EP2783852B1 - Printing apparatus for printing on containers - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a system with a rotating container transport device, with which containers are transported between at least one container infeed and at least one container discharge, and with a printing device for printing containers in the container transport device with at least one print head and at least one housing for housing a container;
Printing devices for printing on containers, for example bottles, are known in the prior art from, for example WO 2009/018893 known. There, a device for printing on containers by applying a printing ink or ink with print heads for several colors is described directly on the outer surface of the container. This direct printing process competes with labeling and has various advantages over the labeling process, such as simplification of the filling system or marketing reasons through the optical recognition of directly printed containers. In the case of direct printing, containers are fed serially into a container treatment device, in which the containers are then printed directly. The treatment device consists of a rotor, which is driven rotating around a vertical machine axis, a printing unit and a device for drying and / or setting printing ink or ink. The rotor has printing stations with a container carrier in the form of a turntable which can be rotated about an axis parallel to the machine axis and is offset at uniform angular intervals about this machine axis. Each printing unit can comprise, for example, 4 printheads for a CMYK color scheme for generating different color sets for multi-color printing, and a further printhead for surface printing or application of a transparent sealing or covering layer. In the WO 2009/018893 the print head is arranged on the rotor opposite a turntable and radially further inwards than the turntable. The printhead is also slidable in different axial directions to the turntable, for example, with the turntable corresponding to the rotor movement, so that a container with a circular cross-section can be positioned in front of the printhead so that each vertical row of nozzles, for example an ink-jet printhead an arbitrary position of the curved container surface, for example the bottle surface, can be positioned with a minimum distance in order to minimize spraying of color into the surroundings of the print head.

In particular when printing on 3D bodies with curved or curved surfaces, for example bottles or the like, using drop-on-demand ink-jet technologies, ie Contactless, selective spraying of individual ink drops by means of a large number of individual nozzles, it is particularly important not to let external forces act on the drops emerging from the pressure nozzle during the printing process. In addition to weight, electrical fields, etc., the air flow plays an important role due to the movement of the material to be printed. Uncontrolled air flows and turbulence etc. should be as small as possible or reduced during the printing process. In addition, a few drops are not placed on the substrate during the printing process (unwanted satellite drops), which contaminate the printing area as a fine ink mist or impair the print quality. Due to the open structure of the printing device from the WO 2009/018893 However, it cannot be prevented that unpredictable air currents deflect the ink jet and that printing becomes imprecise and that parts of the system can also become contaminated with ink. Especially at high bottle throughputs, the associated high transport speeds create turbulence, which intensifies the formation of printing ink mist and leads to the precipitation and accumulation of ink particles on machine parts with the resulting malfunctions.

To avoid this, the DE 10 2009 013477 A1 To reduce the pollution problem and to improve the print quality, a printing device with a housing is proposed, which is provided for printing bottles or similar containers in a circumferentially drivable transport element with several printing positions. With the circumferentially drivable transport element, the printing positions and / or the containers are moved on a self-contained movement path between at least one container task and at least one container removal. The moving print heads can be moved relative to the outer surface of the container for applying a preferably multicolored print image to an area of the outer surface of the container to be printed. In addition, a closed housing is proposed, in which each container provided at a printing position is received during the printing process. A printhead and a device for fixing the color are firmly integrated in the housing, i. h immobile relative to the enclosure. The DE 10 2009 013477 A1 discloses a system with a rotating container transport device, with which containers are transported between at least one container infeed and at least one container discharge, and with a printing device for printing containers in the container transport device, with several process tools and at least one housing for housing a container, at least one Process tool is a printhead, wherein each housing comprises a hollow body, which is partially open at least in one printing area, for receiving the container, the opening for the printing area defining a front side; and a side opposite the front side defines a rear side, and the process tools on the outside of the continuously operating container transport device are arranged so that they rotate and are assigned to a container position, and wherein the housing is designed such that the process tools are attached to the opening of the partially open hollow body , using the following process tools in combination: - single or multi-color ink jet printheads; - a UV lamp; and - a suction.

A disadvantage of this device is, on the one hand, the complex mechanics or control of the opening and closing elements of the housing on the rotating part. On the other hand, it is not possible to process processes that are arranged outside of the housing on those in the housing enclosed object, such as a bottle. In addition, only quasi cylindrical containers can be printed in this prior art, since the print head is located in the housing element.

