WO2011077374A2

WO2011077374A2 - Labelling machine

Info

Publication number: WO2011077374A2
Application number: PCT/IB2010/055985
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrea Zucchini
Original assignee: T-Trade Engineering S.R.L.
Priority date: 2009-12-24
Filing date: 2010-12-21
Publication date: 2011-06-30
Also published as: WO2011077374A3; ITBO20090827A1; IT1396873B1

Abstract

A labelling machine comprises a silicone supporting roller (3), rotatable about a first axis of rotation (X) and having at least one outside surface (3 a) of silicone material for supporting the adhesive-coated web (2). Partly wound round the outside surface (3a) of the supporting roller (3) are diverting belts (5) designed to facilitate detachment of the adhesive-coated web (2) from the supporting roller (3).

Description

Labelling machine Technical Field

This invention relates to a labelling machine.

More specifically, the invention relates to an automatic labelling machine of the type which uses an adhesive-coated web and which cuts the web into separate labels to be applied to containers or packs.

Background Art

Automatic labelling machines are known which comprise a silicone roller round which the adhesive-coated web is partly wound and a cutting device located downstream of the roller relative to the direction of feed of the adhesive-coated web in order to cut the web into lengths forming the labels.

A printing device also operates at the roller to press the adhesive-coated web against the silicone roller and leave on the web a caption, a shape or, more generally, a graphic design as, for example, a brand logo.

At the two lateral ends of the roller, there are respective pulleys round each of which a belt is wound in order to guide the adhesive-coated web (along its border strips) towards the cutting device.

To facilitate correct detachment of the adhesive-coated web) and more specifically, of the central strip of it) from the silicone roller, prior art systems contemplate the use of a succession of fixed diverting blades partly inserted in radial grooves made in the silicone roller in such a way that, as the roller rotates, the adhesive-coated web wound round the roller meets the blades which detach it from the roller.

The diverting blades are positioned between the aforesaid belts in such a way as to act on the central strip of the adhesive-coated web in order to detach it from the silicone roller.

It has been noticed, however, that the machines of the above mentioned type have the major disadvantage of not allowing the machine to work with different sizes of adhesive-coated webs and, more specifically, with webs of different widths.

In effect, the use of the aforesaid fixed diverting blades constitutes a potential obstacle to the web's feed movement towards the cutting device, basically because the adhesive-coated web tends to adhere to the diverting blades and to come to a stop.

In these machines, therefore, the web must be laterally supported and guided by the aforementioned belts, which are driven in the same direction of feed as the web.

Since the position of the two belts is fixed, the web that can be used on the machine must, accordingly, be of a single, predetermined size.

The use of an adhesive-coated web of width smaller than the distance between the two belts would cause one side of the web to rest on the fixed diverting blades which would, in a very short time, cause the web to adhere to the blades, creating a web jam and bringing the machine to a stop.

Disclosure of the Invention

In this context, the technical purpose which forms the basis of this invention is to propose a labelling machine which overcomes the above mentioned disadvantage of the prior art.

In particular, this invention has for an aim to provide a labelling machine which offers a high level of operating flexibility and, more specifically, which works correctly with adhesive-coated webs of different sizes.

The technical purpose indicated and the aim specified are substantially achieved by a labelling machine with the technical features described in one or more of the appended claims. Brief Description of the Drawings

Further features and advantages of the present invention are more apparent from the non-limiting description which follows of a preferred, non-limiting embodiment of a labelling machine as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 schematically represents a labelling machine according to this invention;

- Figure 2 is a simplified perspective view of a part of the machine of Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a detail of the part of the machine of Figure 2, viewed in cross section according to the plane labelled A- A in Figure 2. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

In the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 denotes in its entirety a labelling machine according to this invention.

The labelling machine 1 is of the type designed to use a continuous, adhesive-coated web 2, preferably of paper or plastic, which can be fed by unwinding a roll not illustrated.

The adhesive-coated web 2 is of the type having a smooth first side 2a which is suitable for printing with graphical designs, captions or the like, and an adhesive-coated second side 2b which is suitable for direct application on a product to be labelled.

In Figure 1, the adhesive-coated second side 2b is the underside of the web

2.

