GB2139560A

GB2139560A - Method and apparatus for printing adhesive tape

Info

Publication number: GB2139560A
Application number: GB08411562A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Aldo Nassi; Giorgi Barsotti
Original assignee: SYROM SpA
Current assignee: SYROM SpA
Priority date: 1983-05-13
Filing date: 1984-05-04
Publication date: 1984-11-14
Also published as: GB8411562D0; DE3416255A1; IT8309430A0; FR2545761A1; IT1212955B

Abstract

Adhesive tape of polypropylene and the like, prepared according to the traditional method with a counter- adhesive on one side and with adhesive on the other, is unwound from a reel on which it is stored, treated on the counter-adhesive side to make it suitable to receive an impression, then printed in continuous manner, and, thereafter, again treated with a counter-adhesive to protect the printing and to ensure, or at least facilitate, rolling off; the strip, after printing and anti-adhesive treatment being again wound on reel for dispensing.

Description

SPECIFICATION Method and Apparatus for Printing Adhesive Tape The present invention relates to the production and subsequent handling of adhesive bi-oriented polypropylene (B.P.P.) and similar tape. The object of the present invention is to permit the printing of the traditional tape, and in a certain sense, "personalizing" it, with practical and economic systems at the various processing stages.

It is known that a traditional bi-oriented polypropylene adhesive tape is mainly formed of a transparent film of B.P.P., ot a transparent counter-adhesive distributed over a side of the tape, and of an adhesive-mostly tawny in shade, transparent or white--on the other opposite side of the tape; at least the side coated with adhesive has to be treated with a flame or corona effect to bring about the anchorability of the adhesive with the help of a suitable anchoring medium.

According to an already known technique it has been achieved to print-by a flexographic, lithographic, silk-screen or other process-an adhesive tape of the above-described type, effecting the printing of the tape at the production stage, before the application of the adhesive on the tape. Other printing methods, similar to the foregoing, are provided for printing and the subsequent finalization of the adhesive tape.

The invention has for its object to permit a much more economical and practical printing, also when making printing batches of relatively limited extent, without intervening at the production stage and therefore with the possibility of downstream handling independently of the production.

Essentially-according to the invention-it is provided that a tape traditionally prepared with counter-adhesive on one side, and adhesive on the other, is unwound from its storage reel, treated on the counter-adhesive side to obtain a preparation permitting of impression, then printed in rotary, i.e. continuous manner, and subsequently again treated with a counteradhesive both for protecting the printing and to ensure, or at least facilitate, rolling off; the tape, after printing and counter-adhesive treatment, is again wound on reel for dispensing.

In practice, the treatment of the original counter-adhesive side of the tape, for preparation before printing, is obtained by means of the distribution of a lacquer able to cancel the antiadhesive effect and to prepare the side of the tape for receiving the impression and for receiving subsequently a new counter-adhesive treatment, mostly the spreading of a traditional counteradhesive. The lacquer may be in practice distributed diluted with a solvent which is removed by an appropriate wiping off treatment.

A lacquer for the preparation for printing on the surface previously coated with anti-adhesive may be from a chlorinated polyolefin and/or of a copolymer with an ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) base; provision may be made also for the inclusion of a hydrocarbonic-aliphatic and/or aromatic--resin, as well as, possibly, for a stabilized and/or hydrogenated natural resin.

The chlorinated polyolefin and the EVA copolymer are intended to cancel the effect of the anti-adhesive (release coating) on the surface of the polypropylene support tape, and in addition to promote the anchoring of the ink. The hydrocarbonic resin has for its object to promote the adherence of the lacquer, while the natural resin promotes the adherence of the ink to the tape. The lacquer may be distributed dissolved in aromatic and/or aliphatic solvents and/or ketonic and/or chlorinated solvents at doses suitable for the achievement of the desired degree of dryness.

A suitable lacquer may have the following composition in which the parts are given as parts by weight:- Chlorinated polyolefin 64 pbw Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) 32 pbw copolymer Aliphatic and/or aromatic 2 pbw hydrocarbonic resin Stabilized and/or hydrogenated 2 pbw natural resin It will be obvious from the above that the invention permits operating on a traditional selfadhesive tape with a counter-adhesive spread on the side opposite that which the adhesive is distributed; the invention permits printing on said side treated with the anti-adhesive. It is therefore possible to effect a processing subsequent to the packaging and to the dispensing of the traditional adhesive tape, by a processing concern which can also operate on small batches.