A general object of the invention is to provide a system with a printing device for a container to be printed in a circularly rubbed container transport device of a bottling plant, which prevents an ink mist from being deposited on system parts and which prevents ink mist from deteriorating the print quality.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing device for a filling system which is suitable for any container regardless of the container size and geometry and with which various processes, such as printing processes, labeling processes, drying processes, pre-treatment and / or post-treatment processes, Conditioning processes etc. can be carried out.

The object is achieved by a system according to claim 1.
The partially open hollow body protects the print area from drafts, so that no ink mist can spread, damaging system parts and worsening the print quality. Furthermore, the opening allows flexible handling of process tools, such as inkjet printheads, since the process tools do not have to be integrated into the housing.

In particular, the housing is designed such that various process tools can be detachably attached to the opening of the partially open hollow body, the following process tools being able to be used individually or in combination: single-color or multi-color ink-jet print heads; a UV lamp; a surface conditioner; a surface sealing device; and suction.

This improves flexibility when using container printing tools. For example, process tools for printing can optionally be arranged in a fixed position with respect to the rotating container transport device or independently of the movement of the container transport device. In this way, any process tools can be assigned to a specific printing position on the container to be printed at specific times.

The "partially open hollow body" component of the partially open housing can be realized by various embodiments.

For example, the partially open hollow body generally has a lid and a side wall with at least one opening. In one embodiment thereof, the partially open side wall may be an axially cut circular cylinder, i.e. the partially open hollow body has a lid and a side wall with the opening, the side wall being in the form of a segment of a circle in cross section.

In general, printing devices with print heads with a need-based ink jet are preferred, so-called "drop-on-demand" print heads. These devices / methods based on "drop-on-demand" can be, for example, ink-jet, piezo, electrostatic print heads and / or pressure valve printers.

In another embodiment, the side wall can contain two flat side elements lying opposite one another, which preferably taper towards one another, for example along a radial direction of the rotating container transport device. In this embodiment, the space available is used particularly efficiently.

In a further development thereof, the partially open hollow body also has a rear element which connects the two flat elements on the back of the open hollow body and can thus seal against drafts or ink mist.

In one embodiment, the housing further comprises a mechanism for making the space provided for the housing accessible on a container infeed and on a container outfeed of the rotating container transport device. This embodiment has advantages in cases where the spatial conditions require complicated robot arm movements during the container infeed and the container outfeed, so that complicated infeed or ejection mechanisms would be required. A mechanism for making the space provided for the enclosure accessible can simplify the introduction or removal.

The component "mechanism for making accessible" of the partially open housing can be implemented by various embodiments.

The mechanism for making the space provided for the housing accessible at a container infeed and at a container outfeed of the container transport device operated in rotation can also be implemented by the following different embodiments.

In one embodiment, the accessibility mechanism is designed to move the open hollow body in a radial direction with respect to an axis of rotation of the revolving container transport device in a radial direction away from the receiving position of the container either in the direction of the axis of rotation of the revolving container transport device or to the outside, away from the axis of rotation of the container transport device.

In another embodiment, the mechanism can be designed to move the open hollow body upward to free up the space for receiving the container.

In a further embodiment, the accessibility mechanism can be designed such that it folds the open hollow body backwards about a horizontal axis, for example by means of an articulated device.

In one embodiment, in which the side wall comprises two flat side elements opposite one another and a rear side element, the partially open hollow body can be divided into two, and the mechanism for making accessible accessible can have a joint on the rear side of the hollow body, so that the hollow body halves about a vertical axis can be pivoted backwards. Alternatively, the side wall can be in the form of a segment of a circle in cross section. In another variant of this, the mechanism can move the two hollow body halves apart in the horizontal direction tangentially to the direction of movement of the container transport device operated in rotation.

In a further alternative embodiment, the partially open hollow body consists of a cover, two flat side elements lying opposite one another and a rear side element which connects the flat elements on the rear side, the mechanism for making accessible being designed in such a way that it combines the flat side elements together or preferably can move backwards separately. With the preferably separate displacement, sufficient space is created on the one hand for the introduction or removal, and on the other hand, a protective effect of the housing is retained during the introduction or removal.

In another embodiment, in which the partially open hollow body has a cover and a side wall with a circular segment-shaped cross section, the side wall is divided into two along a vertical axis and the mechanism for making it accessible is designed such that the side wall halves are pushed one behind the other about a common vertical axis of rotation can be.

