JP2002293312A - Label cutting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a label cutting apparatus capable of attaining a smooth cutting edge having no residual cut segment at a cutting location of a label sheet. SOLUTION: There are provided a mandrel 7 inserted into a hollow part of a label sheet 3 having many labels printed and guiding the label sheet 3 in a cylindrical form, a cutter blade 9 for use in cutting the label sheet 3 along an outer circumference of the label sheet 3 guided in a cylindrical form by the mandrel 7, and a tension force applying means 15 expanding the label sheet 3 outside the mandrel 7 before a cutting position where the cutting operation is performed with the cutter blade and applying a tension force to the label sheet 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a label cutting device (labeler) for cutting a label sheet on which a plurality of labels are printed when attaching a label to a container such as a PET bottle.
About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, in the process of packaging a label on a plastic bottle in beverage production, a cylindrical label is inserted into a sequentially transported plastic bottle, and then the label is shrunk by applying heat to shrink the label. She has an exterior. The label is cut into a hollow label sheet in which a plurality of labels are continuously printed, but since the label sheet is transported in a substantially flat shape, the hollow portion of the label sheet is formed in a substantially conical shape. Into the mandrel of
The label sheet is guided in a cylindrical shape, and the label sheet is cut for each label, and the label is kept in a cylindrical shape, and the PET bottle is packaged.

[0003]

However, the diameter of the hollow label sheet may vary, and if the diameter of the label sheet inserted into the mandrel is too large, the cutting blade is attached to the outer periphery of the label sheet. When the label sheet is moved and cut into a cylindrical shape, the cutting edge goes around the label sheet, and the cutting start position and the cutting end position are displaced. In some cases, a smooth cut cannot be obtained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a label cutting apparatus capable of obtaining a smooth cut edge having no uncut portion at a cutting position of a label sheet.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a label cutting apparatus for cutting a hollow label sheet which is continuously supplied and on which a large number of labels are printed, for each label. A mandrel that is inserted into the hollow of the sheet and guides the label sheet to form a cylinder, a cutting blade that cuts the label sheet along the outer periphery of the label sheet that is guided cylindrically by the mandrel, and a cutting blade. The present invention is characterized in that a tension applying means for extending the label sheet to the outside of the mandrel and applying tension to the label sheet just before the cutting position is provided.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, even if the diameter of the label sheet varies, the label is guided radially by the tension applying means just before the cutting position on the label sheet guided by the mandrel. Be extended. Therefore, when the label sheet is cut, the label sheet is stretched, and it is possible to prevent the label sheet from wrinkling during the cutting, and the cutting start position and the cutting end position can be matched, so that the label sheet is left uncut. The cut can be cut smoothly without any gaps. Further, by applying tension to the label sheet at the time of cutting, a cut is easily made when the cutting blade is applied, so that the sharpness of the cutting blade can be enhanced and the life of replacement of the cutting blade can be extended.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the tension applying means includes a projecting portion projecting elastically outward of the mandrel, and the projecting portion is a label. The mandrel is provided with a taper for expanding the outer diameter of the mandrel along the sheet conveying direction.

[0008] According to the second aspect of the invention, the first aspect is provided.
In addition to the same operation and effect as the invention described in (1), since the projecting portion is provided on the outside of the mandrel, it can be retrofitted to an existing mandrel and is easy to manufacture. Further, since the tension applying means has elasticity, it is possible to appropriately apply an appropriate tension even to a label sheet having a deviation in the diameter dimension. Further, since the projecting portion is inclined in the transport direction, the label sheet can be transported smoothly.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the projecting portion includes a plate member and a spring for urging the plate member toward the outside of the mandrel. Features.

