GB2428402A

GB2428402A - Moulded, labelled plastic article with a relief pattern.

Info

Publication number: GB2428402A
Application number: GB0514725A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Pierre Yves Rougeaux
Original assignee: Arjobex SAS
Current assignee: Arjobex SAS
Priority date: 2005-07-19
Filing date: 2005-07-19
Publication date: 2007-01-31
Also published as: GB0514725D0

Abstract

A moulded article comprises a moulded body (2) made of a plastics material and a label (4) attached to the moulded body. The moulded article incorporates a relief pattern (6) formed on at least a part of the moulded body (2) and the label (4). The label has a printed pattern, that matches or complements the relief pattern. To make the moulded article, the label is placed in the mould and a plastics material is moulded to form a moulded body having the label attached thereto. The mould includes a recessed pattern-forming portion that forms a relief pattern on the moulded body and the label. The moulded body may be blow moulded, injection moulded or thermo-formed. The article may be a container.

Description

Moulded Article and Method of Making a Moulded Article The present

invention relates to a moulded article and a method of making a moulded article, for example a moulded container.

In particular, but not exclusively, the invention relates to disposable containers for consumer products, and a method of making such containers. Examples of such containers include blow-moulded bottles for shampoos or detergents, and injection-moulded or thermo-formed tubs for butter or margarine. Normally, such containers carry some form of printed decoration, for examples pictures or patterns. The decoration of a product is often extremely important for marketing purposes and a distinctive design can have a significant impact on sales of the product.

The labelling and decoration of an article is also sometimes useful to reduce the risk of counterfeiting. However, ordinary printed labels are easy to reproduce and so provide little protection against counterfeit goods.

Decoration can be achieved by a number of different methods, including the following: - direct printing on the container; - the use of printed self-adhesive labels; - the use of printed labels that are attached with glue or adhesive; or - the use of in-mould labelling (IML) techniques.

The present invention is particularly concerned with products made using the IML process, in which a label is placed inside a blowing or injection mould prior to moulding. The label adheres to the moulded article during the moulding process, thereby providing a strong bond with the article and avoiding the need for a separate labelling process.

According to the present invention there is provided a moulded article comprising a moulded body made of a plastics material and a label attached to the moulded body, including a relief pattern formed on at least part of moulded body and the attached label.

By providing a three-dimensional (3D) relief pattern, more attractive and distinctive decorative patterns can be produced, therefore encouraging more sales. Furthermore, because the three- dimensional pattern is difficult to copy, additional protection is provided against counterfeit goods.

Advantageously, the relief pattern has a height in the range 0.2-2.0mm, and preferably in the range 0.5-0.8mm. Advantageously, the relief pattern has a width in the range 1-30mm.

Advantageously, the label has a printed pattern that matches or complements the relief pattern, so producing a distinctive and attractive 3D effect.

Advantageously, the label includes a plastics sheet. The plastics sheet is preferably made of a polymeric material that includes at least one polyolefin. The plastics sheet may be biaxially oriented and may include a plurality of voids. The plastics sheet preferably has multiple coextruded layers, including a base layer and at least one co-extruded outer layer.

Advantageously, the base layer includes a plurality of voids and at least one co-extruded outer layer includes substantially no voids. Preferably, the base layer includes a mixture of high density polyethylene, titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate, polystyrene, a resinate voiding agent, an antioxidant and an antistatic agent, and at least one co-extruded outer layer includes a mixture of linear low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene and an antistatic agent.

The plastics sheet is preferably a synthetic paper. The term "synthetic paper" is used herein and throughout the specification to mean plastics film and sheet products having a feel and printability similar to cellulose paper. It has been recognised that plastics sheet of these types can provide an improved alternative to paper where durability and toughness are required.

Plastics sheets produced from polyolefins have several advantages over other plastics since they offer UV resistance, good tear strength and the ability to be recycled in many post- consumer waste applications.

Synthetic papers and their methods of preparation have been described in, for example, GB1470372A and EP0703071A. Conventionally, the material is printed on one side and has a heat-activated adhesive on the other side. This adhesive is used to give a strong adhesion between the label and the container to which it is being attached. Alternatively, the synthetic paper can be formulated to fuse to the container without the need for a separate adhesive layer, as described in EP1377446A.

Advantageously, an outer surface of the plastics sheet includes a coating andlor is treated chemically and/or by corona discharge, to improve its printability.

The moulded body is preferably a blow moulded, injection moulded or thermo-formed body.

The moulded body is preferably made of a polymeric material, for example polyethylene, polypropylene or polyethylene terephthalate. Advantageously, the moulded article is a container, for example a bottle or a tub. The moulded article is preferably the product of an IML process.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of making a moulded article, comprising placing a label in a mould and moulding a plastics material in the mould to form a moulded body having said label attached thereto, wherein the mould includes a recessed pattern-forming portion that forms a relief pattern on at least part of the moulded body and the attached label.