In a further embodiment, in which the open hollow body comprises flat side elements and a rear side element, the flat side elements can be connected to the rear side element by a hinge, the mechanism for accessing being designed such that the flat side elements about a vertical axis can be folded backwards through this joint. With this embodiment, two adjacent housings can share a common partition and a mechanism for making them accessible and therefore use space and material particularly efficiently.

As an alternative to the previously mentioned joint, the flat lateral elements can be designed to be elastic or flexible, so that they can be bent backwards about a vertical axis. This simplifies the construction, since no articulated mechanism and no actuator are required to move the side parts. Due to the flexibility of the flat lateral elements, the elements can be moved, for example, by the robot arms or gripping arms of the infeed and outfeed devices or by the object to be printed itself.

In a further embodiment, the printing device further comprises a plurality of plates, on each of which one of the at least one housing is seated; at least one container feed device and at least one container discharge device. The plates can be designed as turntables, for example in order to better position a container to be printed with a curved surface in front of corresponding rows of nozzles of ink-jet print heads. An enclosure is preferably provided for each plate, which releases the space provided for the enclosure on the container feed device and on the container discharge device through the mechanism for making it accessible.

In one embodiment, a suction device is provided in the side wall or on the plate in order to suction off any ink mist and, if necessary, to ensure constant flow conditions in the pressure area.

For the container inward and outward discharge, there may be a further, optionally closable opening on the rear of the housing (on the radially outward side in accordance with the definition of the front and rear side previously made).

By using a turntable, it is also possible to provide the housing with two openings, each of which points radially inwards and outwards with respect to the rotating container transport device. The printing position on the container can then be positioned, for example, by the turntable at the corresponding opening.

In one embodiment, the hollow body of the housing, which has an opening at least on one side, is connected to a container centering head above the plate of the rotating container transport device, so that the container centering head can serve as a mechanism for lifting the housing around the space provided for the housing at a container infeed and make it accessible at a container discharge. Furthermore, in one embodiment, a seal is provided between the side wall of the housing and the plate, for example made of brushes, a hydraulic seal, a bellows, a labyrinth seal or a combination thereof, on the one hand to effectively improve a possible suction and on the other hand to prevent uncontrollable air flows in the Avoid printing area.

Exemplary embodiments, further developments, advantages and possible uses of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the attached figures.

• Fig. 1 eine Schnittansicht von oben durch eine einzelne Einhausung für eine Druckeinrichtung in einer umlaufend betriebenen Behältertransporteinrichtung eines Systems gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung;
• Fig. 2 eine schematische Ansicht von oben einer Druckeinrichtung eines Systems gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung mit Vorrichtungen zur Behältereinschleusung und Behälterausschleusung;
• Fig. 3 vier Varianten eines Mechanismus zum Zugänglichmachen des für die Einhausung vorgesehenen Raumes in einer Druckeinrichtung eines Systems gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung;
• Fig. 4 zwei Varianten eines Mechanismus zum Zugänglichmachen des für die Einhausung vorgesehenen Raumes für eine Einhausung mit kreissegmentförmigen Querschnitt in einer Druckeinrichtung eines Systems gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung;
• Fig. 5 einen Klappmechanismus zum Zugänglichmachen des für die Einhausung vorgesehenen Raumes in einer Druckeinrichtung eines Systems gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung;
• Fig. 6 zwei Seitenansichten aus verschiedenen Richtungen eines Mechanismus zum Anheben der Einhausung in einer Druckeinrichtung eines Systems gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung;
• Fig. 7 eine Schnittansicht von der Seite eines Mechanismus zum Anheben der Einhausung für eine Druckeinrichtung eines Systems gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung; und
• Fig. 8 eine schematische Teilansicht einer Druckeinrichtung eines Systems gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung.

In the figures shows

• Fig. 1 a sectional view from above through a single housing for a printing device in a rotating container transport device of a system according to the present invention;
• Fig. 2 a schematic view from above of a printing device of a system according to the present invention with devices for container infeed and container ejection;
• Fig. 3 four variants of a mechanism for making the space intended for the enclosure accessible in a printing device of a system according to the present invention;
• Fig. 4 two variants of a mechanism for making the space provided for the housing accessible for a housing with a circular segment-shaped cross section in a printing device of a system according to the present invention;
• Fig. 5 a folding mechanism for making the space intended for the housing accessible in a printing device of a system according to the present invention;
• Fig. 6 two side views from different directions of a mechanism for lifting the housing in a printing device of a system according to the present invention;
• Fig. 7 a sectional side view of a mechanism for lifting the housing for a printing device of a system according to the present invention; and
• Fig. 8 is a schematic partial view of a printing device of a system according to the present invention.

