Tamp-on, damped, label-stop and blow-on pads · vacuum openings matched to label size · stroke and swivel applicators · return on contact for variable product heights
After the printer peels the label off its liner, two parts decide where and how well it lands: a pad that grips the label face by vacuum, and the arm, a pneumatic stroke cylinder on the cab units described here, sometimes with a swivel, that brings the pad to the product and back before the next label is printed. Pad type follows the product surface; arm length follows how far away, and how variable, that surface is.
Applicator pads (tamp-on, damped tamp-on, label-stop and blow-on) and the stroke, swivel or stroke-turn arms that carry them on print-and-apply label printers, with their vacuum and blow air, stroke length and return control. Wipe-on, tamp-blow and peel-plate heads for jug and jerrycan panels are covered on the Label applicator module for handled jugs and jerrycans page, drum print-and-apply stations on the Print-and-apply drum labelling station page, bench peel-and-present units on the Automatic label dispenser page and complete self-adhesive lines on the Labeling systems for packaging lines page.
Start with your task
01
An ITW patent describes the tamp pad of earlier applicators as an impact plate of low-friction material with vacuum openings, vacuum channels behind it and a vacuum port at the rear, holding the non-adhesive side of the label until the product is in line. If the label is smaller than the area covered by the openings, air leaks through the uncovered ones, the label is not held properly and can slip or be misapplied, which, the patent says, is why machines are "often supplied with a variety of different tamp pad sizes". [3]
Its alternative is one pad with at least two series of aligned openings fed by sub-channels, each of which can be closed with a blocking element so that only openings under the label draw vacuum. [3] A later ITW patent puts vacuum and blow-off on one fan: a valve inside the pad's air chamber switches the same air flow between drawing through the openings and blowing out of them, removing the need for compressed air for the blow function. [4]
cab lists four transfer modules for its HQ 4114 stroke applicators. The plain tamp-on pad tamps labels on flat surfaces and into recesses; a pad with a damping layer reduces noise on hard surfaces and copes with rough or slightly uneven ones; a pad with a label stop places small labels exactly on spot; and the blow-on pad blows the label across 5 to 10 mm of air gap for sensitive surfaces or products in motion. [1]
| cab HQ 4114 pad | Label width on HERMES Q4/Q4.3 | Label height on Q4/Q4.3 | Products |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tamp-on (11 F) | 10–114 mm | 8–80 mm | At rest; listed for variable heights [1] |
| Damped tamp-on (12 F) | 10–114 mm | 8–80 mm | At rest; listed for variable heights [1] |
| Label stop (61 F) | 10–114 mm | 8–80 mm | At rest; listed for variable heights [1] |
| Blow-on (2100) | 10–114 mm | 10–80 mm | At rest or in motion; listed for uniform heights only [1] |
02
On the cab HQ 4114 the pad sits in front of the peel-off plate and picks up the label while it is printed; a 10 mm short-stroke cylinder moves it horizontally and the main stroke cylinder carries it to the product. The cylinder length sets the maximum distance to the product: 135, 235, 335 and 535 mm below the unit for the 200, 300, 400 and 600 versions, with applicator weights from 5 kg to 9 kg, 4.5 bar air and about 30 labels/min. [1]
The cab 4214 stroke-turn applicator adds a rotary cylinder that swings the pad up to 180° before the stroke, for units that are hard to mount facing the product. Its pads take labels up to 40 mm high on HERMES Q printers, and the 180° position is limited to labels no more than 15 mm high. [2]
cab bases its 30 labels/min on a 100 mm stroke below the unit, 40 mm labels and 100 mm/s print speed. Editorial calculation: at 30 labels/min each cycle lasts 2 s, of which printing a 40 mm label at 100 mm/s takes 0.4 s; a longer stroke, a taller label or a slower print speed eats into the rest. [1]
When product height varies, the cylinder has to turn back on contact rather than after a fixed time. ITW's patent lists the problems of the usual methods: a timer return does not reach short products and can deform tall ones or jam the cylinder; optical sensors on the pad struggle with non-reflective or uneven surfaces and add wiring to a moving part; pressure switches need a large force to trip. It instead reads a pressure transducer on the extension inlet: pressure peaks as the cylinder starts, falls as it accelerates, and the lowest point sets the trigger threshold for return on contact. [3]
State the closest and farthest product surface from the applicator mounting point, whether products stop or move during labelling, and the label size range, before the stroke version and pad are chosen.
03
Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.
Labels: [width; height range; material] Product: [surface; at rest or moving; height variation] Geometry: [distance from unit to product; label side: top, side, below] Pad: [tamp-on; damped; label stop; blow-on] Arm: [stroke length; swivel angle] Rate and air: [labels per minute; supply pressure]
Manufacturer profiles associated with Application Arm/Plate.
Explore company information and manufacturing capabilities, then discuss the scope of your project with a relevant supplier.
cab lists only its blow-on pad for products in motion, bridging 5 to 10 mm and listed for uniform product heights; its tamp-on pads are for products at rest and cover variable heights. [1]
ITW explains that vacuum leaks through openings the label does not cover, so the label can slip or be misapplied. [3]
By returning on contact; one ITW design reads cylinder pressure with a transducer to set the return trigger. [3]
Sources checked 2026-10-17. cab product data for the HQ 4114 stroke and 4214 stroke-turn applicators, and two Illinois Tool Works patents on tamp pads.
Ask for use case, specification boundaries, supplier type, and RFQ preparation information for this product.
Compare manufacturer profiles with relevant product and process capability.