GB2306437A - Electrostatically attaching a label to a substrate - Google Patents
Electrostatically attaching a label to a substrate Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2306437A GB2306437A GB9522601A GB9522601A GB2306437A GB 2306437 A GB2306437 A GB 2306437A GB 9522601 A GB9522601 A GB 9522601A GB 9522601 A GB9522601 A GB 9522601A GB 2306437 A GB2306437 A GB 2306437A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- label
- substrate
- leading edge
- electrical field
- trailing edge
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 61
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 26
- 230000005684 electric field Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 21
- 239000004831 Hot glue Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 10
- -1 poly(ethylene terephthalate) Polymers 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000005026 oriented polypropylene Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 229920000139 polyethylene terephthalate Polymers 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000005020 polyethylene terephthalate Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 description 7
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 description 7
- 230000005686 electrostatic field Effects 0.000 description 3
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 238000004090 dissolution Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003574 free electron Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000002372 labelling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012856 packing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65C—LABELLING OR TAGGING MACHINES, APPARATUS, OR PROCESSES
- B65C9/00—Details of labelling machines or apparatus
- B65C9/0015—Preparing the labels or articles, e.g. smoothing, removing air bubbles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65C—LABELLING OR TAGGING MACHINES, APPARATUS, OR PROCESSES
- B65C3/00—Labelling other than flat surfaces
- B65C3/06—Affixing labels to short rigid containers
- B65C3/08—Affixing labels to short rigid containers to container bodies
- B65C3/14—Affixing labels to short rigid containers to container bodies the container being positioned for labelling with its centre-line vertical
- B65C3/16—Affixing labels to short rigid containers to container bodies the container being positioned for labelling with its centre-line vertical by rolling the labels onto cylindrical containers, e.g. bottles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65C—LABELLING OR TAGGING MACHINES, APPARATUS, OR PROCESSES
- B65C9/00—Details of labelling machines or apparatus
- B65C9/0015—Preparing the labels or articles, e.g. smoothing, removing air bubbles
- B65C2009/0018—Preparing the labels
- B65C2009/0021—Preparing the labels for temporary attachment to transfer means or to the article
- B65C2009/0025—Preparing the labels for temporary attachment to transfer means or to the article by electrostatical charge
Landscapes
- Labeling Devices (AREA)
Abstract
A method of attaching a label 20 to a substrate such as a bottle 10 comprises bringing a leading edge 20a of the label into contact with the substrate 10 in the presence of an electrical field, whereby said leading edge is at least temporarily adhered to the substrate by an electrostatic attraction between the label and the substrate. Apparatus for attaching the label 20 comprises guide means 18 for bringing the leading edge 20d into contact with the substrate 10, and electrical field generation means 24 for generating an electrical field when the leading edge of the label comes into contact with the substrate. After the label 20 has been wrapped around the bottle 10 its trailing edge 20b may be attached to the leading edge 20a by hot melt adhesive 30 from applicator 28.
Description
Method of. and Apparatus for. Attaching a Label to a Substrate
This invention relates to a method of attaching a label to a substrate; the invention also relates to apparatus for attaching a label to a substrate.
It is known to attach labels to substrates by hot melt adhesives. For example in order to adhere a label to a bottle, it is known to adhere a leading edge of the label to the bottle; then to wrap the label around the bottle, so that a trailing edge thereof overlaps the leading edge; and then to adhere the trailing edge of the label to the leading edge. Traditionally each adhesion step was carried out using a hot melt adhesive.
However it is not easy to recycle bottles that have been labelled by this method. In order to recycle the bottles, the hot melt adhesive must be removed from it, and this is not easy to do. In order to try to solve this problem it has been proposed to adhere a leading edge of the label to the bottle by a water soluble cold adhesive, then to adhere the trailing edge to the leading edge by a hot melt adhesive. This proposal has the advantage that the cold adhesive can easily be removed from the bottle, for example by dissolution in water.
