Able Design’s SSD Labeling Machine — One of Our FMS 2012 Favorites

With all of the new technologies and products being shown in Santa Clara at FMS 2012, there were some products you might not have heard about. A personal favorite of mine wasn’t a fancy new enterprise product or hip new data center solution. Instead, it’s a machine that does something fairly pedestrian — it merely puts labels on SSDs.

Able Design specializes in robotics and automation machines for industry. As the flash industry expands, devices like Able’s are part of it’s infrastructure — along with SSD duplicators, testing devices, and a raft of other products.

The model shown here (the 1082-4) is for 2.5″ drives, and can hold 25 9.5mm z-height drives or 31 7mm. It pulls the drive down the rails and neatly applies labels from a roll of stickers. It may generate substantially less IOPS than some of the other products on the floor, but it can still manage 3000 drives an hour. The aptly named Label Application System also features an LCD display and menu system to maintain the machine and display help information.

We think it’s a good example of some of the great stuff you can see at a show like the FMS. Sure, the usual suspects are well represented, but every once in a while it’s great to see something off the beaten path.

Avon Technology, Inc. distributes Able Design’s products in the States, so if you happen to be in the market for a SSD Label Application System, the 1082-4 might just be what you need.