GB2147236A

GB2147236A - Label cutting machine

Info

Publication number: GB2147236A
Application number: GB08326024A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Joseph G Pettit
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-09-28
Filing date: 1983-09-28
Publication date: 1985-05-09
Also published as: GB8326024D0; GB2147236B

Abstract

A machine for cutting labels on a continuous roll and separating the waste material from the backing, comprises a supply reel 28, a cutter 26 and two take up rolls 38 and 44. The cutter 26 and the two take up rolls are driven by means of a common drive motor 12, the transmission of power to the take up rolls being achieved by means of respective slack belt drives 20, 22. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Label cutting machine The present invention relates to a machine for cutting labels out of a continuous roll.

It is desirable to form adhesive labels on a continuous backing so that such labels may be printed in an automated process. The label must be cut out of a continuous roll by cutting through the self adhesive paper alone around each label without pearcing the backing and then separating the waste material from the backing to leave only the labels adhered to the backing at regular intervals.

Such a machine usually comprises a first reel to support the continuous paper from which the labels are to be cut a cutter and two take up reels the first for the backing carrying the labels and the second for the self adhesive waste material removed from around the labels.

It is necessary to drive the take up reels as well as the cutter in order to ensure separation of the waste material from the backing but a problem that is encountered is that the size of the take up reels is constantly changing and special steps must be taken in order to ensure that excessive slack or tension in the runs of paper between the cutter and the take up rolls does not result in malfunction of the machine. Because of this, machines used to date have comprised a fairly complex arrangement of drives and controls for the drives, and this has in turn resulted in the machines being expensive to manufacture.

With a view to mitigating the foregoing disadvantages, the present invention provides a label cutting machine for cutting labels on a continuous roll and separating the waste material from the backing, the machine comprising a supply reel, a cutter and two take up rolls wherein the cutter and the two take up rolls are driven by means of a common drive motor, the transmission of power to the take up rolls being achieved by means of respective slack belt drives.

The invention enables a label cutting machine to be realised cheaply because only a single drive motor is employed to drive all the moving parts and the appropriate speed of each of the take up rolls is assured merely by the use of a slack belt drive which has a self regulating tension and automatically adapts to the diameter of the take up roll as material is wound up on to it. The tension in the belt drive is arranged such that the take up rolls are driven with only sufficient torque to enable separation of the waste material from the backing but the belt drive slips when the tension in the run of material, in particular the waste material, is excessive so as to prevent the material from tearing.

It is preferable to be able to operate with the continuous material arranged on cores of different diameter and in accordance with a preferred feature of the invention, each reel support comprises a plurality of arms which are circumferentially spaced from one another and are divitably mounted on a central hub and a spider for altering the inclination of the arms to vary the diameter of a core which may be supported on the arms.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagramatic representation of a label cutting machine according to the invention, and Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a core support.

In Figure 1, there is shown a label cutting machine comprising a frame 10 which supports a motor 12 having a gearbox 14 and controlled by means of a control box 16. The control box 16 enables the speed of the motor 12 to be gradually increased and decreased. On the output shaft of the gearbox 14 there are mounted three drive pulleys which drive slack endless belts 18, 20 and 22 respectively.

The belt 18 passes over a further drive pulley mounted on the shaft of a cutter generally designated 26. The cutter 26 comprises two vertically stacked pressure rollers of which the upper one is a cutter roller driven by the belt 18 and having raised cutting edges. As the continuous label web passes between the two rollers the adhesive material which faces the cutter roller is cut but the backing remains intact.

The continuous web is fed to the cutter 26 from a supply roll 28 mounted for free rotation about a shaft supported on the frame 10. The supply roll 28 is held against axial displacement along the shaft by means of a locking plate 30. A steadying arm 32 rests upon the supply roll 28 in order to keep the web in tension and prevent uncoiling of the supply roll 28.

The web follows the path 34 in the drawings and prior to passing between the rollers on the cutter 26 extends over an idler roller 36. After the cutting, the web is rewound onto a tape-up coil 38 supported on an expandable core support 40 which is secured to a shaft driven by means of the drive belt 22. Because the drive belt 22 is slack, as soon as the length of web between the take-up roll 38 and the cutter 26 is in tension the drive slips. The backing and the labels are wound on to the take-up reel 38 but the waste material 42 which surrounds the labels is separated from the backing and wound onto a waste take-up roll 44 which is mounted on a core support 46 similar to the core support 40 and driven by the slack drive belt 20.

Figure 2 shows the principle of operation of the expandable core support 40 and 46. A central hub 50 mounted on the drive shaft 52 has pivotably supported on it a plurality of generally C-shaped arms 54. A spider 56 is rotatable about the shaft 52 by means of a screw 58 which passes through a nut 60 fastened to the hub 50 and acts on the spider to rotate it clockwise as viewed relative to the hub 50. As the spider 56 rotates the arms 54 are pivoted also clockwise relative to the hub so that the circle described by the outer ends of the arms 54 expands.

To mount the core of a take-up roll on the shaft 52, the core is first slipped over the arms 54 and the spider is subsequently tightened by means of the screw 58 until the core is firmly gripped by the arms 54. The advantage of this construction is that the core is always accurately centred and furthermore it is prevented from axial displacement along the core support.

In use, the supply webb roll 28 is mounted on its support shaft and held in tension by the steadying arm 32. The end of the roll is fed between the rollers of the cutter 26 by hand and to assist in this operation the lower shaft projects beyond the pillar blocks which support the ends of the rollers. A handle having a one-way clutch action is fitted over the projecting end of the shaft and allows the cutter to be rotated manually to feed the roll through the cutter. The pressure between the cutter roll and the support roll may be adjusted by means of a screw 37 in order to achieve the appropriate depth of cut.

While still driving the paper through manually, the backing is separated from the waste material and is attached, for example by means of a length of adhesive tape, to the core of the take-up roll 38.

The waste material on the other hand is self-adhesive and is merely wrapped onto the core of the waste take-up roll 44. The motor is then started and gradually accelerated. During this time the handle merely slips on the roller shaft because of the action of the one-way clutch.

If necessary the tension in the rolls 20 and 22 is adjusted by movement of the motor 12 on its support column which forms part of the frame 10. The tension is adjusted such that the belt 20 and 22 slip when the runs of labels and waste material are in sufficient tension to cause separation adjacent the cutter 26. If the belts are over-tightened, the waste material 42 will on occasions be severed whereas if the belts are too slack and insufficient torque is transmitted to the waste take-up roll 44 then there will be inadequate separation of the waste material which will end up around the label take-up roll 38.

The tension in the belt may thus be adjusted by visual inspection of the point of separation of the waste material from the backing.

It may be seen that the invention enables the construction in an inexpensive manner of a label cutting machine which is nevertheless capable of cutting labels at high speed without frequent malfunction as a result of incorrect tension in the backing and in the waste material.

Claims

1. A label cutting machine for cutting labels on a continuous roll and separating the waste material from the backing, the machine comprising a supply reel, a cutter and two take up rolls wherein the cutter and the two take up rolls are driven by means of a common drive motor, the transmission of power to the take up rolls being achieved by means of respective slack belt drives.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein each reel support comprises a plurality of arms which are circumferentially spaced from one another and are pivotably mounted on a central hub and a spider for altering the inclination of the arms to vary the diameter of a core which may be supported on the arms.

3. A label cutting machine substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.