EP1480885B1 - Application device for labels that vary in length - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for applying individual flat material segment to be separated from a flat material web to products. The products are moved continuously past the application device. The device includes a separation unit for separating the flat material segment from the flat material web. The device also includes an application unit for applying the flat material segment to the product, and a buffer unit between the separation unit and the application unit for the intermediate storage of the flat material segment so as to decouple the feeds at the separation unit and the application unit.

Description

The invention relates to an applicator for applying flat material segments in particular labels, according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method for applying such flat material segments to a product according to the preamble of claim 11.

For the previously commonly used in practice self-adhesive tikes usually a flat material web is first prepared, one side of which has an adhesive layer and the other side can be printed by means of a printing unit. In order to prevent the self-adhesive flat material web in the printing unit from adhering to the labels on conveying rollers, pressure rollers and the like, the self-adhesive flat material web on the side of the adhesive layer is covered with a carrier material web. This self-adhesive flat material web is usually wound into a roll, whereby the handling of the self-adhesive flat material web and their storage is facilitated.

Heretofore, applicator devices have predominantly applied pre-punched self-adhesive labels, which therefore have predetermined length and width dimensions. The maximum width of a label is predetermined by the width of the flat material web. Such pre-punched labels can be applied continuously without stopping the product to be labeled. However, if labels with a different length are to be applied to products, then the applicator or labeling machine has to be converted, which increases the downtime of the applicator and thus the labeling costs per product.

In the case of the so-called linerless labels, the self-adhesive flat material web has no carrier material web. Such a flat material web can be rolled up like a normal adhesive tape. This enables increased productivity through more efficient rolling and thus shorter set-up times. In addition, linerless labels are environmentally friendly because they do not produce waste from silicone-containing substrates. Further advantages include reduced costs for storage, transport and waste disposal through up to 50% more label material. In addition, linerless labels are not pre-cut, but are continuously pulled off a rotting and cut to the required length. In this case, labels of different lengths can be produced in an advantageous manner from the same flat material web.

As with the Linertess labels, it is also known for the labels, which are obtained from a flat material web with carrier material, not to pre-punch them, but to cut off the desired length from the flat material web.

If, for example, large numbers of products with a high throughput are to be provided with labels of different lengths in industrial production, the use of a self-adhesive flat material web for the labels, with or without carrier material web, in a non-pre-cut form is appropriate. Thus, an Appliziervorrichtung in the Application extremely flexible Produce labels in the desired dimensions and apply to products.

The necessary separation process for separating a flat material segment from a flat material web, with or without carrier material for producing a label has a significant disadvantage: each time the feed of the flat material web must be stopped to allow trouble-free separation .. This means a Stopping or at least delaying the products to be labeled on the applicator. The result is lower product throughput. Consequently, such a stop-and-go operation has a higher material wear and energy requirement.

From the European patent application 0 414 056, which forms the closest prior art, from which the present invention proceeds, an apparatus and a method for labeling goods or for applying labels is removable. The device has a separating unit for separating a label from the label web and an application unit for applying the label to a product. Furthermore, a device for applying an adhesive to a separate, separated from the separation unit label is provided between the separation unit and the application unit. Here, the separation of a single label from the label web and the order of the adhesive is clock-controlled.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device and a method for applying or applying self-adhesive labels, wherein especially without stopping the products to be labeled, the labels can be applied continuously. Furthermore, a simple structure of the Appliziervorrichtung and an associated easy and trouble-free handling is desired. In addition, a maximum of flexibility with respect to the length of the labels to be applied is desired.

The above object is achieved with respect to the Appliziervorrichtung by the features of claim 1. Advantageous Ausgestattungen these solutions can be found in the dependent claims 2 to 10.

The applicator according to the invention has a buffer or a buffer unit between a separating unit for separating a flat material segment from the flat material web and an application unit for applying such a flat material segment as a label to a product. By the buffer or the buffer unit is advantageously decoupled the process of applying the labels to the products of the a finite period consuming separation process. The clock rate of the products to be labeled thus becomes independent of the duration of the separation process for a label.

The buffer or the buffer unit of the applicator device according to the invention is designed so that it forms a changeable loop formed by the flat material web between the separation unit and the application unit before each separation. The length of this loop represents the flat material web section removable from the buffer unit and has at least the length of the path traveled by the surface of a product to be labeled during the duration of the separation process of the flat material segment on the application unit.

The formation of the loop in the buffer unit is achieved by controlling the feed rate of the flat material web such that it runs at least temporarily between two severing operations at a greater feed rate than the speed of the products to be labeled past the applicator.

