Metalcraft, SATO Provide Seamless On-Metal Tag Printing, RFID Encoding

SATO America, a leading global provider of Auto-ID solutions that empower workforces and streamline operations, and Metalcraft, a world class leader of durable nameplate, label and RFID products, announced that Metalcraft’s Universal Mini Onsite Printable RFID tags can be encoded and printed seamlessly on SATO America’s CL4NX™ industrial thermal printers.

The Universal Mini Onsite Printable RFID tags are designed for quick, easy printing on the CL4NX. Unlike other printers, the SATO CL4NX encodes the on-metal RFID tags from the top, greatly reducing the number of voided tags and increasing productivity. Other types of industrial printers encode from the bottom, which results in a high number of encoding errors because on-metal tags include a metal backplane that makes encoding difficult.

The Universal Mini Onsite Printable tags also include a new thermal transfer-receptive topcoat to provide high quality printing in harsh environments. The tag’s construction is engineered to ensure smooth, even printing and tag feeding, even in humid and damp environments.

“The SATO CL4NX also offers an exclusive cloning feature that makes printer set-up faster and easier. Users simply insert a USB drive loaded with a cloned package file into the printer, install the package file, load the tags and they are ready to print. This not only eliminates configuration errors, but also speeds up the print process”, stated Gary Krause, SATO America, Sr. Director of Marketing.

“The unique clone feature allows Metalcraft to send a simple set-up file to the printer, so end users don’t waste valuable time configuring the printer to use our tags,” said Jared Doerfler, Business Development Director at Metalcraft. “When customers need to print more tags in the future, they don’t have to reconfigure the settings; they are ready to go.”

The Universal Mini Onsite Printable tags are ideal for work-in-process applications in manufacturing environments, as well as for asset management applications in healthcare, IT, automotive, and other environments where variable information is frequently printed, encoded, and updated on site. The tag’s patented inlay design provides robust read ranges across a variety of materials.

The tags are fully customizable, and are offered as blanks or with four-color graphics. They are also available with a range of high-performance adhesive so customers can ensure the tags stay adhered regardless of the use environment.

“Regardless of the work environment, the combination of the Universal Mini Onsite Printable tag and SATO’s CL4NX industrial printer can help our customers save time and money when it comes to encoding their RFID tags,” said Austin Elling, Director of Marketing at Metalcraft.

“Innovative and durable, the Mini Onsite Printable RFID tag product, when utilized with the industry leading CL4NX™ RFID thermal printer of SATO, is an example of the solution fulfillment strategies at SATO. This is a Best in Breed solution for healthcare, automotive, manufacturing and other verticals that require trust and reliability,” continued Krause.

About Metalcraft

Metalcraft has provided property identification solutions since 1950. From a headquarters in Mason City, Iowa, Metalcraft has provided thousands of businesses throughout North America and around the world with a wide range of choices in durable nameplates and labels to meet the needs of the ever-evolving industry of tracking and controlling. These customized products may include consecutive numbers using barcode and/or RFID technologies. Metalcraft nameplates and labels are made from the toughest materials – polyester, anodized aluminum, stainless steel, polycarbonate, ceramic and more – to withstand environments ranging from mild to extreme, resisting abrasion, caustics/acids, solvents, salt air, high temperatures, and UV rays. Visit http://www.idplate.com/product/sato-onsite-printable-universal-mini for more information.

About SATO

SATO (TOKYO:6287) bridges the last inch of the last mile for customers by integrating Auto-ID technologies and revolutionary materials to tag and track items, ensuring inventory visibility for improved user experience and business results. Engineering solutions that unleash the power of IoT, SATO provides value to customers in the form of accuracy, sustainability, labor and resource savings, reassurance and emotional connections. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, it reported revenues of JPY 106,302 million (US $980 million*). More information about SATO can be found at www.satoworldwide.com or on Linkedin and Twitter.

*Conversion is based on an average exchange rate of 1 US Dollar = 108.34 Japanese Yen