RELM Wireless Corp. (West Melbourne, FL) manufactures mobile radios that are used a by wide range of different customers, including construction companies, manufacturers, railroads, police departments, firefighters and the military. Because its products are often used in harsh environments, the company places a premium on quality and reliability.
Among other features, the company’s radios include serialized labels for easy FCC identification. These labels are customized, must have good adhesion and be highly durable. In fact, they are required to outlive the product, no small task given the radios’ resiliency in the face of hard use.
To solve this problem, the company recently installed an IP printing system from Brady Corp. (Milwaukee). The printer comes equipped with proprietary BradySoft software to coordinate things like label materials, ribbons and the printing data being used for different print jobs.
According to RELM mechanical engineer Joel Villanueva, his company was already familiar with the Brady product line, having installed a Brady thermal transfer printer in 1999. RELM had also been purchasing completed labels from Brady for some time. However, by installing the new IP printer, RELM is able to create its own serialized labels, quickly and efficiently in-house.
According to Villanueva, setup time is minimal, the material loading process is foolproof and the system’s BradySoft program is highly intuitive. The result has been an efficient, lean labeling process that saves the company time and money.
“We especially like the ease of switching from one label material to another. With Brady’s IP printing system, there is no need to adjust temperature, ribbon size or stock. It saves time and makes the whole process more cost-effective,” he says.
In addition to printing serialized numeric codes, the IP printer can also be used to create bar codes, and flexible date and time stamps. Graphics can be imported from a variety of file formats, and users can preview both graphics and labels in advance of actual printing. The system’s software makes it possible to include data from multiple data sources in either a single label or multiple labels.
As for the labeling materials, Brady’s products met all of RELM’s requirements for adhesion and durability. “Brady was able to provide a complete package that met all of RELM’s requirements. When you need support, Brady is very prompt and very responsive,” Villanueva says.
For more on label printing call 888-250-3082 or visitwww.bradyid.com.