After being unwound from the roll, the web is made to advance in a direction of feed "A" in order to receive a graphic design and/or a caption and then cut into lengths, each of which forms a single label.

The labelling machine 1 comprises a supporting roller 3 which the adhesive-coated web 2 rests on or is partly wound round during its feed movement. The supporting roller 3 is rotatable about a fixed axis "X", preferably horizontal, and is preferably made entirely of, or coated with, a silicone material for reducing adhesiveness to the adhesive-coated web 2 (the adhesive side of the web 2 faces the supporting roller 3).

The supporting roller 3 has an outside surface 3a which occupies a preferably cylindrical space. Alternatively, however, it might also occupy a space having a different shape, provided always that it is suitable for supporting the continuous web as the latter advances.

The aforesaid silicone material the supporting roller 3 is made of has a surface hardness of between 40 and 65 Shore A, more preferably between 45 and 55 Shore A and still more preferably, equal to 50 Shore A, for the reasons that will be clarified below.

Immediately downstream of the supporting roller 3 detachment means 4 are provided to operate between the supporting roller 3 and the adhesive-coated web 2 wound round it so as to facilitate detachment of the adhesive-coated web 2 from the outside surface 3 a of the supporting roller 3.

Advantageously, the detachment means 4 comprise at least one diverting belt 5 which is partly wound round the supporting roller 3.

More in detail, the diverting belt 5 is, on one side, partly wound round a part of the supporting roller 3 and, on the other side, partly wound round an idler member 6 which is preferably rotatable about an axis of rotation "Y" parallel to the axis of rotation "X" of the supporting roller 3.

According to a preferred and illustrated embodiment of the invention, the machine comprises a plurality of parallel diverting belts 5 placed side by side and partly wound round respective portions of the outside surface 3 a of the supporting roller 3.

The portions of the diverting belt 5 which are wound round the supporting roller 3 are therefore coaxial with each other and coaxial with the axis of rotation "X" of the supporting roller 3.

The idler member 6 may be embodied by a common idler shaft round which all the diverting belts 5 are wound (Figure 2) or, according to an embodiment not illustrated, an idler pulley may be provided for each of the diverting belts 5.

The idler member 6 is located downstream of the supporting roller 3 relative to the direction of feed of the adhesive-coated web 2 so that as the supporting roller 3 rotates, the adhesive-coated web 2 passes, at the supporting roller 3, from a first condition where it is at least partly supported by the outside surface 3a of the supporting roller 3 to a second operating condition where it is entirely supported by the diverting belts 5.

More specifically, at the first position, the adhesive-coated web 2 adheres to the outside surface 3a of the supporting roller 3, covering entirely one or more of the diverting belts 5.

On reaching a predetermined angular position during the rotation of the supporting roller 3, the diverting belts 5 (which are interposed between the outside surface 3 a of the supporting roller 3 and the adhesive-coated web 2) move away from the supporting roller 3 to reach the idler member 6 and by so moving facilitate detachment of the web 2 from the supporting roller 3 overcoming any forces of adhesion between the web 2 and the roller 3.

Each of the diverting belts 5 is preferably defined by a base made from Kevlar fibre or steel (preferably in the form of a plurality of wires) externally coated with low-adhesion material such as, for example, a polyurethane or a silicone material.

The base made of steel or Kevlar guarantees high specific strength for the diverting belts 5, allowing the belts 5 to be made in a considerably reduced size. Besides, the purpose of reducing the size of the diverting belts 5 is to reduce the surface of them that is in contact with the adhesive side of the adhesive-coated web 2 in order to facilitate its subsequent detachment from the diverting belts 5.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each diverting belt 5 has a width "L" (measured perpendicularly to the direction of feed of the belt 5 itself) of between 2 millimetres and 4 millimetres and preferably equal to 3 millimetres.

Further, each diverting belt 5 has a thickness "s" of between 0.2 millimetres and 0.4 millimetres, preferably equal to 0.3 millimetres.

It should be noticed, however, that the proportions of the diverting belts 5 shown in Figures 2 and 3 are not to scale but larger for improved clarity.

Advantageously, the diverting belts 5 are tensioned in such a way that the silicone coating of the supporting roller is elastically deformed at the portions of it which come into contact with the diverting belts 5.