In accordance with a broad aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of adhering a label to a substrate which comprises bringing the label into contact with the substrate in the presence of an electrical field, thereby generating an electrostatic attraction between the label and the substrate in order to adhere the label to the substrate.
In a more specific aspect, the invention provides a method of attaching a label to a substrate, which comprises bringing a leading edge of the label into contact with the substrate in the presence of an electrical field, whereby said leading edge is at least temporarily adhered to the substrate by an electrostatic attraction between the label and the substrate.
Advantageously, the method further includes the step of wrapping the label around the substrate so that a trailing edge of the substrate overlaps said leading edge, and bonding the trailing edge of the label to said overlapped leading edge of the label.
The bonding of the trailing edge of the label to the leading edge is preferably carried out using a hot melt adhesive. However, other methods of bonding the trailing edge to the leading edge may be used, for example, heat sealing may be used. The substrate is preferably a bottle.
The method according to the invention works particularly well when the substrate comprises poly(ethylene terephthalate) and the label is oriented polypropylene. However, it is expected that the invention will be useful with a wide range of other labels and substrates.
The electrostatic field may be maintained continuously, or it may be activated only when the leading edge of a label starts to come into contact with the substrate. The former method has the advantage that it is easier to control, but the latter method uses less power. The former method also has the advantage that a greater area of the label is adhered to the substrate by the electrostatic force, which provides better adhesion.
In the method according to the invention the leading edge of the label is adhered to the substrate for at least a time sufficient to enable the trailing edge to be bonded to the leading edge. Once the trailing edge has been bonded to the leading edge, the adhesion between the leading edge of the label and the substrate is no longer necessary, as the label can maintain itself in position by virtue of the friction between the substrate and the label. This effect is enhanced when the substrate is a bottle, because the bottle will expand when it is filled.
The method according to the present invention provides a labelled substrate, in which the substrate can easily be recycled because there is no adhesive between the label and the substrate. Moreover, the method of the invention is simpler to perform than prior methods involving cold adhesives.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided apparatus for attaching a label to a substrate, comprising guide means for bringing a leading edge of the label into contact with the substrate, and electrical field generation means for generating an electrical field when the leading edge of the label comes into contact with the substrate, whereby the leading edge is adhered to the substrate by an electrostatic attraction between the label and the substrate.
Advantageously the apparatus further includes wrapping means for wrapping the label around the substrate until a trailing edge of the substrate overlaps the leading edge thereof. Preferably the apparatus also includes bonding means for bonding said trailing edge of the label to the leading edge. The bonding means preferably bonds the trailing edge to the leading edge by a hot melt adhesive.
The electrical field generation means preferably comprises an electrical potential generator and an electrode, the arrangement being such as to maintain the electrode at a predetermined electrical potential. The size of the electrical potential of the electrode affects the magnitude of the electrical field generated. The magnitude of the electrostatic attraction between the label and the substrate depends upon the size of the electrical potential of the electrode and the distance between the electrode and the substrate. The predetermined electrical potential is preferably in the range 20 to 60 kV, more preferably 30 to 50 kV. The distance between the electrode and the substrate is preferably 30 to 60 mm, more preferably 40 to 50 mm and most preferably 45 mm.
The electrical generation means may be arranged to maintain the electrode at the predetermined electrical potential continuously, or intermittently when the leading edge of each label is brought into contact with the substrate.
Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings in which;
FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing illustrating the method and apparatus according to the invention; and
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to the drawings, a plurality of bottles 10 are shown on a conveyor 12 moving in direction A The bottles 10 are fed from the conveyor 12 to a carousel 14, which conveys the bottle through a substantially circular path B.
Each bottle 10 is supported on the carousel 14 by a rotatable support, which serves to rotate the bottles about their longitudinal axis as they move through the path B.
A labelling apparatus generally designated 16 provides labels for the bottles. The label apparatus 16 includes guide means in the form of a transfer drum 18 which transfers a label 20 from the drum 18 to one of the bottles 10.
