RU2280600C2 - Method and device for label application on vessels by separating labels from continuous polymeric tape - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: packing equipment, particularly details of labeling machines or apparatus.

SUBSTANCE: method involves supplying label tape 7 from reel 6 to vacuum drum 14 surface; applying glue to tape surface; cutting the tape into separate labels; moving vessels 4 to label application positions; pressing the labels to each vessel and removing vessels 5 provided with labels from device. Tape area located near the first tape contact point with drum 14 surface is subjected to thermal treatment. During tape treatment the tape 7 movement path is of V or U loop shape and the tape loop top is heated up to temperature of 75 - 95°C. Then the tape is moved to the drum. Device for above method realization comprises label tape loop bending means and means to heat the tape loop top. The means are made as at least three idling rollers. The first and the third rollers are located one in front of another. The second roller is arranged out of line connecting the first and the second roller axes and is provided with device, which performs controllable roller heating. Tape subjected to thermal treatment may fit tightly to vacuum drum surface.

EFFECT: prevention of label wrinkling and label ends incurving during label connection to vessel.

4 cl, 3 dwg

Description

The group of inventions is intended for applying polymer labels to bottles and cans of water, drinks, beer, juices, etc., which have a round and square, with a rounding, shape.

Recently, the most widespread are machines in which the application of labels on containers is carried out using a vacuum drum, to which the containers are fed by the inlet conveyor or the inlet of the conveyor, and the labels are obtained by cutting a continuous polymer tape, which is fed from the reel to the vacuum drum. Glue is applied to the back surface of the labels, after which the label is pressed against the surface of the container by rolling it between the surface of the drum and the surface of the auxiliary element.

One of the main problems in such machines is the provision of a tight, without wrinkles and bending of the ends, adherence of the label to the surface of the vacuum drum with guaranteed elimination of the possibility of capturing part of the tape with the adhesive applied to other parts of the label and / or machine parts. In the case of wrinkles, the containers do not have a decent presentation, and the aforementioned grip makes it necessary to stop the machine, which is also undesirable. In this regard, numerous attempts have been made to eliminate the possibility of the mentioned negative phenomena.

A known method of applying labels to a container, according to which the label tape is forcibly pressed to the surface of the drum when it is fed to the vacuum drum using an air flow that is directed at a certain angle to the surface of the drum. To do this, the labeling machine is equipped with a nozzle (s) installed near the zone where the label tape meets the surface of the vacuum drum and connected to a compressed air source (US 4181555, class B 32 V 31/00, B 26 D 5/0, B 26 D 7 / 06, publ. 01.01.1980; US 5855710, class B 65 C 9/00, publ. 01/05/1999; US 5858168, class B 65 C 9/00, publ. 12.01.1999; WO 0000397, class B 65 C 9/00, publ. 06.01.2000).

The disadvantage of the aforementioned method and the machines in which it is implemented is the need to equip the machine with additional sophisticated equipment, its maintenance, etc. with all subsequent negative phenomena.

Another way to solve this problem lies in the formation of protrusions on the surface of the vacuum drum, the distance between which should correspond to the length of the label, since it is on these protrusions that the main and tail parts of the label should be placed on which glue is applied (GB 1595814, class B 65 C 9 / 04, B 65 C 3/16, B 65 C 9/26, publ. 08/19/1981; US 4181555, class B 32 B 31/00, B 26 D 5/0, B 26 D 7/06, publ. 01/01/1980; US 4,500386, class B 32 V 31/00, publ. 02/19/1985, US 6066223, class B 65 C 3/16, 65 C 9/04, publ. 23.05.2000).

The disadvantage of this method is the associated complexity of the design of the drum.

Another way to solve the aforementioned problem is to use a pair of vacuum grippers installed in the drum that transports the label tape, using one of these grippers to fix the position of the main edge of the tape, and with the help of the second, the tail edge. The grips are installed with the possibility of movement inside the drum, in the direction of its center, for passing an installed stationary stationary knife (US 4632721, class B 65 C 9/02, B 65 C 9/18, publ. 30.12.1986).

A similar solution was used in the method of labeling containers with continuous polymer tape and a machine for its implementation (US 5116452 class B 32 B 31/00, publ. 05.26.1992), adopted as prototypes of the proposed inventions. The known method includes the operation of feeding a continuous polymer label tape from a bobbin to the surface of a vacuum drum, applying glue to a label tape, cutting the label tape into individual labels, feeding containers to the position of applying labels to them, pressing the label to the container and releasing containers with the label attached.