Preferably, each diverting belt 5 is subjected to a pulling tension such that the diverting belt 5 portion which is trained around the supporting roller 3 has an outside diameter that is substantially equal to a corresponding outside diameter of the supporting roller 3 when not deformed.

In accordance with a first embodiment, tensioning means (not illustrated) are provided for operating on the diverting belts 5 in such a way as to cause the belts 5 to sink into the silicone coating of the supporting roller 3 to a predetermined extent such that the outside diameter of each of the belts 5 is equal to the outside diameter of the supporting roller 3 when it is not deformed.

According to a second embodiment, no specific tensioning means are provided and the desired sinking of the diverting belts 5 is achieved by suitably sizing the extension of each diverting belt 5 in such a way that each belt 5, once mounted, compresses the silicone coating of the supporting roller 3 and sinks into it to a desired extent defined by a value of deformation.

In other words, the silicone material the supporting roller 3 is made of is locally flattened by each of the diverting belts 5 to an extent which is substantially equal to the thickness "s" of the belt 5 itself.

The tensioning means may be defined by a system for adjustably fastening the idler member 6 or, alternatively, may comprise one or more tensioning rollers operating on the diverting belts 5 and located on the path followed by the diverting belts 5 themselves. The deformation of the silicone coating of the supporting roller 3 by one of the diverting belts 5 is illustrated in Figure 3 (for clarity, the proportions are not to scale, as mentioned above).

At a position facing the supporting roller 3 and upstream of the diverting belts 5 there is a print head 7 which is designed to impress a caption or graphic design on the first side 2a of the adhesive-coated web 2.

The print head 7 is of substantially known type and requires the use of a print ribbon 8 which is fed in the same feed direction as the adhesive-coated web 2 and above the latter. The print head 7 is designed to cause the print ribbon 8 to transfer ink to the adhesive-coated web 2 using dot-by-dot electric discharges.

The print ribbon 8 is unwound from a respective first reel 9 and then wound onto a respective second reel 10 and follows a respective feed path through the print head 7.

The print ribbon 8 is guided by a pair of tensioning rollers 11, 12 which keep the print ribbon 8 oriented according to a substantially straight line above and close to the adhesive-coated web 2 so as to allow the print head 7 to correctly impress the graphic design on the adhesive-coated web 2.

Thanks to the fact that, as just described, the diverting belts 5 sink into the silicone material of the supporting roller 3, the surface offered to the print head 7 by the supporting roller 3 is regular, without bumps or unevenness, and therefore allows the print head 7 to perform its printing function correctly.

Downstream of the diverting belts 5, there is a cutting station 13 of substantially known type which cuts the adhesive-coated web 2 (with the captions and/or graphic designs previously printed on it) into lengths forming the labels to be applied to the products.

In order to allow correct printing of the adhesive-coated web 2 portion that will form the label, the supporting roller 3 is provided with reciprocating rotational motion which, once the front portion of the adhesive-coated web 2 has been cut off to form the label, feeds the web backwards in such a way as to move the next front portion of it under the print head 7.

After the step of printing it, that next front portion of the adhesive-coated web 2 (provided with the caption and/or graphic design just printed on it) is fed forward once again by the supporting roller 3 while the diverting belts 5 facilitate its detachment from the supporting roller 3 according to what is described earlier on in this description. According to a preferred embodiment, under the diverting belts 5, blower means 14 are provided for directing a jet of air towards the second side 2b (the underside) of the adhesive-coated web 2 in order to cool the latter after it has undergone the heating effect created by the print head 7.

Further, the feed path of the print ribbon 8 is preferably concordant with the feed direction "A" of the adhesive-coated web and at least partly faces the diverting belts 5 in such a way as to delimit, in conjunction with the latter, a channel 15 for guiding the printed adhesive-coated web 2 and leading to the cutting station 13. In this regard, each diverting belt 5 preferably has a straight stretch 5a extending between the supporting roller 3 and the idler member 6 and facing the print ribbon 8 to delimit, in conjunction with the latter, the aforementioned guide channel 15.

In an example embodiment of it, the machine 1 according to the invention can use an adhesive-coated web 2 having a minimum width (measured perpendicularly to the direction of feed "A") of 20 millimetres and a maximum width of 200 millimetres.

