EP3044006B1 - Method and device for surface treatment of a three-dimensional body - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method and a device for surface pretreatment of a three-dimensional body for preparing a three-dimensional surface of the body for printing, in particular with ink. In the method, the surface to be printed for cleaning, in particular for degreasing, and / or to adapt to the surface tension of the printing material or the ink (ink) is moved relative to a surface treatment device to treat the entire surface to be printed can.

To be treated surfaces of three-dimensional body, in particular of containers such as plastic or glass bottles, usually have a non-polar, good electrical insulating and water-repellent surface. For this reason, the printing material (ink or ink) is poorly adhered to these surfaces. Therefore, prior to directly printing these surfaces, it is necessary to increase the polarity of the surface and thereby remarkably increase the wettability and chemical affinity for the adhesion of, in particular, the printing material.

Known methods for pretreating such surfaces to be printed are a plasma treatment, a flame treatment, a fluorination, an ozone treatment, a UV light treatment and / or a corona treatment.

In the surface treatment, the surface energy of the surface to be printed on the surface tension of the printing material (ink or ink) and the interfacial tension between the to be printed Surface and adapted to the usually liquid printing material. This is important in addition to the already mentioned ability to adhere the printing material to the surface to be printed for the achievable resolution, so that the mostly drop-shaped applied, liquid printing material does not run and the desired resolution is achieved.

In the case of two-dimensional surfaces to be printed, in particular flat substrates such as foils, a corona treatment is usually carried out in which the substrate is subjected to a high-voltage electrical discharge which occurs between a grounded support electrode for the substrate and a closely fitting insulated electrode through the substrate ,

Such a treatment is generally not possible with three-dimensional bodies, so that in the case of containers such as bottles, either a flame treatment or a treatment with, in particular, atmospheric plasma is carried out in preparation for direct printing of the surface.

In the atmospheric plasma treatment, an electrical discharge of a high-frequency current of high voltage between two electrodes takes place, wherein the resulting plasma jet is bent or deflected by compressed air in the flow direction, so that the plasma jet can hit the surface to be treated. This also makes it possible to treat the surface of three-dimensional bodies to be printed, which preferably itself has a three-dimensional extent, without the body having to be arranged between the electrodes.

For such a plasma treatment plasma jet nozzles are known which produce a flat jet with a width of 10 to 15 mm, but which does not have a homogeneous intensity distribution between its center and the edge.

Rather, the plasma intensity decreases towards the edge, so that it is difficult to achieve a homogeneous surface pretreatment of the entire surface to be printed. Furthermore, plasma emitters are known in which the concentrated plasma jet is passed with a more homogeneous distribution through a rapidly rotating outlet nozzle, whereby an annular plasma jet is created, which covers a larger area than circular segment and reaches a uniform intensity distribution of the plasma jet in the circular segment with a uniform rotation speed of the outlet nozzle ,

In the generic US 2013/0019566 A1 discloses a printing machine with a conveyor which leads through a corona tunnel and feeds the containers to be printed on the printing press. In the corona tunnel, a pre-treatment of the containers for printing takes place. The EP 2 479 036 A1 describes a similar apparatus for printing on containers, in which the containers are fed through a pre-treatment station to a feed star, which places the containers in the printing press.

In the DE 10 2013 208 061 A1 is mentioned for pretreatment before printing on a container, that a surface pretreatment can be done in particular in the form of a cleaning in a separate Vorbehandlungsstern. A similar pretreatment star describes the US 2009/0206616 A1 for cleaning bottles before filling.

Also the US 2012/0260955 discloses a cleaning station prior to filling a container made from a preform. In the context of drawing the preform to the container, a surface pre-treatment by heating by means of a clamping element is described in which the clamping element comprises the entire circumference of the preform.

In a device for printing on plastic containers is disclosed in the disclosure of US 2006/00144261 A1 provided that the container is rotated between two successive pretreatment and printing steps, while the container is moved from the first to the second printing station.

Thus, while two-dimensional surfaces to be printed can be pretreated by simply traversing the surfaces to be treated with the surface treatment device, in the case of three-dimensional surfaces to be printed, a further axis must be actuated in order to subject the entire surface to be printed to a surface pretreatment of uniform intensity. Simply translationally passing systems, as they are possible with two-dimensional surfaces, but do not achieve this. Rather, it is necessary to scan the body surface through the surface treatment device in two dimensions

Therefore, known surface treatment devices for treating dreidimenisonaler body mechanically constructed usually consuming and require considerable control effort to achieve a uniform surface preparation on the later surface to be printed. These surface handling devices are usually integrated in the printing press, but require there a considerable space requirement for the plasma device and the two-dimensional scanning.

The object of the present invention is therefore to propose a method for surface pretreatment of three-dimensional bodies of the type mentioned in the introduction, in which a surface preparation is easier to integrate in a printing system.

This object is achieved in a method of the type mentioned according to the invention with the features of claim 1. For this purpose, it is provided that the three-dimensional body in a transport path of a transport device, in which the body is moved in particular toward a printing press or printing station of the printing system, is subjected to the surface preparation, i. In other words, that the surface treatment device of the body is or is arranged on a transport path of a transport device, in particular on the transport path to the printing press or printing station of the printing system. A printing system which, for example, can be integrated in a production or cleaning line for the three-dimensional body, for example a plastic bottle, usually has a transport device with which the three-dimensional body is transported along a transport path to the printing press or printing station , The basic idea of the invention is now to arrange the surface preparation in such a transport path, so that the bottle can be subjected to the surface preparation on the way to the printing press or printing station. In such a transport route, it is easier to arrange the surface treatment device, since usually more space is available than in the printing press or printing station itself. In addition, the control of the surface treatment device can be made more flexible, since the surface treatment time and space of the process of Printing the surface is separated.

