IT201600087682A1 - METHOD FOR THE REALIZATION OF LABELS - Google Patents

Description

METHOD FOR MAKING LABELS

Technical field

The present invention relates to a method for producing labels as well as the label thus produced.

Known art

It is known that various products, such as clothing and the like, carry a label specifying the manufacturer's data and possibly the characteristics of the products themselves. Generally these labels are made of materials such as paper, in particular cardboard of suitable consistency; however, the use of different materials is known, such as plastic materials, fabrics, leather and the like.

In addition to the informative aspect, the labels often perform a function of attracting the attention of buyers. In particular, a specific quality of labels can be evaluated by buyers as an index of the quality of the products to which they are applied.

For this reason, the need is felt to have labels that stand out from the usual ones both for the choice of materials used, and above all for an innovative aspect and such as to attract the attention of buyers.

Presentation of the invention

The object of the present invention is to solve the aforementioned problem by devising a method which allows to produce labels of an innovative type with respect to known labels.

Within this aim, a further aim of the present invention is to provide a method for producing labels applicable to a wide range of materials.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method for producing labels which are simple to manufacture, versatile in use, certainly reliable and relatively cheap.

The aforementioned purposes are achieved, according to the present invention, by the method for producing labels according to claim 1.

According to the present invention, the method for producing labels provides for associating a first sheet material of the polymeric type to a second sheet material other than PVC, in which a through incision has been created having a predefined shape, and compressing said first material and second material simultaneously bringing said first material of polymeric type to the melting temperature, so as to cause the expansion of the same polymeric material through said incision created in said second material.

Advantageously, said compression is carried out by means of a welding machine equipped with a metal matrix having in the recess a pre-defined depth imprint shaped in an identical manner to said through incision created in said second material, so as to receive said molten polymeric material expanding through called passing incision.

Advantageously, said welding machine is a high frequency welding machine.

Advantageously, the method provides for creating said through incision in said second material by laser processing.

Preferably, a film of thermo-adhesive material is associated with said lower surface of the second material.

Preferably said first material of the polymeric type comprises PVC or polyurethane.

Preferably, said first material is associated with a support layer of non-polymeric material.

Preferably, said predefined depth of said impression made in the recess on said metal matrix is comprised in an interval of 2 - 3 mm.

Also the subject of the invention is a label made according to the method in question.

The label includes a front surface from which a raised area protrudes made of a first polymeric type material other than a second material by which said front surface is made.

Advantageously, said raised area expands to a predetermined height by an incision made in said second material.

Preferably, said predetermined height is comprised in a range of 2 - 3 mm.

Brief description of the drawings

The details of the invention will become more evident from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the method for making labels, illustrated as an indication in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figures 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d show a schematic view of the implementation steps of the method in question;

Figure 2 shows a label made according to this method.

Embodiments of the invention

With particular reference to these figures, 1 and 2 indicate respectively a first sheet material and a second sheet material intended to be joined for the realization of the labels according to the present invention (fig.1a).

The first material 1, otherwise called base material, is constituted by a sheet of polymer-based synthetic material, for example containing polyurethane, PVC and the like.

The second material 2, otherwise called upper material, can be selected from a wide range of materials, such as for example leather, textile materials such as linen or cotton, synthetic materials based on polyurethane and the like. The second material 2 is intended to form the upper face of the labels and has in particular an upper or external surface intended to remain visible and a lower or rear surface intended to be joined to the sheet of base material 2. For this purpose, it is it is required that this second material 2 is not of PVC and that there are no treatments on the rear that could hinder the seal on the underlying material, for example silicone treatments and the like.

A film 3 of thermo-adhesive material is suitably coupled to the back of the second material 2, designed to facilitate the union with the first material 1 (fig.1b). The thermoadhesive film 3 is chosen according to the first material 1 with which it is intended to come into contact.

The method in question provides to create in the second material 2, suitably coupled to the thermoadhesive film 3, a through incision 4 of predefined dimensions (fig. 1c). This through incision 4 is made by laser processing. It is advantageously possible to apply on the external surface of the second material 2, before laser processing, a protective film of removable adhesive material, to avoid dirtying this surface with processing residues.

The union of the base material 1 to the upper material 2 is advantageously carried out by high frequency welding. To this end, the first sheet material 1 is positioned on the work surface of a per se known high frequency welding machine. The welding machine is equipped with means suitable for bringing the polymeric material to the melting temperature. The welding machine is associated with a metal matrix 5 bearing in the recess a pre-defined depth imprint conformed identically to said through incision 4 created in the second material. The matrix 5 is made of metallic materials such as brass, aluminum, magnesium and the like. The impression is, for example, made with a pantograph or, in the case of magnesium, by photoengraving.

The depth of the aforementioned impression made in the recess on the metal matrix is preferably comprised in a range of 2 - 3 mm.

