CH686393A5 - Low cost, clear consistent weight labelling, laser-branded on cheese rinds - Google Patents

Abstract

Inscribing cheeses with data comprises branding the rind, using the beam of a power laser, replacing earlier branding irons and masking techniques. The cheese is weighed immediately before branding. It is presented and positioned at a laser head, centrally, with fixed clearance. X- and Y- guidance at the laser head burns the data into the rind. Also claimed is the unit to carry out the above method. The writing station (16) has an intermittent transporter (14) with a laser (20) to one side. The pair of scissor-like arms (28) of the cheese positioner (26), locate it against pegs (32). A conveyor-balance (14) precedes the writing station. The CO2 laser has a steerable writing head (22).

Description

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description

The present invention relates to a method and a device for marking cheese wheels, in particular with information about the weight of the cheese wheels.

It is necessary that loaves of hard and semi-hard cheese, i.e. those that have a relatively hard bark are provided with markings on the bark. These cheeses are primarily Emmentaler, Gruyère (Gruyère), Appenzeller and Sbrinz. The markings are mainly used to label the weight of the cheese wheel; In addition, other information can be attached, for example the so-called mulch number, but also other data regarding production and quality.

To date, the cheeses are mostly labeled manually by baking them with branding iron. These branding irons have to be manually adjusted to the characters to be burned in, which is very time consuming. A particularly annoying disadvantage is that, in addition to the high costs, the burn-in depth of the markings is non-uniform and uncontrolled, since the burn-in is also a function of the contact area of the branding iron with the cheese rind, the contact pressure and the temperature.

Furthermore, the weighing of the cheese wheels is usually carried out at a different location than the marking, so that inaccuracies, transmission errors and control errors can occur.

The invention has now set itself the task of eliminating the disadvantages described and to provide a method and an apparatus for the automatic labeling of cheese wheels by burning in data. The inventive method that solves this problem is defined in independent claim 1 and the device for carrying out the method in the second independent claim, particular embodiments forming the subject of dependent claims.

Methods and devices for marking foods, for example cheese loaves, by means of laser beams have already become known. For example, EP-A1-0 427 837 and FR-A 2 621 529 each relate to a device or a method and devices for surface marking, in which a laser beam is applied to the food in two spatial directions, e.g. the cheese wheel. However, there is no individual control of the laser beam, because there is a mask between the moving beam and the food, only its recesses allowing the laser beam to pass in the direction of the surface of the food. This means that a mask must be made for each desired marking, which of course means the marking with changing characters, e.g. consecutive number, date, weighing data etc. makes it illusory. In addition, the publications mentioned show no possibility of positioning the product to be marked precisely and reproducibly in front of the laser head.

In contrast, according to the invention, the marking laser head is made of the characters to be burned in, e.g. Weighing data, controlled, which means that no mask is required.

The device according to the invention has a transport device in order to bring the cheese wheels into a position suitable for labeling by the laser beam. The laser, but at least the laser head, is preferably stationary, and the cheese wheel is brought into a reproducible position in front of the laser head. This makes it possible to label cheese wheels with different diameters. It is also possible to combine the labeling with automatic weighing, the value of the weight determined being used to control the labeling laser head.

The method according to the invention will now be further explained as an example with the aid of a drawing and description of a preferred construction of a labeling device according to the invention, the following description not restricting the invention.

The only figure of the drawing represents a top view of an essential part of a device according to the invention. The parts of the device are shown schematically.

A cheese wheel 12 is shown, which comes from a conveyor device, not shown, for example a roller conveyor. This cheese wheel 12 lies on a scale 10, which is also designed as a roller conveyor with rollers 14, at least some of which are driven. The wheel of cheese is stopped on the scale and automatically weighed. Then he reaches the labeling station 16 with the aid of the driven rollers. Here too, rollers 14 are present, which are preferably all driven. After the labeling has been completed, the cheese wheel is delivered from the labeling station 16 to a further roller conveyor 18, which transports the cheese wheel onward.

