A wrap label is not applied to a container. It is applied to a container that is being spun, at exactly the speed the label is being fed, and the whole machine exists to make those two speeds agree.
That is why the wrap around labeling machine is the format where cheap machines disappoint fastest. A wipe on head and a roller will put a label on a bottle. Whether it goes on straight, closes with a clean overlap, and does the same thing on the ten thousandth bottle as on the first is a product handling question, and product handling is where the money in this category goes.
Marapack Services specifies, supplies, installs, commissions and services wrap around labeling machines from a base in the Pacific Northwest, from a benchtop semi automatic wrap kit to a complete linear machine with orienting and gapping. We are the Pacific Northwest distributor for Altech labeling systems, importing direct from the factory in Bareggio, Italy.
Bring the container, not just the label: book an equipment audit and we measure the bottle, the jar or the tub on your line before we quote.
What is a wrap around labeling machine?
A wrap around labeling machine applies a pressure sensitive label around the body of a round or oval container by rotating the container against the label as it is fed from the head. It combines a labeling head, a wrap unit, a conveyor that holds the container square, and spacing devices, so each label closes cleanly.
It is the machine behind most bottle, jar, can, tub and tube labeling, which is why "bottle labeling machine" and "jar labeling machine" searches land in the same place. The head is only one part of it. The wrap unit, the hold and the spacing decide whether the label goes on straight.
Full wrap, partial wrap or spot label: which do you need?
A full wrap goes all the way around the container and overlaps itself. A partial wrap covers most of the circumference and needs the start and finish positioned. A spot label, or front and back labels on a round body, needs the container oriented to a seam or mark. Each is a different machine and a different price.
The terms get used loosely and they are not interchangeable.
Full wrap. The label goes all the way around the container and overlaps itself. There is no registration problem with the container because there is no start and finish to line up with anything. There is a serious problem with the overlap: if the label length and the container circumference disagree, you get a gap or a wrinkle, every time.
Partial wrap. The label covers most but not all of the circumference. Now the start and end positions matter, and the container has to be presented in a repeatable rotational position or held so that it starts and stops in the same place.
Spot label, or front and back on a round container. One or two discrete labels on a round body, which have to be in a specific rotational position relative to a seam, a handle, an embossed mark or each other. This needs orientation, which is a different and more expensive class of machine; see our two-sided labeling machines for the layouts.
Getting told you are buying a wrap machine and discovering you needed an orienting machine is one of the more expensive misunderstandings in this category. We ask about seams, handles and registration marks before we quote.
What makes a wrap around labeler work?
Four parts of a wrap around labeler decide the result: the wrap station that turns the container, the labeling head sized to the label length and line speed, the conveyor that holds the container square, and the spacing and orienting devices that deliver it at the right gap and angle. The head is the smallest decision of the four.
The wrap station
The wrap itself is done by a wrap around unit that turns the container while the label is fed onto it. There are several mechanisms and they suit different containers:
- Hand wheel wrap units, for semi automatic and low volume work
- Vacuum wrap units, where the label is held on a vacuum surface and rolled onto the container
- Four axis wrap units, for containers that need controlled positioning as well as rotation
- Three roller wrap units, the common automatic arrangement for cylindrical containers
- Flag label brush kits, for the wrap and fold labels used on cables, tubes and thin products
The labeling head
The head feeds and peels the label. Which head depends on label length and line speed:
- ALstep E, labels to 100 mm (about 3.9 in) at up to 18 m/min (about 59 ft/min)
- ALstep S, labels to 100 mm at up to 30 m/min (about 98 ft/min)
- ALstep M, labels to 200 mm (about 7.9 in) at up to 20 m/min (about 66 ft/min)
- ALritma S, labels to 100 mm at up to 50 m/min (about 164 ft/min), IP54, color touchscreen, 40 stored label formats, and in a 200 mm version
- ALritma L, labels to 300 mm (about 11.8 in) at up to 40 m/min (about 131 ft/min)
- ALritma X, up to 40 m/min, with an integrated 250 mm (about 9.8 in) backing web rewinder on the X S version
A wrap label is often long. Check the label length against the head rating before anything else, because a machine rated to 100 mm labels does not run a 150 mm wrap because you would like it to. The volume heads are described in full on our ALritma heads page, and every head type is compared on the automatic label applicator range hub.
The conveyor and the hold
The container has to be held square, spun cleanly and released without tipping. That is a conveyor question:
- Twin side belt systems at 1000 mm and 1500 mm (about 39 and 59 in) with height adjustment, which hold the container between two driven belts while it is labeled
- ALbelt single belt conveyors in 200, 300 and 400 mm belt widths (about 8, 12 and 16 in)
- ALbelt two section, giving a stable belt before and after the wrap station; belt width is chosen for the pack
- Flighted belt where containers need positive spacing rather than friction spacing
- A vacuum kit for light and unstable containers
The single belt conveyor and its options are on the ALbelt belt conveyor page.
Spacing and orienting
Containers arriving nose to tail cannot be wrapped. They have to be separated, and sometimes turned:
- Pneumatic gate spacers, rubber wheel spacers, side belt spacers and timing screws
- Twin roller gapping for controlled separation at speed
- Side belt aligners to square containers before the station
- Double chain systems for elliptical containers and twin grippers for oval containers, because a non round container cannot simply be rolled
- Double timing screw orienting and gapping, where the container has to arrive at a known rotational position
- Stabilizing belts over tall or light containers
- Infeed and outfeed rotary accumulation tables, so the labeler is fed evenly rather than in bursts
This section is why two quotes for "a wrap around labeling machine" can differ so widely. One of them read your container drawing.
