A label applicator gets the label off the liner and onto the product. The second half is the application method, and it decides whether the label lands square on the ten thousandth case.
Buyers often ask for a tamp blow label applicator because it is the method they have seen on a case line. Sometimes it is right. Sometimes a plain tamp, an air blow or a wipe on head suits the same product better. This guide explains how each method works and which products it suits, using the methods Altech publishes for its own heads.
Marapack Services is the Pacific Northwest distributor for Altech labeling systems, and an independent company, not Altech S.r.l. and not ALTech US.
Choosing a method for a real line? Book an equipment audit and we match the method to your product, surface and speed before anything is quoted.
What is the difference between tamp, tamp blow, air blow and wipe on applicators?
The difference is how the label crosses the last gap to the product. A tamp presses it on by contact. A tamp blow extends close to the product, then blows it on. An air blow fires it across a gap with no contact. A wipe on head peels it straight onto a moving product and wipes it down.
Tamp (contact)
The label sits on a pad, usually held by vacuum. A pneumatic cylinder drives the pad out to the product, presses the label on and retracts. Altech positions its tamp for still products "or in recessed areas" (ALcode LT) and for stationary products "potentially at variable heights", with a servo tamp for high speed logistics work (ALcode page). Contact gives firm adhesion and reaches into a recess. The cost is a stroke out and back on every label.
Tamp blow (extend, then blow)
A piston carries the pad toward the product, stops short, and air puts the label on. Altech describes its tamp blow piston as "extending to a fixed point close to the still or moving product before accurately blowing the label". The pad never touches, so the method tolerates small shifts in position and suits surfaces that should not be pressed.
Air blow (non contact, from a fixed pad)
The pad does not travel to the product. The label is held on a vacuum grid and blown across the gap. Altech offers air blow "with or without piston", and its ALcode LT specification page describes its air blast system as non contact application "on potentially uneven surfaces or at variable distances (max 80mm)", about 3.1 in. Nothing touches the product, but the longer the label flies, the more its landing depends on label size, stiffness and air movement.
Wipe on, and merge (contact, on the move)
The product moves past the peeler bar, takes the leading edge of the label, and draws it off the liner while a brush or roller wipes it flat. Merge is wipe on application with web speed matched to the moving product. Altech's ALritma head matches conveyor speed and can follow an encoder "to maintain label positioning where the line speed changes" (ALritma page). With no stroke, wipe on is the usual method for preprinted labels on a steady line.
How does a tamp blow label applicator work, and when is it the right choice?
A tamp blow label applicator holds the label on a vacuum pad, extends the pad on a piston to a fixed point close to the product, then blows the label on. It is the right choice when the product arrives stopped or moving at a steady position, the face is flat or gently curved, and contact is a risk.
Compared with a tamp, it gives up contact pressure in exchange for not touching the product, which matters on soft packs, fresh film seals and stacks that shift when pushed. Compared with a fixed air blow, the piston closes most of the gap first, so the label flies a shorter distance.
The limit is product height. The pad stops at a fixed point, so if case heights vary widely the gap varies too, and a height adapting tamp or a variable distance air blast does better.
Tamp blow is a common choice for case labels on print and apply systems, and Altech's ALcode page shows it applying GS1-128 case labels.
Which application method suits which product?
Match the method to four facts: whether the product is moving or stopped, whether contact is acceptable, how far and how consistently the surface sits from the head, and where the label goes. A flat case at a steady pitch suits wipe on. A stopped product suits tamp. Delicate or uneven surfaces suit air blow.
The table carries no speeds or tolerances: Altech's own spec tables state production speed "depending on label size and on the applicator configuration". Codes are Altech distributor price list line items.
| Method | Contact with the product? | Moving or stopped product | Surface it suits | Where it struggles | Altech price list code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tamp | Yes, the pad presses | Still or presented | Flat faces, recesses, variable heights | Fragile or unstable products; a stroke every label | AC03 |
| Tamp blow | No, stops close and blows | Still or moving | Flat or gently curved faces where contact is a risk | Wide variation in product height | AC02 |
| Air blow, fixed pad | No | Moving, regular shape | Products that should not be touched | Long flight distances, drafts, large or limp labels | AC00 |
| Air blast, multi format | No | Not specified by Altech | Uneven surfaces at variable distance, mixed label sizes | As air blow, worst at the far end of its distance | AC05 |
| Wipe on and merge | Yes, a brush or roller | Moving, at a steady speed | Consistent products in a steady stream | Stopped products, irregular gaps, recesses | Set by the labeling head and peeler |
For wipe on, Altech lists a fixed peeler with an adapting sponge roller and a spring loaded peeler with a multi disk roller among the options for its ALritma labeling head; the compact ALstep heads apply the same way.
Not sure which row your product is in? Call 253-709-5566 and we will talk it through.
What other application methods does Altech offer?