A laser 20 is arranged on the side of the labeling station 16. It is the task of the laser to mark the rind of the cheese wheel 12 in a suitable manner by burning it in by means of the laser beam. For this purpose, the head 22 of the laser 20 has a possibility of movement in two planes of the room, namely once in the plane of the drawing parallel to the direction of transport of the cheese wheel (arrows 24) and in the opposite direction, and on the other hand perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. The model MP 20-F100 from Pfaffen in Lengnau, Switzerland, has proven itself as a laser. It is a C02 laser with a power of 20 W; the stroke of the optics, i.e. of the laser head is 100 mm in the X and Y directions, but can also have other values. The laser control preferably has an interface for start and stop signals and for the measured values of the scale 10. Furthermore, an extraction system is provided for the vapors, smells and combustion smoke generated during the stoving process.

At the labeling station 16, the cheese wheel 12 must be stopped by the laser for labeling and brought into the labeling position. This labeling position is fixed because the

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The freedom of movement of the laser head is limited. In addition, for labels that always look the same, the distance between the cheese wheel and the laser head must always be the same.

This is achieved by the positioning device 26, which is arranged at the labeling station on the side opposite the laser 20. It has a pair of vertical pins or rollers 30 attached to arms 28 at the front; the arms 28 are pivoted in a scissor-like manner in the direction of the cheese wheel 12 by the positioning device 26 and come into contact with the side cheese rind as the feed moves further from the position shown. As the pivoting of the arms 28 continues, the cheese wheel 12 is shifted longitudinally over the rollers 14 and finally held in contact with the positioning pins 32; it can be seen from the figure that the surface area of the cheese wheel to be labeled always comes into the same position in front of the laser head. This positioning can be used in the same way for larger cheese slices 34 and smaller cheese slices 36, shown in dot-dash lines.

After positioning the cheese wheel in front of the laser head, the labeling can be done. To do this, the required data is entered at the control panel of the laser; As for the weighing data, the control of the laser can be programmed so that this data is automatically overwritten on the cheese rind.

After the inscription has been completed, the transport rollers 14 are set in motion again, and the cheese wheel 12 or 13 is removed by the roller conveyor 18; a new loaf of cheese is generally already available on the scale 10.

Font size, font etc. can be selected in the laser control. The font size depends on the burning power and duration and can also be set and saved if necessary.

The method according to the invention and the device for exercising it have many advantages over the previously described labeling method. The labeling is done much faster and no longer requires manual work. Weight errors no longer occur. The quality of the font is uniform and much nicer than before.

The method according to the invention is not limited to the labeling of the edge surfaces of the cheese wheels; the upper and / or lower circular bark surface can also be labeled. The weighing results can be saved with the other data, put in lists or otherwise processed and stored.

Claims (10)

Claims 1. A method for labeling cheese wheels by burning data into the rind of cheese wheels using a laser beam, characterized in that the cheese wheels to be labeled are brought in front of a laser head, stopped there and positioned in front of the laser in such a way that they are essentially the same distance apart from the labeling head of the laser and in the Horizontal lie symmetrically to the laser head, and that the laser head is controlled by the data to be written in the X and Y directions. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the cheese wheels are weighed immediately before the stoving of the data. 3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the data obtained by the weighing cause the control of the laser. 4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the control of the laser is programmed so that the data are automatically overwritten on the cheese rind. 5. Device for performing the method according to one of claims 1 to 4, in particular for baking weighing data, characterized in that it has a labeling station (16) provided with a drivable, switchable transport device (14), on one side of which one to be entered Data controllable laser (20) is arranged, as well as a device (26) for positioning the cheese wheels in front of the head (22) of the laser (20). 6. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that the labeling station has a device (26) which brings the cheese wheels (12) into a position (13) in which the circumference of each cheese wheel is substantially the same distance from the labeling head (22nd ) of the laser (20) and the cheese wheel is symmetrical on both sides of the said head (22). 7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that the positioning device (26) has two scissor-like pivotable arms (28), at the ends of which organs (30) are attached, which attack the cheese wheel (12) and this up to the stop on pins or move the same (32). 8. Device according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that a scale (10) provided with transport devices (14) is arranged in front of the labeling station. 9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that the scale is an automatic, data-providing scale, the data of which are passed on to a control device of the laser (20). 10. Device according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the laser is a COî laser, the labeling head (22) is controllably displaceable in the horizontal and vertical. 5 10th 15 20th 25th 30th 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 3rd