Industrial serial adhesive label printers?

[S7Guy]

The Zebra (like most printers) interprets certain escape sequences and codes to do certain functions. For instance, it I wanted to tell it to print "LOADING DOCK 7, TRUCK 14, 16 CASES FAT FREE MILK" followed by a bar code, I would just send the text followed by the bar code command. If I want to change the font, I insert a font command. If the labeler has a library of graphics, I just give the graphics command along with the graphics ID. I know with the Zebra, I can draw my own graphics with a PC, download them, and then recall them with the PLC. The possibilities are endless.

 

[gbradley]

I would just send the text followed by the bar code command.

I would like to see what that looks like in ASCII
The bar code command that is.

 

[S7Guy]

Sure, I'll dig something up tomorrow. If I have time, I'll construct a complete sample message and break down the various codes.

 

[gbradley]

Thanks!
I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to see it.

 

[PhilRey]

Me too.
I've never had an application that required this, but I have always been a little curious about it.

 

[OkiePC]

Guys, IF I add the printers, they will not have to print barcodes, Just a little text and a length value. This can be done using just about any serial port. We already have barcode printers they've been tracking stock with for years. These printers are driven by custom software on our AS400 system...totally separated from the PLC (DH+) networks...They (production schedulers) want the length data added, and in their simple little minds, the addtional label printer seems like the only way to do it.

I think what I'll do is go ahead and write the code for the PLCs and our central PC that will put the length information in a database. I then will convince them that a Barcode scanner per machine is cheaper to add and maintain than the label printers. At that point, they'll either force me to do the printer thing, or get someone to help me to link the data from my central PC, which is connected to the LAN and to three DH+ networks, to their database which contains the inventory and production information. If I can get them to do the latter, it will be much better for all of us in the long run.

Then maybe we can look at RFID tags (we've had them before in a different area, but they were abused and abandoned) or permanent barcodes on the stock carriers.

Thanks for all your feedback. If I have to add these thirty or more printers, I want to get hardware I can trust.
Paul C.

 

[sirhiss2]

The company that I was with about 4 or 5 years ago used zebra Label printers something along the lines of this:

But Probably an older model. We kept having problems. Moisture was a key issue as well as the glue off the back of the labels kept sticking to the top label guide as well as to the label burner (Print Head).​

I'd have to clean off the Print Head with alchol before, during and after each shift.This really shortened the life of the Print Head. We required a label to be printed approx. every 20-30 seconds. The moisture would (at least this is what I think) cause segments of the print head to burn out so you would end up with a lable that was missing some key information. It would end up with lines through the label or no print at all of one side of the lable. At approx $400 a print head or more, this got really expensive. But for your application where you may not be printing as often this could be fine for you. Just watch the print head adjustment both vertical (pressure) as well as Horazontal. and do regular maintenence on them (Cleaning the print Heads and Guides)you should have very little trouble. also try to keep with the same label paper type and size.​

​

Good luck,​

​

Terry​

 

[S7Guy]

I would like to see what that looks like in ASCII

Ok, here's a quick description of how I send data to a Zebra printer. Zebra uses its own language, but the concept is valid for any printer:


The "^" character always indicates the beginning of a new command. The next two characters are always the actual command, followed either by data or parameters. The message always ends with the ^XZ command.



This is what I would send to print the barcode of the text "THIS IS A TEST": ^XA^FO10,10^B3N,N,200,Y,N^FDTHIS IS A TEST^XZ



If I break it down by command, it's pretty simple:



^XA (Start of message or format)

^FO10,10 (Start printing at coordinate X,Y on label)

^B3R,N,200,Y,N (Print Barcode Type 39 rotated 90 degrees with actual text at the bottom)

^FDTHIS IS A TEST (Actual barcode text)

^XZ (end of message)



If there is a company graphic downloaded in the labeler, I can recall it with the ^XG command (recall graphic). It's also possible to set up very complex label formats, and then recall the format and populate data fields (that's actually how I use it most of the time). I've had as many as 20 of these printers connected all at once, and printed dynamic labels straight from the PLC. If I only had one labeler, and a PC happens to be there anyway, then that might be easier, but not absolutely necessary.



The Zebra ZPL II programming guide has a complete list of commands. After a while, the programming is really easy.

 

[gbradley]

^XA^FO10,10^B3N,N,200,Y,N^FDTHIS IS A TEST^XZ

And the PLC you use to output this is a Siemens I guess?
I assume that the PLC doesn't have a parallel port?
It probably has a serial port?

 

[S7Guy]

That's correct. I use the CP341 at 56k baud rate. Most of the labels are around 180 bytes, but the formats are sometimes as much as 800 bytes.