[0010] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the second aspect is provided.
In addition to providing the same function and effect as the invention described in (1) above, the elasticity can be imparted to the plate member with a simple configuration, and the provision of a separate spring facilitates adjustment of tension and replacement when the spring is deteriorated. Can be.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the mandrel is provided in the horizontal direction to transport the label sheet in the horizontal direction, and the tension applying means is provided on the upstream side in the transport direction of the label sheet. A pivot member provided rotatably on the mandrel with the pivot portion provided in the fulcrum as a fulcrum,
The rotating member is rotated toward the outside of the mandrel by its own weight to extend the label sheet to the outside of the mandrel.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the first aspect is provided.
Since the rotating member rotates by its own weight to expand the label sheet, a member such as a spring is not required, and the number of parts can be reduced. In addition, since the label sheet is rotated by its own weight, the expansion of the label sheet can be easily adjusted by changing the weight of the rotating member.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of the label cutting apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view extracting and showing a configuration of a tension applying section (tension applying means). FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
Is a front view of a cutting blade, and FIG. 5 is a side view of a label cutting device according to another embodiment.

A label cutting device 1 according to the present embodiment
Are arranged substantially vertically, and mainly the label sheet 3
, A mandrel 7 and a cutting blade 9 for cutting the continuously supplied label sheet 3 for each label. Each cut label is inserted from above into a plastic bottle conveyed below the cutting device 1 and packaged on the plastic bottle.

The guide section 5 has a mounting roller 11 on its outer periphery, and the mounting roller 11 is supported by being in contact with the support roller 13 from below. The placement roller 11 and the support roller 13 hold the label sheet 3 therebetween, transport the label sheet 3 downward, and guide the transport of the label sheet 3. A mandrel 7 is attached to a lower end of the guide section 5. The mandrel 7 has a substantially truncated cone shape, and is formed with a taper in which the diameter of the upper end 7a is small and the diameter increases toward the lower end 7b. At the lower end of the mandrel 7, a tension applying section (tension applying means) 15 for expanding the label sheet 3 and applying tension is provided.

The tension applying portion 15 has a projecting portion 17 projecting elastically outward of the mandrel 7. The projecting portion 17 is composed of a large number of plate members attached to the outer periphery of the mandrel 7 at equal intervals. The upper end 19 is fixed to the mandrel 7 by screws 21. In the mandrel 7, a concave portion 21 is formed in a mounting portion of the plate member 19, and the concave portion 2 is formed.
1, the label sheet 3 is prevented from catching on the upper end of the plate member 19, and the label sheet 3 is smoothly conveyed. At the lower end of the plate member 19, a spring coil 23 is provided.
9 is urged toward the outer peripheral direction of the mandrel 7. By adjusting the urging force of the coil spring 23, the label sheet 3 is appropriately expanded and tension is applied to the label sheet 3. Coil spring 23 to plate member 1
9 is provided separately from the coil spring 23.
Replacement and adjustment can be done easily.

A cutting blade 9 for cutting the label sheet 3 on the outer periphery of the mandrel 7 is provided below (downstream) the tension applying section 15. The cutting blade 9 rotates around the mandrel 7, makes a round around the mandrel 7 from the start position to the end position, cuts the label sheet 3, and cuts each label.
The cutting blade 9 is rotated around the mandrel 7 by the driving mechanism 27. When the label sheet 3 conveyed along the outer periphery of the mandrel 7 is cut before the cutting position even when the diameter dimension of the conveyed label sheet 3 varies when the label sheet 3 is cut by the cutting blade 9, As the label sheet 3 is expanded in the radial direction by the tension applying section 15,
When the label sheet 3 is cut, the label sheet 3 is in a stretched state, so that it is possible to prevent the label sheet 3 from being wrinkled and the cutting start position from being shifted from the cutting end position. That is, since the cutting start position always coincides with the cutting end position, the uncut portion can be prevented, and smooth cutting can be performed. Moreover,
Since tension is applied to the label sheet 3 when the label sheet 3 is cut, a cut is easily made when the cutting blade 9 is applied to the label sheet 3, and a smooth cut edge can be formed by the cutting blade 9 to enhance sharpness. And the service life of the cutting blade can be extended.

The label obtained by cutting the label sheet 3 is guided by a lower guide portion 29 provided at the lower end of the mandrel 7, and is held for each label cut by a receiving portion (not shown). , And put it on a PET bottle.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 5. Parts having substantially the same functions and effects as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. , Detailed description of that portion will be omitted. In this embodiment, the label cutting device 1 is arranged substantially horizontally,
Accordingly, the mandrel 7 is also arranged substantially horizontally, and the label sheet 3 is conveyed in the horizontal direction. The tension applying portion 15 provided on the mandrel 7 is a rotating member 31 that covers the outer periphery of the mandrel 7, and the rotating member 31 has a substantially arc-shaped vertical cross-section, and has a circular cross-section in the mandrel 7. It covers almost half of the vertical section.