The machine in which the described method is carried out comprises a vacuum drive drum and devices for feeding a label tape from a reel to the surface of the vacuum drum. Along the surface of the latter, devices are sequentially arranged for cutting the tape into individual labels and applying glue to their edges. After cutting the label tape to eliminate defects when sticking labels and sticking parts of the label with glue to other parts and / or machine parts, the labels separated from the tape are fixed using vacuum grippers, one of which fixes the main edge of the label and the second - the tail edge. Labeling of containers is carried out using compressed air, which is directed at a certain angle to the main edge of the label. Depending on several labels that are simultaneously transported by a vacuum drum, the machine may be equipped with an appropriate number of pairs of vacuum grippers. The containers are fed to the labeling position and removed from this position using a conveyor, which is outlined in an arc tangent to the vacuum drum. Rigid slats are installed along the output part of the conveyor, during which labels are pressed against them by containers. The machine is also equipped with devices for drive, synchronization, control and regulation.

The disadvantage of this solution is the complexity of the mentioned vacuum grippers, the need for devices for directing compressed air, and the need for servicing these complex devices.

The objective of the proposed invention is the creation of a method for applying labels to containers with a continuous polymer tape, in which ensuring a tight, without wrinkles and bending of the ends, adhering the labels to the surface of the vacuum drum, and then to the surface of the container and eliminating the possibility of adhesion of part of the tape with the adhesive applied to others parts of the label and / or details of the machine would be implemented due to more simple than in the described prototypes, technological and constructive methods.

To solve the problem in a method of applying labels to containers with a continuous polymer tape, which includes the operation of feeding a continuous polymer label tape from a bobbin to the surface of a vacuum drum, applying glue to a label tape, cutting the label tape into individual labels, bringing the containers to the position of application to them labels, pressing the label to the container and retracting the container with a glued label, in accordance with the invention in the area located next to the position of the first contact label th tape with the surface of the vacuum drum, the label tape is subjected to heat treatment, for which the trajectory of the label tape in the said zone is shaped like a loop in the form of the letter "V" or "U", the tape is heated in the area of the loop top to a temperature of 75 ... 95 ° C, after which the tape is fed to the vacuum drum so that the surface of the tape, which was located on the inside of the loop, lies on the surface of the drum.

In addition, to solve the problem, in a machine for applying labels to containers with a continuous polymer tape, which includes a drive vacuum drum, a device for feeding a continuous label tape from a bobbin to the surface of a vacuum drum, for applying glue to its surface, for cutting the label tape on individual labels, for feeding containers to the position of applying labels to them, for pressing the label to the container and for removing containers with a glued label and devices for driving, synchronizing, controlling phenomena and regulation, in accordance with the invention, it is equipped with a device for heat treatment of a label tape, which includes means for bending around the label tape loop in the form of the letter "V" or "U" and means for heating the label tape in the area of the top of this loop, moreover, the means for enveloping the label tape loop made with the possibility of filing on the surface of the vacuum drum that surface of the tape, which was placed on the inner side of the loop, and both of these tools are installed in the area, which is adjacent to the position of the first contact of the tape with the surface of the vacuum drum.

It is advisable that the means for looping the label tape around the loop and its heating be made in the form of at least three non-driven guide rollers, the first and third of which are placed opposite each other in the direction of movement of the label tape, and the second roller is located outside the straight line that connects the axes of the first and third roller, and is equipped with a device for regulating the heating of its surface.

In particular, it seems optimal to place the said rollers on the vertices of an isosceles triangle, the equal sides of which connect the centers of the second and first, as well as the second and third in the direction of movement of the label tape rollers, and the angle between them is accepted within 5 ... 30 °.

After heat treatment of a tape made of a polymer material in a state where its predetermined shape due to the removal of residual stresses generated during winding of the tape on the reel and its storage on the reel, the tape exhibits the property of adhering to a convex surface, for example, a vacuum drum, onto which it immediately after heat treatment is heading. In this case, it is necessary that the convexity given to the tape is turned away from the center of this convex surface (i.e., that the ends of the label lie on the surface of the vacuum drum). The mentioned effect is enhanced by the effect of pressing the tape to the surface of the drum under the influence of rarefaction. Due to the combined action of these effects, a tight fit of the tape to the drum surface, and then to the surface of the container, without wrinkles and bending of the ends, is achieved. From the above it seems obvious that the proposed technological measures are most effective than in the prototype method, and can be implemented using a simpler device than that adopted for the prototype.

The group of inventions is illustrated by drawings, where:

figure 1 is a perspective view of a schematic illustration of a machine for implementing the proposed method;

figure 2 - structural diagram of the machine;

figure 3 is a longitudinal section of a roller equipped with a device for regulated heating of its surface.

The machine includes a frame 1 (see figures 1 and 2), on which a conveyor is installed with input 2 and output 3 parts, for feeding containers - bottles, cans, etc. 4 and the removal, respectively, of containers 5 with glued labels, a reel 6 with a continuous polymer label tape 7, and devices: 8 - for applying the date on the labels, 9 - for adjusting the position of the date stamp on the label, 10 - optical label sensor on the tape 7 , 11 - for heat treatment of the label tape, 12 - for pulling the label tape and guide rollers 13.

