EP1129952B1 - Method and apparatus for applying decals on containers - Google Patents

Abstract

The container manufacturing method has an aluminum foil (11) provided with raised printing or embossed areas, before application to the mantle surface of the container (4), which can be heated to a temperature of between 120 and 180 degrees, for activating a thermo-adhesive applied to the rear surface of the foil. An independent claim for a printed container manufacturing device is also included.

Description

The invention relates to a method for producing with a container printed on its outer surface, in particular an aerosol can made of aluminum, which preferably before printing as a substantially cylindrical body with an essentially cylindrical outer surface is present, with a film with Elevations are printed or depressions in them be introduced and then a portion of this film an application roller on the outer surface of the container is applied, and a device therefor.

Today aerosol cans are usually made from one Metal round blanks, for example from an aluminum round blank, flowing pressed. In this way it becomes a cylindrical one Body made.

Then the cylindrical can body in one Car wash cleaned and in a printing station with imprinted. This part takes in one Production line about a third of the line one thing too leads to high investment costs.

The container is only processed further after printing. For example, the edge of the container is then drawn in and crimped so that after filling the container or one A valve is placed on the inner edge of the container can be.

EP-A 0 919 486 describes one method and one Device for applying a printed label known a metal container. Individual labels fed to a printing station and the container with the individual labels.

EP-A 0 082 288 describes a device for transmission known from print decors. These print decors are located on a carrier tape. The respective print decor is under Pressure and heat from the moving carrier belt on the the moving surface of the object. The Carrier tape is then rewound as waste.

A method and an apparatus of the above. Kind is from the US 5,702,559 known. There is a printing film from one Roll unrolled and passed over a first vacuum roller. On This first vacuum roller is given a label by the Cut the printing film and put it on a second vacuum roller transferred, from which the spaced labels from the respective containers that are to be printed, be taken over.

The present invention is based on the object Making a container cheaper and cheaper simplify and the container with an improved To be imprinted.

To solve this problem, the section of the Foil on the application roller while it is rotating is cut off and transferred to the container remains on the application roller.

The distance between the cross cutting knives determines the Foil section length, the circumference of each Container must correspond. The fixed counter knife cuts the foil each time a blade of the rotating drum passes the place of the counter knife.

The entire printing process is finished before the Foil is applied to the outer surface of the container. In this way it is possible to use the surface of the container to be imprinted. This includes above all that Applying increases or introducing Depressions in the foil. But with that they get Surfaces of the containers completely different structures, which is why the design of the surfaces many others Allows opportunities.

Although the material for the film is also different, e.g. Plastic can be preferred, a film made of a Metal and above all aluminum with the Increase / s or deepen. Straight aluminum can be made in a very thin film so that hardly any application takes place on the surface of the can. A film with a thickness of 0.12 to 0.20 is preferred mm used.

The aluminum foil also adapts to a later one Retraction of the opening edge of the surface of the container also in this area so that there are no wrinkles. However, it turned out that when moving in more moves need to be made. You can also print Aluminum with known printing processes excellent, so that pattern or the like on the film in excellent Quality can be made. The increases on the Foil are preferred in deep, offset, flexo, digital or Screen printing.

A major advantage of the present invention lies in that the printed increases have a meaning can have. For example, the container with be provided with braille.

The film is preferably on the back Coated outer surface of the container. There is the coating of a varnish that adheres well the surface of the container. To this end the container is heated and before the film is applied preferably to a temperature of 120 ° to 180 ° C. As Varnishes come especially hot glue, quick glue, Thermal adhesive, thermal composite and thermal laminating varnishes in Consideration.

Another big advantage is that one additional printing station in the can production line is not required, making the whole Laminating line can be shortened by about a third. This also makes the investment costs significant reduced.

The present invention also includes an apparatus for Manufacture with an imprint on its outer surface provided container, in particular an aerosol can Aluminum, where to apply a foil with a Imprint / impression on the container of a winding station provided and this is a feeder for the Containers assigned and one in the winding station Application roller is provided.

The application roller should have at least one cross cutting knife be assigned, which is slightly over the scope of the Application roller protrudes and when rotating with interacts with a counter knife.

Any feed device is conceivable. Out A rotary star is used for reasons of space and function preferred, which has a plurality of thorns on which the containers are attached. The rotating star is preferred clocked and to compensate for tolerances with a Coating, for example made of rubber or polyurethane.