Beyond tamp, tamp blow, air blow and wipe on, Altech offers swinging plate, rotary arm, vacuum belt and large format tamp applicators, and its price list adds three axis and three adjacent label options. The ones Altech describes cover a leading or trailing face, long labels and carton corners, and an uneven moving product.
- Swinging plate or roller. Contact application to moving products "of varying size/uneven surface" (ALcode LT), and "wipe-on application onto moving products (ideal for sacks and bags, both empty or filled)" (ALcode). See bag and sack labeling.
- Rotary arm (AC04). Carries the label to the front or back of "both still and moving products" (ALcode LT), for a leading or trailing face.
- Vacuum belt (AC36). Lays the label from a moving vacuum belt. Altech notes it "is only electrical and does not require compressed air", and shows it on long labels and carton corner wraps.
- Large format tamp applicators at 500, 750 and 1000 mm (AC10, AC18, AC11). See our pallet labeling equipment page.
- Three axis (AC12) and three adjacent label (AC14). Further price list options; we confirm what each does on your product before specifying it.
- Multi format tamp blow (AC32), multi format soft touch (AC30), movable peeler bar (AC45) and servo drive (AC60). Further price list options, specified where the product or cycle calls for them.
Our label applicator range lists every method we supply in one table.
How do you choose an application method for your line?
Choose by elimination. Start with whether the product moves or stops at the head, then whether it can be touched, then how consistent its height and position are, then where the label goes, then the label size and how often it changes. Line speed comes last, because the method sets the speed range.
- Moving or stopped? A steady stream points to wipe on, merge, air blow or tamp blow. A stopped or indexed product points to tamp or tamp blow.
- Can it be touched? Soft packs, wet produce, fresh film seals and stacks that shift rule out a hard tamp. Tamp blow and air blow apply without pressing.
- How consistent is the distance? If heights vary, a tamp that adapts to height or an air blast rated for variable distance beats a tamp blow stopping at a fixed point.
- Where does the label go? Top or side suits every method. Front or back needs a rotary arm, a corner wrap a vacuum belt or wrap system, a recess a tamp.
- How big is the label, and does it change? Large or limp labels fly badly, which favors contact. Frequent format changes favor the multi format versions.
- How fast is the line? Wipe on has no stroke; a tamp cycle grows with the distance the pad travels. If the stroke cannot keep pace, change the method or use a servo tamp.
Preprinted labels usually run through a labeling head with wipe on application. Variable labels run through a print and apply head, such as the industrial ALcode head or the economical ALcode LT, with whichever applicator the product needs.
How much does a tamp blow label applicator cost?
A tamp blow label applicator has no single price, because the applicator is one line item in a system. The price is set by the head it mounts to, the print engine if it is print and apply, the applicator method and size, sensing, the stand, and the conveying and product handling around it.
We quote itemized after a line walk, because a price given before the product, surface, gap and speed are known is a price for a different machine.
What do we supply and service?
We supply Altech applicators on the same distributor price list as every other Altech machine we sell, mounted on Altech labeling and print and apply heads. We service Altech, Label-Aire 3100 applicators and 5100 systems, PackLeader, CTM and Tach-It equipment, and stock parts for Altech, PackLeader, some Label-Aire and Tach-It.
Altech applicator parts are quoted against your machine serial number. For an applicator that misbehaves, start with our applicator fault finding guide; our service for applicators covers the rest.
Frequently asked questions
What is a label applicator? A label applicator is the machine that peels a pressure sensitive label from its liner and puts it on a moving or presented product in the same place every cycle. The application method, such as tamp, tamp blow, air blow or wipe on, is the part that transfers the label to the product.
What is the best label applicator machine? The one whose method matches your product. A wipe on head suits a steady stream of consistent products, a tamp suits still products and recesses, and tamp blow or air blow suit surfaces that should not be touched. We would rather match the method on the line than name a best machine.
Is a labeler machine worth the investment? It is when hand labeling has become the bottleneck, when label placement has become a customer or regulatory specification, or when the labor cost of hand application has grown with volume. Below that point a dispenser or semi automatic unit is often the honest answer.
What is a merge applicator? Merge is wipe on application with the label web running at the same speed as the moving product. It is how a labeling head applies preprinted labels to a steady stream of products.
Can an air blow applicator label a fragile or uneven product? Yes, that is what it is for. Altech describes its air blast system as non contact application on potentially uneven surfaces at variable distances. Label size, stiffness and air movement still matter, so test it on your product.
Where can I get a tamp blow label applicator manual or parts? Ask the manufacturer or supplying distributor for the manual, quoting the serial number. For Altech applicators we quote parts against that serial number.
Can we change the application method on an existing head? Sometimes, because Altech lists the applicator as its own line item. Mounting space, air supply and product handling decide whether it is practical.
Get the method right before you buy the machine
The wrong application method is not a tuning problem. It is a return trip, and on a seasonal line one you cannot schedule. Tell us the product, surface, label and line speed. Call 253-709-5566, or request an equipment audit and we will specify the method and the head together.