Along the perimeter of the vacuum drum 14, to which the label tape 6 is fed, are located: a glue transfer roller 15 for applying strips of glue from the glue bath 16, 17 for applying tape 7 to the tape, and a rolling plate 18 for pressing the label to the container 4.

The device 11 for heat treatment of the label tape consists of three non-driven rollers 19, 20 and 21, which are located in close proximity to the position of the first contact of the tape 7 with the drum 14. The first and third rollers, 19 and 21, respectively, are ordinary guide rollers. The second roller 20 is made in the form of a sleeve 23 mounted on bearings 22 (see FIG. 3), inside which a thermoelectric heating element 24 is installed. The roller 20 is also equipped with a temperature relay connected to the element 24 (not shown conditionally). It was established that the optimum temperature for heating the outer surface of the sleeve 23 is a temperature of 75 ... 95 ° C, and the temperature of the tape 6 in the place of its first contact with the surface of the drum is 40 ... 55 ° C.

The axes of the rollers 19 and 21 are installed at a distance of 10 ... 25 cm from one another, and the roller 20 is symmetrically relative to them, with the formation of a triangle, the vertices of which are located on the axes of rotation of the rollers. It is advisable to take the angle α with the vertex on the axis of the roller 20 within 5 ... 30 ° (see figure 2). With a small angle α, the trajectory of the tape 6 during its passage through the rollers can be characterized by the letter “U”, and with its increase, by the letter “V”.

The tape 6 should enter the device 10 so that the surface of the tape lies on the surface of the drum 13, which is located on the inside of the loop or, in other words, which contacts the bushings of the rollers 19 ... 21.

Devices for the drive, synchronization, control and regulation of all mechanisms and other devices are not conventionally shown.

In the process, the label tape 7 moves from the reel 6 to the vacuum drum 14. Due to the heat treatment in the device 11, it lies on the surface of the drum 14 with the formation of a bulge directed from the center of the drum, the presence of which during further movement of the tape contributes to the tight fit of the tape to the surface of the drum, including when passing the tape 7 through the zone of application of glue on it and cutting it. Due to this, wrinkles are not formed in the tape, and after cutting the tape, the ends of the label are not bent and the possibility of adhesion of a part of the label with the adhesive applied to other parts of the label and / or machine parts is excluded.

After cutting the tape 7 into labels 25, the latter on the surface of the drum 14 are sent to the zone of their application to the containers 4. After that, the run-in of the containers 5 with the labels applied on them between the rolling plate 18 and the surface of the drum 14 are removed from the machine by the output part 3 of the conveyor.

Tests have proven the reliable operation of the machine on bottles of different sizes and shapes, including square, with rounded ribs.

Claims (4)

1. A method of applying labels to a container with a continuous polymer tape, which includes the receipt of a label tape from a bobbin onto the surface of a vacuum drum, applying glue to a label tape, cutting the label tape into individual labels, feeding containers to the position of labeling them, pressing the label to the container and the removal of containers with a glued label, characterized in that in the area located next to the position of the first contact of the label tape with the surface of the vacuum drum, I subject the tape t heat treatment, for which the trajectory of movement of the label tape in the said zone is shaped like a loop in the form of the letter "V or U", the tape is heated in the loop top zone to a temperature of 75 ... 95 ° C, after which the tape is fed to the vacuum drum in this way so that the surface of the tape, which was located on the inside of the loop, lies on the surface of the drum. 2. A machine for applying labels to a container with a continuous polymer tape, which includes a drive vacuum drum, a device for feeding a label tape from a bobbin onto the surface of a vacuum drum, for applying glue to its surface, for cutting label tape into individual labels, for bringing containers to the position of applying labels to them, for pressing the label to the container and for the removal of containers with a glued label and devices for drive, synchronization, control and regulation, characterized in that it turns given by a device for heat treatment of a label tape, which includes a means for bending a loop in the said area with a label tape in the form of the letter "V or U" and means for heating a label tape in the region of the apex of this loop, the means for bending around a label with a ribbon made with the possibility of feeding on the surface of the vacuum drum of the surface of the tape, which was located on the inner side of the loop, and both of these tools are installed in the area that is adjacent to the position of the first contact of the tape with awn vacuum drum. 3. The machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the means for enveloping the loop with a label tape and heating it in the region of the apex of this loop are made in the form of at least three non-driven directional rollers, the first and third of which, behind the direction of movement of the label tape are placed one opposite the other, and the second roller is located outside a straight line that connects the centers of the axes of the first and third rollers, and is equipped with a device for controlled heating of its surface. 4. The machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the said rollers are located at the vertices of an isosceles triangle, the equal sides of which connect the axes of the second and first, second and third in the direction of movement of the label tape rollers, and the angle between them is accepted within 5 ... 30 °.

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