The winding station should have a heating zone at the rotating star be upstream in which the container to a desired Temperature to be heated. The mandrels are preferred which the containers are attached, can be heated so that the containers are heated from the inside. This The temperature should be such that liability of the Foil on the surface over the heat seal layer is guaranteed. The cycle time is also the time for warming up the containers enough.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention in the winding station a vacuum roller as an application roller intended. This can be designed as a vacuum roller, the inside of which is at least partially within a Vacuum segment is connected to a vacuum source. The In this case, the roll shell itself is perforated, so that Air is sucked into the interior of the vacuum roller. With This vacuum can make the film flat and smooth on the Vacuum roller held and fed to the container.

Due to tolerances in the film thickness or in the extent of Application cylinders can result in cumulative errors, which the printed image of the film opposite the Can bring cross cutting knives out of the register. To for this purpose, the application cylinder should preferably be used as Expansion cylinder be formed. Again, there are many Possibilities conceivable by the present invention should be included.

In a simple embodiment, the Application roller made of a jacket that comes in different Segments is divided. These segments can still over a flexible strip connected together like a bellows his. To widen this application roller, the Front cones inserted axially, so that the Separate or bring segments closer together can.

It has proven advisable to add another one to the vacuum roller Subsequent pressure roller, which in a subsequent Cycle station interacts with the mandrel or container. The film is placed on the container by means of this pressure roller pressed.

It is also thought that the winding station is a Mark reader and a web edge control is connected upstream. The brand reader determines the length of the film, which is about a clock feed is fed to the winding station.

At another point in the system, the film can marked according to the desired slide sections , taking care that the overlap the film after winding on the container so low as possible.

Figur 1 eine schematische Darstellung einer erfindungsgemässen Vorrichtung zum Herstellen von mit einem Aufdruck/Eindruck auf seiner Mantelfläche versehenen Behälter;

Figur 2 eine schematische Darstellung eines Teils eines erfindungsgemässen Ausführungsbeispiels der Vorrichtung nach Figur 1.

Further advantages, features and details of the invention result from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments and from the drawing; this shows in

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a device according to the invention for producing containers provided with an imprint / impression on its outer surface;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of part of an exemplary embodiment of the device according to FIG. 1.

The containers to be imprinted / imprinted in a feed device, the present Embodiment is designed as a rotary star 1, fed on mandrels 2 to a winding station 3. there the containers 4 pass through a heating zone 5 on heatable Thorns 2, which is only indicated by an arrow. The Drive of the rotary star 1 is clocked, so that the container 4, since they remain in the heating zone 5 for a relatively long time brought a relatively high temperature of 120 ° to 180 ° C. can be.

There is a pressure roller 6 in the winding station 3, which is pivotally arranged. A swivel arm 7 is indicated by dash-dotted lines. Its other end is on an axis of a roller 8 of a pair of rollers, so that the pressure roller 6 can be lifted from the container 4.

The roller 8 interacts with a second roller 9. Also they move clocked. Take both rollers 8 and 9 between them a film web, which with the imprint or impression is provided. This film 11 is pre-marked and comes from a winding 10 and rotates around a pulley 12.1 before it reaches a splicing table 13.

After a further deflection roller 12.2, the film 11 runs in a device 14 for web edge control. In this The device runs around two more deflection rollers 12.3 and 12.4.

The film then partially wraps around a feed roller 15, which are assigned to two pressure rollers 16.1 and 16.2.

The film 11 now forms a compensating loop 17 in the a dancer roll 18 lies before another Deflection roller 12.5 runs up. Between this pulley 12.5 and the roller pair 8/9 is provided with a mark reader 19, which determines the feed rate for the film.

The operation of the present invention is as follows:

Containers, especially aerosol cans, are continually being opened the heated mandrels 2 of the rotary star 1 at a loading point 20 abandoned. These mandrels 2 are in the heating zone 5 heated to the desired temperature. The warmed Containers then get into the winding station 3.

From the film feed or the feed roller 15 is film 11 deducted from the winding 10. For connecting the end a film with the beginning of a new film web is one Splice station 13 provided. In the device 14 for Web edge regulation will be the edges of the film 11 aligned.

Is preferably independent of the film feed 15 by the roller pair 8/9 in the cycle feed pulled the film, the compensating loop acts as a storage.

From the label reader 19, the film 11 becomes final for feeding prepared and aligned to the winding station.

Before the beginning of the film is placed on the container, the pressure roller 6 is pivoted away. Then after the The beginning of the film rests on the container 4, the Pressure roller 6 pivoted into its position of use and the Clock feed 8/9 started. The driven Pressure roller 6 presses on the jacket of the container and rolls the film on the jacket, attaching the container to the Mandrel 2 also rotates.

The end of the piece of film is between a knife 21 Cut off pair of rollers 8/9 and pressure roller. The rotating star 1 continues to rotate and the container 4 is in one Ejector area 22 removed from the mandrel 4 and into one Transfer transport container 23, with which he then to a next processing station.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment according to the invention a winding station 3.1 shown. The winding station 3.1 has a vacuum roller 24 as an application roller, the Roller jacket 25 with openings, not shown is provided.