Each label 20 has a leading edge 20a and a trailing edge 20b. The arrangement is such that the leading edge 20a of the label 20 is brought into contact with the external surface of the bottle 10 in the presence of an electrical field. The electrical field is generated by an electrical field generation means in the form of an electrical potential generator 22 and an electrode 24. The generator 22 generates an electrical potential of, say, 50kV, which is transmitted to the electrode 24. The potential at the electrode 24 generates an electrical field that emanates from the electrode 24 towards one of the bottles 10 which is about to have the label applied to it. The bottle 10 acts as an anode, and an electrostatic field is created, which causes the label 20 to be charged by orientation of the free electrons to the same polarity.
The electrical field creates an electrostatic attraction between the leading edge of 20a of the label 20 and the bottle 10. As the bottle 10 and the transfer drum 18 rotate, more of the label 20 is wrapped around the bottle 10, in the presence of the electrical field. It should be noted that it is not just the leading edge 20a which is secured to the bottle 10 by the electrostatic attraction: substantially all of the label 20 which moves through the electrostatic field may be secured to the bottle by electrostatic attraction.
The label apparatus 16 also includes an adhesive applicator 28, which applies a strip of hot melt adhesive 30 to the trailing edge 20b of the label 20. After the trailing edge 20b of the label 20 overlaps the leading edge 20a, the strip of adhesive 30 is sandwiched between the trailing edge 20b and the leading edge 20a.
The label is subjected to heat by means not shown in the drawings; this means is located downstream of the label apparatus 16 and the electrode 24, and serves to melt the adhesive 30, thereby bonding the trailing edge 20b to the leading edge 20a.
After the leading edge 20a of the label 20 has been applied to the bottle 10, the bottle 10 O is conveyed through the rest of the pah B by the carousel 14, with the label 20 attached thereto. The labelled bottle 10 is transferred from the carousel 14 to a conveyor 26, from where it is conveyed via a path C on to a filling station and a packing station.
While certain embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be appreciated that modifications may be made.
Claims (17)
1. A method of attaching a label to a substrate1 which comprises bringing a leading edge of the label into contact with the substrate in the presence of an electrical field, whereby said leading edge is at least temporarily adhered to the substrate by an electrostatic attraction between the label and the substrate.
2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of wrapping the label around the substrate so that a trailing edge of the substrate overlaps said leading edge, and bonding the trailing edge of the label to said overlapped leading edge of the label.
3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the bonding of the trailing edge of the label to the leading edge is preferably carried out using a hot melt adhesive.
4. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the substrate is preferably a bottle.
5. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the substrate comprises poly(ethylene terephthalate).
6. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the label comprises oriented polypropylene.
7. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the electrical field is maintained continuously.
8. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the electrical field is maintained only when the label is in the vicinity of the substrate.
9. Apparatus for attaching a label to a substrate, comprising guide means for bringing a leading edge of the label into contact with the substrate, and electrical field generation means for generating an electrical field when the leading edge of the label comes into contact with the substrate1 whereby the leading edge is adhered to the substrate by an electrostatic attraction between the label and the substrate.
10. Apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising wrapping means for wrapping the label around the substrate until a trailing edge of the substrate overlaps the leading edge thereof.
11. Apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising bonding means for bonding said trailing edge of the label to the leading edge.
12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the bonding means bonds the trailing edge to the leading edge by a hot melt adhesive.
13. Apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the electrical field generation means comprises an electrical potential generator and an electrode, the electrical potential generator being arranged to maintain the electrode at a predetermined electrical potential.
14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined electrical potential is in the range 20 to 60 kV
15. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined electrical potential is in the range 30 to 50 kV.
16. Apparatus according to claim 13, 14 or 15, wherein the electrode is arranged at a distance of 30 to 60 mm from the substrate.