Which wrap around labeler fits your container?
The container decides the wrap around labeler. Round glass needs gentle three roller or vacuum wrapping with spacing, light PET needs stabilizing, short jars need a hold that grips a short body, tapered and oval containers need special handling, and small cylinders at low volume suit a semi automatic kit.
| Container | What it needs | What usually goes wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Round glass bottle | Three roller or vacuum wrap, side belt hold, gentle handling | Glass to glass contact marks the bottle. Spacing is the fix, not slowing down |
| Round PET bottle | Wrap station plus stabilizing belt | Light empty containers tip. A vacuum kit or a stabilizing belt is not optional |
| Jar or tub, short and wide | Wrap with a hold that grips a short body | The body is shorter than the belt contact patch, so the container skews |
| Tapered container | Wrap with a compensating station, or a partial wrap | A conical body wants to spiral the label. Label design and machine both have to allow for it |
| Oval or elliptical | Twin gripper or double chain handling | A rolled wrap on a non round body is not possible. This is a different mechanism |
| Can | Wrap with a seam aware feed | Seam position affects the overlap and the scan face |
| Tube or cartridge | Wrap or flag label with a brush kit | Small diameter and a soft body deform under roller pressure |
| Cylindrical container 12 to 110 mm diameter, low volume | Semi automatic wrap around kit | Nothing, this is often exactly the right answer |
When is a semi automatic wrap kit the right answer?
A semi automatic wrap kit is the right answer for short runs, seasonal packs, small batch producers and pilot lines, and as a bridge while an automatic line is specified. The operator places the container and the machine wraps the label, so placement is repeatable without the cost of conveyors, spacing and orienting.
There is a real category below the automatic line and it deserves an honest recommendation.
The ALmatic C is a semi automatic wrap around kit for cylindrical containers from 12 to 110 mm diameter (about 0.5 to 4.3 in), designed to pair with the compact ALstep E head. The operator places the container, the machine wraps the label. It is not a compromise if the volume genuinely is not there. The kit and its flat product sibling are on our ALmatic kits page.
Should you buy a complete wrap around labeling machine?
Buy a complete wrap around labeling machine when you would rather receive one machine, with conveyor, frame, handling and head designed together, than assemble a head onto your own conveyor. It costs more than a head, and it removes the handoffs where most wrap problems start.
The ALline range provides complete linear labeling machine bases with the conveyor, frame and handling built in: a compact base, a one head base, and a base carrying two opposing heads. Conveyor options include slat conveyors in five widths from 83 to 254 mm (about 3.3 to 10 in), roller conveyors with intermittent motion, two way connections and 90 degree curved sections.
For regulated production there is a pharmaceutical pack option, a stainless AISI 316 cover plate and an integrated ampoule handling mechanism. The bases and conveyor options are detailed on the ALline linear labelers page, and the other machine formats are on our industrial labeling machines hub.
How much does a wrap around labeling machine cost?
A wrap around labeling machine costs what its wrap mechanism, head size, conveyor and hold, and spacing and orienting devices add up to, and the handling is usually the larger share. A semi automatic kit, a head on your conveyor and a complete orienting machine sit at very different prices. We quote after seeing the container.
What moves the number most is whether the label has to land in a set rotational position. A plain full wrap on a stable round bottle is the simplest case. A partial wrap registered to a seam, or a label on an oval or tapered body, adds orienting hardware and setup time.
Sensing on transparent containers
Clear labels on clear containers defeat a standard label gap sensor sooner or later, and on a wrap line it usually happens at the worst possible moment.
There is a label tracing sensor built specifically for transparent product, and specifying it up front costs far less than retrofitting it after a season of intermittent faults. Beyond label detection, Altech lists a label presence check, laser scanner, mark reader and camera vision as orderable options for lines that need to prove every container got a label.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a wrap around labeler and a front and back labeler? A wrap applies one continuous label around the body. A front and back machine applies two separate labels to opposite faces, in register with each other, which needs the container held rather than rolled. Different mechanism, different machine.
Will a wrap machine handle more than one bottle size? With changeover, yes. How fast that changeover is depends on how much of it is toolless and how much of the format is stored in a recipe; the ALritma S stores 40 label formats. The mechanical side, guides, hold and screws, is what actually takes the time, and it is worth specifying quick change parts if you run many sizes.
Our labels are going on crooked. Is that the machine? Usually it is the hold rather than the head. A container that skews as it enters the wrap station will take a crooked label no matter how well the head is set. Look at spacing, side belt pressure and container stability first.
Our wrap has a gap or a wrinkle at the overlap. Label length against container circumference. Measure the actual container, not the drawing, and measure it cold and full if that is how it runs. Then check web tension and roller pressure.
Can you put a date code on a wrap label? Yes, either printed on the label at the moment of application with a print and apply head, or marked directly onto the container or the applied label with a coder. Which is cheaper depends on how much other data is variable.
We label wine and spirits. Anything different? Two things. Glass handling matters more than speed, and the front and back registration relative to a seam or an embossed mark is usually the real specification, which pushes you toward an orienting machine rather than a plain wrap.
Can you service a wrap around labeler you did not sell us? Yes. Altech, Label-Aire 3100 applicators and 5100 systems, PackLeader, CTM and Tach-It are all in our service scope.
Bring us the container, not just the label
The fastest way to a right answer on a wrap line is to let us see the actual container, empty and full, and the actual label. We measure circumference, taper, stability, seam position and line speed, and tell you which of full wrap, partial wrap or orientation you are really buying. Call 253-709-5566 or request a wrap line assessment.