DE102012213079A1 - System for printing containers, particularly plastic bottles filled with flowable medium with decorative or characterizing print motifs, has printing device and container pre-treatment device with four different pre-treatment units - Google Patents

Abstract

The system (100) has a printing device (105), a container pre-treatment device (116) upstream the printing device and a container transporting element (112) for transport or distribution of the to-be printed containers supplied by the system. The container pre-treatment device has four different pre-treatment units for the preparation of the container (113) on the printing process. The four pre-treatment units are container cleaning unit (101), a conditioning unit (102) for drying or tempering the container, a surface activation unit (103) for increasing the surface energy of the container surface and an electrostatic unit (104) for electrostatic discharging or charging of the container surface. An independent claim is included for a method for printing containers, particularly plastic bottles filled with flowable medium with decorative or characterizing print motifs.

Description

State of the art

The invention relates to a system specified in the preamble of claim 1. Art and a method specified in the preamble of claim 10. Art.

Containers that can be filled with liquid or flowable media, e.g. Plastic containers, in particular bottles of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), in the food or pharmaceutical industry can be printed for labeling and / or decoration by means of ink / inks.

In this case, for example, digital ink jet printing processes (digital ink jet) may be mentioned, which can work either with continuous ink jet or with drop-on-demand (DOD) technology. In the latter methods, instead of a continuous ink jet, only individual ink droplets can be fired as needed. An apparatus for printing on containers by ink-jet printing method, for example, in DE 10 2009 013 477 B4 described.

Digital ink-jet printing methods can advantageously provide, inter alia, increased design freedom in the design of the printing as well as a reduction or elimination of resources such as labels, printing plates, films, developers, chemicals, fixing tapes, etc.

However, current printing devices lack, inter alia, e.g. at sufficiently comprehensive possibilities for pretreatment to be printed container to achieve a satisfactory print quality and / or process reliability can.

task

It is therefore an object of the invention to improve a device for printing on containers to be filled with liquid or flowable media, in particular plastic bottles, in particular with regard to the preparation of the containers to be printed on the printing process.

solution

This is inventively achieved by a system according to claim 1 and a method according to claim 10. Advantageous embodiments and further developments are the subject of the dependent claims.

In this case, a system for printing of liquid or flowable containers can be filled, in particular plastic bottles, with decorative and / or characteristic printing motifs, at least one printing device, at least one of the printing device upstream container pretreatment device, and at least one container conveying element for transport and / or distribution from the system supplied to be printed containers.

Said container pretreatment device may comprise at least four different pre-treatment units for preparing the containers for the printing process, namely a container cleaning unit, a conditioning unit, in particular configured for drying and / or tempering the containers, a surface activation unit, in particular configured to increase the surface energy of the container surface, and Electrostatic unit for electrostatic discharge or charging of the container surface.

The provision of at least four different pre-treatment units for the preparation of the containers on the printing process, can advantageously in particular both the adaptation of the system for printing containers to different container types and / or different printing techniques allow, as well as overall improve process safety in general, for example the possible machine oil residues or other undesirable foreign substances on / in the containers, from previous process steps, such as Stretch blows for making the containers through which the bin cleaning unit can be removed.

The printing device may be a digital inkjet printing device, e.g. particularly suitable for multi-color printing, such as four-color printing or five-color printing.

The container pretreatment device can have a modular structure, wherein the order of the pretreatment units for the preparation of the containers can be freely configurable for the printing process.

This increases the flexibility of the system for printing on containers when e.g. the container cleaning step should not be the first pretreatment step, but, for example, a container surface activation should take place first. In this case, e.g. the container cleaning unit additionally removes any unwanted intermediates produced by the container surface activation from the container surface.

Further advantages of a modular design of a system according to the invention, eg using standard interfaces for the installation of container pretreatment devices, are, inter alia, for example, in the simple expandability, Retrofittability, replaceability and maintenance of the system.