A partition is located inside the vacuum roller 24 26, which the inside of the vacuum roller 24 in one Vacuum segment 27 and a segment 28 divided, in which Normal pressure prevails.

The vacuum roller 24 is also the knife 21.1 Associated with cutting the slide. To interact with the knife 21.1 can in the vacuum roller 24 Cross cutting knife 30 are provided. This Cross cutting knives are slightly beyond the scope of the Vacuum roller 24 emerges and act when turning with the Knife 21 'together, the film on the desired Point is sheared or severed. For example, the knife 21.1 can also be placed slightly at an angle. Further is a pressure roller 29 at the next cycle point provided which rolls the container on the mandrel 2, so that the film is pressed onto the container.

This configuration has the advantage that the film 11 the vacuum roller 24 in the area of the vacuum segment 27 smooth held and so is transferred to container 4.

Due to tolerances in the film thickness or in the extent of Application roller can result in cumulative errors, which the printed image on the film opposite the Cross cutting knives 30 can bring out of the register. Therefore, the application roller should preferably as Expansion cylinder be formed, d. that is, this cylinder can grow or shrink in size. In this way the distance between the cross cutting blades 30 be regulated. The image of the printed film opposite the cross-cutting knives are regulated in this sense.

As an expansion roller, the application roller can be attached to your Provide several slots in the circumference in the axial direction be, whereby individual roller segments of each other are separated. Through two cones, each of the End face are pushed into the roller and moved, the cylinder can be expanded or reduced again become.

To further tolerances of the application roller against the Compensate for the rotating star and a wrinkle-free winding of the To reach the film, the application roller with a flexible material, preferably coated with rubber or polyurethane.

Claims (13)

1. Method of producing a container (4), more especially an aerosol can formed from aluminium, which container is provided with an imprint on its surface and preferably exists as a substantially cylindrical body with a substantially cylindrical surface before the imprint, a foil (11) being printed with raised portions, or indentations being introduced into said foil, and a portion of this foil then being applied by an application roller (24) to the surface of the container (4), characterised in that the portion is cut-off from the foil on the application roller (24) during the rotation of said roller, and it remains on the application roller (24) until being transferred to the container (4).
2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that a foil (11), having a thickness of from 0.012 mm to 0.020 mm, is used.
3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the raised portions on the foil are produced by photogravure printing, offset printing, flexographic printing, digital printing or screen printing.
4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the foil is coated on its rear side facing the surface of the container, the coating on the rear side of the foil (11) being formed from a lacquer, more especially from a hot-setting lacquer, a hot-melt adhesive lacquer, a thermo-adhesive lacquer, a thermocomposite lacquer or a thermolaminating lacquer.
5. Method according to at least one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the container (4) is heated to a temperature of between 120° and 180° C prior to the foil (11) being applied.
6. Apparatus for producing a container (4), more especially an aerosol can formed from aluminium, which container is provided with an imprint on its surface and preferably exists as a substantially cylindrical body with a substantially cylindrical surface before the imprint, a winding station (3) being provided to apply a foil (11), having an imprint/impression, to the container (4), and a feeding means (1) for feeding the containers (4) being associated with said station, and an application roller (24) being provided in the winding station (3.1), characterised in that at least one cross-cutting blade (30) is associated with the application roller (24), which blade protrudes slightly beyond the periphery of the application roller (24) and co-operates with a counterblade (21.1) as it rotates past.
7. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterised in that the feeding means comprises a star-type rotating means (1), which includes a plurality of mandrels (2), on which the containers (4) are mounted, the star-type rotating means (1) being timed.
8. Apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that a heating zone (5) precedes the winding station (3), and the mandrels (2) are preferably heatable in said zone.
9. Apparatus according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterised in that a roller or pressure roller (6), which travels along the surface of the container (4) to apply the foil (11), is provided in the winding station (3).
10. Apparatus according to claim 9, characterised in that a pair of rollers (8, 9) precede the pressure roller (6), and the foil (11) is guided to the winding station (3) between the rollers of said pair.
11. Apparatus according to at least one of claims 6 to 10, characterised in that the application roller is in the form of a vacuum roller (24) and is divided, in its interior, into a vacuum segment (27) and a segment (28) having normal pressure.
12. Apparatus according to claim 11, characterised in that the application roller (24) is in the form of an expansion roller.
13. Apparatus according to at least one of claims 6 to 12, characterised in that a mark reader (19) and a means (14) for regulating the web edges precede the winding station (3).

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