In this case, the surface pretreatment according to the invention clocked or continuous, wherein depending on the structure of the device according to the invention, of course, only one or at the same time can also be treated more three-dimensional body.

In the case of a clocked surface pretreatment, it may in particular be provided that the surface pretreatment takes place during a standstill time of the three-dimensional bodies along the transport path, i. So if the three-dimensional body is not transported along the transport route. During the standstill time, the three-dimensional body can then be moved into stationary motion, stationary relative to the transport path, in order to move the body past the surface treatment device. In the case of a bottle as a three-dimensional body, this can be displaced, for example, into a rotation about an endogenous axis, preferably the central axis. A particularly preferred embodiment of this will be described later.

In order to enable the surface pretreatment in a continuous movement of the three-dimensional body along a transport path, the invention provides that the three-dimensional body moves in the conveying path of the transport device on the surface treatment device in a vorgebaren, possibly adjustable and / or einregelbaren, transport speed in the transport direction over and simultaneously moved about an endogenous axis, in particular rotated, is that the surface to be printed moves in or against the transport direction due to the proper movement of the body around the body's own axis on the surface treatment device at an airspeed at a constant distance from the surface treatment device over.

By this inventively proposed superimposed movement of the body, ie by the translational movement of the body in the transport direction and the simultaneous proper movement of the body about an endogenous axis, the entire surface to be printed of the three-dimensional Body are moved in a movement of the body along the transport path to the surface treatment device over that a surface pretreatment of the entire to be printed, even three-dimensionally shaped surface is possible in the context of this continuous movement sequence. This superimposed movement is a technically easy-to-handle possibility of completely moving the invention itself three-dimensionally extending surface past a surface treatment device, without the surface treatment device must cover the entire surface to be printed over the entire surface.

The proposed movement of the three-dimensional body past the transport device can basically be configured as a relative movement, ie the three-dimensional body is moved past the surface treatment device fixed in the transport direction in the space, the surface treatment device is moved past the stationary in the transport direction in space body (which, however According to the invention, for at least this one embodiment of a continuous surface pretreatment would require as much as possible avoiding timing) or the three-dimensional body and the surface treatment device are moved in the transport direction at different speeds. The latter also leads to a relative movement of three-dimensional body and surface treatment device in the transport direction. However, the preferred embodiment for this variant lies in the fact that the three-dimensional body is moved past the surface treatment device fixed in the transport direction in space. This is the easiest to realize technically, since the surface treatment device, in particular when it comes to a plasma or gas burner device, must be carefully aligned and supplied with gas or high voltage, so that the least susceptible variant lies in this, fixed surface treatment device to install in the transport system on the transport route of the transport device.

The three-dimensional body can, irrespective of whether it is a pulsed or continuous surface pretreatment as described above, according to a particularly preferred variant of the proposed invention, be, in particular, a container to be printed, such as a bottle of plastic and / or glass ,

Also, regardless of the type of three-dimensional body and / or the type of surface preparation, the surface to be printed is preferably curved three-dimensionally, in particular rounded, so that the surface is unrolled against a counter surface. In a simple way, the three-dimensional body in the region of the surface to be printed can therefore be cylindrical and / or rotationally symmetrical. However, according to the invention, the three-dimensional body is not limited to this particularly preferred and easy-to-handle form, but may possibly also be a polygonal body with an approximate circular shape or a body of elliptical shape.

The surface pretreatment according to the invention is in particular a plasma treatment, in particular a treatment with atmospheric plasma, with plasma emitters, which are preferably designed as rotating outlet nozzles. Another preferred option for surface treatment is a flame treatment, in particular with gas-fired burners. The plasma emitters and / or the gas-fired burners are preferably provided in an array in which they cover at least a portion of the surface of the three-dimensional body to be printed. Preferably, this arrangement of the plasma emitter and / or gas-fired burner an extension direction of the surface to be printed, in particular transversely or obliquely to the transport direction, covered. The plasma emitters and / or gas-fired Burners form in their arrangement the surface treatment device.

According to a preferred further development of the method proposed according to the invention, it can be provided that the three-dimensional body is rotated about the body's own axis, whereby the body's own axis is preferably a rotational symmetry axis of a body rotationally symmetrical in the area of the surface to be printed. In this case, the movement of the three-dimensional body can be particularly easily achieved by the inclusion of the body in a separate rotating device, which is driven externally and - in the case of a continuous surface pretreatment - preferably moved with the transport device. In this embodiment, a movement device for moving the three-dimensional body about an endogenous axis so of a driving device for moving the three-dimensional body past the surface treatment device may be formed separately, for example. As a driven turntable with a receptacle for the three-dimensional body, Anstriebsrollen or the like. It is of course also a preferred object of the present invention, when the entrainment device and the movement device are designed as a combined device which simultaneously effects the movement of the body combined according to the invention for the continuous surface pretreatment. For this comes, for example, a later described in more detail belt drive in question, which engages with two separate and at different speeds, preferably counteracting relative to their attack surface on the three-dimensional body, driven belt on the three-dimensional body frictionally.

In particular, in this case, but in principle in any type of surface preparation, according to a particularly preferred embodiment of the proposed movement of the body about its own axis by rolling the three-dimensional body on a fixed or moving railing by the movement of a preferably applied to the three-dimensional body against the railing contact surface, wherein the three-dimensional body in particular by the contact surface for a non-positively against the Railing pressed and the other transverse to the printing direction, preferably in or opposite to the transport direction, is rolled on the railing. For this purpose, the direction of movement of the contact surface is preferably also formed in or opposite to the transport direction. The abutment surface can be formed, for example, by rubberized rollers in a simple embodiment, which are arranged distributed over the circumference of the three-dimensional body at least two different locations and exert a bias of the body against the railing. The railing can also be formed by rollers, for example counter-rotating rollers.