The rotating member 31 pivotally supports an end on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the label sheet 3 by a pivot 33. The rotating member 31 is rotatable with respect to the mandrel 7 about a pivot 33 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the label sheet 3 as a fulcrum. This rotating member 3
1 rotates downward by its own weight to extend the label sheet 3 to the outside of the mandrel. Since the rotating member 31 is rotated by its own weight to expand the label sheet, a member such as a spring is not required, and the number of parts can be reduced. Further, since the label sheet rotates by its own weight, the expansion of the label sheet can be easily adjusted by changing the weight of the rotating member 31.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the tension applying unit 15 uses the plate member 19 and the coil spring 23 in combination,
The invention is not limited thereto, and only a plate member having a predetermined elastic force may be used. The plate member 19 is not limited to metal, but may be resin. The label cutting device 1 is not limited to being provided vertically or horizontally, but may be provided obliquely with respect to gravity.

[0022]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, even when the diameter of the label sheet varies, the label sheet guided and conveyed by the mandrel is provided with tension applying means before the cutting position. Is expanded in the radial direction and tension is applied, so that the label sheet is stretched when the label sheet is cut, and wrinkles and the like are formed on the label sheet during cutting, so that the cutting start position and the cutting end position are shifted. Can be prevented, and a smooth cut edge without any uncut portion can be obtained. By applying tension to the label sheet at the time of cutting, a cut is easily made when the cutting blade is applied, so that the sharpness of the cutting blade can be enhanced and the life of replacement of the cutting blade can be extended.

According to the invention described in claim 2, according to claim 1
In addition to the effects similar to those of the invention described in (1), the provision of the protruding portion on the outside of the mandrel allows the tension applying means to be retrofitted to the existing mandrel. Further, since the tension applying means has elasticity, an appropriate tension can be appropriately applied to the label sheet. Further, since the projecting portion is inclined in the transport direction, the label sheet can be transported smoothly.

According to the invention of claim 3, according to claim 2,
In addition to providing the same effect as the invention described in the above, it is possible to impart elasticity to the plate member with a simple configuration, and by separately providing a spring, it is possible to easily adjust the tension and replace when the spring is deteriorated. it can.

According to the invention of claim 4, according to claim 1,
In addition to the effects similar to those of the invention described in (1), the rotating member is rotated by its own weight to expand the label sheet, so that members such as springs are not required, and the number of parts can be reduced. Since the label sheet rotates by its own weight, the expansion of the label sheet can be easily adjusted by changing the weight of the rotating member.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a label cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a tension applying portion extracted.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a part of the configuration of the cutting blade.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a label cutting device according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Label cutting device 3 Label sheet 7 Mandrel 9 Cutting blade 15 Tension giving part (tension giving means) 19 Plate member 23 Coil spring (spring) 31 Rotating member 33 Pivot part

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A label cutting apparatus for cutting a hollow label sheet, which is continuously supplied and on which a number of labels are printed, for each label, wherein the label sheet is inserted into the hollow of the label sheet so that the label sheet has a cylindrical shape. A mandrel that guides to form the label, a cutting blade that cuts the label sheet along the outer circumference of the label sheet guided cylindrically by the mandrel, and extends the label sheet to the outside of the mandrel just before the cutting position by the cutting blade A label cutting device, comprising: a tension applying means for applying tension to a label sheet. 2. The tension applying means includes a projecting portion which elastically projects toward the outside of the mandrel, and the projecting portion has a taper which widens the outer diameter of the mandrel along the label sheet conveyance direction. The label cutting device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The label cutting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the protruding portion includes a plate member and a spring for urging the plate member toward the outside of the mandrel. 4. A mandrel is provided in a horizontal direction to convey a label sheet in a horizontal direction, and a tension applying means is rotatably provided on a mandrel with a pivot portion provided on an upstream side in a conveying direction of the label sheet as a fulcrum. The label cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member is rotated toward the outside of the mandrel by its own weight to expand the label sheet to the outside of the mandrel.