Advantageously, the relief pattern has a height in the range 0.2-2.0mm, and preferably in the range O.5-O.8mm. Advantageously, the relief pattern has a width in the range 1-30mm.

The label may have a printed pattern that matches or complements the reliefpattern. The size of the printed pattern is preferably selected to compensate for differential shrinkage of the moulded body and the label during moulding.

The moulded body is preferably made by blow moulding, injection moulding or thermo- forming. The moulded article may be a container. Preferably, the moulded article is as defined by any one of the preceding statements of invention.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a blow-moulded bottle with an attached label; Figure 2 is a front elevation showing part of the label at an enlarged scale; Figure 3 is a cross-section on line X-X of Figure 2; Figure 4 shows the interior of a mould for use in blow-moulding a bottle as shown in Figure 1, and Figures 5 to 7 illustrate the steps of a blow-moulding process.

Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings show a blow-moulded bottle 2 having a label 4 attached to a front surface of the bottle. The label 4 is made of a synthetic paper material and is attached to the bottle by an IML process.

At least part of the label 4 is provided with a relief pattern 6, which in this example is based on a leaf design. As shown in Figure 3, the relief pattern extends through the label 4 and the underlying wall of the blow-moulded bottle 2. The relief pattern 6 consists of a plurality of raised forms 8 that project to a height of approximately 0.5-0.8mm above the normal outer surface of the bottle 2. The width of the forms will depend on the design of the relief pattern, but typically will range from about 1mm for fine designs such as the leaf pattern shown in the drawings, to 30mm or more for larger designs, as for example in a design based on grapes.

The label 4 is preferably provided with a printed pattern that matches or complements the relief pattern 6. For example, in the embodiment shown in Figs. 1-3, the label may be printed with a matching leaf design. The printed pattern is thus given a three-dimensional effect, which makes it particularly distinctive and attractive.

is The synthetic paper material used for the label may for example be of a type as described in EP 1377446, the content of which is incorporated by reference herein. Preferably, the synthetic paper includes a voided, biaxially oriented core layer and two co-extruded outer skin layers on either side of the core layer. Typically, the core layer comprises a mixture of high density polyethylene, titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate, polystyrene and a resinate voiding agent, as well as an antioxidant and an antistatic agent. The outer layers typically include a mixture of linear low density polyethylene and high density polyethylene, plus an antistatic agent. The sheet has an overall weight of approximately 7Ogsm, the core layer having a weight of 64gsm and each co-extruded outer layer having a weight of about 3gsm. The lower co-extruded layer is preferably embossed with a grid pattern, to allow air to escape from between the label and the moulded article during the moulding process, so preventing blisters.

The upper layer may be printed, for example using an ultraviolet offset litho technique or a UV flexo process. Alternatively, an absorbent clay coating may be applied to the upper surface of the synthetic paper to allow for printing with air oxidation inks, for example in a sheet fed offset-litho process.

A typical formulation for the label material is as follows: For core layer: Wt % Ampacet 111096 60% CaCO3, in HDPE 15.90 ExxonMobil HDPE Paxon AL55-003 55.89 Ampacet 111096 60% Ti02 in HDPE 7.95 Nova Chemicals Polystyrene High Heat 1300 3.98 Omya Omyalene G.200 88% CaCO3 in LDPE 7. 95 DRT Dertoline MP 170 7.95 Ciba Geigy Irganox B2 15 0.22 Akzo Nobel Chemicals Armostat 350 0.16 For the outer skin layers: Wt% ExxonMobil HDPE Paxon A155-003 48.5 ExxonMobil VLDPE Exceed 3512CB 50 Alczo Nobel Chemicals Armostat 350 1.5 The resulting plastic film typically has a density of 0.52 g/cm3, a weight of 70 g/m2 and a thickness of 135 microns prior to embossing.

One half ofa mould 10 for use in a blow-moulding process according to the present invention is shown in Figure 4. The mould 10 includes a bottleshaped recess 12 and a label-receiving portion 14. A plurality of air vents 15 open onto the face of the mould within the label- receiving portion 14. In use, air is extracted through the air vents 15 so that a pre-printed label placed in the mould is held in the correct position by suction. Also provided on the face of the mould at least partly within the label receiving portion is an indented or engraved pattern 16, for forming the relief pattern on the moulded article. At its upper end, the mould includes a cut-off recess 18 for separating the blow- moulded bottle from scrap plastics material and at its lower end there is a recess 20 for receiving a blowing needle.

A process for making a blow-moulded bottle is depicted in Figures 5 to 7. Figure 5 is a side view of an open mould 10 attached to a press platen 22. The two mould halves 1 Oa, I Ob are separated and a pre-printed label 4 is placed in one of the mould halves 1 Oa and held in position within the label-receiving portion 14 by applying suction through the air vents 15.