In addition, it is possible according to the invention that the railing is also moved in or opposite to the direction of movement of the contact surface. In this way, both the direction of rotation of the three-dimensional body and the rotational speed can be easily adjusted, in particular during the simultaneous translational transport of the three-dimensional body in the transport path. By such a drive, therefore, the translational movement of the body and the proper movement of the body can be inventively easily combined. In this drive, therefore, the predefined entrainment device and movement device are combined in one device.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the movement of the contact surface and / or the railing by a motor-driven, preferably adjustable in speed driven belt, wherein the driven belt, in particular as a contact surface and / or railing against the three-dimensional body frictionally, so that the Body is rotated during the movement of the belt around the body's own axis and at different speeds of the belt is also moved translationally. Such a belt drive can be easily realized especially in conventional transport systems and has the advantage that any existing roles for fixing the three-dimensional body and / or the non-positive pressing of the belt to the body need not be driven itself. These rollers can be used to bias the belt according to the invention against the three-dimensional body in the direction of the body, for example, spring preloaded.

Especially with a clocked surface pretreatment, it is also advisable to determine the proper motion of the relative to the transport path resting, i. not transported along the transport path, three-dimensional body, for example, make by rubbed rollers, which are preferably spaced such that a role in two three-dimensional bodies, especially bottles, frictionally engages and the two three-dimensional body when applied to the railing, the example. By a Belt or counter-rotating rollers may be formed, as far as they are pressed apart, that they do not rub against each other during the self-rotation. In one variant, these rollers can also drive a belt, which is tensioned onto the driven rollers and abuts against the three-dimensional body over a larger area, thus enabling an even better transmission of force to the three-dimensional bodies.

Furthermore, preferably two rollers each engage a three-dimensional body to secure the three-dimensional body against the railing. Here, the driven rollers are arranged such that they meet at an angle to the three-dimensional body, that no self-locking of the three-dimensional body is generated by the two rollers, that attack the at least two rollers in the same direction of rotation of the three-dimensional body. This drive is especially for three-dimensional bodies with a cylindrical or at least rounded basic shape, such as. Round in cross-section bottles, suitable.

According to a preferred embodiment of the proposed method, the invention provides that the transport speed and the intrinsic speed of the three-dimensional body are coordinated in the case of a continuous surface pretreatment such that the surface treatment device treats each area of the surface approximately equally long and / or equally intensive.

Such a setting or tuning of the transport speed and the intrinsic speed of the three-dimensional body is, for example, possible due to geometric considerations in which the self-motion and the transport movements of the body are superimposed and so a place-time analysis is created, how long each surface area of the is exposed to the printing surface of the surface treatment device. In this case, the temporal and / or local intensity profile of the surface device can also be taken into account, for example in the case of rotating plasma emitters, which in each case treat a circular upper segment on the surfaces in a rotational position. Simply such geometrical considerations may be made by setting up a computer model in the treatment of the surface and deriving the appropriate speeds taking into account the operating parameters of the surface treatment device, the computer model being implemented in a suitable control device. Optionally, the control device may also have a control which adjusts the transport speed and the own speed depending on the result of the computer model. For this purpose, it is particularly advantageous if the transport speed and the intrinsic speed of the body as well as possibly the temporal and / or local intensity profile of the surface treatment device can be entered into the computer model.

In the case of a clocked surface pretreatment, it can be provided according to the invention that the surface pretreatment of the three-dimensional body during a standstill in the direction of the transport path, i. clocked or in a downtime of the three-dimensional body based on the transport in the transport device, ie in a transport break occurs. In this case, the three-dimensional body is moved about an endogenous axis, in particular rotated, and thus moved past the surface treatment device. During the movement of the three-dimensional body about the body's own axis, the three-dimensional body and the surface treatment device according to the invention in the direction of the body's axis, in particular the axis of rotation, relative to each other, wherein the speed of movement about the body's own axis, in particular the rotation, and the sliding movement along the axis are coordinated with one another in such a way that the surface of the three-dimensional body is helically treated by the surface treatment device. This movement can also be generated by geometric considerations, for example by means of a computer model and a suitable control of the drives, similar to those described.

In this way, similar to the superimposed rotational and transport movement of the three-dimensional body in the case of continuous surface pretreatment, the surface to be treated or the later to be printed on the three-dimensional body nationwide, ie pretreated over the entire surface, with an equal dose of intensity and treatment time, because the surface treatment means passes over each part of the surface to be pretreated in the same way and for the same period of time. This is achieved in the pulsed, also referred to as discontinuous, pretreatment process by the helical treatment of the surface. This results in a contiguous series of oblique, helical orbits which, after an incomplete first turn to an incomplete last turn, ensure equal treatment of the whole (to be treated) surface of the three-dimensional body.

Comparing this inventively particularly preferred variant of a discontinuous or clocked surface pretreatment with a treatment in which the surface pretreatment during the proper motion (rotation) of the body turned on and turned off after one revolution (without passing through a helix), so always finds in the latter case Overlap in the surface pretreatment already therefore takes place because the surface preparation, in particular by a plasma jet or the like., Is not punctiform, but has a two-dimensional extent, which acts on the right and left of the preferred direction. Thus, a precise shutdown after a rotation of the body after a rotation of 360 ° with a 100% equal treatment of the surface to be treated is not possible. The non-uniform treatment of the surface with a spatially different dose leads to different changes in the surface, which manifests itself in divergent properties. Thus, a printed image of uniform quality can not be achieved, for example, because the ink or ink adheres differently well in a subsequent printing. The inventive helical treatment here a much more uniform surface preparation is achieved because all surface areas are treated in the same way.