The present invention was made in order to simplify the complicated and complex mechanics and control of the opening and closing elements of the housing in printing devices in filling systems for direct printing on 3D bodies by means of drop-on-demand technology, the "drop-on-" Demand "technology can be based on devices / processes such as ink-jet, piezo, electrostatic print heads and / or pressure valve printers. A component of this invention is to omit parts of the printing device which are not required, for example to avoid undesirable air currents in the printing area and ink or ink mist. Another object of the present invention was to make the printing device so flexible that processes can also be carried out at the printing positions can, which do not directly affect printing, but also, for example, cleaning and sealing the surface to be printed or printed.

Fig. 1 shows schematically the concept of the present invention. A container 4 (for example a bottle) is located on a rotating container transport device 3. The rotating container transport device 3 is shown in FIG Fig. 1 only shown as a dashed contour line. The reference symbol 5 symbolizes the direction of rotation of the rotating container transport device 3 about a machine axis of rotation D. In Fig. 1 the direction of rotation is shown counterclockwise. However, the direction of rotation is irrelevant and can also be done clockwise, such as in Fig. 2 will be shown. The container 4 is enclosed by an enclosure 1 so that an area to be printed remains open. The opening enables access to the container for a process tool 2, for example single or multi-color ink jet print heads, UV lamp, surface conditioning device, surface sealing device and / or suction. The process tool can, for example, be a printing unit with, for example, 4 print heads for a CMYK color scheme. The printing unit can also have further print heads for additional colors, for example white and / or special colors, for a primer as the first printing step or for a base layer, for example an adhesion promoter. The process tools 2 do not form an integral unit with the housing 1, but can be positioned in the vicinity of the opening as required, so that uncontrolled air currents and ink mist are avoided during printing. According to the invention, the opening of the housing 1 is directed radially outwards.

Fig. 2 shows a diagram and its principle of operation of the printing device in the rotating container transport device 3 in connection with devices for container infeed 50 and container discharge 60. Reference numerals that in Fig. 2 and all subsequent figures are identical to those in Fig. 1 , designate the same features and if no further explanations are given in the following figures, the description from FIG Fig. 1. Fig. 2 shows a typical situation in a continuous operation of the printing device, in which the rotating container transport device 3 rotates continuously in the clockwise direction. On the discharge side, containers 4 are continuously removed from the rotating container transport device 3 by the container discharge device 60. In the Fig. 2 the device for container removal 60 is shown as a device with a plurality of arms 61a, 61b which grip a container 4 on the rotating container transport device 3 and place it, for example, on a conveying conveyor belt (not shown). The device for injecting the container 50 is constructed similarly to the device for injecting the container and has a plurality of arms 51a, 51b which bring a container 4, for example from a feeding conveyor belt (not shown), to a position on the rotating container transport device 3. Like in the Fig. 2 can be seen, space must be created for the arms 61a and 51a due to the high speed of the revolving container transport device 3 when the containers are being introduced and discharged, in order to avoid collisions of machine parts and thus their damage. In Fig. 2 this is symbolized by with respect to a machine axis of rotation D (as in Fig. 1 shown) radially movable side walls 1-1 of the housings 1.

Fig. 3 shows different variants for a mechanism for making the space provided for the housing accessible on a container inlet 50 and on a container outlet 60 of the rotating container transport device 3. All four variants have in common that the housing has flat, ie non-curved side walls.

In variant I, the side walls of the housing 10l consist of an essentially U-shaped part with a flat rear wall and tapering adjacent side walls and an opening which points radially outwards. In variant I, the entire housing 10l is shifted radially backwards in the direction of the axis of rotation D in order to make room for the container infeed and the container outfeed.

Variant II differs from variant I in that the U-shaped part is divided into two along a vertical plane running radially with respect to a machine axis of rotation D, so that two housing parts 1011-1 and 1011-2 are created. In order to create space for the container infeed and the container outfeed, the two housing parts 1011-1 and 1011-2 are displaced in opposite directions tangentially to the rotational movement.

