FR2501397A1 - Container labels of printed film backed by lower m.pt. adhesive - opt. produced by co:extrusion - Google Patents

Abstract

A slip-on sleeve for labelling containers is made of plastic film coated with a melt adhesive having a lower melting pt. than the printed film. Suitable for labelling small or medium size containers of fuels, chemicals, cleaning/sanitation fluids etc;, esp. where durable hazard warnings are required. Pref. the film is about 0.1 mm thick and the adhesive layer is about 0.05 mm thick. Claims labels where the adhesive is of an ethylene vinylacetate or ethylene vinyl acrylate copolymer. The adhesive layer may be coextruded with the base film of e.g. polyethylene.

Description

 A subject of the present invention is a plastic sleeve for marking containers.

 The legislation is becoming more and more strict with regard to the indications to be given on the packaging of liquid, solid or pulverulent products, concerning in particular the composition of these and their conditions of use. This is particularly true in the case of chemicals and phytosanitary products, as they are used frequently in agriculture.

 Legislation in the latter case requires labeling which is not only explicit, but extremely reliable, that is to say which avoids accidental or voluntary removal of all or part of the label.

 Currently, several methods are used to identify the containers, whether these are metallic, cardboard or synthetic.

 A first solution consists in affixing a paper label fixed by gluing. This solution has many drawbacks if only poor resistance to soiling of aggressive products, bad weather, as well as poor installation.

 The screen printing is an interesting solution by its result, but is very often of an excessive coat, in particular in the case of parallelepipedic cans.

 A solution used more and more frequently consists in the establishment of an identification sleeve in synthetic material surrounding the container considered.

The sleeve allows a beautiful presentation, a possibility of significant marking on all sides of the packaging, as well as great resistance to weathering and soiling by products.

 Holding by simple elasticity on the container is not considered sufficient in a certain number of cases, it should be improved by points or hot welding lines. This technique involves a specific operation, and distorts the aesthetics of the sleeve at the welded areas.

The present invention aims to overcome the drawbacks of existing solutions by providing a sleeve whose attachment is perfect by gluing
To this end, the sleeve which it relates to of the type comprising a film of synthetic material on the external face of which the various desired indications appear, is associated with an intermediate layer between itself and the container to be marked, made of a material iron-on at a temperature below the sleeve melting temperature.

 It is first of all proceeds to the establishment of the sleeve on the container to be marked by elastic deformation, after which the assembly is brought to a temperature sufficient for the intermediate layer to come to a tacky state, in order to achieve its intimate adhesion with the container, without this temperature being sufficient to denature the outer layer. The outer layer is made of a material constituting the best possible support for the decoration produced in heliography or flexography for example.

 According to an advantageous form of obtaining this sleeve, the outer layers, decoration support, and fusible intermediate, are obtained by coextrusion.

 The thickness of the outer layer is of the order of 0.1 mm, while the thickness of the fusible layer is of the order of 0.05 min.

 The outer layer is for example made of low density polyethylene, of removable quality, which allows very good performance and very good performance of the decoration, while the intermediate layer is made of ethylene-vinyl acetate or ethylene-vinyl acrylate.

 According to another possibility, in the case where the container is made of synthetic material, the latter is coextruded with the fusible layer.

Anyway, the invention will be better understood with the aid of the description which follows with reference to the appended schematic drawing representing, by way of nonlimiting example, an embodiment of this sleeve
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container fitted with this sleeve
Figure 2 is a partial view in cross section and on an enlarged scale of a wall of the container fitted with this sleeve.

 Figure 1 of the drawing shows a plastic container 2 fitted, at its upper part, with a handle 2 and a filling and emptying orifice closed by a plug 4. The identification of the product contained in the container is produced by a sleeve 5 surrounding it.

 This sleeve 5 is obtained from a coextruded complex comprising an outer layer 6, for example of low density polyethylene, with a thickness of 0.1 mm and a fusible layer 7 for example of ethylene-vinyl acetate with a thickness of around 0.05 mm.

 From a practical point of view, the sleeve 5 is put in place by elastic deformation on the container, the layer 7 being in abutment against the wall 8 of the latter.

The assembly is then brought to a temperature such that the layer 7 passes to a tacky state allowing its intimate adhesion with the wall 8 of the container.

 This solution is advantageous because giving an excellent result as regards the fixing of the sleeve on the container, without distorting the external appearance of the sleeve, nor requiring a delicate technique of implementation.

 It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the only embodiment of this sleeve, described above by way of example; on the contrary, it embraces all of its variant embodiments.

 Thus, in particular that the materials used could be different or that the complex could be obtained not by coextrusion, but by coating of the fusible layer, that the fusible layer could be coextruded with the container, insofar as the latter is made of synthetic material, or that the sleeve could be applied to containers made of other materials such as iron, aluminum or cardboard, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (8)

- CLAIMS  1. - Sleeve for marking containers of the type comprising a film of synthetic material on the external face of which the various desired indications appear, characterized in that it is associated with an intermediate layer (7) between itself and the container mark, made of a fusible material at a temperature below the melting temperature of the sleeve.  2. - Sleeve according to claim 1, characterized in that the thickness of the constituent layer of the sleeve is to twist 0.1 mm, while the thickness of the fusible layer (7) is of the order of 0 , 05 mm.  3. - Sleeve according to any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the fusible layer (7) associated therewith is made of ethylene-vinyl-acetate.  4. - Sleeve according to any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the fusible layer (7) associated therewith is made of ethylene-vinylacrylate.  5. - Sleeve according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the fusible intermediate layer (7) is integral with the internal face of the sleeve before putting it in place.  6. - Sleeve according to claim 5, characterized in that it is obtained by coextrusion with the fusible layer (7).  7. - Sleeve according to any one of claims i to 4, characterized in that the fusible layer intended to ensure its adhesion to the container is integral with the latter.  8. - Sleeve according to claim 7, characterized in that, in the case where the container is made of synthetic material, the latter is coextruded with the fusible layer (7).