A blowing needle 24 is located below the mould and an extruder 26 is located above the mould 10. In use, the extruder 26 extrudes a parison 28 of heated plastics material at a temperature of approximately 200 C into the gap between the two mould halves. A cutter 30 for cutting off the parison is located adjacent the outlet nozzle of the extruder 26.

Once a parison of sufficient length has been extruded, the mould 10 closes around the parison and the blowing needle 24 is inserted, as shown in figure 6. The cutter 30 then cuts off the extruded parison and the mould 10 retracts. Gas is injected into the parison through the needle 24, causing it to expand and adopt the bottle shape of the mould recess 12. The heat of the parison softens the inner skin of the label and causes it to adhere to the outer surface of the bottle, so that the blow- moulded bottle and the label fuse together. Blowing also causes both the label and the blow-moulded bottle to conform to the shape of the indented pattern 16 on the face of the mould, thus forming a 3D relief pattern on the label and the bottle. After the moulded bottle has cooled, the mould 10 is opened as shown in figure 7 and the labelled bottle 2 is ejected. The cycle then repeats.

The printed pattern and the relief pattern are designed to allow for differential shrinkage of the label and the moulded product after moulding. Therefore, if the label experiences a greater degree of shrinkage than the moulded product, the printed pattern is designed to be slightly larger than the relief pattern so that the two patterns match after shrinkage has taken place.

The film is preferably homogeneous in its length and width, so that the pattern experiences uniform shrinkage in both directions.

Various modifications of the invention described above are of course possible. For example, the label may be made of other plastics materials, for example polypropylene (PP) or other polyolefins. It may optionally include a heat-activated adhesive layer. The moulded article may be made for example of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The moulded article may be formed by a variety of moulding methods, for example by blow moulding, injection moulding or thermoforming. If a blow moulding process is used, this may differ from the process described above. For example, instead of moulding the bottle upside down as shown in the drawings, it may be moulded the right way up, with the blow pin entering the mould from the top. After closing around the parison, the mould may move away from the extruder before the blow pin is inserted through the neck and air is injected into the parison. The moulded article may be a container or any other suitable product.

Claims

Claims I. A moulded article comprising a moulded body made of a plastics

material and a label attached to the moulded body, including a relief pattern formed on at least part of the moulded body and the attached label.
2. A moulded article according to claim 1, wherein the relief pattern has a height in the range 0.2-2.0mm, and preferably in the range 0.5-0.8mm.
3. A moulded article according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the relief pattern has a width in the range 1-30mm.
4. A moulded article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the label has a printed pattern that matches or complements the relief pattern.
5. A moulded article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the label includes a plastics sheet.
6. A moulded article according to claim 5, wherein the plastics sheet is made of a polymeric material that includes at least one polyolefin.
7. A moulded article according to claim 5 or claim 6, in which the plastics sheet is biaxially oriented.
8. A moulded article according to any one of claims 5 to 7, in which the plastics sheet includes a plurality of voids.
9. A moulded article according to any one of claims 5 to 8, in which plastics sheet has multiple co-extruded layers, including a base layer and at least one co-extruded outer layer.
10. A moulded article according to claim 9, in which the base layer includes a plurality of voids and at least one co-extruded outer layer includes substantially no voids.
11. A moulded article according to claim 9 or claim 10, in which the base layer includes a mixture of high density polyethylene, titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate, polystyrene, a resinate voiding agent, an antioxidant and an antistatic agent, and at least one co-extruded outer layer includes a mixture of linear low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene and an antistatic agent.
12. A moulded article according to any one of claims 5 to 11, in which the plastics sheet is a synthetic paper.
13. A moulded article according to any one of claims 5 to 12, in which an outer surface of the plastics sheet includes a coating and/or is treated chemically and/or by corona discharge.
14. A moulded article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the moulded body is a blow moulded, injection moulded or thermoformed body.
15. A moulded article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the moulded body is made of a polymeric material.
16. A moulded article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the moulded article is a container.
17. A moulded article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the moulded article is the product of an IML process.
18. A method of making a moulded article, comprising placing a label in a mould and moulding a plastics material in the mould to form a moulded body having said label attached thereto, wherein the mould includes a recessed pattern-forming portion that forms a relief pattern on at least part of the moulded body and the attached label.
19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the relief pattern has a height in the range 0.2-2.0mm, and preferably in the range 0.5-0.8mm.
20. A method according to claim 18 or claim 19, wherein the relief pattern has a width in the range 1-30mm.
21. A method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the label has a printed pattern that matches or complements the relief pattern.
22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the size of the printed pattern is selected to compensate for differential shrinkage of the moulded body and the label during moulding.
23. A method according to any one of claims 18 to 22, wherein the moulded body is made by blow moulding, injection moulding or thermo-forming.
24. A method according to any one of claims 18 to 23, wherein the moulded article is a container.
25. A method according to any one of claims 18 to 24, wherein the moulded article is as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17. flIi