The variant IV differs from the variant I in that the rear wall 10IV-3 is not firmly connected to the adjacent side walls 10IV-1 and 10IV-2. The adjacent side walls 10IV-1 and 10IV-2 can be moved together or separately past the rear wall in the direction of the center of rotation D to make room for the container infeed and the container outfeed. With this variant, it is possible to save material in a housing for containers, since only one movable partition is required for two adjacent container positions. In addition, it is not necessary to move the entire housing when injecting or discharging containers, rather it is sufficient to move a single adjacent side wall 10IV-1 or 10IV-2.

Variant III of the Fig. 3 differs from variant IV in that no rear wall is used. This variant is particularly advantageous if process tools are also used on the back of the housing. In this case, too, the side walls 10III-1 and 10III-2 are displaced in the direction of the center of rotation D in the case of container infeed and container discharge in order to make room for the infeed or outfeed robot. In the Fig. 3 the side walls 10I, 10II-1, 1011-2, 10III-1, 10III-2, and 10IV-1 and 10IV-2 adjoining the rear are shown as surfaces converging conically in the direction of the center of rotation D. This is advantageous in order to save material and space, since it corresponds to the circular geometry of the container transport device 3 operated in rotation. However, the adjoining side walls can also be arranged parallel to one another, in particular in the case of large radii of the container transport device 3 operated in rotation.

Fig. 4 shows further variants of housings and mechanisms for making accessible for housings with a circular segment-shaped cross section, ie the side walls of the housings are circular-cylindrical, one segment of the circular cylinder being missing.

In variant I, the housing is divided along the vertical plane running radially with respect to a machine axis of rotation D, so that two housing halves 100I-1 and 100I-2 are formed. The two halves 100I-1 and 100I-2 are connected at the rear with a joint, so that the two housing halves 100I-1 and 100I-2 can fold backwards about a vertical axis A1 in order to create space for the container infeed and the container outfeed .

In variant II, the housing is also divided along the vertical plane running radially with respect to a machine axis of rotation D and forms two housing halves 100II-1 and 10011-2. Both housing halves 100II-1 and 10011-2 can be rotated about a common axis A2, which is also approximately a vertical axis of rotation of a container 4 positioned in the housing. By rotating the housing parts 10011-1 and 10011-2 about the common axis of rotation A2, the two housing parts can be shifted backwards one above the other, so that space is created for the container infeed or container ejection.

Fig. 5 illustrates another mechanism for accessing the enclosure space according to the present invention. Fig. 5 shows a lateral cross section of the housing 1, the container 4 and a turntable 70 on which the container 4 is placed. The turntable 70 is part of the rotating container transport device 3 and is rotatably supported about an axis A2, so that the container 4 can be rotated relative to the housing 1. All container positions in the rotating container transport device 3 are preferably provided with a turntable. The housing 1 comprises a cover 1-2 and a circumferential side wall 1-1 which remains open on one side, ie on the left side in the in Fig. 5 shown representation. The housing also has an articulated structure on the back of the housing 1, so that the housing 1 can be folded backwards about a horizontal axis A3, which is oriented tangentially to the axis of rotation of the rotating container transport device 3, in order to provide space for container insertion or To create container rejection.

The 6 and 7 show a housing 1 and an access mechanism which lifts the housing 1 upwards to make room for the container infeed and the container ejection. In particular shows Fig. 6 two side sectional drawings in which the housing 1 can be moved upwards. The right side of the Fig. 6 shows a section along the line A - A of the illustration on the left of the Fig. 6 . The figures show the container 4, for example a bottle, which rests on a turntable 70. The housing 1 has a cover 1-2 and side walls 1-1. The side wall 1-1 is open on one side, as in the sectional view on the right side of the Fig. 6 you can see. The upward-pointing arrow on the lid 1-2 of the housing 1 indicates the direction in which the housing 1 is moved when the container 4 is introduced or discharged. The housing 1 closes directly with the turntable 70, so that no extra floor part of the housing has to be provided. For example, brushes can be used as the seal 80 to the base part, but hydraulic seals, labyrinth seals or bellows can also be used. When using bellows, make sure that the turntable never rotates more than 360 degrees so that the bellows is not subjected to excessive stress due to torsion. In order to be able to make the housing larger if necessary, for example with larger containers, the turntable can also be made larger, so that the housing always closes securely with the turntable. In particular, the diameter of the turntable can be more than twice the largest bottle or container to be accepted.