In general, the container cleaning unit may be configured to contain containers of gas, e.g. Air, and / or brushes can dry clean, and / or wet clean, e.g. by dipping, spraying or spraying with solvents, water, water with chemical additives and / or disinfectants, and / or mechanically, e.g. by dry and / or wet cleaning brushes.

In particular, technically purified and / or ionized air can be used as the gas.

Thus, inter alia, advantageously, e.g. easily dust particles are removed from the container, as well as under some circumstances be carried out a cooling or tempering of the container.

Also, the container cleaning unit may remove residues on the container surface such as fingerprints or release agents or the like. The removal of stubborn residues and / or particles is possible.

Advantageously, the container cleaning unit can also disinfect the container surface. In addition to the use of disinfectants, such as peroxyacetic acid (PES) or hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ 0 ₂ ), also the disinfection by electron beams, X-rays, ultraviolet rays, plasma and the like is conceivable. Thus, for example, an aseptic printing can be realized

The conditioning unit may be configured to regulate, preferably mitigate, the humidity and / or temperature of air in and / or around the container.

Incidentally, container environment may also be understood as meaning, for example, the environment within the system for printing on containers.

Advantageously, e.g. so wet or humid container dried and a uniform temperature of the container can be achieved.

The conditioning unit can thus allow almost equal conditions for the container before a printing process, which can lead to an improved and consistent print quality of the container printing, as for example, the container temperature, or the surface temperature of the container, as well as the humidity of the environment a measurable impact the print quality can have.

A container cleaning unit and / or conditioning unit may also be used e.g. be configured so that the area or parts of the area in which a container is cleaned or conditioned can be cleaned, for example by suction and / or blowing away, e.g. with air, of unwanted particles or residues.

The surface activation unit may be configured to increase the surface energy of the container surface by flame treatment and / or plasma treatment and / or corona treatment and / or ultraviolet light irradiation and / or chemical etching processes, e.g. Flouration, and / or by application of a functional coating, e.g. to increase the adhesion and / or absorbency, change, preferably can increase.

One of the benefits of the surface activation unit is that high surface energy materials can be more easily covered by low surface energy materials, e.g. in the case of ink jet printing, the ink can better adhere to the container surface.

A functional coating of the container surface by the surface activating unit may also include a coating having a barrier effect, for example, coatings of amorphous silica (SiOx) or carbon compounds (e.g., Diamond Like Carbon "DLC"), e.g. can prevent the escape of undesirable substances, in particular gaseous substances, from the container material.

The surface activation unit can also modify the surface roughness of the container surface, in particular increase, for example by means of brushing and / or sandblasting. This, too, can advantageously improve or change the print quality of the container print, in particular the adhesion and feel of the print medium on the container surface.

The electrostatics unit may be configured to remove electrostatic charges on the container surface by air ionization and / or discharge brushing or to apply electrostatic charges to the container surface by air ionization and / or charging brushes.

For example, undesirable deflections in the trajectory of print media droplets due to electromagnetic / electrostatic interactions between Pressure medium droplets and electric charge field of the container are minimized, which could lead to a deterioration of the printed image. Conversely, it is also conceivable that by the application of electrostatic charges on the container surface targeted the trajectories of pressure medium droplets can be influenced in order to improve the quality of the printing / the printed image.

A method according to the invention for printing plastic containers which can be filled with liquid or flowable media, in particular plastic bottles, with decorative and / or characteristic printing motifs, can thus involve that containers to be printed undergo at least one container pretreatment apparatus before printing, the containers having at least the four following pretreatment steps learn to prepare for the printing process: a cleaning, a conditioning, in particular for drying and / or tempering, a surface activation, in particular for increasing the surface energy of the container surface, and an electrostatic pretreatment in which the container surface can be electrically discharged or electrically charged.

For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned that the containers to be treated can be supplied, for example, to the system according to the invention from a stretch blow molding machine, a silo or from another container treatment unit, container production unit or container storage unit.

