For Vienna-based label company Franz Barta, labels are the most important part of ballistic solutions, which they perfected via screen printing techniques with the option to laser etch variable data. The company, which started in 1947, is NIJ .07 compliant ensuring that their specifically formulated elastofix®-Transfer labels are the highest quality on the market, providing protection and help for all users of body armor labels.
The screen-printed labels, which are created in-house, feature different layers of color pigments, clear lacquers, and adhesives, “all developed, formulated, and produced in house, making these transfer labels unique to Barta” says Ryan Thomas, U.S. based International Sales Manager. Barta is leading the force on these labels, moving past the “old way” of sewn-in and printed labels to a more durable solution embedded into the fabric. Their technology is transforming the way ballistic vest and soft/hard armor plate labels are made and utilized, and the certifications they hold show any company that they truly are on the top.
Why are Labels so Important?
It’s necessary to use labels when wearing body armor; integrating tracking expiry dates, serial numbers, and compliances are very important. Usually, body armor labels fade fast due to sweat, UV, and moisture, making it impossible to determine if a vest is still good to use. The application is time consuming, and overall, the durability is poor, and will not withstand the use of the armor. With Barta’s elastofix®-Transfers, these outdated methods are thrown out the window, leading to less safety risks and overall better quality. Due to their NIJ .07 accreditation from the National Institute of Justice in the United States, companies are able to see that Barta is at the top, with its solutions having been through many rounds of tests and evaluations that prove their durability.
It is important to emphasize that the laser does not write the individual data, applied by the end customer, onto the label surface, but that these are embedded in the transfer label just like all other printed colors and are therefore protected from all external influences. Notably in the testing phase, the labels were put through a machine that rotated 2,000 cycles, with a weight on the end soaked in isopropyl alcohol. As the labels were turned through the machine, the alcohol rubbed against them 2,000 times, and the accreditors changed out the pad every 100 cycles, so the labels stayed soaked in the alcohol. Even with the alcohol, the weight, and the friction that the entire machine created, the labels were still able to hold up through all of the rounds.
As more manufacturers move towards Franz Barta’s solution, the laser etching and
development stands out. They are able to do any sort of labeling, thanks to their laser
machines- “that’s really opened our scope of what we’re able to offer as a turnkey solution,” says Thomas. The laser machines are able to apply a label onto soft armor within five seconds, embedding into the fabrics. No additional sewing is required, promising no sharp edges, no removal, and no fading.
“our elastofix®-Transfers labels actually embed into the fabric— you don’t need to sew them on, they’re just heat pressed into the fabric. Once they’re bonded on there, they’ll be on there for life.”
Since the labels can’t be removed once they’re applied, and since they’re embedded into the fabric, it’s impossible to feel that there is a label on the fabric. “It looks completely different- basically the modern way versus the very, very old way for label requirements,” says Thomas. Thanks to their laser and pigment systems, variable data, such as manufacturing dates, serial numbers, individual QR codes that are done at the manufacturer before the label is applied to the product, is laser etched and inked. The ink won’t fade because it’s not traditional ink, the actual pigment changes color with the laser. “It’s been a huge development for us and it’s taken many years to develop.”
Barta’s Legacy
A third-generation family company of about 100 employees, Barta’s labeling systems have been in use since 1947. Two chemists developed these ink systems for producing these types of labels and “it’s gone on through the years and gotten better and better and into more and more different Industries,” says Thomas. The Vienna-based in-house lab helps the company work with different industries, and as they continue to grow and innovate, they have also continued to expand into the Western Hemisphere, India, Australia, and all over the world. Thanks to their expansion, they can make sure to keep the family support and personal attention that they bring to all clients while still relentlessly working and innovating.
Franz Barta has been working with the largest producer of body armor in the world for quite a few years now, creating all the branding that goes on the inside and outside of their ballistic armor. “We do reflective ballistic vest labels, we do all kinds of labels for branding,” says Thomas. “It’s not a one label fits all. We have 70 different label types, which are composed of different chemistries; different lacquers, different adhesives.”
Their elastofix®-Transfers are so innovative that they will actually outlast the fabric, which was revealed in tests. “The fabric will start to fall apart before the labels go,” says Thomas. Barta is also working on a new raised transfer for the past two years, where you are able to specify parts of a design element that you want to be raised and identify the parts you want to stay “flushed to the surface of the fabric, creating a kind of 3D look.” When working with a customer, Barta acquires the materials needed, then tests different labels to figure out which label would work the best for the specific fabrics— tailored customs, tailored solutions. The company is also awarded with other certifications such as the IATF 16949, ISO 9001 and 14001 and safety standard Oekotex Standard 100 Product Class 1, which is the hardest one to get.
They are also awarded from the city of Vienna for environmentally friendly manufacturing, and they are constantly evaluating the way that they produce, especially being based in a city.
Thanks to the certification, Barta ballistic vest label solutions have become the gold standard in the industry, and they hope to continue seeing this upward trend. “I can sit here and say you know we have a great quality, we have a great product,” says Thomas. “But you know, here’s our certification that backs that up. Not anybody could pass that very aggressive testing,” and that’s what makes Barta unique and the trusted choice for ballistic vest labels globally.
