head the way the X S does it is a machine build question, so we confirm it against your serial number rather than guess.
What is the largest label an ALritma X will run? The distributor price list does not state it for the X versions, which is why we ask for your largest label before quoting rather than quote a figure we cannot source. If label size is the deciding factor, the standard ALritma LR series carries published capacities of 100, 200 and 300 mm.
What do the high performance kits do? RX12 and RX22 are listed options for the RX10 and RX20. We confirm what they change against the current factory specification at quote time rather than repeat a description we cannot verify.
We have an ALritma XS. Do you carry parts for it? Yes. Send the serial number and Commessa from the machine plate and we will identify it and quote the parts against that machine specifically.
How much does an ALritma X cost? The price depends on the version (RX10 or RX20), any high performance kit, the applicator and peeler bar, the sensors, the stand and the conveying around it. We quote after walking the line, because a head priced before the label, the speed and the staffing are known is a price for a different machine.
Have the line assessed before you choose a head
The choice between an ALritma and an ALritma X is decided by how your line is staffed and how long it runs unattended, and neither of those shows up in a catalog. That is why we walk the line first.
We measure line speed, label size, product surface, available gap, mounting space, power and air, and tell you what it takes. Call 253-709-5566 or get the X or standard ALritma question answered on site.