The turntable can alternatively be arranged separately from the housing, i.e. the "enclosure floor" consists of additional components. A turntable "protruding beyond the container contour" can thus be avoided, which means that a print head / printing unit can also be arranged in the container bottom area with a minimal distance from the container, so that printing or processes can also be carried out there.

Fig. 7 shows a realization of a mechanism for lifting the housing 1. In rotating container transport devices such as container carousels or transport stars, centering heads are provided with which the containers are positioned at their position on the turntable. Fig. 7 shows a centering head 90 which centers a bottle 4 on the turntable 70. Fig. 7 also shows a drive device 95 for the centering head, which can be, for example, a linear motor or a pneumatic cylinder. The centering head 90 is attached to the cover of the housing 1. The drive for the centering head, for example the pneumatic cylinder, moves the centering head 90 upwards, away from the bottle 4. The housing 1 is also raised to make room for the container infeed or container ejection. The housing 1 is sealed off from the turntable 70 by a seal 80. The housing also has a torque support 11, which prevents the housing 1 from rotating with the turntable 70.

Fig. 8 shows a particularly efficient embodiment of the present invention. The Fig. 8 shows in particular an embodiment in which the rear sides of the container positions form an equilateral N-polygon, where N corresponds to the number of container transport positions on the rotating container transport device. A side wall, which runs radially outwards with respect to the rotating container transport device, borders on each edge of the N-polygon. Fig. 8 shows in detail only the section between the container injection point II and the container discharge point I. In this case, the rotating container transport device 3 rotates clockwise. Adjacent container receiving positions are separated from one another by a common partition 1I-1, 1I-2, 1II-1, 1II-2. These partitions are connected to the corners of the N-polygon, so that two adjacent partitions and one side surface of the polygon form an enclosure for a container 4. In Fig. 8 three rear walls 1I-3, 1-3, 1II-3, ie three surfaces of the N-polygon are shown. The devices for container infeed and container outfeed are arranged with respect to the rotating container transport device 3 so that the container position between the container infeed II and the container outfeed I remains empty. In this case, the side wall 1I-2 can move to the empty position during the discharge fold and create space for the device for container discharge. Likewise, the side wall 1II-1 can fold in the direction of the rear wall 1-3 of the empty container position in order to make room for the device for introducing a container. The partitions 1I-1, 1I-2, 1II-1, 1II-2 are movably attached to the edges of the end polygon. For example, the partition walls can be pivoted about a vertical axis at the edge of the N-polygon via a hinge structure or hinges, as in FIG Fig. 8 is shown by the arrows on the side walls 1I-2 and 1II-1. Alternatively, the side walls can be firmly connected to the rear walls at the edges of the N polygon. In this case, the side walls are made of a flexible material or are spring-loaded, so that they can be pushed away by a gripper of a device for container insertion or container discharge. In this case, no actuator or actuating device is required to move the side walls, since the elastic restoring forces of the side walls restore the intended shape of the housing.

The surface quality and the geometry of the housing can also be designed in such a way that an optimal luminous efficacy takes place if a UV lamp is used as the process tool for curing the printed layer and the seal. In particular, the inside of the housing can be partially mirrored and shaped in such a way that as much UV light as possible is directed from the UV lamp onto the printed area. Furthermore, the housing can be designed in such a way that light reflections are prevented, for example by special absorber sections or light traps.

In particular, the housing can be designed such that the housing surrounds more than 50%, in particular more than 60%, of the surface of a container to be printed during printing.

In particular, no functions for manipulating the container are built into the lateral parts of the housing.

In one embodiment, no elements of the housing are arranged to be movable relative to the rotor, but are fixedly attached to it. In particular, in this embodiment, at least one drive is provided next to the rotary drive in order to move the container relative to the rotor and to the housing, in particular in a pivoting or linear movement. This drive can also be used in principle in the other embodiments and is used, in particular, for introducing the container into the housing. But it can also be used to after a partial pressure, move the container to a position in which UV lamps are provided for drying.

In particular, the device comprises a plurality of similar treatment positions attached to a rotor at equidistant intervals, it being possible for one container to be accommodated for each treatment position. It would also be conceivable to accommodate at least two or a group of containers per treatment position.

The rotor is intended to rotate continuously. In this case, the print heads can be rotated on the rotor.

Instead of placing the object to be printed on a turntable, the object can only be picked up at its upper end region (in the case of bottles at the neck or mouth region). The drive for turning could then interact with this recording.