In particular, in connection with the clocked, but also in connection with the continuous, surface treatment can be provided according to a preferred embodiment of the invention that in the transport path a changer is installed with at least two transport sections, wherein the changer is operated such that in a transport section a further transport a three-dimensional body or the three-dimensional body accommodated in one transport section, while in the other transport section the surface pretreatment of another three-dimensional body or other three-dimensional body accommodated in the other transport section takes place. The transport sections are preferably logical, but preferably also arranged spatially parallel to each other. This enables a quasi-continuous operation of the surface pretreatment, because during the surface pretreatment on a transport section, the three-dimensional bodies located in another transport section (and already pretreated) are transported further in the direction of printing or printing press / printing station. The transport stream of three-dimensional bodies is divided according to this proposal than several, ie at least two or possibly even more different transport sections.

In the case of more than two transport sections, surface pretreatment and onward transport can be performed in phase offset from one another. As a result, a particularly close approach to a continuous process is achieved. This method can be used both in a transport star and in a longitudinal transporter (translational transport).

In longitudinal feed with two spatially parallel transport sections can be done a pivoting of the surface treatment device from one transport section to another transport section, for example. By pivoting the surface treatment device by 180 °, so that the effective direction is just opposite. This can be supplied by a surface treatment device simultaneously two transport sections. This allows improved utilization of the expensive surface treatment devices, for example for plasma treatment.

The invention further relates to a device for surface pretreatment of a three-dimensional body for preparing a three-dimensional surface of the body for printing, in particular with ink, with a surface treatment device for treating the entire surface to be printed, preferably itself three-dimensionally extending. In the device proposed according to the invention, the surface to be printed is designed to be movable relative to the surface treatment device. To achieve the object, it is provided according to the features of claim 9, in particular, that the device has a transport device with a transport path for the three-dimensional body and the surface treatment device is arranged in the region of the transport path. As a result, the advantages described above in connection with the method according to the invention can be achieved.

According to the invention, for continuous surface pretreatment, the three-dimensional body transport means, ie for movement of the body along the transport path of the transport means, includes entrainment means for moving the three-dimensional body past the surface treatment means and moving means for simultaneously moving the three-dimensional body the body-own axis, ie that the entrainment device and the movement means are adapted to the movement of the three-dimensional body past the surface treatment device and the movement of the three-dimensional body around the body's own axis occur simultaneously. Because of these structural features, the method proposed according to the invention can be carried out continuously by this device. The driving device and the movement device can also be realized by a combined device, for example. By suitable drives, the combined movement of the

Body reach without separate drives must be provided for the translational movement and the proper movement of the body.

In particular for a pulsed (discontinuous) surface pretreatment, the transport device according to the invention can have a movement device for moving the three-dimensional body about an endogenous axis and an adjustment device for relative displacement of the three-dimensional body and surface treatment device in the direction of the body's own axis, with which the previously described helical surface preparation can be easily realized ,

According to the invention, devices and methods are also conceivable and possible in which a continuous and a cycled surface pretreatment, for example in different transport sections or transport sections, are combined with one another.

In a further development of the devices proposed according to the invention, the device can have a moving or fixed railing and a preferably arranged opposite the railing moving contact surface, between which the three-dimensional body is non-positively absorbable. The contact surface and / or the railing may, for example, be designed as a belt drive, wherein the belt forming the contact surface preferably bears against the three-dimensional body under pretension. This can be done by a tensioning device pressing the belt in the direction of the three-dimensional body, for example in the form of spring-loaded rollers or a suitable belt guide. Alternatively, a separate roller drive or the like is conceivable for each bottle. As a contact surface and / or railing are also, for example, driven rollers or mating rollers in question. Any combination of rollers, belts, roller drives and belt drives is possible for the formation of contact surface and / or railing.

In an alternative or combined embodiment, the transport device may be designed as a transport star with a drive device for moving the three-dimensional body in the star pocket of the transport star. Here, in particular, a roller drive or a separate turntable for each star pocket as a technically feasible option in question, but without the invention would be limited to these rotary actuators for the proper motion of the three-dimensional body.

According to the invention, the surface treatment device may comprise a gas-fired burner assembly having a plurality of burners, i. several individual fuel nozzles, to be flame treatment. A qualitatively superior surface pretreatment can preferably be achieved according to the invention if the surface treatment device is an array of plasma emitters, in particular for treatment with atmospheric plasma, wherein in particular rotating plasma emitters are used which generate a circular segment-shaped treatment surface on the surface to be treated by rotating outlet nozzles this circle segment is treated very homogeneously by the rotating plasma emitter with approximately the same plasma intensity.

As a particularly preferred arrangement of surface treatment devices, the individual plasma emitters or combustion nozzles can be provided in preferably a plurality of, for example three, double rows each having a half distance of the individual plasma emitters or fuel nozzles offset between each row of the double rows. Preferably, the arrangement is thus such that a double row, a direction of the surface to be printed on the body is completely covered transversely to the transport direction.

When several double rows are arranged in the transport direction of the three-dimensional body, a particularly homogeneous distribution of the plasma or flame action on the surface is achieved with comparatively short treatment times during the continuous transport of the three-dimensional body, since the treatment of the entire extent of the surface to be printed in transport and / or movement direction can be distributed to a plurality of plasma emitters or burner nozzles.

The device according to the invention can also be equipped with a control device with a computing unit, wherein the arithmetic unit is set up by programs for data processing for carrying out the above-described methods or method variants or parts thereof.

Further advantages, features and applications of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments and the drawings. All described and / or illustrated features alone or in any combination form the subject matter of the present invention, also independent of their summary in the claims or their back references.

Fig. 1

schematisch eine Vorrichtung zur Oberflächenvorbehandlung eines dreidimensionalen Körpers gemäß einer ersten Ausführungsform in der Aufsicht von oben.

