Kratos Industries from Colorado manufactures large-format control cabinets, among other things, and has grown rapidly over the past five years. But as output increased, so did the requirements for accurate labeling—an issue that was a real challenge for a while. Thanks to a paint protection label solution from Schreiner ProTech, this bottleneck has now been solved.

Efficiency and safety in industrial applications are imperative. Schreiner ProTech offers a wide variety of specialized products that satisfy exactly those requirements. From high-tech labels to RFID technology: a brief overview of the innovative solutions.

Some 60,000 vehicles with the well-known red-and-blue elephant’s logo are produced per year and Schmitz Cargobull’s international production network encompasses a total of ten plants. The business of the company from Germany’s Münsterland region covers a wide variety of solutions and products that are tailored to the needs of customers in the entire transportation and logistics sector.

For a little more than ten years, the paintmask labels from Schreiner ProTech for the production site in Gotha have been making a small contribution to that. They are used on the axle supports of the dump semitrailers. “The crucial thing here is that no more than just a thin coat of the primer is applied at the stage of paint preparation. Prior to applying the primer and top coat in the paint shop cabins, these films are attached to the areas of the shock absorber and spring pin bolting and removed again after the hot air furnace stage. That is necessary to prevent the thickness of the paint coat leading to defects in the bolting due to setting behavior, for example,” explains Tom Heinemann, Head of Process Planning at Schmitz Cargobull.

In addition to protecting the surface as described above, there is a possibility to protect nameplates for example. These labels from Schreiner ProTech truly are evergreens: They are robust and heatresistant, ensure clear and reliable marking during and after a painting process, and the paint-mask can be removed easily after painting. “Naturally, reliability and quality are crucial components for us as a market leader. And they apply to both the product of and the collaboration with Schreiner Group. Especially in recent years, we repeatedly had to experience significant disruptions in the supply chains. However, the supply from Schreiner was always stable and without any impairments,” summarizes Michael Rock, Head of Procurement at Schmitz Cargobull.

This mix of proven standards and reliability is what Schmitz Cargobull as a trendsetter relies on to not only satisfy the demands of modern transportation but to also participate actively in shaping the future viability of the industry.

Steinlen Elektromaschinenbau GmbH in Hanover is specialized in the repair, maintenance, and manufacturing of drive-technology components, especially gear motors that are provided with their protective coating in a modern painting center. Previously, the nameplate for marking the product could be applied only after the painting process so that the product was not clearly identifiable and trackable until it had left the paint shop.

Together with Schreiner ProTech, Steinlen has now managed to optimize an important part of the production process. The objective was to apply the nameplate before the painting process, which posed a challenge because the plate required suitable protection during painting. In addition, the adhesive of the label had to stick to a cast component with a rough surface. Plus, since a large product volume entails a large number of variants involving many different label sizes, each label is one of a kind.

With the Color Laser Film including a paint mask and the corresponding laser marking system from Schreiner ProTech, all requirements were satisfactorily met in an automated process. As a result, Steinlen can now cut and inscribe nameplates specifically for any customer order.

Laser-markable labels with integrated paint masks enable permanent marking of components, ensuring their reliable identification even on rough substrates and after the painting process. Due to the specific product features of Color Laser Film, the inscription can be performed through the paint mask, which eliminates the usual need for subsequent application of the paint mask. The paint mask including the paint is peeled off by means of a starter tab, which makes the nameplate legible again.

Whenever individually marked components are painted the inscription has to be protected against the paint in order to be readable again after the painting process. Schreiner ProTech’s portfolio includes a label with a paint mask attached to the marking label. Following the inscription of the 2D code, the folding paint mask is applied by means of its folding mechanism. The company InLine Hydraulik GmbH relies on exactly this solution for marking controllers and hydraulic pumps in the painting process.

In the past, InLine Hydraulik used metal nameplates to mark components at the end of the production process, which precluded automated integration of digital information and storage or tracing. Schreiner ProTech’s new hinged paint protection label is printed with a 2D code on site and manually applied to the pumps and controllers early in the manufacturing process. After painting, the paint mask is peeled off, which ensures readability. This new solution made it possible to introduce 2D code marking enabling inLine Hydraulik to optimize the manufacturing process and enhance its reliability. Now, automated traceability is ensured at any time.

Schreiner ProTech’s paint mask solution offers the additional option of combining a removable paint mask label with durable overlamination for permanent protection of the nameplate underneath against mechanical stress. After the drying process of the coats of paint, the protection label is peeled off using a starter tab. This ensures easy handling even when working with gloves. The paint mask itself is a little smaller than the marking label. As a result, the label will remain embedded in the paint after removal of the paint mask film and thus be permanently protected.