Claims (12)

1. A system with a rotationally-driven container conveying unit (3) by means of which containers (4) are conveyed between at least one container feed location (50) and at least one container removal location (60), and with a printing device for printing on containers (4) in the container conveying unit, with a plurality of processing tools (2) and at least one housing (1) for housing a container (4);
   at least one processing tool (2) is a print head,
   each housing (1) comprising a hollow body, which is partially open at least in a printing area and which is used for accommodating the container (4), the opening for the printing area defining a radially outwardly pointing front side; and a side located opposite the front side defining a rear side, and
   the processing tools are arranged on the outer side of the rotationally-driven container conveying unit such that they rotate together therewith either fixedly associated with a container position or arranged such that they can flexibly be associated with a plurality of container positions, and
   the housing (1) being configured such that various processing tools (2) can releasably be attached to the opening of the partially open hollow body, wherein the following processing tools (2) being used individually or in combination:

   single-color or multi-color inkjet print heads;

   inkjet print heads for a priming coat and/or adhesive agents;

   a UV lamp;

   a surface conditioning device;

   a surface sealing device; and

   an extraction by suction unit.
2. The system according to claim 1, the partially open hollow body comprising a cover (1-2) and a side wall (1-1) with the opening, the side wall (1-1) having a circular segment-shaped cross-section.
3. The system according to one of the claims 1 - 2, the partially open hollow body comprising a cover (1-2) and a side wall (1-1) with the opening, the side wall (1-1) including two opposed flat lateral elements (10I, 10II, 10III, 10IV) preferably configured as conically tapering elements.
4. The system according to claim 3, further comprising a rear-side element (10IV-2, 1I-3, 1II-3) interconnecting the two flat elements (1-1, 10I, 10II, 10III, 10IV) at the rear side of the open hollow body.
5. The system according to one of the claims 1 - 4, each housing (1) further comprising a mechanism for providing access to the space provided for the housing at the container feed location (50) and at the container removal location (60) of the rotationally-driven container conveying unit (3).
6. The system according to claim 5, the accessing mechanism being configured in a shape that can be selected from the following group:

   that it moves the open hollow body (10I) away from a container reception position in a radial direction relative to an axis (D) of rotation of the rotationally-driven container conveying unit (3),

   that it moves the open hollow body (1) upwards,

   that it folds the open hollow body rearwards about a horizontal axis (A3),

   that it is able to pivot hollow body halves (100I-1, 100I-2) rearwards about a vertical axis (A1) or that, for the purpose of accessing, it is able to move apart two hollow body halves (1011-1, 1011-2) in a horizontal direction tangentially to the direction of movement of the rotationally-driven container conveying unit (3), the partially open hollow body being bipartite along a vertical plane in a radial direction, and the accessing mechanism being provided with a joint on the rear side of the hollow body.
7. The system according to claim 5 with 3 or 4, wherein the accessing mechanism is configured such that it is capable of displacing the flat lateral elements (10III-1, 10III-2, 10IV-1, 10IV-2) rearwards, in common or separately from one another.
8. The system according to claims 2 and 5, wherein the side wall is divided along a vertical axis and
   wherein the accessing mechanism is configured such that the side wall halves (100II-1, 100II-2) can be displaced rearwards about a common vertical axis of rotation (A2) for moving them one on top of the other.
9. The system according to claims 4 and 5, wherein the flat lateral elements (1I-1, 1I-2, 1II-1, 1II-2) are configured in a shape that can be selected from the following group:

   the flat lateral elements (1I-1, 1I-2, 1II-1, 1II-2) are connected by a joint to the rear-side element (1I-3, 1-3, 1II-3), wherein the accessing mechanism is configured such that the flat lateral elements (1I-1, 1I-2, 1II-1, 1II-2) can fold rearwards about vertical axes, and

   the flat lateral elements (1I-1, 1I-2, 1II-1, 1II-2) can be resiliently bent rearwards.
10. The system according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising:

    a plurality of tables (70) having the housings (1) placed thereon;

    at least one container feeding device (50);

    a container removing device (60).
11. The system according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising an extraction by suction unit arranged in the side wall (1-1, 1-3), in the cover or on the table (70).
12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the open hollow body of the housing is connected to a container centering head (90) above the table (70) of the rotationally-driven container conveying unit (3), and
    wherein a sealing means (80) is arranged between the side wall of the housing and the table (70), said sealing means (80) comprising brushes, a hydraulic seal, a bellows, a labyrinth seal or a combination thereof.

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