According to the invention, therefore, working with a traditional reeled self-adhesive tape and with the counter-adhesive spread on the surface opposite the adhesive one (and therefore already at the trade distribution and utilization stages), it is possible to operate with the following stages, implementable in continuous manner: a) unwinding the tape; b) spreading the lacquer to cancel the anti adhesive effect and to prepare the tape for receiving the c) wiping off with, possibly, recovery of the solvent; d) printing-mostly flexographic or other-in one or more colours, with suitably catalyzed solvents; e) drying the inks; f) spreading an anti-adhesive to protect the impression and to ensure or facilitate unwinding; g) drying the anti-adhesive solvent; h) rewinding the printed tape as reels for marketing and utilization.

The printing equipment will therefore consistin accordance with the invention-in this order, of: unwinding means, lacquer spreading means, means for drying and for removing the solvent from the lacquer; ink printing means; ink drying means; anti-adhesive coating means; means for drying and for removing the solvent from the antiadhesive; rewinding means.

Claims

1. Method of printing adhesive polypropylene or similar tape, characterized in that a strip, traditionally prepared with counter-adhesive on one side and with adhesive on the other, is unwound from the reel on which it is stored, treated on the anti-adhesive surface to obtain a preparation permitting printing, then printed in continuous manner and subsequently again treated with a counter-adhesive to protect the impression and to ensure, or at least facilitate, unwinding; the tape after printing and antiadhesive treatment being again wound on reel for dispensing.

2. Method according to the foregoing claim, characterized in that the treatment of the original counter-adhesive side of the taps to prepare it for printing-is obtained by means of the distribution of a suitably diluted lacquer, able to cancel the anti-adhesive effect and to prepare the surface of the tape to receive printing and receive subsequently a further anti-adhesive treatment.

3. Method according to the foregoing claims, characterized in that said anti-adhesive treatment consists in coating with a traditional antiadhesive.

4. Method according to the foregoing claims, characterized in that the lacquer for preparation for printing, distributed over the surface previously coated with counter-adhesive, is made of chlorinated polyolefin and/or with an ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)-based copolymer.

5. Method according to the foregoing claims, characterized in that the lacquer comprises furthermore a hydrocarbonic-aliphatic and/or aromatic--resin, as well as, possibly, a natural stabilized and/or hydrogenated resin.

6. Method according to the foregoing claims, characterized in that it comprises the use of a lacquer composed of: parts by weight weight Chlorinated polyolefin approx. 64 Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) approx. 32 copolymer Aliphatic and/or aromatic approx. 2 hydrocarbonic resin Stabilized and/or hydrogenated approx. 2 natural resin

7.Method according to the foregoing claims, characterized in that a traditional self-adhesive tape wound on reel, and with the counteradhesive coated on the side opposite the adhesive one is subjected to the following phases, performable in continuous manner: a) unwinding the tape; b) spreading the lacquer to cancel the antiadhesive effect and to prepare the tape for printing; c) drying, with possibly the recovery of the solvent; d) printing-principally flexographic or other in one or more colours with suitable inks; e) drying the inks; f) spreading an anti-adhesive to protect the print and to ensure or facilitate unwinding; g) drying the solvent in the anti-adhesive; h) rewinding the printed tape on reels.

8. Method as described and illustrated, and for the purposes stated.

9. Printing apparatus for carrying out the method in conformity with the foregoing claims, characterized in that it comprises in succession: - unwinding means; - lacquer coating means; - means for drying and removing the solvent from the lacquer; - ink printing means; - means for drying and removing the solvent from the anti-adhesive; - re-reeling means.

10. A method of printing on adhesive tape which has one adhesive surface and the other surface treated so as to be unaffected by the adhesive on said one surface, the method comprising the steps of treating the other surface to enable printing thereon, printing on said treated other surface, treating said other surface after said printing step so that it is substantially unaffected by the adhesive on said one surface, and winding said retreated and printed tape on a reel.

1 A method of printing adhesive tape substantially as herein described.

12. Printing apparatus for printing on adhesive tape substantially as herein described.