APKZL-60 Automatic Straight Tube Labeling Machine
Horizontal roller labelling for tubes Ø15–30 mm, with batch coding built in
A standing tube is tall, light and easy to knock over. This machine lays it down on rollers and rolls the label on along its length, so nothing wobbles and the label lands parallel every time. Batch coding is part of the machine, not an add-on.
1. Speed— 60 tubes a minute, matched to the fastest filler in the range
2. Tube size— Ø15 to 30 mm, 80 to 145 mm long
3. Coding built in— lot and date stamped onto the label as it feeds
4. Label roll— 75 mm core, up to 300 mm outside diameter
Is this the right machine for you?
✓ Yes, if…
- You're labelling straight tubes or bobbin bottles, Ø15 to 30 mm
- Your tubes are 80 to 145 mm long
- You need up to 60 tubes a minute
- You want lot and date coded in the same pass, not on a separate machine
- Your label rolls have a 75 mm core and stay under 300 mm outside diameter
✕ Buy something else if…
- Your containers are round bottles, not tubes → a standard wrap-around labeller handles those, and costs less. This machine is built around a tube lying on its side
- Your tube is over Ø30 mm or longer than 145 mm → outside the range. Send us the dimensions and we'll tell you honestly
- You need more than 60 tubes a minute → nothing in our tube range runs faster, so the labeller would become your line speed
- Your label wraps only part of the tube, with registration to a printed panel → tell us first
Laid Down, Not Stood Up
A standing tube is tall, light and top-heavy, and a vertical labeller has to hold it steady while the label wraps. This machine lays the tube on rollers along its whole length and rolls the label on. Nothing has to hold it upright, so nothing tips.
Takes Tubes Straight From the Filler
Capped tubes come off the APK-40B or APK-60 in sequence and go onto this machine’s track without anyone handling them. It runs at 60 tubes a minute — the same rate as the fastest filler, so it doesn’t become the station that holds the line up.
Stepper Drive, Fewer Wear Parts
A stepper motor and controller replace the clutch and gear train a mechanical labeller uses to pace the label web. Fewer moving parts to wear, and label position is set on the screen rather than by adjusting a linkage.
Batch Coding as the Tube Passes
A colour-mark sensor tracks each label as it feeds, and the coder stamps the lot and date onto it in the same pass. No second station, and no tube leaving without a code.
Technical specification
| Specification Parameter | APKZL-60 Technical Metrics |
| Model Designation | APKZL-60 (Continuous Inline Tube Labeling Variant) |
| Dosing Power Drive Components | Leadshine (Lei Sai) Stepper Motor + Jing Yan Main Drive Unit |
| Production Throughput Capacity | 60–80 tubes/min |
| Applicable Bottle Diameter Range | Φ15 mm–Φ30 mm Flexible Customization Bounds |
| Applicable Target Tube Lengths | 80 mm–145 mm (Accommodating standard industrial stacks) |
| Integrated Coding Support | Synchronized Automatic Batch Number / Date Code Marker Unit Built-In |
| Centralized System Controller | Siemens Programmable Logic Controller + Responsive User Interface |
| Sensor Tracking Array Technology | High-Aesthetic Optical Fiber + Color Code Electric Detection Eyes |
| Label Roll Core Diameter Specifications | Center Pole Core: 75 mm | Maximum Label Outer Diameter: ≤300 mm |
| Electrical Voltage / Power Draw | 220V 50Hz Single-Phase / 0.8 kW Energy-Saving Drive Line |
| Machine Dimensions (L × W × H) | 1400 × 500 × 1250 mm Optimized Floor Footprint |
| Net Equipment Dead Weight | Approximately 320 KG Heavy Rigid Frame Configuration |
| Primary Structural Metallurgy | Table Canopy: SUS304 Stainless Steel | Body Base: Sandblasted Aluminum |
Model comparison
Model | Indexing | Speed | Power | Weight |
APK-40A | Pneumatic | 35–40 tubes/min | 1.2 kW | 420 kg |
APK-40B | Stepper + indexing disk | 35–40 tubes/min | 1.5 kW | 420 kg |
APK-60 | Stepper, with short-count rejection | 50–60 tubes/min | 2 kW | 1,000 kg |
APKZL-60 | Tube labeller | 60 tubes/min | 0.8 kW | 320 kg |
The 40A and 40B run at the same speed and weigh the same. What differs is how each station is stopped — and that shows up when your tablet thickness varies.