Fig. 2

die Vorrichtung gemäß Fig. 1 in einer Seitenansicht in Transportrichtung;

Fig. 3

eine Aufsicht auf die erfindungsgemäße Oberflächenbehandlungseinrichtung gemäß Fig. 1 und Fig. 2;

Fig. 4

schematisch eine zweite Ausführungsform der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung zur Oberflächenvorbehandlung eines dreidimensionalen Körpers in der Aufsicht von oben;

Fig. 5

schematisch eine dritte Ausführungsform der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung zur Oberflächenvorbehandlung eines dreidimensionalen Körpers in der Aufsicht von oben;

Fig. 6

schematisch eine Schnittdarstellung durch die Ausführungsform gemäß Fig. 5

Fig. 7

schematisch als vierte Ausführungsform eine Variante der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung gemäß Fig. 5 in der Aufsicht von oben mit einem veränderten Rotationsantrieb für die dreidimensionalen Körper; und

Fig. 8

schematisch eine fünfte Ausführungsform der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung zur Oberflächenvorbehandlung eines dreidimensionalen Körpers in der Aufsicht von oben

Show it:

Fig. 1

schematically a device for surface preparation of a three-dimensional body according to a first embodiment in the plan view from above.

Fig. 2

the device according to Fig. 1 in a side view in the transport direction;

Fig. 3

a plan view of the surface treatment device according to the invention according to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 ;

Fig. 4

schematically a second embodiment of the device according to the invention for the surface preparation of a three-dimensional body in the top view;

Fig. 5

schematically a third embodiment of the device according to the invention for the surface preparation of a three-dimensional body in the plan view from above;

Fig. 6

schematically a sectional view through the embodiment according to Fig. 5

Fig. 7

schematically as a fourth embodiment of a variant of the device according to the invention Fig. 5 in the top view with an altered rotational drive for the three-dimensional body; and

Fig. 8

schematically a fifth embodiment of the device according to the invention for surface preparation of a three-dimensional body in the top view

In Fig. 1 are shown as three-dimensional body bottles 1, which are transported along the transport path of a transport device 2 with the transport speed v _T translationally on a surface treatment device 3. During transport past the surface treatment device 3, a surface of the bottle 1 to be printed on later is pretreated so that the printing material (ink) adheres to the desired quality surface. It is pointed out that the invention is described below with reference to a surface pretreatment of bottles as three-dimensional bodies 1 in various embodiments, but without the invention being restricted to this particularly preferred application.

The transport device 2 has two motor-driven belts 4, 5, of which the belt 4 serves as a railing and the belt 5 as a contact surface which rest on opposite sides of the three-dimensional bodies or bottles 1, wherein the contact surface 5, the bottles. 1 against the railing 4 presses.

The serving as a contact surface 5 belt moves at a speed v ₁ in the direction of transport speed v _T. Serving as a handrail belt 4 against which the bottle 1 is pressed by the contact surface 5, moves relative to the contact point on the bottle 1 in the line speed v ₁ surface opposite direction at the speed _V2. Due to the different speed of the belts 4, 5, these act on the one hand as a driving device which moves the three-dimensional body 1 (bottle) past the surface treatment device 3. The transport speed v _T results here as the difference between the speed of the contact surface v ₁ and the speed of the railing v ₂ , ie v _T = v ₁ - v ₂ .

As a result of this speed difference, the three-dimensional body 1, or the bottle, is simultaneously moved or rotated about an endogenous axis which coincides with the rotational symmetry axis of the bottle.

The peripheral speed in the area of the surface to be printed results from the speed v _{2 of} the railing 4 relative to the speed v _{1 of} the contact surface 5. In this respect, railing 4 and contact surface 5 also act as a movement device due to the different speeds. which simultaneously rotates the three-dimensional body 1 with the translational movement (transport movement) about an endogenous axis.

Thus, during the translational movement of the bottle 1 past the surface treatment device 3, the circumference of the bottle also rotates while the bottle 1 is moved past the surface treatment device 3. This makes it possible to pretreat the entire surface to be printed by the side of the conveyor 2 arranged surface treatment device 3, so that the bottles 1 can then be printed in a printing station, not shown here in the area to be printed on the three-dimensional surface of the three-dimensional body 1.

The device 6 according to the invention is in Fig. 2 also shown in the side view, the viewing direction points in the direction of the transport speed v _T. The bottle 1 is frictionally clamped between the railing 4 and the system 5, wherein the railing 4 at the speed v ₂ from the plane of representation up out and the contact surface 5 at the speed v ₁ in the display surface of the Fig. 2 moved into it. Above the contact surface 5, the surface treatment device 3 is arranged, which has a plurality of rotating plasma emitters 7 for generating an atmospheric plasma, which acts on the surface of the three-dimensional body 1 in the region of the surface 8 to be printed.

In the region of the neck of the bottle 1 1 further belt 4, 5 are provided for further guidance of the bottle, which move at the same speeds as the railing 4 and the contact surface 5 in the same directions. The proper movement of the bottle 1 is indicated by the arrow in the region of the bottle neck.

Since the bottle 1 is moved past the plasma surface treatment device 3 during the transport along the transport path in the transport device 2 and at the same time rotates about its own axis, the entire surface 8 to be printed rolls on the surface treatment device 3, so that the to be printed surface 8 is completely pretreated with plasma.

In addition to the illustrated and explained example, it is also possible that a transport device independently transports the bottle 1 with the transport speed v _T and the proper movement through the contact surface 5 at a fixed railing 4 or through the contact surface 5 and the railing 6 at a counter-moving railing 4 takes place. As a result, the rotational speed of the bottle 1 can be changed by changing the speeds v ₁ , v ₂ of contact surface 5 and / or railing 4. This also has effects on the treatment time of the surface 8 to be printed for the surface treatment, which can be suitably adjusted according to the invention.