For this purpose, the buffer unit has a feed roller driven in a controlled manner and a pressure roller spaced therefrom in the feed direction of the flat material web. The feed roller may be arranged in the detaching unit and serves to advance the flat material segment at a predetermined speed at each time. The pressure roller is provided for pressing the flat material segments on the surface of the product on the Appliziereinheit. Both the feed roller and the pressure roller are arranged parallel to each other and to the plane spanned by the surface of the product. This dispenses a donated label, which is advantageously aligned with the surface to be labeled, from the applicator. It is also possible to provide a controlled drive on the pressure roller.

To control the feed speed, the Appliziervorrichtung may have a control unit, which controls, among other things, the speed of the driven feed roller of the buffer unit as explained above, so that between two separation processes, the formation of the loop with .benötigten length is ensured from the flat material web. For detecting the feed rates of the flat material web on the detachment unit, a sensor can be provided on the detachment unit be that transmits the detected speed to the control unit. Likewise, a sensor for detecting the speed of the products on the application unit, which transfers the speed to the control unit, can be provided on the application unit or the conveyor.

The flat material web may consist of both a carrier mat web on which a self-adhesive label material web is applied, as well as a carrier-less label web. In the embodiment with a carrier material web, it is removed from the flat material web before the separating unit.

The above-mentioned object is achieved with respect to the method by the features of claim 11. Advantageous embodiments of the method according to the invention can be found in the dependent claims 12 to 16. With regard to the method, there are the same advantages as have been explained above in connection with the device.

Fig.1

eine schematische Seitenansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Appliziervorrichtung; und

Fig. 2

eine Detailansicht D aus der Fig. 1.

Further advantageous embodiments and an embodiment will be explained below with reference to the accompanying drawing figures. The terms "left", "right", "bottom" and "top" used herein refer to the drawing figures with normally legible figure names. Furthermore, it should be noted that in the individual drawing figures identically constructed and / or functionally identical components are identifiable by the same reference numerals. Show it:

Fig.1

a schematic side view of an applicator according to the invention; and

Fig. 2

a detailed view D of FIG. 1.

1 and 2 show a possible embodiment of the applicator 10 according to the invention for implementing the Applizierverfahrens invention.

1 is a schematic side view of an applicator 10 which is used to move on at least part of the surface O of products P from a conveyor F on the applicator 10 in FIG. 1 from right to left in a horizontal direction extending level to apply labels E or the like. The housing 11, which will be described below in more detail below, is partially removed in FIGS. 1 and 2. Only the substantially vertically extending rear wall 11a and a support plate 11b mounted thereon are shown.

In the exemplary embodiment shown of the applicator 10 according to the invention, the labels E are produced from a flat material web 20 consisting of a self-adhesive label web 22 and a substrate web 24 attached to the adhesive side 22a. The flat material web 20 is scaffolded in the form of a supply roll RV into the device 10 by attaching the roll RV to an axis A1 projecting from the top right in FIG. 1 and projecting perpendicularly from the rear wall 11a. From the supply roll RV, the flat material web 20 is fed via horizontally oriented deflection rollers R1, R2, R3 of an unspecified detaching unit 30, in which the label web 22 is detached at a dispensing edge of the substrate sheet 24 by peeling. The "empty" carrier material web 24 is guided from the detaching unit 30 to a waste roll RA shown on the right in FIG. 1, which is inserted on an axis A2 projecting perpendicularly from the rear wall 10a and wound up by the latter.

Adjoining the detaching unit 30, in the conveying direction of the flat material web 22, is an unspecified printing unit 40, in which segments of the label web 22 can be printed with the desired information. This can be done, for example, with a known thermal transfer printing process. Such a printed segment of the label web 22 is then fed to a separation unit 50.

The detachment unit includes, inter alia, a controlled driven feed roller 30a for the controlled advancement of the label web 22 in the direction of the separation unit 50 or an application unit 60 adjoining the separation unit 50 in the feed direction. The label web 22 fed from the printing unit 40 is grasped by a guide not shown in detail and then fed without slip from the controlled feed roller 30a, which is controlled by a control unit, not shown, via the separating unit 50 of the Appfiziereinheil 60 with a feed rate defined at any time.

The application unit 60 essentially consists of a pressure roller 60a oriented horizontally to the plane defined by the product surface O to be labeled, which presses the label E against the surface O of the product P. The suspension and guidance of the pressure roller 60a are not shown in detail. It should be noted that the free-running pressure roller 60a may be resiliently reversibly displaceable in the direction of the surface of the product P so that a sufficient pressing force can be exerted on the pressure roller 60a for wrinkle-free application of the label E at all times. The free-running pressure roller 60a may additionally be provided with a sensor element such that detection of the speed of the products P to be labeled is possible. This would also disturbances such as a lack of products P be detected. Of course, such a sensor can also be provided independently of the pressure roller 60a.

