EP3630630B1 - Deep-drawn tray, in particular aluminium tray - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a deep-drawn shell, in particular an aluminum shell, with rolled edges essentially corresponding to EP 2 334 564 and the preamble of claim 1.

It is known from the publication mentioned to produce a bowl made of aluminum, in particular for food or beverage ingredients, but also for pet food, with a rolled edge in which the inside and outside are colored differently, on the one hand to ensure a visually appealing external appearance after sealing of a circuit board, on the other hand, to give the end user pleasure through the visually appealing impression and/or to provide information about the contents of the still closed shell or other information through a suitable combination of the inside and outside color (the former also appears on the rolled edge from the outside). convey.

The steps for producing such a container given in the cited document serve their purpose, but have the disadvantage that consumers do not appreciate different colors in connection with a food, pet food, beverage ingredients and others, for example green or yellow but, depending depending on the content, other colors are also undesirable. Furthermore, the previously known method does not make it possible to provide more precise information; it is only possible to combine the exterior color, which can hardly be varied, with an interior color, which can only be selected from a small group of colors.

From the DE 87 09 640 U , which deals with the reinforcement of aluminum containers, it is common knowledge that the surface is laminated with a plastic film or painted with a heat-sealable paint.

The application of sealable paint to an aluminum tray is also from the DE 690 28 628 T2 , the translation of EP 468 079 , known.

There is thus a desire for greater choice compared to the first-mentioned publication and there is also a desire to be able to determine and display the visual appearance of more variety and the information that can be conveyed within wide limits and independently of the raw material of the shell and its contents.

It is the object of the invention to provide a solution here.

According to the invention, this is achieved by the features specified in the characterizing part of claim 1, in other words in that when the tray material is printed, information and/or a decorative motif is printed on its bottom surface, the outer surface, in the area of its rolled edge on the later inside and /or the later outside is provided with a color print.

The aluminum shells for the stated purpose are printed on the outside before the deep-drawing process and markings, which can be of various types, are applied to the web either during printing or independently before printing, which effect the placement of the deep-drawing tool and the punching tool. It is therefore not a problem during the printing process to apply print material precisely to these markings on the desired side of the continuous material, be it the later inside and/or the later outside, exclusively in the area of the later rolled edge. Since this is a printing process, preferably a gravure printing process, it is possible without any problems to apply different colors, which thus enable correct color coding or visually appealing running colors (rainbow, etc.).

The accuracy of the paint application can be kept within such narrow geometric tolerances without major adjustment effort that, if desired, the actual sealing surface of the blank, which lies within the rolled edge, and/or the outer surface opposite this area can be kept free of the paint application so that in this case one does not have to pay attention to possible sealing properties of the paint.

The inventive application of the color only in the area of the rolled edge is for the user the familiar and valued by him appearance of the inside of the bowl, especially when it comes into contact with the food, pet food, or beverage additives, still given and from Negative assessments by consumers known to the state of the art no longer have any basis.

• die Fig. 2 in ähnlicher Ansicht eine Draufsicht auf die leere Schale in perspektivischer Ansicht,
• die Fig. 3 rein schematisch und in starker Vergrößerung einen Schnitt im Bereich des Rollrandes,
• die Fig. 4 eine Variante der Nebenfigur der Fig. 1 mit angedeuteter mehrfärbiger Kodierung und
• die Fig. 5 eine Ansicht entsprechend der Fig. 2, zeigt eine Ausführungsform, die nicht Teil der Erfindung ist, mit Lackauftrag auch auf der Siegelfläche.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. The 1 a perspective top view of the underside of an "upside down" shell according to the invention,

• the 2 in a similar view, a top view of the empty shell in perspective view,
• the 3 purely schematic and in high magnification a cut in the area of the rolled edge,
• the 4 a variant of the minor character 1 with indicated multicolored coding and
• the figure 5 a view according to the 2 , shows an embodiment which is not part of the invention, with lacquer application also on the sealing surface.