In the aforesaid example embodiment, the diverting belts 5 are spaced apart by a distance (measured along the axis of rotation "X" of the supporting roller 3) of between 15 and 20 millimetres and are preferably mounted according to a mutually equispaced arrangement.

That means that even if adhesive-coated webs 2 of minimum width "L" (20 millimetres) are used, there are always at least two or three diverting belts 5 which facilitate detachment of the web 2 from the supporting roller 3 and which support it as it feeds forward towards the cutting station 13.

That provides correct support for the adhesive-coated web (and guarantees that the latter is correctly detached from the supporting roller) even when adhesive-coated webs of very different sizes are used.

That in turn translates as a high level of operating flexibility which allows changeover to a different size without making any structural modifications. ^"

Claims

1. A labelling machine comprising:

- a supporting roller (3), rotatable about a first axis of rotation (X) and having at least one coating portion of silicone material, said coating portion having an outside surface (3 a) for supporting at least one portion of an adhesive-coated web (2), and

- detachment means (5), operating between the supporting roller (3) and said portion of the adhesive-coated web (2) in order to facilitate detachment of the adhesive-coated web (2) from the supporting roller (3);

the machine being characterized in that the detachment means (5) comprise at least one diverting belt (5) wound partly round the outside surface (3a) of the supporting roller (3) to be interposed between the outside surface (3 a) and the portion of adhesive-coated web (2) so that during the rotation of the supporting roller (3), the portion of the adhesive-coated web (2) passes from a first condition in which it is at least partly supported by the outside surface (3 a) of the supporting roller (3) to a second operating condition in which it is fully supported by the at least one diverting belt (5).

2. The machine according to claim 1, further comprising at least one idler member (6) located downstream of the supporting roller (3) relative to a feed direction (A) of the adhesive-coated web (2), and wherein the diverting belt (5) is supported on one side by the supporting roller (3) and on another side by the idler member (6).

3. The machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the silicone coating of the supporting roller (3) is elastically deformed at a portion of it that is in contact with the diverting belt (5), preferably in such a way that the diverting belt (5) portion wound round the supporting roller (3) has an outside diameter that is substantially equal to a corresponding outside diameter of the supporting roller (3) when not deformed.

4. The machine according to claim 3, further comprising tensioning means operating on the diverting belt (5) in order to sink the diverting tape (5) to a predetermined extent into the silicone coating of the supporting roller (3) in such a way as to produce said elastic deformation of the silicone coating.

5. The machine according to any of the foregoing claims, wherein the silicone coating of the supporting roller (3) has a surface hardness of between 40 and 65 Shore A, preferably between 45 and 55 Shore A, and still more preferably equal to 50 Shore A, and wherein the diverting belt (5) comprises a base layer of steel or Kevlar, preferably made from a plurality of steel or Kevlar filaments.

6. The machine according to claim 5, wherein the base layer of steel or Kevlar is coated with a layer of polyurethane or silicone.

7. The machine according to any of the foregoing claims, wherein the detachment means (4) comprise a plurality of parallel diverting belts (5), wound round respective adjacent portions of the outside surface (3a) of the supporting roller (3) and acting in conjunction with each other to facilitate detachment of the adhesive coated web (2) from the supporting roller (3).

8. The machine according to any of the foregoing claims, wherein the at least one diverting belt (5) has a width of between 2 millimetres and 4 millimetres, preferably equal to 3 millimetres, and a thickness of between 0.2 millimetres and 0.4 millimetres, preferably equal to 0.3 millimetres.

9. The machine according to any of the foregoing claims, comprising a print head (7), facing the supporting roller (3) and located upstream of the diverting belt (5) relative to a feed direction (A) of the adhesive-coated web (2) for printing a graphical design on the adhesive-coated web (2), and comprising also blower means (19), facing the diverting belt (5) to direct a cooling air flow at the printed adhesive-coated web (2).

10. The machine according to claim 9, further comprising a print ribbon (8) advancing along a feed path passing through the print head (7) in the same direction as the feed direction (A) of the adhesive-coated web (2), and wherein the feed path of the print ribbon (8) at least partly faces the at least one diverting belt (5) in order to delimit, in conjunction with the diverting belt (5), a channel (5) for guiding the printed adhesive-coated web (2).