Fig. 2 shows the detail D of the Appliziervorrichtung 10 of FIG. 1 on a larger scale. Evident are the following to the printing unit 40 separating unit 50, the Appliziereinheit 60 and a possible embodiment of a buffer unit arranged therebetween 70. In this case, the buffer unit 70 consists of the controlled feed roller 30a and the pressure roller 60a, between which one from the to be applied label E variable loop 80 of the flat material web 22 may be formed as a buffer. The buffer unit 70 makes it possible to decouple the Appliziervorgang of the separation process of a label E. This is achieved by the targeted interaction of the controlled feed roller 30a and the pressure roller 60a reaches the buffer unit 70. The necessary coordination between the feed speed at the feed roller 30a and the conveying speed of the product (s) P is ensured by the control unit (not shown) contained in the applicator device mentioned above.

The control unit ensures a suitable timing of the feed rate of the label web 22 in the separation unit 50 by means of the controlled driven feed roller 30a in relation to the speed of the product (s) P to be labeled on the conveyor F at the application unit 60. Thereby, the filling of the buffer unit 70, namely the formation of the loop 80, between two separation processes in the separation unit 50 is achieved. In this case, in principle, the feed rate of the flat material web 20 or the label web 22 between two Abtrennvorgängen be consistently higher than the speed of the products P on the conveyor F. This corresponds to a constant velocity profile, ie v _E (t) = constant, the feed rate v _E between two separation processes. However, it is also possible with a differently designed speed profile, ie, v _E = v _E (t), to "fill up" the buffer unit 70 with a loop 80. Thus, for example, the flat material web 20 or label web 22 can be advanced very rapidly immediately after a severing operation, beginning with a greatly accelerated feed, and then decelerated linearly or exponentially thereafter. As feedback, the control unit can use sensors, which can be provided for example on the feed roller 30a, the pressure roller 60a and the conveyor F, the actual speeds of the product (s) P on the Appliziervorrichtung 10 and the label web 22 on the separation unit 50 for Will be provided.

Is the speed of the products P on the applicator 10 v _P and requires the separation process for separating a label E the period .DELTA.t, the male in the buffer unit 70 loop length I _S1 corresponds approximately v _P. Δt. With the time t _E for applying a Label E must be the feed rate v _E in a first approximation to the formation of the loop at least (v _P · t _E ) / ( t _E - Δt). By dead times in the control of the feed rate, the speed in practice to choose greater. The control unit ensures via the drive speed of the feed roller the formation of the respectively required loop lengths between two separation processes. If no constant feed rate, ie v _E = constant, is selected, then the length I _{S2 of} the loop 80 generated in the buffer unit corresponds to the integral over the velocity profile v _E = v _E (t), $$\mathrm{d},\mathrm{H},{\mathrm{<figure-callout\; id="2"\; label="l\; S"\; filenames="imgf0001.png"\; state="\{\{state\}\}">l\; </figure-callout>}}_S={\displaystyle \underset{0}{\overset{t_e-\Delta t}{\int }}{v}_e\left(t\right)dt},$$

To achieve the desired decoupling I _S1 ≤ I _S2 must be satisfied.

When applying a label E, a printed segment of the label web 22 is first supplied from the printing unit 40 of the separation unit 50. The segment of the label web 22 is guided by the feed roller 30a, not shown, in the direction of the surface O of the product P to be labeled. Due to the self-adhesive property of the side 22a of the label web 22, it will adhere to it when in contact with the surface O of the product P. To ensure a secure, wrinkle-free adhesion of the label web 22, this is pressed on the surface O of the product P by the above-described pressure roller 60a, which corresponds to the Appliziereinheit 60. From this point on, the end of the label web 22 moves with the surface O of the product P at the conveying speed v _P. Now, for less than ( t _E -Δt), the controller will run the feed roll at the feed rate v _E = constant or as discussed above at a different speed profile v _E = v _E (t), thus passing more label web 22 through the separation unit 50. as is applied to the surface O of the product P. As a result, the loop of the buffer unit 70 with the required length is preferably formed in the area downstream of the separation unit as far as the application unit 60. For example, the control unit can "recognize" by means of a timer function when the necessary loop length is reached is. Once the required loop length is formed, the label web 22 is stopped for at least the duration of a separation process .DELTA.t. Thereafter, the detachment of the label E at the separation unit 50 is immediately performed. Tearing or damaging the labels E is thus avoided.

During the stopping of the feed roller 30a, the application process to the product P is continued by the label web 22 "stored" in the previously formed loop 80. For this reason, it is possible to stop the label web 22 for separating a label E without having to stop or delay the product (s) P to be labeled.

A further possibility for forming a buffer or a loop can be achieved by accelerating or slowing down the strip speed of the labeling product P, at the same time advancing the material web at the same speed.