It should also be noted that the container conveyor element for transporting and / or distributing containers to be printed supplied to the system for printing on the container may comprise means which e.g. the containers can rotate, and / or change the container orientation or container position, for example the container inclination, and / or the distance between the treatment unit and container during / before a container treatment can change.

The thereby achievable flexibility of the container conveyor element advantageously facilitates inter alia the treatment of a variety of container types.

Also, the building materials of the container conveying member may e.g. be designed so that they are thermally stable, i. can not deform in the context of the temperatures occurring during the container treatment, and / or optimized, for example, can reflect UV light. This can advantageously help the quality and efficiency of the container treatment.

The following figure is an example:

1 : System for printing on containers that can be filled with liquid or flowable media

The 1 exemplifies a system 100 for the printing of liquid containers or flowable media can be filled with plastic containers, which may contain any of the technical features described above.

For example, from a system 100 upstream container treatment unit, container manufacturing unit or container storage unit 114 , For example, a stretch blow molding machine, an injection molding machine, a silo, or a depalletizing, to be printed container 113 by means of a container conveying element 112 be supplied.

The system 100 may be a container pretreatment device 116 comprising, wherein the container pretreatment device 116 at least four different pre-treatment units for the preparation of the containers 113 may have on the printing process, namely a container cleaning unit 101 , a conditioning unit 102 , in particular configured for drying and / or tempering of the containers, a surface activation unit 103 , in particular configured to increase the surface energy of the container surface, and an electrostatical unit 104 for electrostatic discharge or charging of the container surface.

The containers 113 can first in a container cleaning unit 101 be cleaned, for example, by an air shower with ionized air to remove dust particles and possibly also for cooling the container 113 (which may still be heated from a previous manufacturing process, for example).

The container cleaning unit 101 However, it can also all the other aforementioned wet and / or dry cleaning steps and / or disinfection steps, such as dipping in, beschwallen or spray with solvents, water, water with chemical additives and / or disinfectants and / or mechanically cleaning steps, for example by dry and / or wet cleaning brushes, perform.

As already mentioned, the container cleaning unit 101 also disinfect the container surface. In addition to the use of disinfectants such as peroxyacetic acid (PES) or hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ 0 ₂ ), the disinfection by electron beams, X-rays, Ultraviolet rays, plasma and the like conceivable. Thus, for example, an aseptic printing can be realized and the container cleaning unit the transition into an aseptic area 115 of the system 100 to mark.

After cleaning and / or disinfection, the containers can 113 on to a conditioning unit 102 be handed over. During conditioning, the containers can 113 for example, to a desired setpoint temperature, which may be advantageous for the printing process, tempered. Also, the humidity of air in the container and / or in the environment of the container may by the conditioning unit 102 regulated, preferably mitigated.

Then the containers can 113 to a surface activation unit 103 be directed. The surface activation unit 103 For example, the surface energy of the container surface can be changed, preferably increased, by flame treatment and / or plasma treatment and / or corona treatment and / or chemical etching processes, eg, flourization, and / or by application of a functional coating, eg to increase the adhesion and / or absorbency. The surface activation unit 103 can also modify the surface roughness of the container surface, in particular increase, for example by means of brushing and / or sandblasting.

Following surface activation, the containers may 113 an electrostatics unit 104 can be removed in the electrostatic charges on the container surface by air ionization and / or discharge brushes, or alternative electrostatic charges can be applied to the container surface by air ionization and / or Aufladungsbürsten.

The pretreated containers 113 so finally a printing device 105 be handed over. The one printing device 105 For example, a pressure carousel 106 with direction of rotation or container circulation direction 107 include, for example, two transfer elements, such as transfer stars, for transfer / acceptance of containers to / from the printing carousel may have.

The printing device 105 or the printing carousel 108 For example, it can work with digital inkjet printing technology and is particularly suitable for multi-color printing, such as four-color printing in the cyan-magenta-yellow-key (CMYK) system or the five-color printing (white + CMYK).