The sheet 1 of polymeric material, previously punched into perfectly regular squares, is brought into register with the metal matrix 5 associated with the welding machine.

The sheet of the second material 2, previously punched into perfectly regular squares of the same size as the base material, is then positioned on the first material 1. In particular, the second material 2 is positioned on the first material 1 in register with the matrix 5 metal so as to make the impression of said matrix coincide with the incision 4 created in the same second material 2.

By operating the high-frequency welding machine, the union of the first material 1 and the second material 2 is obtained following the at least partial melting of the polymeric material constituting the same first material 1. In particular, the metal matrix 5 of the welding machine, by descending perfectly in register according to the vertical axis on the two overlapping sheets 1, 2, it operates a reciprocal crushing of these materials (fig. 1d). The simultaneous passage of high frequency electric current causes a partial melting of the first sheet material 1 of the polymeric type.

More precisely, this partial fusion concerns at least the internal portion of the base material 1, in contact with the upper material 2. The external portion of the base material 1, in contact with the cold surface of the machine, may in fact not reach the point of merger. This outer portion of the base material 1 is usefully associated with a support layer of non-polymeric material, for example a suitable fabric, not shown in the drawing.

The compression of the coupled materials 1, 2 produced by the welding machine causes in this phase the molten polymeric material to cross the through incision 4 made in the upper material 2 and expand inside the impression present in the metal matrix 5.

After cooling, the labels 10 thus obtained have on the upper surface in view a relief area 11 defined by the polymeric material that has passed through the pre-defined through incision 4 (fig. 2). The height for which this raised area 11 protrudes from the surface of the label is essentially determined by the depth of the impression present in the metal matrix. This raised area 11 may consist of an alphanumeric writing, designating, for example, the name of the manufacturer or a line of products, or a logo performing the same functions.

The described method therefore achieves the purpose of producing labels of an innovative type with respect to known labels.

In particular, this result is achieved thanks to the inventive idea of coupling a base sheet of polymeric material with a top sheet of different material by means of high-frequency welding, in which a through-engraving of a writing or a logo has been previously made. to be highlighted on the labels. The partial fusion of the polymeric material causes this material, under the crushing effect produced by the machine, to be forced to cross the through incision made in the sheet of upper material and to expand in the impression of the matrix.

In this way, labels are obtained which have a raised area of different material with respect to the upper face of the labels themselves. In particular, this raised area appears as exploded through the material of the upper face of the labels.

A prerogative of the invention is given by the fact that for the front surface of the label, from which the raised area protrudes, it can be made by means of a large number of materials, such as for example fabrics of various kinds, leather, polyurethane and the like. . This allows you to widely vary the appearance of the labels.

The method according to the present invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations according to requirements. For example, the fusion of the polymeric material can also be obtained by hot compression.

In the practical implementation of the invention, the materials used, as well as the shape and dimensions, can be any according to requirements.

Where the technical characteristics mentioned in each claim are followed by reference signs, these reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the understanding of the claims and consequently they have no limiting value on the purpose of each element identified by way of reference. example from such reference marks.

Claims (8)

Claims 1) Method for making labels, characterized in that it includes the steps of to. providing a first sheet material (1) of the polymeric type having an upper surface and a lower surface; b. prepare a second sheet material (2) other than PVC; c. create in said second material (2) a through incision (4) having a predefined shape; d. arrange on a welding machine, equipped with means suitable to bring said polymeric-type material to the melting temperature, a metal matrix (5) bearing in a recess a pre-defined depth imprint shaped identically to said through incision (4) created in said second material (2); And. positioning said first material (1) on a work surface of said welding machine; f. position said second material (2) on said first material (1), in register with said metal matrix (5) so as to make said imprint of said matrix (5) coincide with said incision (4) created in the same second material (2 ); g. operating said welding machine to bring said matrix (5) into compression on said second material (2) superimposed on said first material (1); h. simultaneously operate on said welding machine the activation of said means adapted to bring said material of polymeric type to the melting temperature, to obtain an at least partial melting of said first material (1), from the side facing said second material (2) , and the coordinated expansion of said polymeric material through said incision (4) of said second material (2) and inside said imprint of said matrix (5). 2) Method according to claim 1, characterized in that said welding machine is a high frequency welding machine. 3) Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it provides to create said through incision (4) in said second material (2) by laser processing. 4) Method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that it comprises the further step of c1. associating said lower surface of the second material (2) with a film (3) of thermo-adhesive material. 5) Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first material (1) of the polymeric type comprises PVC or polyurethane. 6) Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first material (1) is associated with a support layer of non-polymeric material. 7) Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said predefined depth of said impression made in a recess on said metal matrix (5) is comprised in an interval of 2 - 3 mm. 8) Label made using the method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a front surface from which a raised area (11) made of a first material (11) of a polymeric type other than a second material (2) protrudes ) through which said front surface is made, said raised area (11) expanding for a predetermined height by an incision (4) made in said second material (2).