Out of 1 is an example of a deep-drawn aluminum shell 1 mostly with not shown in the figure printing on the bottom and optionally the sloping side walls 3, and with stiffening ribs in the side wall 3 and the colored rolled edge 4 can be seen. Coloration 5 is only indicated by the dots in the larger-scale secondary figure.

The outer color of the shell 1 can be uncolored aluminum, it can be a mostly yellowish or gold-colored lacquer or plastic coating, or any other design desired by the manufacturer, the filler or the consumer. It is essential and clearly visible from the figure that the rolled area of the rolled edge 4 is on the inside 2 of the aluminum foil from which the shell thermoformed, colored so that the color is visible from the outside when rolled, both from below ( 1 ) as well as from above ( 2 ) seen.

The rolled edge is in 3 Shown as "neutral" because in most cases it is rolled in such a way that the inside of the film is rolled outwards, but there are also applications where the outside is rolled inwards. In most cases, the roll lies completely or essentially below or above the sealing surface 6, rarely as shown, in the middle. The 3 is intended to indicate all these possibilities through its neutrality. Depending on the intended direction of rolling, the ink must be applied to the "right" side, which is not a problem with the printing presses that are usually available.

The 2 Figure 12 shows the variant in which the coloring covers only the area of the rolled edge but not the shoulder 6 of the shell on which the sealing with the plate (not shown) takes place. Since the inside of an aluminum bowl is covered with a sealable plastic layer in practically all applications, if only to protect the contents from direct contact with the aluminum, the entire, or almost the entire, shoulder surface, which is ring-shaped, is still there around the opening of the shell for sealing to the circuit board.

figure 5 shows a non-inventive variant in which the lacquer also covers the sealing surface 6; it can either be sealable itself or shine through under the sealing layer, which is then preferably transparent. The variant in which the counter surface 7 ( 1 ), which is opposite the sealing surface 6, is printed, was not shown.

Out of 3 Finally, one can see that the color or varnish applied during the printing of the continuous material actually only covers the area that is later flanged to form the rolled edge during deep-drawing and thus fulfills its purpose in a visually appealing and technologically sensible manner.

Regardless of the printing on the rolled edge, it is of course possible, as is already known from the prior art, to also print the inside and/or the outside of the shell away from the rolled edge independently of one another. Since printing processes can be carried out very precisely, the border to the printed rolled edge can be adhered to very precisely.

The term "paint" or "varnish" is to be understood in the broadest sense and includes all materials that can be applied by a printing process. The change in color, brightness, intensity along the rolled edge can have purely aesthetic reasons, but can also encode information, as is known, mutatis mutandis, from the barcode and other identification features.

The markings can be printed on the endless material, they can also consist of embossing of the endless material and they can be “multi-part” for each later shell, for example to indicate the correct angular position for the deep-drawing mold and the like, as is also provided in the prior art becomes.

The individual variants of the invention mentioned can be combined with one another in any desired manner. Although the focus of the invention is also on an aluminum foil as the starting material, it is nevertheless possible to design other deep-drawable starting materials according to the invention. The colors that can be used are easy to select for the person skilled in the field of packaging with knowledge of the invention and the application, mostly they will be those that have already been used in the prior art when printing such trays.

References:

1.

Peel

2.

inside

3.

outside

4.

rolled edge

5.

varnish, paint

6.

Seal face, shoulder

7.

counter surface

Claims (2)

1. Deep-drawn tray, in particular an aluminium tray (1), having a rolled edge (4) and an encircling sealing face (6), by means of which it can be sealed to a lid, the rolled edge (4) being provided with a lacquer (5), characterized in that a lacquer (5) is provided on the rolled edge (4) only.
2. A method for producing a tray (1) according to Claim 1, that is made of continuous material, wherein

   a) a marker is applied to the continuous material prior to or during optionally printing, respectively

   b) the continuous material is optionally printed,

   c) depending on the position of the marking, the later tray material is punched out from the continuous material, and

   d) the tray material is deep-drawn depending on the position of the marker in relation to the finished tray (1), characterized in that

   e) before, during, or after step b), the continuous material is provided only in the area of its later rolled edge (4) with a coloured lacquer overprint, which's colour and/or brightness change along the rolled edge.

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