A particularly preferred arrangement of the surface treatment device 3 is in Fig. 3 which shows a plan view of the surface treatment device 3 with the rotating plasma emitters 7. These plasma emitters 7 are arranged in an array which is composed of plasma emitters 7 each offset by half their spacing in three double rows, so that a total of six rows of plasma emitters 7 are arranged one behind the other.

As rotating plasma emitters 7, the plasma emitters 7 each generate a circular segment 9 of a plasma-treated surface during the rotation of outlet nozzles of the plasma emitter 7. Such plasma emitters 7 are known and commercially available. The treated as a circular segment 9 surface is in Fig. 3 shown in dashed lines.

Due to the simultaneous movement of the surface to be printed 8 due to the combined translational movement and proper movement of the bottle 1, the entire surface to be printed 8 at the in Fig. 3 detected arrangement detected.

By way of example, the transport speed v _T , the speed v _{1 of} the contact surface 5 and the speed v _{2 of} the railing 4 can be adjusted such that a label of 70 mm width over 7 strips of 10 mm width passes over six plasma emitters 7 in order to maximize one to achieve uniform plasma treatment. Since a label can be up to 300 mm long, each crossing must cover the plasma emitter 7, ie at least 300/6 mm. The bottle 1 must therefore turn by 50 mm per passage of a burner. The rotating plasma emitter 7 should have rotated five times during this time.

This configuration represents a concrete and preferred example for a typical parameterization of the device according to the invention or the implementation of the method according to the invention for the surface pretreatment of three-dimensional bodies 1, without the invention being limited to precisely this configuration.

Fig. 4 Finally, FIG. 3 shows an alternative device 10 for surface pretreatment of three-dimensional bodies 1 (bottles), in which a transport star 11, which rotates at the transport speed v _T and thereby generates a circular transport path, is used as the transport device. The direction of the transport speed v _{T is} opposed by a belt 12 moves, which is driven by a motor, and the bottles 1 presses in serving as railing rollers 13 (mating rollers).

The motor-driven belt therefore forms the contact surface 12 of the device 10 and moves opposite to the transport speed v _T at the speed v ₁ . By this opposite speed, the bottle 1 is next to the translational movement by rotation of the transport star 11 along the transport path of the transport star 11 in a self-rotation about its axis of symmetry.

During this combined movement, the bottle 1 with the surface 8 to be printed is guided past a surface treatment device 3 constructed from an arrangement of several plasma emitters 7. The arrangement and operation of the surface treatment device 3 correspond to the above-described embodiment. This need not be explained in more detail.

Instead of plasma emitters 7, the surface treatment device 3 could also have gas-fired burners, so that a flame treatment of the surface is carried out instead of the plasma treatment. The arrangement of the burners in an array could be done in the same way.

Such a flame treatment is just like a plasma treatment to prepare a surface for printing, especially with ink.

In Fig. 5 A further embodiment of a device 14 according to the invention for surface pretreatment of bottles 1 is shown as a three-dimensional body in order to fix the surface of the bottle 1 for later printing in a printing station or printing press which is shown in FIG Fig. 5 not shown to enable. For this purpose, a surface treatment device 15 is provided in the device 14, which has a plurality of individual plasma emitters or plasma nozzles 7 in an array which is oriented or alignable in its direction of action on the bottles 1. The device 14 according to the invention also has a transport device with a transport path 16 for the bottles 1, wherein the surface treatment device 15 is arranged in the region of the transport path 16.

The transport path 16 has a changer 17 with two transport sections 17a and 17b, which open via a soft-type branch 18 in the einzugige transport path 16.

In the front in the transport direction branch 18 transported in the transport path 16 in the direction of the arrows indicated bottles 1 can be optionally distributed to one of the two transport sections 17 a, 17 b. The surface treatment device 15 is arranged in the region of the transport part sections 17a, 17b of the entire transport path 16, so that these in the in Fig. 5 shown state acts on the recorded in the transport section 17 a bottles 1.

The transport device has an in Fig. 6 shown entrainment device 19 for moving the bottles 1 along the transport path 16 and the transport sections 17a, 17b, which is designed as a kind of conveyor belt. In the area of the surface treatment device 15 there is further provided a movement device 20 for moving the bottles 1 about an endogenous axis, ie a movement device for rotating the bottle 1 about its symmetry axis, by which the bottle 1 is rotated in front of the plasma emitters 7 of the surface treatment device 15, so that the surface 8 to be printed of the bottles 1 can be treated by the plasma emitters 7.

The movement device 20 for rotating the bottles 1 in front of the plasma emitters 7 has against the plasma emitters 7 adjacent mating rollers 21, which act as a railing. Between the belt 22 and the counter-rotating rollers 21, the bottles 1 are clamped such that the contact surface 22 (belt) frictionally rests against the bottle 1 and this by the running of the belt 22nd put in a rotation. During this rotation, the entrainment device 19 in the transport section 17a is not in operation, so that the self-rotating bottle 1 rests in relation to the transport movement along the transport path 16, 17a. This operation is therefore also referred to as a discontinuous or clocked surface pretreatment, because during the surface pretreatment the bottle 1 is not transported further.

During the treatment in the transport section 17a, however, it is possible for the bottles 1 already pretreated in the transport section 17b to be re-integrated into the transport path 16 via the branch 18 of the changer 17 in the transport direction, so that a quasi-continuous operation is achieved the bottles 1 are supplied continuously to the printing press or printing station, although a clocked surface pretreatment takes place in the area of the changer 17.

For surface pretreatment of the bottles 1 in the transport section 17b, the surface treatment device 15 is rotated by 180 °, so that the plasma emitters 7 are then aligned with the bottles 1 in the transport section 17b. A movement device 20 for rotation with counter-rotating rollers 21 and motor-driven belt 22 are provided according to the transport section 17a on the transport section 17b.