Production Applications
What changing over involves
What changed | What you adjust | Roughly |
Same tablet, different count per tube | Track setting | 15-30mins |
Different tube diameter | Tube guides and cap vibrating disk | 15-30mins |
Different tablet diameter | Row alignment rails and track guides | 15-30mins |
Tablet thickness drifts within ±0.2 mm | Nothing — but that’s the limit | — |
Beyond ±0.2 mm of thickness variance, no adjustment fixes it. That’s what separates the 40A from the 40B.
What to check before you buy
Your tablet, before the machine
Hardness above 5 kg, thickness variance within ±0.2 mm, and a tube at least 2 mm wider inside than your tablet. Those three decide whether any tube filler runs cleanly on your product — ask any supplier to confirm them against your actual samples.
What happens to a short-count tube
Some machines lock out the cap. Others push the tube out of the line. Ask which, because one of them still leaves you a tube to find at the packing bench.
Installation and training
Ask what's included and what costs extra.
Why Choose AIPAK？
Factory-direct — You buy from the plant, not through a trading company.
We run your tablets first — Send us tablets and tubes and we run them before you order, so you see whether your hardness and thickness clear the track.
U.S. line, answered by us — +1 (213) 526-8644, 9am to 11pm Eastern, Monday to Friday. That’s 6am to 8pm Pacific.
Lead time — 1-3months. Confirmed in writing with your order.
Fully Expanded Technical FAQ for APKZL-60
Standard round bottle labelers hold containers vertically, which causes long, lightweight plastic or aluminum effervescent tubes to wobble or tip over at high speeds. The APKZL-60 utilizes a specialized horizontal roller conveying bed that cradles the tube completely flat along its side. This ensures rock-solid stability and allows the stepper motor to apply labels with zero skewing or bubbling.
The line integrates high-sensitivity Panasonic inline optical fiber sensors right at the entry gating track. If the conveyor has an empty gap or if a tube is missing, the sensor array fails to trigger, and the Siemens PLC instantly locks the stepper motor from dispensing a label. Label application only executes when a container is physically detected in position, eliminating sticky tape spillage and mechanical jams.
Yes. The integrated thermal coding part synchronizes directly with the color-code tracking electric eye. The moment a tube is verified, the printer stamps clean, smudge-free markers containing your lot numbers, manufacturing dates, and expiration variables. The print coordinates can be micro-adjusted via the touch screen console to ensure alignment on your label design.
It is exceptionally streamlined and engineered for rapid factory turnarounds. The APKZL-60 features a universal changeover design across its structural guide rails. Technicians simply adjust mechanical handwheels to widen or narrow the intake tracks to match your new container metrics, entirely removing the need for custom tooling kits or software reprogramming.
To ensure reliable unrolling and prevent feeding drag, your label roll must feature a standard center installation hole diameter of exactly 75 mm. Additionally, the maximum expanded outer diameter of the complete label roll must not exceed 300 mm to ensure proper clearance within the structural tension arm path.
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Send Us Tablets and Tubes
Three things decide whether any of these machines runs cleanly on your product, and speed isn’t one of them.
Your tablets need to be harder than 5 kg — softer than that and the edges chip in the track. Thickness has to stay inside ±0.2 mm, or the stack height drifts and the count goes wrong. And your tube’s inner diameter has to be at least 2 mm wider than your tablet, or it jams at the mouth.
Send us samples of both and we’ll check all three before we quote. If your tablet doesn’t clear one of them, we’d rather tell you now than after the machine ships.
- Reply within one business day
- Your tablets and tubes run on the machine before you order
- Your formula and specs stay with us