If three applicators are combined with each other such that the respective pressure rollers are each aligned horizontally with respect to one of the three product sides which are orthogonal to the plane defined by the pressure rollers of the application units, then different labels can be applied simultaneously in one pass to all three sides.

Finally, the principle and essence of the invention should once again be pointed out: in all possible embodiments, more and more label webs are guided past the separating unit in a timely manner between two severing operations than is applied to the product to be labeled. This creates a buffer that can be used up during the individual separation operations.

Claims (16)

1. An application device (10) for applying individual flat material segments (26) which are to be separated from a flat material web (20), in particular labels (E), to products (P) which are moved continuously past the application device (10), comprising

   a) a separation unit (50) for separating a flat material segment (26) from the flat material web (20), and

   b) an application unit (60) for applying the flat material segment (26) to the product (P), whereas

   a buffer unit (70, 50a, 60a, 80) for the intermediate storage of at least one flat material segment is provided between the separation unit (50) and the application unit (60),

   characterised in that the buffer unit (70, 50a, 60a, 80) is so adapted that it produces a variable loop (80) formed from the flat material web (20) between the separation unit (50) and the application unit (60) prior to each separation operation.
2. An application device (10) as set forth in claim 1 characterised in that the length of the loop (80) corresponds at least to the length of the distance which a surface (O) of a product (P) to be labelled covers during the duration of the separation operation of the flat material segment (26) at the application unit (60).
3. An application device (10) as set forth in claim 1 or 2 characterised in that the buffer unit (70) has a controlledly driven feed roller (30a) and a pressure roller (60a), wherein the feed roller (30a) is provided in the detachment unit (30) for feeding the flat material segment (26) at a speed which is predetermined at any time and the pressure roller (60a) is provided for pressing the flat material segments (26) against the surface (O) of the product (P) at the application unit (60).
4. An application device (10) as set forth in claim 3 characterised in that the axes of the feed roller (30a) and the pressure roller (60a) are arranged parallel to each other and to the plane defined by the surface (O) of the product (P).
5. An application device (10) as set forth in claim 3 or claim 4 characterised in that the pressure roller (60a) is also controlledly driven.
6. An application device (10) as set forth in one of claims 3 through 5 characterised in that the application device (10) has a control unit for controlling the speed of the driven feed roller (30a) of the buffer unit (70, 50a, 60a, 80).
7. An application device (10) as set forth in claim 6 characterised in that provided in the detachment unit (30) is a sensor for detecting the feed speeds of the flat material web (20) at the detachment unit (30) and for communicating the detected feed speed to the control unit.
8. An application device (10) as set forth in claim 6 or claim 7 characterised in that provided at the application unit (60) or the conveyor device (F) is a sensor for detecting the speed of the products (P) at the application unit (60) and for communicating the detected speed to the control unit.
9. An application device (10) as set forth in one of claims 1 through 8 characterised in that the flat material web (20) comprises a carrier material web (24) on which is disposed a self-adhesive label material web (22).
10. An application device (10) as set forth in one of claims 1 through 8 characterised in that the flat material web (20) is a carrier material-less, self-adhesive label material web.
11. An application method of applying individual flat material segments which are to be separated from a flat material web, in particular labels, to products which are moved continuously past the application device, wherein the method includes the following steps:

    a) feeding the flat material web by means of a feed unit,

    b) separating a flat material segment from the flat material web by means of a separation unit,

    c) applying the flat material segment to the product by means of an application unit, and

    d) decoupling the feed of the flat material web at the separation unit from the feed of the flat material web segments at the application unit by means of a buffer unit,

    characterised in that decoupling involves the formation of a variable loop of the flat material web between the separation unit and the application unit prior to each separation operation.
12. An application method as set forth in claim 11 characterised in that the flat material web which can be taken from the loop corresponds at least to the length of the distance which the product to be labelled covers during the duration of the separation operation of the flat material segment at the application unit.
13. An application method as set forth in one of claims 11 and 12 characterised in that there is further provided the following step:

    controlling the formation of the loop in the buffer unit by setting the feed speed of the feed unit between two separation operations in such a way that the feed speed of the flat material web at the separation unit is at least temporarily greater than the speed of the products to be labelled which are moved past the application device.
14. An application method as set forth in at least one of claims 11 through 13 characterised in that the speed of the feed of the flat material web is detected at the detachment unit.
15. An application method as set forth in at least one of claims 11 through 14 characterised in that the speed of the products to be labelled is detected at the application unit or the conveyor device.
16. An application method as set forth in at least one of claims 11 through 15 characterised in that upon separation of a flat material segment the feed of the flat material web at the separation unit is stopped at least for the duration of the separation operation.

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