The structure of the surface treatment device 15 with the movement device 20 is in the sectional view according to Fig. 6 again shown in more detail, each showing a bottle 1 in the transport sections 17a and 17b. In each of the transport sections 17a, 17b, the movement means 20 is provided for rotation of the bottle, the counter-rollers 21 and motor-driven belt 22, wherein in each case a belt 22 relative to the counter-rotating roller 21 at the bottom and the bottle neck is arranged to force the bottle against the To press counter-rotating roller 21 and to keep the surface to be printed 8 for treatment by the plasma emitter 7. In the transport part 17a, the belts 22 and the counter-rotating rollers 21 are firmly attached to the bottle 1, so that the bottle 1 is set in rotation about its own axis (central axis) 23. The plasma emitter 7 is in position 1 and treats the surface 8 to be printed or treated at its upper edge.

In order to achieve a uniform dose of the plasma treatment, or more generally the surface treatment, in the context of surface pretreatment, it is provided that the bottle 1 and the surface treatment device 15 with the plasma emitters 7 by an indicated by the double arrow adjusting device 24 in the direction of the body's own axis 23 in Position 2 are moved while the bottle 1 rotates and the plasma emitter 7, the surface 8 is treated. As a result, helical treatment paths of the plasma emitter 7 are produced at a suitable rotation speed of the bottle around its end center axis 23 and an adjusted adjustment speed of the adjustment device 24, whereby each point on the entire surface 8 to be treated uniformly treated with an equal dose of intensity and treatment time becomes.

During this treatment, the entrainment device 19 is not in operation, ie the bottle rests one of the treatment position in the transport direction and performs only one rotation about its endogenous axis 23. After treatment of the bottle 1 or, as Fig. 5 shows, a plurality of juxtaposed bottles 1, the surface treatment device 15 is pivoted along the dashed arrow 25 by 180 °, so that the plasma emitter 7 in the position 3 according to Fig. 6 located. During the plasma treatment in the partial section 17a, the counter-rollers 21 and the belts 22 are returned from the bottles 1 in the transport section 17b and the bottles 1 already treated in a preceding surface treatment step in the transport section 17b are moved out of the transport section 17b and at the same time new, still to be treated Bottles 1 introduced into the transport section 17b.

During the above-described pivoting 25 of the surface treatment device 15 or immediately before or after the mating rollers 21 and belt 22 of the transport section 17b are applied to the bottle 1 and the treatment previously described for the transport section 17a performed while the plasma emitter 7 from the position 3rd is moved into the position 4 by the adjusting device 24, so that here also helical treatment paths on the surface to be treated 8 of the bottles 1 are generated. During the surface pretreatment in the transport section 17b, the bottles 1 are exchanged accordingly from the transport section 17a.

This particularly advantageous embodiment of a clocked transport section 17a, 17b quasi-continuous operation is achieved insofar as the downstream printing press or printing station quasi continuously bottles 1 either from the transport section 17a or the transport section 17b gets supplied for printing.

In Fig. 7 a variant of the device 14 according to the invention is shown in top view from above with an alternative movement device 26, which is arranged in each case in the transport sections 17a and 17b.

With the exception of the moving means 26, the embodiment of those in the FIGS. 5 and 6 In this respect, the same reference numerals have been used and also only the changed movement device 26 for rotation shown in more detail.

In the transport section 17a (shown above) a state is shown in which the bottles 1 are transported along the transport section 17a by means of the carrier device 19, not shown, in the direction of the arrow. The moving device 26 with driven rollers 27 and the counter-rotating rollers 28 is not applied to the bottles 1, so that they can be transported freely along the sub-transport section 17a.

In the subtransport section 17b, at the same time as the transport or exchange of the bottles 1 in the transport section 17a, a surface treatment of the bottles 1 takes place, wherein the surface treatment device 15 is not shown for the sake of clarity. Accordingly, the driven rollers 27 are as a contact surface and the counter-rotating rollers 28, which may also be self-propelled, to the bottles 1, wherein the distance between two driven rollers 27 and two mating rollers 28 is dimensioned such that the bottles 1 during the by the movement means 26 in rotation offset bottles 2 have a certain safety distance in the order of, for example, about 1 mm, so that the bottles do not rub against each other during the rotation during the surface pretreatment. The distance between the driven rollers 27 and - possibly even driven in the same direction Counter-rollers 28 - is further dimensioned such that the two adjacent driven rollers 27 cause no inhibition of bottle rotation.

To bring, for example, 24 gelichzeitig treated bottles each to 1 mm distance, must by the moving means 26 when applying the rollers 27, 28 to the bottles 1, respectively, the first and the last bottle starting from the middle bottle 1 by 12 mm forward and moved back. This margin is available in the transport sections 17a, 17b.

During the surface pretreatment taking place in the transport section 17b, the entrainment device 19 stands still, so that the bottles rest in the transport direction and rotate only in a stationary manner.

Fig. 8 Finally, FIG. 1 shows a further device 29 according to the invention, which is similar to the device 10 Fig. 4 is constructed, but is also intended for a clocked, discontinuous surface pretreatment, since correspondingly two transport stars 11 are provided in a changer 17 with two transport sections 17a, 17b, which connect to the transport path 16 of a transport device.

At each of the transport stars 11 is a surface treatment device, not shown, for example. According to the arrangement according to Fig. 4 provided, the bottles 1 is held in the transport star 11 in serving as a railing mating rollers 13 and the rotational drive is carried out by a motor-driven belt as a bearing surface 12 which presses the bottles in the rollers 13 of the transport star 11.

By the driven belt 12, the bottles can therefore be set in rotation, and this can also be done with a stationary transport star 11. In this case, the surface treatment device is corresponding the representation eg. in Fig. 5 along the axis of rotation of the bottles 1 to provide helical treatment paths in the area to be printed or treated area of the surface 8 of the bottle 1 slidably provided.

This embodiment according to Fig. 8 has the advantage that the bottles do not have to be displaced as far as in the embodiment according to the inclusion in the transport star 11 by the application of the bottles to the rollers 13 Fig. 7 , However, in each case two surface treatment devices are necessary due to the two transport stars 11 connected in parallel.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

three-dimensional body, bottle

2

Transport route of a transport device

3

Surface treatment facility

4

motor driven belt, railing

5

motor driven belt, contact surface

6

Device for surface pretreatment

7

plasma gun

8th

to be printed surface

9

circular segment

10

Device for surface pretreatment

11

transport star

12

motor driven belt, contact surface

13

Roller, railing, reverse roller

14

Device for surface pretreatment

15

Surface treatment facility

16

transport distance

17

changer

17a, b

Transport sections

18

branch

19

driving device

20

Movement device for rotation

21

Against casters

22

motor driven belt, contact surface

23

Central axis, endogenous axis

24

adjustment

25

pivoting

26

Movement device for rotation

27

driven rollers, contact surface

28

Counter rollers, railings

29

Device for surface pretreatment

v _T

transport speed

v ₁

Speed contact surface

v ₂

Speed railing

Claims (14)

1. A method for the surface pretreatment of a three-dimensional body (1) for preparing a three-dimensional surface (8) of the body (1) for printing, in which the surface (8) to be printed is moved relatively to a surface treatment device (3, 15) for cleaning and/or for adjustment of the surface tension of the printed material, in order to treat the entire surface (8) to be printed, the three-dimensional body (1) being subjected to the surface treatment in a transport path (2, 11, 16) of a transport device, characterized in that the three-dimensional body (2) is moved along the transport path (2, 11) of the transport device past the surface treatment device (3) at a predeterminable transport speed (v_T) in the transport direction and at the same time is moved about a body axis in such a manner that the surface (8) to be printed moves about the body axis past the surface treatment device (3) in or counter to the transport direction owing to the inherent movement of the body (1).
2. The method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the three-dimensional body (1) is rotated about the body axis (23).
3. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the movement of the body (1) about its body axis (23) takes place by rolling the three-dimensional body (1) on a rail (4, 13, 21, 28) owing to the movement of a moved bearing surface (5, 12, 22, 27) bearing against the three-dimensional body.
4. The method according to Claim 3, characterized in that the rail (4, 13, 21, 28) is moved in or counter to the movement direction of the bearing surface (5, 12, 22, 27).
5. The method according to one of Claims 3 or 4, characterized in that the movement of the bearing surface (5, 12, 22) and/or the rail (4) takes place by means of a motorized, driven belt.
6. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport speed (v_T) and the inherent speed are adjusted with respect to one another in such a manner that the surface treatment device (3) treats each region of the surface (8) to be printed approximately equally long and/or equally intensively.
7. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the surface pretreatment of the three-dimensional body (1) takes place during a standstill in the direction of the transport path (16), wherein the three-dimensional body (1) is moved about a body axis (23) and in the process is moved past the surface treatment device (15) and wherein during the movement of three-dimensional body (1) about the body axis (23), the three-dimensional body (1) and the surface treatment device (15) are displaced relatively to one another in the direction of the body axis (23), wherein the speed of the movement about the body axis and the displacement movement along the axis (23) are adjusted with respect to one another in such a manner that the surface (8) of the three-dimensional body (1) is treated in a helical manner by the surface treatment device (15).
8. The method according to the preceding claims, characterized in that a changer (17) with at least two transport path sections (17a, 17b) is installed in the transport path, wherein the changer (17) is operated in such a manner that in one transport path section (17a, 17b), further transport of a three-dimensional body (1) takes place, whilst in the other transport path section (17a, 17b), the surface treatment of a different three-dimensional body (1) takes place.
9. A device for surface pretreatment of a three-dimensional body (1) for preparing a three-dimensional surface (8) of the body (1) for printing, having a surface treatment device (3, 15) for treating the entire surface (8) to be printed, in which device (6, 10), the surface (8) to be printed is arranged such that it can be moved relatively to the surface treatment device (3, 15), the device (6, 10) having a transport device with a transport path (16) for the three-dimensional body and the surface treatment device (3, 15) being arranged in the region of the transport path (16, 17a, 17b), characterized in that the transport device for the three-dimensional body (1) has an entraining device (4, 5, 11) for moving the three-dimensional body (1) past the surface treatment device (3) and a movement device (4, 5, 12) for the simultaneous movement of the three-dimensional body (1) about a body axis.
10. The device according to Claim 9, characterized in that the transport device has a movement device (20) for moving the three-dimensional body (1) about a body axis (23) and an adjustment device (24) for the relative displacement of the three-dimensional body (1) and surface treatment device (15) in the direction of the body axis (23).
11. The device according to one of Claims 9 to 10, characterized in that the transport device has a changer (17) with at least two transport path sections (17a, 17b) in a transport path (16), wherein a surface treatment device (15) can be assigned to each transport path section (17a, 17b).
12. The device according to one of Claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the transport device has a moved or fixed rail (4, 13, 21, 28) and a moved bearing surface (5, 12, 22, 27), between which the three-dimensional body (1) can be accommodated in a non-positive manner.
13. The device according to one of Claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the transport device is constructed as a star conveyor (11) with a drive device (12 13) for moving the three-dimensional body (1) in a star pocket of the star conveyor (11).
14. The device according to one of Claims 9 to 13, characterized by a control device with a computing unit, wherein the computing unit is set up for carrying out the method according to one of Claims 1 to 9.

Images