The finished printed containers may be from the container conveyor 112 then possibly forwarded to further container treatment units (not shown) for further production steps.

This is followed by a sheet with a figure.

The reference numerals are assigned as follows.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

100

 System for printing on liquid or flowable containers

101

 Container cleaning unit, cleaning unit

102

 conditioning unit

103

 Surface activation unit

104

 Electrostatics unit

105

 printing device

106

 printing carousel

107

 Direction of rotation of the pressure carousel or container circulation direction

108

 Transfer element, e.g. Transfer star, for transferring containers to a pressure carousel

109

Direction of rotation of the transfer element 108 or container circulation direction

110

 Transfer element, e.g. Transfer star, for removing containers from a pressure carousel

111

Direction of rotation of the transfer element 110 or container circulation direction

112

 Container haulage element

113

 Container, container filled with liquid or flowable media

114

The system 100 upstream container treatment unit or container manufacturing unit or container storage unit, from the container to be printed on the system 100 can be supplied, eg stretch blow molding machine, injection molding machine, silo, etc.

115

 aseptic area

116

 Container treatment device

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 102009013477 B4 [0003]

Claims (10)

System ( 100 ) for printing containers which can be filled with flowable media ( 113 ), in particular plastic bottles, with decorative and / or characteristic printing motifs, including at least one printing device, at least one of the printing device ( 105 ) upstream container pretreatment device ( 116 ), and at least one container conveying element ( 112 ) for the transport and / or distribution of the system ( 100 ) supplied to be printed containers ( 113 ), characterized in that the container pretreatment device ( 116 ) at least four different pre-treatment units for the preparation of the containers ( 113 ) on the printing process, namely a container cleaning unit ( 101 ), a conditioning unit ( 102 ), in particular configured for drying and / or tempering the containers ( 113 ), a surface activation unit ( 103 ), in particular configured to increase the surface energy of the container surface, and an electrostatics unit ( 104 ) for electrostatic discharge or charging of the container surface. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the printing device ( 105 ) is a digital ink jet printing apparatus, particularly suitable for multi-dye printing such as four-color printing or five-color printing. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container pretreatment device ( 116 ) is modular, wherein the order of the pre-treatment units for the preparation of the container on the printing process is freely configurable. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container cleaning unit ( 101 ) is configured to hold containers ( 113 ) can dry clean with gas, eg air, and / or brushes, and / or can clean wet, eg by immersion, beschwallen or spray with solvents, water, water with chemical additives and / or disinfectants and / or mechanically, eg by dry and / or wet cleaning brushes. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conditioning unit ( 102 ) is configured to measure the humidity and / or temperature of air in the container ( 113 ) and / or in the environment of the container. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the surface activation unit ( 103 ) is configured to increase the surface energy of the container surface by flame treatment and / or plasma treatment and / or corona treatment and / or ultraviolet light irradiation and / or chemical etching processes, eg, flourization, and / or application of a functional coating, eg to enhance adhesion promotion and / or absorbency. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the surface activation unit ( 103 ) is configured so that it can modify the surface roughness of the container surface, in particular increase, for example by means of brushing and / or sandblasting. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the surface activation unit ( 103 ) is configured to provide the container surface with a barrier functional coating. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electrostatics unit ( 104 ) is configured so that it can remove electrostatic charges on the container surface by air ionization and / or discharge brushes, or can apply electrostatic charges to the container surface by air ionization and / or charging brushes. Method for printing on containers which can be filled with flowable media, in particular plastic bottles, with decorative and / or characteristic printed motifs, which include that containers to be printed undergo at least one container pretreatment device prior to printing, wherein the containers undergo at least the four following pretreatment steps in preparation for the printing process . a cleaning, a conditioning, in particular for drying and / or tempering, a surface activation, in particular for increasing the surface energy of the container surface, and an electrostatic pretreatment in which the container surface is electrically discharged or electrically charged.

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