16. A method of attaching a label to a substrate substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
17. Apparatus for attaching a label to a substrate substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9522601A GB2306437A (en) | 1995-11-03 | 1995-11-03 | Electrostatically attaching a label to a substrate |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9522601A GB2306437A (en) | 1995-11-03 | 1995-11-03 | Electrostatically attaching a label to a substrate |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB9522601D0 GB9522601D0 (en) | 1996-01-03 |
| GB2306437A true GB2306437A (en) | 1997-05-07 |
Family
ID=10783374
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9522601A Withdrawn GB2306437A (en) | 1995-11-03 | 1995-11-03 | Electrostatically attaching a label to a substrate |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2306437A (en) |
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2007148189A1 (en) * | 2006-06-22 | 2007-12-27 | Sacmi Labelling S.P.A. | Apparatus and method for labelling |
| WO2008089287A1 (en) * | 2007-01-17 | 2008-07-24 | Bluesky Medical Group, Inc. | Container and cover system |
| EP2592031A1 (en) | 2011-11-11 | 2013-05-15 | Ferag AG | Method for applying flat supplementary products to base products and device for performing the method |
| US10350339B2 (en) | 2004-04-05 | 2019-07-16 | Smith & Nephew, Inc. | Flexible reduced pressure treatment appliance |
| US10842919B2 (en) | 2004-04-05 | 2020-11-24 | Smith & Nephew, Inc. | Reduced pressure treatment system |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN110020703B (en) * | 2019-03-29 | 2022-04-01 | 济南大学 | Reagent label kit based on virtual-actual fusion experiment and use method thereof |
Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3508993A (en) * | 1966-07-18 | 1970-04-28 | Owens Illinois Inc | Method and apparatus for applying labels to containers |
| GB2018665A (en) * | 1978-01-19 | 1979-10-24 | Vinyl Clad Pty Ltd | Feeding labels to injection moulding machines |
| GB2111455A (en) * | 1981-11-05 | 1983-07-06 | Elsner Eng Works Inc | Roll-wrapping machine intermediate product |
| WO1995011832A1 (en) * | 1993-10-27 | 1995-05-04 | Khs Machinen Und Anlagenbau Ag | Labelling apparatus and method |
-
1995
- 1995-11-03 GB GB9522601A patent/GB2306437A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3508993A (en) * | 1966-07-18 | 1970-04-28 | Owens Illinois Inc | Method and apparatus for applying labels to containers |
| GB2018665A (en) * | 1978-01-19 | 1979-10-24 | Vinyl Clad Pty Ltd | Feeding labels to injection moulding machines |
| GB2111455A (en) * | 1981-11-05 | 1983-07-06 | Elsner Eng Works Inc | Roll-wrapping machine intermediate product |
| WO1995011832A1 (en) * | 1993-10-27 | 1995-05-04 | Khs Machinen Und Anlagenbau Ag | Labelling apparatus and method |
Cited By (8)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US10350339B2 (en) | 2004-04-05 | 2019-07-16 | Smith & Nephew, Inc. | Flexible reduced pressure treatment appliance |
| US10363346B2 (en) | 2004-04-05 | 2019-07-30 | Smith & Nephew, Inc. | Flexible reduced pressure treatment appliance |
| US10842919B2 (en) | 2004-04-05 | 2020-11-24 | Smith & Nephew, Inc. | Reduced pressure treatment system |
| US11730874B2 (en) | 2004-04-05 | 2023-08-22 | Smith & Nephew, Inc. | Reduced pressure treatment appliance |
| WO2007148189A1 (en) * | 2006-06-22 | 2007-12-27 | Sacmi Labelling S.P.A. | Apparatus and method for labelling |
| US8171970B2 (en) | 2006-06-22 | 2012-05-08 | Sacmi Verona S.P.A. | Apparatus for labelling |
| WO2008089287A1 (en) * | 2007-01-17 | 2008-07-24 | Bluesky Medical Group, Inc. | Container and cover system |
| EP2592031A1 (en) | 2011-11-11 | 2013-05-15 | Ferag AG | Method for applying flat supplementary products to base products and device for performing the method |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB9522601D0 (en) | 1996-01-03 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |