JP6893508B2 - Manufacturing equipment and methods for labeled containers, programs used for them, and recording media on which they are recorded. - Google Patents

Description

This case relates to a manufacturing device and a manufacturing method of a labeled container, a program used for these, and a recording medium on which the program is recorded.

Conventionally, a container to which a label is attached with an adhesive is known. In this container, since the label is attached to the container via the adhesive layer coated with the adhesive material, the level difference of the label with respect to the container is large, and the label may be peeled off.
Therefore, as one of the methods for surely attaching the label to the container, a manufacturing method called in-mold molding (in-mold labeling) is used.

In in-mold molding, labels are placed inside a set of split molds, then a molten pipe-shaped plastic raw material is sandwiched between the split molds, and air is blown into the molds to integrally attach the labels. Mold the container. Therefore, the step difference of the label with respect to the container is suppressed, and the container to which the label is surely attached can be molded. For example, a technique has been proposed in which stacked single-wafer-shaped labels are taken out one by one, placed inside a split mold, and the labels are attached to a container by in-mold molding (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 06-255821

However, the sheet-fed label is prone to warping. Further, there is a possibility that labels that overlap each other are taken out due to static electricity or close contact between flat surfaces, and these labels are arranged inside the split mold. Therefore, there is room for improvement in improving the quality of labeled containers.

The manufacturing equipment and manufacturing method of the labeled container, the program used for these, and the recording medium on which they are recorded were devised in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the purpose is to improve the quality of the labeled container. It is one of. Not limited to this purpose, it is also possible that the actions and effects derived from each configuration shown in the “mode for carrying out the invention” described later and which cannot be obtained by the conventional technique are exhibited. It can be positioned as another purpose.

(1) The labeled container manufacturing apparatus disclosed here is a feeding portion for feeding a long film in which a plurality of label groups consisting of a plurality of labels are arranged in the longitudinal direction of one surface, and the feeding portion. A separation part that separates the label group from the film, an arrangement part that arranges the label group separated by the separation part in a mold, and a molding material that is supplied into the mold and is provided by the arrangement part. The label group arranged in the mold includes a molding portion for molding a container attached to the outer wall. The separation unit separates each of the plurality of labels forming the label group from the film, and the arrangement unit is inside one of the molds of the plurality of labels separated by the separation unit. Each is arranged, and the separation part and the arrangement part have a number of arm parts corresponding to the number of the labels in one label group, which separates the label from the film and arranges it inside the mold. Have .

(2) The relative arrangement of the plurality of labels in the label group is preferably set according to the relative arrangement of the plurality of labels arranged inside one of the molds.
(3) Alternatively, the relative arrangement of the plurality of labels in the label group is set to be different from the relative arrangement of the plurality of labels arranged inside one of the molds. preferable.
(4) It is preferable that the plurality of labels have different shapes from each other.
(5) Further, it is preferable that the label has only a curved outline.
(6) the mold, the mold is bisected split mold der Rukoto are preferred. In this case, it is preferable that the separating portion and the arranging portion separate the label from the film and arrange it inside one of the split molds.

( 7 ) The method for manufacturing a labeled container disclosed here is a feeding step of feeding out a long film in which a plurality of label groups consisting of a plurality of labels are arranged in the longitudinal direction of one surface, and a feeding step. A separation step of separating the label group from the film, an arrangement step of arranging the label group separated by the separation step in a mold, and a molding material being supplied into the mold and being arranged by the arrangement step. The label group arranged in the mold includes a molding step of molding a container attached to the outer wall. In the separation step, each of the plurality of labels forming the label group is separated from the film by a number of arm portions corresponding to the number of the plurality of labels, and the arrangement step is performed by the arm portion. Each of the plurality of labels separated in the separation step is placed inside one of the molds.

( 8 ) In the separation step and the placement step, it is preferable to maintain the relative placement of the plurality of labels.
( 9 ) Alternatively, it is preferable that the separation step and the placement step are set so that the relative placement of the plurality of labels is different.
(10) The mold is preferably a split mold in which the mold is divided into two. In this case, in the separation step and the placement step, it is preferable that the label is separated from the film and placed inside one of the split molds.

(11) The program disclosed here includes a feeding portion for feeding a long film in which a plurality of label groups consisting of a plurality of labels are arranged in the longitudinal direction of one surface, and the feeding portion from the film fed by the feeding portion. A separation part that separates the label group, an arrangement part that arranges the label group separated by the separation part in the mold, and a molding material that is supplied into the mold, and the arrangement part puts the molding material into the mold. The arranged label group includes a molding portion for molding a container attached to the outer wall, and the separation portion separates each of the plurality of labels forming the label group from the film, and the arrangement portion is Each of the plurality of labels separated by the separation portion is arranged inside one of the molds, and the relative arrangement of the plurality of labels in the label group is the inside of one of the molds. Used for a labeled container manufacturing apparatus set to differ from the relative arrangement of the plurality of labels arranged in.
This program changes the relative positions of the plurality of labels in the separation unit to the relative positions of the plurality of labels in the arrangement unit, and controls the placement of the plurality of labels in the mold. Let the computer perform the process.
(12) The recording medium of this case is a computer-readable one on which the above program is recorded.

According to the manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of the labeled container of this case, the labels arranged in the longitudinal direction on the film are separated, so that the label can be compared with the manufacturing method in which the stacked single-wafer-shaped labels are taken out one by one. Warpage can be suppressed, and labels will not be taken out due to overlapping due to static electricity. Therefore, the quality of the labeled container can be improved.
Further, according to the container of this case, it is possible to enhance the design and the degree of freedom in designing the appearance.
Further, according to the program of this case and the recording medium on which the program is recorded, the material cost of the film can be reduced by narrowing the interval between a plurality of labels in one label group.

1A, 1B and 1C are views showing a labeled container, FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a labeled container, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged perspective view showing a region Z of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of a main part of FIG. 1B. FIG. 2 is a top view schematically showing the overall configuration of the manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the film on the manufacturing apparatus and its periphery. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing how the deformed portion of the label conveyed in the manufacturing apparatus is removed. FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing a mold of the manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing method. FIG. 8 is a top view schematically showing the overall configuration of the manufacturing apparatus according to the modified example. FIG. 9 is a perspective view schematically showing a switching mechanism of a manufacturing apparatus according to a modified example.

With reference to the drawings, a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method of a labeled container as an embodiment, a program used for these, and a recording medium on which the same is recorded will be described. It should be noted that the embodiments shown below are merely examples, and there is no intention of excluding the application of various modifications and techniques not specified in the following embodiments. Each configuration of the present embodiment can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist thereof. In addition, it can be selected as needed, or can be combined as appropriate.
In the following embodiments, upstream and downstream are defined based on the manufacturing process of the labeled container, the direction of action of gravity is downward, and the opposite direction of downward is upward.

[I. One Embodiment]
[1. Labeled container]
First, a labeled container manufactured by the apparatus and method of the present embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the labeled container of the present embodiment is a hollow container 2 in which the label 10 is attached to the outer wall 2a. For example, the state in which the label 10 is welded (welded) to the container 2 and integrated is included in the state in which the label 10 is attached to the container 2.

In this labeled container, the label 10 is attached to the container 2 by in-mold labeling (in-mold molding). Therefore, at least a part of the label 10 in the thickness direction is buried in the outer wall 2a of the container 2. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, the thickness direction dimension of the label 10 is set to "T ₁ ", and the height dimension (thickness) of the label 10 forming a step portion on the outer side with respect to the outer surface 2b of the outer wall 2a. If the directional dimension) is set to "T ₂ ", the inequality "T ₁ > T ₂ " is satisfied. In the case of the blow molding method using a preform, it is easy to satisfy _{the inequality "T 1} > T _2". The entire thickness direction of the label 10 may be buried in the outer wall 2a of the container 2 (for example, the outer surface of the label 10 and the outer surface 2b of the container 2 form the same plane). In this case, "T _2" = 0 ". Further, in the case of direct blow molding, it is easy to satisfy the _{equation "T 2 = 0".}
Here, a plurality of labels 10 (label groups) are attached to the outer wall 2a of the container 2 in a side view. Further, the label 10 before being attached to the container 2 has a heat seal layer 1a (see FIG. 3) in advance on the back surface (attachment surface).

In FIG. 1A, two labels 10 (simply referred to as “label 10”) composed of a first label 11 and a second label 12 are illustrated on the outer wall 2a on the front side of the container 2. Although not shown, a label is attached to the outer wall on the back side of the container 2.
Further, the labels 11 and 12 are formed in different shapes from each other. Here, the circular first label 11 is illustrated, and the triangular second label 12 is illustrated. Other examples of the contour shapes of the labels 11 and 12 include various shapes whose contours consist only of curved lines. The "shape whose contour consists only of curves" here includes a shape in which curves such as autumn leaves are butted at corners.

As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of labels 10 are regularly arranged in the longitudinal direction of one surface of a long (strip-shaped) film 1. These labels 10 are separable from the film 1 as will be described later.
In this film 1, at least three layers are laminated in the order of the heat seal layer 1a, the base layer 1b, and the printing layer 1c from the back side (front side of the paper surface in FIG. 3) to the front side (back side of the paper surface in FIG. 3). Is formed.

The heat seal layer 1a acts as an adhesive for joining the label 10 and the container 2. The heat seal layer 1a is solid at room temperature, but is activated by the heat of the resin melted when molding the adherend (container 2) in the mold, melt-bonded to the adherend, and after cooling. Is solid again and exhibits strong adhesive strength.
The formation of the heat seal layer 1a is not particularly limited, but for example, a method of applying a heat sealant to the surface opposite to the print layer 1c of the base layer 1b, a dry laminating method, or a heat laminating method is used to form multiple layers. It can be formed by a method, a method of extrusion laminating together with the base layer 1b, a method of forming the heat seal layer 1a into a film in advance, and laminating the heat seal layer 1b on the base layer 1b via an adhesive. Therefore, the heat seal layer 1a and the base layer 1b are strongly adhered to each other and are integrally provided.

The film 1 may be configured as a so-called single-layer film (base layer 1b is a single layer). In this case, the base layer 1b can be provided with a printing function by subjecting the base layer 1b to a corona discharge treatment or the like. Therefore, the print layer 1c can be omitted from the film 1.

A part of the film 1 is a label 10, and the other part is a margin portion 13. That is, the film 1 is cut along the contour shape of the label 10, and the label 10 and the margin portion 13 are partitioned through the cutting line.
Here, the label 10 and the margin portion 13 are partially connected in a state where the film 1 is extended so that the label 10 does not fall off from the film 1, and the label 10 and the margin portion 13 are completely separated. Not. For example, a dot fixing process is performed in which the label 10 and the margin portion 13 are connected in a dot shape at a plurality of or a single location. The above-mentioned cutting lines may be formed in a perforated shape.

Alternatively, in addition to or in addition to the above-mentioned cutting line, the film 1 may be cut (half-cut) in the depth (thickness) direction from the heat seal layer 1a side or the printing layer 1c side. At this time, at least one of the heat seal layer 1a, the base layer 1b, and the printing layer 1c is configured to be connected without being completely cut. For example, a rotary die cutter or a pinnacle die is used to make a half cut.
Further, the film 1 is fed out without a cut in the contour of the label 10, and the label 10 can be cut by a die cutter having a blade portion corresponding to the contour shape of the label 10. Alternatively, the film 1 may be cut (laser cut) with a laser along the contour shape of the label 10.

In addition, although not shown, the film 1 may be attached to another transport film. Specifically, in the portion of the film 1 at the label 10, the heat seal layer 1a, the base layer 1b, and the printing layer 1c are transferred to a transport film different from the film 1 via a slightly adhesive adhesive or an adhesive. It may be attached so that it can be removed. At this time, it is preferable that the label 10 is configured so that no adhesive or adhesive remains on the surface of the print layer 1c when the label 10 is removed from the transport film. In this case, the label 10 and the margin portion 13 may be completely separated from each other. Further, in the margin portion 13, not all of the heat seal layer 1a, the base layer 1b, and the printing layer 1c are necessarily attached to the conveying film.

[2. manufacturing device]
Next, an apparatus for manufacturing a labeled container will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.
As shown in FIG. 2, this manufacturing apparatus includes a feeding mechanism (feeding section, first discharging section) 20, a feeding mechanism (transporting section) 50, and a molding mechanism (molding section) 90, which are provided from upstream to downstream, respectively. It is roughly divided into three mechanisms.

The feeding mechanism 20 feeds out the film 1 in which the labels 10 are arranged, and the conveying mechanism 50 conveys the label 10 from the unwound film 1 until it is placed in the mold 91. The molding mechanism 90 supplies the molding material into the mold 91, attaches the label 10 arranged inside the mold 91 to the outer wall 2a (see FIG. 1), and molds the container 2.
Further, the feeding mechanism 20 may be provided with an inspection unit 40 for inspecting the printed state of the printed label 10 pattern.

Here, before the film 1 is arranged in the present manufacturing apparatus, a pattern, a pattern, a character, or the like (simply referred to as a “picture”) of the label 10 is printed on the film 1 in advance.
However, a printing unit 30 (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2) for printing the pattern of the label 10 on the surface of the printing layer 1c on the film 1 may be attached to the feeding mechanism 20. That is, the printing unit 30 for preparing the film 1 in which the labels 10 are arranged may be incorporated in the manufacturing apparatus of the labeled container.
When the film 1 on which the label 10 is printed is arranged in the feeding mechanism 20, the printing unit 30 may be stopped or the printing unit 30 may be omitted.

The transport mechanism 50 is provided with an arm portion (separation portion, arrangement portion) 60 that holds the label 10 to be transported from the film 1 and arranges the transferred label 10 inside the mold 91. Further, a shaping unit 70 for shaping the label 10 during transportation and a charging unit 80 for charging the label 10 during transportation may be attached to the transport mechanism 50.
The manufacturing apparatus described here is provided with a mold 91 composed of two split dies 91a and 91b. Specifically, by arranging the first split mold 91a on one side (upper in FIG. 2) of the apparatus and the second split mold 91b on the other side (lower in FIG. 2), the label 10 can be attached. In addition to increasing the processing efficiency, the molding efficiency of the container 2 is also improved. The front side of the labeled container is molded by the first split mold 91a, and the back side is molded by the second split mold 91b.

Therefore, the manufacturing apparatus is provided symmetrically in the horizontal direction (vertically symmetrical in FIG. 2). In such a symmetrical manufacturing apparatus, two systems of manufacturing processes can be carried out at the same time. Specifically, the label 10 attached to the outer wall 2a on the front side of the container 2 can be handled on one side of the device, and at the same time, the label 10 attached to the outer wall on the back side of the container 2 can be handled on the other side of the device. ..
Here, an example is a manufacturing apparatus in which two sets of molds 91 are provided and two labeled containers are simultaneously molded.
In the following description, the description mainly focuses on one side of the device.

[2-1. Feeding mechanism]
First, the configuration related to the feeding of the feeding mechanism 20 will be described.
The feeding mechanism 20 is a mechanism for feeding the label 10 to a predetermined position by feeding the film 1. The feeding mechanism 20 is provided with two rotating shafts 21 and 22. Of these rotating shafts 21 and 22, in the first rotating shaft 21 arranged on the upstream side, the upstream portion of the film 1 before the label 10 is separated is pulled out from the wound state and arranged on the downstream side. On the second rotating shaft 22, the downstream portion of the film 1 (remaining portion) after the label 10 is separated is wound up. Here, the second rotation shaft 22 is rotationally driven. Further, the intermediate portions of the film 1 wound around the rotating shafts 21 and 22, respectively, are stretched in a plane.
A printing unit 30 and an inspection unit 40, which are provided from the upstream side to the downstream side in the feeding direction of the film 1, are arranged in the region where the film 1 is stretched in a plane. These printing unit 30 on the downstream of the inspection unit 40, the origin position P ₁ of the undercarriage portion 52 is set.

By rotationally driving the second rotary shaft 22, the feeding mechanism 20 pulls out the film 1 wound around the first rotary shaft 21 and winds the film 1 around the second rotary shaft 22 to feed the film 1. , Label 10 is fed out to a predetermined position. Therefore, if the label 10 is not separated from the film 1, the label 10 is wound around the second rotating shaft 22, and is collected and discharged as it is by the feeding mechanism 20.
Here, the feeding mechanism 20 feeds the label 10 separated from the film 1 to a predetermined position (hereinafter referred to as “separation position”) and makes it stand still. The stationary label 10 is separated by the arm portion 60. For this reason, the second rotating shaft 22 is intermittently driven, and the label 10 is repeatedly fed and stopped. Specifically, the second rotation shaft 22 is rotated by the amount of rotation or the rotation phase corresponding to the longitudinal dimension of the film 1 on the two labels 10, and then the rotation is stopped repeatedly.

<Positioning mechanism>
The feeding mechanism 20 is provided with a positioning mechanism (positioning portion) 25 for keeping the fed label 10 stationary at a separated position.
In the positioning mechanism 25, as shown in FIG. 3, markings 14 such as eye marks and registration marks attached to the margin 13 of the film 1 and an optical device that images or scans (hereinafter, simply referred to as “imaging”) the markings 14 26 and can be used. In this case, the feeding mechanism 20 can be controlled to position the label 10 based on the position of the marking 14 imaged by the optical device 26 and the corresponding phase of the film 1.

Here, the phase of the film 1 when the label 10 is located at the separation position is set to "N", the phase of the film 1 when the label 10 is extended by one from this phase is set to "N + 1", and more. The phase of the film 1 when the label is extended by one is set to "N + 2". When the film 1 having the phase "N + 2" is further extended by one label 10, the label 10 is located at the separation position and the phase of the film 1 becomes "N".
Here, "the label 10 is fed out by one amount" means that the second rotation shaft 22 is rotated by an amount or a phase corresponding to the longitudinal dimension of the film 1 in the label 10.
Next, the printing unit 30 and the inspection unit 40 attached to the feeding mechanism 20 will be described.

<Printing section>
The printing unit 30 is a printer that prints a pattern on a portion of the film 1 that serves as a label 10. That is, the label 10 is formed by performing the required printing on the surface of the film 1.
As the printing method of the printing unit 30, various printing methods such as a printing plate method, an electrophotographic method, an inkjet method, and a thermal transfer method can be adopted as long as the label 10 can be printed. By utilizing the characteristics of the printing method of the printing unit 30, variable information such as a serial number, a date, and a name can be printed on demand. It is also possible to set the film 1 on which the label 10 has not been printed at all in the feeding mechanism 20 and print all the patterns of the label 10 on the printing unit 30. In this case, when printing a small amount of the label 10 to form the container 2, a large-scale printing unit 30 or a printing device for printing the label 10 in advance is not required, which is advantageous in terms of cost.

Here, a cutting line is formed in advance on the contour of the label 10 printed by the printing unit 30. However, the cutting line may be formed in parallel with or after the printing by the printing unit 30. When a cutting line is formed after printing, the cutting line can be formed according to the contour position of the printed pattern.
If the feeding mechanism 20 described so far is similar to the open reel of the recording device, the tape wound around the reel corresponds to the film 1, the reel driving device corresponds to the feeding mechanism 20, and the recording head corresponds to the printing unit. Corresponds to 30.

<Inspection unit>
The inspection unit 40 inspects whether or not the label 10 fed by the feeding mechanism 20 is in a predetermined state. The term "predetermined state" as used herein means that the state of the label 10 is good (passed). On the contrary, "not in a predetermined state" means that the state of the label 10 is defective (failed). Therefore, it can be said that the inspection unit 40 detects the label 10 in a defective state.

Examples of the inspection target by the inspection unit 40 include the printed state and the surface state of the label 10. When the inspection target is in the printing state, the position and color of the pattern printed on the label 10 are inspected in a predetermined printing state (predetermined state), that is, whether or not the desired printing is performed. If the inspection target is in a surface state, it is inspected whether or not the label 10 has a predetermined surface state (predetermined state) in which no foreign matter is attached.

Examples of poor printing conditions (not in the specified printing conditions) include misalignment of printing colors, uneven printing, missing prints, unintended black and white spots, misalignment of patterns, wrinkles and scratches on the label 10. The state that exists in the printing of.
An example of a poor surface condition (not a predetermined surface condition) is a state in which foreign matter such as dust or dust is present on the surface of the label 10.

The inspection unit 40 has a detection unit 41 that detects the state of the label 10, and a determination unit 42 that determines whether or not the label 10 is in a predetermined state based on the detection result by the detection unit 41.
As the detection unit 41, various known devices capable of detecting the state of the label 10 can be used. For example, an optical device such as a camera or a scanner that captures or scans the label 10 is used for the detection unit 41. Specifically, a CCD area camera or line sensor is used in the detection unit 41. Further, in order to improve the detection accuracy, a device that irradiates the label 10 with visible light or laser light may be attached to the detection unit 41.

For example, the detection unit 41 is arranged with respect to the film 1 on the side where the print layer 1c is arranged with respect to the base layer 1b (here, referred to as “outside”). By arranging the detection unit 41 on the outside in this way, it is possible to inspect the printed state and the surface state of the label 10 not only when the film 1 is transparent but also when it is opaque. When the transparent film 1 is used, the detection unit 41 may be arranged on the side (inside) where the heat seal layer 1a is arranged with respect to the base layer 1b with respect to the film 1.

As the determination method by the determination unit 42, various known methods can be adopted as long as it can determine whether or not the label 10 is in a predetermined state. For example, the image data as a sample of the label 10 is compared with the data detected by the detection unit 41, and if the difference between these data is equal to or less than a predetermined reference, it is determined that the label 10 is in a predetermined state, and the difference is obtained. If is larger than the predetermined reference, it is determined that the label 10 is not in the predetermined state.

Here, when the phase of the film 1 is "N", that is, when the feeding of the label 10 is stopped, the inspection unit 40 inspects the label 10. Specifically, the detection unit 41 detects the label 10 whose feeding has been stopped. The detection unit 41 is arranged so as to face the label 10 on the upstream side of the separation position.
When the detection unit 41 (for example, an area camera) captures the state of the label 10 in a planar shape (two-dimensional image shape), it is preferable to stop the feeding of the label 10 for determination. Further, when the detection unit 41 (for example, the line sensor of the CCD) scans (scans) the state of the label 10 linearly (one-dimensional image), it is not necessary to stop the feeding of the label 10.
In addition, the determination unit 42 does not have to be integrated with the detection unit 41, and may be separated and arranged at another location. Further, the determination unit 42 may be a hardware component or a software component incorporated in a computer.

[2-2. Transport mechanism]
Next, the configuration related to the transfer of the transfer mechanism 50 will be described.
The transport mechanism 50 is provided with a slide rail 51 extending so as to straddle the feeding mechanism 20 and the molding mechanism 90, and a chassis portion 52 that slides and moves along the slide rail 51. The slide rail 51 is laid horizontally along the intermediate portion of the film 1, and the chassis portion 52 moves horizontally.

Here, among the horizontal directions, the direction in which the slide rail 51 extends is referred to as the "X direction" (horizontal direction in FIG. 2), and the direction orthogonal to the X direction is referred to as the "Y direction" (vertical direction in FIG. 2). Further, one of the X directions (left in FIG. 2) is designated as "X ₁ " and the other _{is designated as "X 2} ", and one of the Y directions (upper in FIG. 2) is designated as "Y ₁ " and the other. Let be "Y ₂ ".
On the Y ₁ direction side of the manufacturing apparatus, the slide rail 51 and the chassis portion 52 are provided on the _{Y 2} direction side of the film 1 and the first split die 91a. On the contrary, on the Y ₂ direction side of the manufacturing apparatus, the slide rail 51 and the chassis portion 52 are provided on the _{Y 1} direction side of the film 1 and the second split mold 91b.

The chassis portion 52 on the slide rail 51 has an origin position P _{1 for separating the label 10 from the X 1} direction to the X _{2 direction, a shaping position P 2} for shaping the label 10 with the shaping portion 70, and a charging portion for the label 10. 80 charging position P ₃ to charge with, move to respective positions arranged in the order of the forming position P ₄ for molding the container 2 and placing the label 10 in the first split mold 91a.
Specifically, the chassis portion 52 moves forward in the order of _{the origin position P 1} , the shaping position P ₂ , the charging position P ₃ , and the molding position P _{4 when the label 10 is conveyed.} After that, in order to convey the label 10 again, the molding position P ₄ , the charging position P ₃ , the shaping position P ₂ , and the origin position P ₁ are restored in this order. Then, when the label 10 is conveyed again, the origin position P ₁ , the shaping position P ₂ , the charging position P ₃ , and the molding position P ₄ move in this order.

The chassis portion 52 is provided with the arm portion 60 described above. The arm portion 60 is driven in the Y direction so as to expand and contract. Specifically, the insertion / removal position where the tip portion 60a of the arm portion 60 protrudes so as to abut against the film 1 and the first split mold 91a and the transport where the tip portion 60a is separated from the film 1 and the first split mold 91a The arm portion 60 is driven in and out (reciprocating drive) from the chassis portion 52 so as to switch between the two positions.
Further, the tip portion 60a of the arm portion 60 is provided with a suction mechanism (sucker) for sucking the label 10 to be held.

Here, when the label used is the label 10, two sets of the label 10 including the label 11 and the label 12 are separated at the same time (see FIG. 3). Therefore, two sets of arm portions 60 are provided side by side in the X direction corresponding to each of the two sets of labels 10. Further, since the set of labels 10 is provided with two labels 11 and 12, the set of arm portions 60 includes the first arm portion 61 corresponding to the first label 11 and the second label 12. A corresponding second arm portion 62 is provided. In other words, the chassis portion 52 is provided with the number of arm portions 61, 62 corresponding to the number of labels 11 and 12 in the set of labels 10. In the following description, a set of arm portions 60 will be focused on.
Next, the transport mechanism 50 when the chassis portion 52 is located at each of the positions P ₁ , P ₂ , P ₃ , and P _{4 will be described step by step.}

<Separation part>
When the chassis portion 52 is located at the origin position P ₁ , the arm portion 60 of the chassis portion 52 functions as a separating portion for separating the label 10 from the film 1. Undercarriage unit 52 at this time, stopped at the home position P _1.
As shown in the center of FIG. 3, the arm portion 60 is driven so as to project from the transport position to the insertion / removal position, and the tip portion 60a comes into contact with the label 10. Then, the suction mechanism is activated to suck the label 10 to the tip portion 60a. After that, as shown on the right side of FIG. 3, the arm portion 60 is immersively driven from the insertion / removal position to the transport position. At this time, the label 10 attracted to the tip portion 60a is separated from the film 1. At the time of this separation, the dot-shaped portion connecting the label 10 and the margin portion 13 is torn off.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in order to support the separation of the label 10 by the arm portion 60, a stopper 29 for pressing the margin portion 13 in the direction opposite to the separation direction of the label 10 is provided. .. As the stopper 29, a plate 29a standing on the chassis portion 52 side with respect to the film 1 or a pin 29b protruding from the plate 29a toward the film 1 side can be used. By pressing the margin portion 13 in the direction opposite to the separation direction of the label 10 by the stopper 29, the separability of the label 10 can be improved.
That is, a separation mechanism (separation part) provided with the arm part 60, its infestation drive mechanism, a suction mechanism, a stopper 29, and the like is provided.

As shown in FIG. 4, the label 10 separated in this way is accompanied by a minute protruding deformed portion 11a and a whisker-shaped or burr-shaped deformed portion 12a due to, for example, a joint to the margin portion 13 or a poor cutting. Can be formed.
Therefore, the shaping unit 70 described below is provided in the present manufacturing apparatus.

<Shaping section>
When the chassis portion 52 is located at the shaping position P ₂ , the label 10 being conveyed held by the arm portion 60 is shaped by the shaping portion 70.
The shaping unit 70 removes the deformed portions 11a and 12a attached to the label 10 to shape the label 10. The shaping portion 70 includes an air gun (fumarole portion) 71 that blows off the deformed portion 11a with the injected air to remove it from the label 10, and a burner (flame radiation) that melts the deformed portion 12a with the emitted flame and removes it from the label 10. A deformed portion removing device such as a portion) 72 can be adopted.
Here, by exposing the deformed portions 11a and 12a of the label 10 to the air and flame continuously discharged from the shaping portion 70, the deformed portions 11a and 12a are removed and the label 10 being conveyed is shaped.

<Charging part>
By the way, immediately after arranging the label 10 inside the mold 91 (cavity), it is necessary to hold the label 10 so as not to move in the mold 91. As a method of holding the label 10 in this way, a suction hole is provided in the mold 91 and vacuum suction is performed from the suction hole to hold the label 10, and the label 10 is charged to charge the label on the mold 91. A method of electrostatically adsorbing 10 can be mentioned. When the latter is adopted, it is necessary to charge the label 10, which requires a device for forming at least one side of the label 10 without antistatic treatment and charging the label 10 obtained thereby. ..

Here, a manufacturing apparatus adopting a method of charging the label 10 will be illustrated.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the undercarriage 52 in the charging position P ₃ to position the label 10 being conveyed held by the arm portion 60, it passes near the charging unit 80. As a result, the label 10 is charged. As a result, after the label 10 is arranged inside the first split mold 91a, the state in which the label 10 is attached to the first split mold 91a is maintained by Coulomb force. As the charging unit 80, a charging device such as a charging bar or a charging gun can be adopted.
If the manufacturing apparatus is provided with a suction mechanism for vacuum-sucking the label 10 to the mold 91, the charging unit 80 may be stopped or the charging unit 80 may be omitted.

<Arrangement part>
When the undercarriage 52 is positioned at the position P _4, the arm portion 60 of the undercarriage portion 52, functions as a placement unit for placing the label 10 to the inside of the first split mold 91a. At this time, the chassis portion 52 is stopped at the _{arrangement position P 4} so as to face the inside of the first split mold 91a.
The arm portion 60 is driven to project from the transport position to the insertion / extraction position, and the label 10 held by the tip portion 60a is inserted into the inside of the first split die 91a and pressed against the arm portion 60.

Then, the operation of the suction mechanism of the arm portion 60 is stopped, and the charged label 10 sticks to the inside of the first split mold 91a. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the first label 11 and the second label 12 forming the label 10 are attached to a predetermined position inside the first split mold 91a while maintaining the relative arrangement. Therefore, the relative arrangement of the labels 11 and 12 in the film 1 is set according to the relative arrangement of the labels 11 and 12 inside the first split mold 91a of the mold 91.
That is, an arrangement mechanism (arrangement portion) provided with the arm portion 60, its infestation drive mechanism, a suction mechanism, and the like is provided.

Thereafter, the arm portion 60 to the transport position from the insertion position is retracted driven undercarriage unit 52 is moved to the origin position P _1.
When the label 10 is pressed against the first split die 91a, the feeding mechanism 20 feeds the film 1 again, and the label 10 is fed by two.

[2-3. Molding mechanism]
Next, the molding mechanism 90 will be described with reference to FIG.
The molding mechanism 90 supplies the molding material into the mold 91 and in-molds the container 2 by attaching the label 10 to the outer wall 2a by in-mold labeling. Here, the container 2 to which the label 10 is attached is molded by blow molding. For example, a labeled container is molded by injection molding, direct blow molding, stretch blow molding, or the like. Further, the container 2 to which the label 10 is attached may be molded by differential pressure thermoforming, vacuum forming, or the like.

In the molding mechanism 90, two sets of molds 91 are arranged side by side in the X direction, similarly to the two sets of arm portions 60. Further, since each set of dies 91 is formed from the split dies 91a and 91b divided into two in the Y direction, the slide rail 92 extending in the Y direction so as to connect the split dies 91a and 91b is formed by the forming mechanism 90. Will be laid in. The split dies 91a and 91b move along the slide rail 92 so as to approach or separate from each other.

Further, in the center of the molding mechanism 90 in the Y direction, there is a supply port 93 for supplying a molten pipe-shaped molding material (plastic raw material, so-called "parison" or "preform") to the mold 91, and a mold for closing the mold. The mold 91 is provided with an air blowing port 94. These supply ports 93 and blow ports 94 are arranged above the mold 91.
The split dies 91a and 91b may be provided with a suction mechanism for sucking the arranged label 10.

The labeled container is molded by the following procedure.
The molding material is introduced into the split dies 91a and 91b from the supply port 93, and the split dies 91a and 91b are brought close to each other and the molds are closed to perform blow molding. Then, the cooled split dies 91a and 91b are separated from each other and opened, and the molded labeled container is taken out. After that, the labeled container may be deburred.

[2-4. Control configuration]
Next, the configuration of the control unit 100 that controls the manufacturing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.
First, the basic configuration of the control unit 100 will be described.
The control unit 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110, a memory 111 such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), and an optical drive. , An external storage device 112 such as a flash memory and a reader / writer, an input device 113 such as a keyboard and a mouse, an output device (display unit) 114 such as a display and a printer device, and a communication device 115 for transmitting and receiving wirelessly or by wire. Each of these devices 110 to 115 is communicably connected to each other via a bus 116 such as a control bus or a data bus provided inside the control unit 100.

The control unit 100 (program product) is a general-purpose computer capable of executing the program 117. This program 117 is installed in the external storage device 112.
The program 117 may be recorded on a recording medium 118 that can be read by an optical drive, a flash memory, a reader / writer, or the like. Alternatively, the program 117 may be recorded in the online storage on the network to which the control unit 100 can connect. In any case, the program 117 may be executed by downloading the program 117 to the external storage device 112 of the control unit 100 or reading (loading) the program 117 into the CPU 110 or the memory 111.

Subsequently, the configuration of the control unit 100 suitable for controlling the manufacturing apparatus will be described.
The above-mentioned inspection unit 40 is connected to the input side of the control unit 100, and the above-mentioned arm unit 60 is connected to the output side. The inspection unit 40, the arm unit 60, and the control unit 100 are connected by wire or wirelessly so as to be able to transmit information.
Here, the inspection result of whether or not the label 10 is in a predetermined state is transmitted from the inspection unit 40 to the control unit 100. The control unit 100 controls the arm unit 60 according to the transmitted inspection result.

Specifically, when the inspection result that the label 10 is in a predetermined state is transmitted, a control instruction for separating the label 10 from the film 1 is output from the control unit 100 to the arm unit 60. On the other hand, when the inspection result that the label 10 is not in a predetermined state is transmitted, a control instruction for not separating the label 10 from the film 1, that is, a stop control instruction is output from the control unit 100 to the arm unit 60. Further, the control result of the inspection unit 40 is output to the output device 114 and displayed. In this way, the arm unit 60 is operated by the control unit 100.
The control unit 100 executes such a control process by the above program 117.

[3. Production method]
Subsequently, a method for manufacturing a labeled container will be described with reference to FIG. 7. This manufacturing method is a method of manufacturing a labeled container by the manufacturing apparatus described above.
In this manufacturing method, the film 1 in which the labels 10 are arranged is inspected in a preparatory step (step A10), an inspection step of feeding out the prepared film 1 and its label 10 (step A15), and an inspection step. Each step is carried out in the order of a transport step (step A20) for transporting the label 10 and a molding step (step A30) for molding the container 2 using the label 10 transported in the transport step.

Further, in the preparation step, a printing step (step A12) is carried out. Further, in the inspection step (feeding step), each step is carried out in the order of the detection step (step A16) and the determination step (step A17).
Further, in the transfer step, each step is carried out in the order of a separation step (step A22), a shaping step (step A24), a charging step (step A26), and an arrangement step (step A28).

Hereinafter, each process will be described step by step.
First, in the preparation step of step A10, printing is performed on the portion of the film 1 that becomes the label 10 in the printing step of step A12. The label 10 printed in this way is unwound as the film 1 is unwound, and is formed so as to be arranged in the longitudinal direction. In this way, the label 10 arranged on the film 1 is prepared.

After that, in the inspection step of step A15, it is inspected whether or not the label 10 to be fed out is in a predetermined state. Specifically, in the detection step of step A16, the state of the label 10 is detected by the detection unit 41. Subsequently, in the determination step of step A17, it is determined whether or not the label 10 is in a predetermined state.

When it is determined that the label 10 is in a predetermined state, the process proceeds to the transfer step of step A20. On the other hand, if it is determined that the state is not the predetermined state, the process proceeds to the discharge step of step A19.
That is, when an affirmative determination is made in step A17, a control instruction for separating the affirmatively determined label 10 is output from the control unit 100 to the arm unit 60, and the label 10 is separated. Then, in the transfer step of step A20, it is conveyed by the transfer mechanism 50. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step A17, a control instruction for not separating the negatively determined label 10 is output from the control unit 100 to the arm unit 60, and the label 10 is not separated. Then, without being transported to the transport mechanism 50, it is caught in the second rotating shaft 22 and discharged in the discharge step of step A19.

In the transfer step of step A20, the label 10 is conveyed by the arm portion 60 of the transfer mechanism 50.
The label 10 transported in the transport step is separated from the film 1 by the arm portion 60 in the separation step of step A22.
Then, in the shaping step of step A24, the deformed portions 11a and 12a are removed by the shaping portion 70, and the label 10 is shaped.

Subsequently, in the charging step of step A26, the label 10 is charged by the charging unit 80.
After that, in the arrangement step of step A28, the charged label 10 is arranged inside the mold 91 by the arm portion 60. Then, the label 10 sticks to the mold 91.
In the molding step of step A30, the container 2 to which the label 10 is attached is molded by the molding mechanism 90.

[4. Materials, etc.]
Next, for each of the container 2 and the label 10, the material, physical properties, ratio, and the like will be described.
[4-1. container]
As the material of the container 2, a known molding material can be used as long as the hollow container can be molded.
Specifically, the following materials are used in the container 2.

<Container material>
As the resin material for molding the container 2, polyolefin-based resin, polyester-based resin, polystyrene-based resin, ethylene-vinyl acetate resin, polyamide, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, polyoxymethylene, polymethyl methacrylate, Thermoplastic resins such as polymethacrylic styrene and polyallyl sulphon can be used. Further, as these resins, not only homopolymers but also copolymers can be used. The copolymer may be a binary system, a plural system of ternary system or more, a random copolymer, or a block copolymer.

Among these, polyolefin-based resins, polyester-based resins, and polystyrene-based resins are preferable from the viewpoint of processability and safety.
Here, examples of the polyolefin-based resin include polyethylene-based resins, polypropylene-based resins, and poly (4-methylpenta-1-ene) -based resins. Of these, polyethylene-based resins and polypropylene-based resins are preferable.

Examples of the polyethylene-based resin include low-density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), and high-density polyethylene (HDPE).
Examples of the polypropylene-based resin include homopolypropylene and propylene as main components, and a copolymer of these with α-olefin. The propylene-based copolymer may be a binary system or a multi-dimensional system of ternary system or more, and may be a random copolymer or a block copolymer. Further, as long as it is a resin mainly composed of polyethylene, a copolymer or a blended resin with another resin may be adopted.

Examples of the polyester-based resin include aliphatic polyesters and aromatic polyesters, but aromatic polyesters are preferable, and polyethylene terephthalate is more preferable, because of the versatility that is often used in daily necessities such as food containers and detergent containers.

Examples of styrene-based resins include polystyrene, high-impact polystyrene, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylic acid ester copolymer, and methacrylic acid ester. -Butadiene-styrene copolymer and the like can be mentioned.
Among these, it is preferable to use any one of a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, or a mixture of both because of its versatility that is often used in daily necessities such as food containers and detergent containers.

When manufacturing a labeled container, a method of inserting the label 10 into the mold 91 and extruding the thermoplastic resin composition in a moldable state into the mold 91 is preferable. Above all, a method in which a parison made of these resins is extruded into a mold 91 and these are sandwiched between the molds 91 and blow-molded is preferable. By blow molding, the label 10 can be attached to the container 2 at the same time as the container 2 is molded. As a result, the labeled container can be easily manufactured in a short time while maintaining the design, weight reduction, and productivity of the container 2.

<Others>
The resin used in each of the above-mentioned molding methods may be a transparent or natural color that does not contain pigments and dyes, and may be opaque or colored that contains pigments or dyes. Even if the resin constituting the container 2 is colored, the difference between the hue of the container 2 itself and the hue via the label 10 is small, and the sense of unity between the container 2 and the label 10 is excellent. When the resin constituting the container 2 is transparent, both the container 2 and the label 10 are transparent, and the labeled container as a whole has an excellent sense of unity, and the contents can be easily seen from any part of the labeled container. ..
These resins may be treated to increase crystallinity from the viewpoint of improving heat resistance, strength, light reflectivity, and other physical properties and design properties, or these resins may be subjected to a treatment known for fillers, colorants, and additives. It is also possible to use a resin composition to which the above is added.

[4-2. label]
Next, the label 10 will be described.
<material>
A known material can be used as the material of the label 10. For example, a thermoplastic resin such as a polyolefin-based resin, a polyester-based resin, a polyamide, polyvinyl chloride, a styrene-based resin, or polycarbonate can be used. Examples of the polyolefin-based resin include polyethylene and polypropylene, and examples of the polyester-based resin include polyethylene terephthalate, but the present invention is not particularly limited thereto. Among the above-mentioned thermoplastic resins, a thermoplastic resin having a melting point in the range of 130 to 280 ° C. is preferable. The above-mentioned thermoplastic resin may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
In addition, in order to give the heat seal layer 1a the amount of heat required for the heat sealant to melt, it is preferable that the label 10 has a heat insulating property. Therefore, it is preferable to obtain the label 10 from the porous film 1. Specifically, it is preferable that the base layer 1b is in the form of a porous film.

<Adhesive strength to the container>
The adhesive strength of the label 10 to the container 2 is measured according to JIS K6854-2: 1999 "Adhesive-Peeling Adhesive Strength Test Method-Part 2: 180 Degree Peeling". Under the condition that blister (air bubbles) are not generated, the adhesive strength is preferably 2N / 15 mm or more, more preferably 4N / 15 mm or more, and further preferably 5N / 15 mm or more. On the other hand, the upper limit of the adhesive strength is not particularly limited, but it is preferably 15 N / 15 mm or less from the cohesive fracture strength of the resin of the low melting point resin layer 1a. It is also preferable that when the label 10 is peeled off from the labeled container, cohesive failure occurs inside the label 10. If the adhesive strength is higher than the lower limit of the above range, the label 10 tends to be difficult to peel off due to friction, vibration, and impact that the adherend receives during use.

<Smoothness>
The surface of the print layer 1c of the label 10 has high smoothness because it exhibits good printability. Specifically, the label 10 forming the surface of the smooth printed layer 1c shown in JP-A-2006-309175 is used. On the other hand, when the label 10 is attached to the container 2 by in-mold labeling, the label 10 forming the smooth surface of the heat-sealing layer 1a shown in JP-A-2015-166175 is used as the surface of the heat-sealing layer 1a.

<Dimensions in the thickness direction>
Further, since the label 10 is attached to the container 2 by in-mold labeling, the height dimension "T ₂ " of the label 10 is suppressed. Specifically, the ratio of _{"T 1} ", which is the thickness direction dimension of _{the label 10, and "T 2} ", which is the height dimension of the step of the label 10, _{T 1} : T ₂ is 50:50 to 100: 0. The range of is preferable.

<Stretching>
The label 10 is preferably stretched in at least one direction. For example, a porous film 1 can be easily obtained by using a thermoplastic resin and an inorganic fine powder as the material of the label 10 and forming the film into a film and then stretching the film. Further, when the stretched film 1 is used, the efficiency when the deformed portions 11a and 12a are removed by the burner 72 is improved. Further, since the rigidity of the label 10 is increased by stretching, the label 10 is less likely to be bent or wrinkled when the label 10 is arranged on the mold 90 by the arm portion 60.
Moreover, by setting the stretching direction according to the contour shape of the label 10, the formation of the deformed portions 11a and 12a can be suppressed. For example, in the label 10 installed in the feeding mechanism 20, the label 10 is stretched in the X direction.
However, the label 10 does not have to be stretched.

<Heat sealant>
As the heat sealant for forming the heat seal layer 1a, for example, one that melts at 150 ° C. to 180 ° C. and exhibits adhesiveness is used. As the material used for this heat sealant, various materials shown in JP-A-2015-166175 and JP-A-2016-47598 can be used. For example, polyolefin-based resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyester-based resins, polyamides, polyvinyl chlorides, styrene-based resins, and thermoplastic resins such as polycarbonate can be used.

[4-3. ratio]
Next, the area ratio of the surfaces of the container 2 and the label 10 in the labeled container (hereinafter referred to as “ratio”) will be described.

<Relative area ratio>
First, the relative ratio between the area of the first label 11 and the area of the second label 12 (hereinafter referred to as "relative area ratio") will be described.
The relative area ratio of the plurality of labels 11 and 12 is preferably 1:10 to 10: 1 as the area ratio of one label (for example, the second label 12) and the other label (for example, the first label 11). : 7 to 7: 3 is more preferable, and 4: 6 to 6: 4 is even more preferable. When the relative area ratio of the labels 11 and 12 is within the above range, the probability that the pick-up of the labels 11 and 12 fails is reduced, and it becomes easy to reduce the defective rate.
Even when three or more labels are attached to one container 2, the above-mentioned relative area ratio is set as the area ratio between the smallest label and the largest label.

<Overall ratio>
Next, the ratio of the area of the label 10 to the surface area of the container 2 (hereinafter referred to as "overall ratio") will be described.
The ratio (percentage) of the total area of the label 10 (or the label on the back surface in addition to this) to the surface area of one container 2 is preferably 5% to 90%, more preferably 20 to 80%, and 30 to 70. % Is more preferable. When the overall ratio is within the above range, the defect rate such that the label 10 interferes and falls off can be reduced, and at the same time, the display function of the label 10 can be exhibited.

[5. Action and effect]
In the manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of the labeled container of the present embodiment, and the program and recording medium used for these, since the labels 10 arranged in the longitudinal direction on the film 1 are separated, one laminated single-wafer-shaped label is used. Compared with the manufacturing method of taking out the labels one by one, the warp of the label 10 can be suppressed, and the labels 10 are not taken out due to overlapping due to static electricity or the like. Therefore, the quality of the labeled container can be improved.
Furthermore, the following actions and effects can be obtained.

[5-1. Label inspection]
First, the action and effect related to the inspection of label 10 will be described.
(1) The inspection unit 40 inspects whether or not the label 10 delivered by the feeding mechanism 20 is in a predetermined state, and the necessity of the label 10 is selected according to the inspection result of the inspection unit 40. Can be done.
For example, if the inspection of the inspection unit 40 shows that the label 10 is not in a predetermined state, the control unit 100 does not separate the label 10 from the film 1 by the operation of the arm unit 60, and the label in a defective state is placed on the container 2. It is possible to prevent the sticking of 10. Therefore, the quality of the labeled container can be improved.

(2) If the inspection unit 40 inspects whether or not the label 10 is in a predetermined printing state, it is possible to prevent the label 10 having poor printing from being attached to the container 2.
(3) Further, if the inspection unit 40 inspects whether or not the label 10 has a predetermined surface condition, it is possible to prevent the label 10 mixed with foreign matter from being attached to the container 2.

(4) By controlling whether or not to separate the label 10 from the film 1 by the control unit 100 according to the inspection result of the inspection unit 40, the label 10 in a predetermined state can be automatically separated. It is also possible to prevent the label 10 that is not in a predetermined state from being automatically separated. Therefore, the defect occurrence rate of the product (labeled container) can be significantly reduced.
(5) By separating the label 10 in a predetermined state, a label 10 suitable for being attached to the container 2 can be placed on the production line.
(6) On the other hand, by not separating the label 10 that is not in a predetermined state, it is possible to prevent the label 10 that is in an inappropriate state for being attached to the container 2 from being attached to the container 2.

(7) Further, since the label 10 which is not in the predetermined state by the inspection of the inspection unit 40 is caught in the downstream side by the feeding mechanism 20 and discharged, the label in a defective state is used by using the feeding mechanism 20. 10 can be removed from the production line.
(8) In addition, by displaying the inspection result by the inspection unit 40 on the display unit 114, the quality of the state of the label 10 can be shown to the worker, and the manufacturing workability can be improved.

[5-2. Label shaping]
Next, the actions and effects related to label shaping will be described.
(1) The label 10 is shaped by removing the deformed portions 11a and 12a attached to the label 10 separated by the arm portion 60 by the shaping portion 70. Therefore, the outer shape of the label 10 in the container 2 can be adjusted, and the quality of the labeled container can be improved.

(2) If the air gun 71 is used for the shaping portion 70, the label 10 can be shaped by blowing off the deformed portion 11a with the injected air and removing it from the label 10.
(3) If the burner 72 is used for the shaping portion 70, the label 10 can be shaped by melting the deformed portion 12a with a radiated flame and removing it from the label 10.

[5-3. Label placement]
Furthermore, the action and effect regarding the arrangement of the label 10 will be described.
(1) One of the containers 2 corresponding to one of the split dies 91a and 91b by arranging a plurality of labels 11 and 12 inside one of the split dies 91a and 91b by the arm portion 60. A plurality of labels 11 and 12 are attached to the side. In this way, the container 2 having a plurality of labels 11 and 12 attached to the front side (one side) can be in-molded. As a result, the design of the labeled container can be enhanced, and the degree of freedom in designing the appearance can be improved.

(2) By separating the plurality of labels 11 and 12 from the film 1 and arranging them inside one of the molds 91a and 91b while maintaining the relative arrangement, a desired position in the molds 91a and 91b Each of the plurality of labels 91a and 91b can be arranged on the.
(3) For example, when the shapes of the sheet-fed labels are different from each other, it is difficult to arrange each of the plurality of labels at a desired position inside the mold 91. On the other hand, the plurality of labels 11 and 12 can be arranged at desired positions only by arranging them inside the mold 91 while maintaining the relative arrangement on the film 1. In this way, it is possible to improve the design of the labeled container while suppressing the decrease in manufacturing efficiency.

(4) Further, when the outline of the single-wafer-shaped label consists only of a curved line, it is difficult to align and stack the labels, so that it is difficult to arrange each of the plurality of labels at a desired position inside the mold 91. On the other hand, since the first label 11 having only a curved contour is arranged inside the mold while maintaining the orientation on the film 1, the label 11 can be arranged at a desired position. In this way, it is possible to improve the design of the labeled container while suppressing the decrease in manufacturing efficiency.
(5) Since the number of arm portions 61 and 62 corresponding to the number of labels 11 and 12 is provided on the chassis portion 52, a plurality of labels 11 and 12 can be separated and arranged at the same time. For example, the manufacturing efficiency can be improved as compared with the manufacturing device in which each of the arm portions having a smaller number than the present device sequentially separates and peels off the plurality of labels 11 and 12.

[II. Example]
Hereinafter, examples of this case will be described.
The materials, amounts used, proportions, treatment contents, treatment procedures, etc. shown in the following examples can be changed as appropriate without departing from the purpose of this case. Therefore, the scope of this case should not be construed in a limited manner by the specific examples shown below.

(Adhesive strength)
With respect to the obtained labeled container, a sample having a length of 35 mm and a width of 15 mm was cut out so as to include the container body and the label with the vertical direction as a reference with respect to the orientation at the time of molding. Next, a cutter knife was inserted between the container and the label under the cut-out sample with reference to the orientation at the time of molding, separated by 5 mm, and this portion was used as a gripping allowance. Next, using a tensile tester "Autograph, AGS-D type" manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation, T-shaped separation was performed at a tensile speed of 300 mm / min according to JIS K6854-3: 1999, and the maximum separation stress after 10 mm from the start of separation. Is measured, and the value obtained by averaging the measured values of 6 samples is taken as the adhesive strength. The adhesive strength is judged on the basis that there is no problem in practical use if it is 6N / 15 mm or more, there is no problem in practical use if it is 2N / 15 mm or more and less than 6N / 15 mm, and it is easy to peel off in practical use if it is less than 2N / 15 mm. did.

[1. First Example]
In the first embodiment, a labeled container manufactured by injection molding will be described.

<Material of base material layer (A)>
Material 1 Propylene homopolymer (abbreviation: PP1, manufactured by Japan Polypropylene Corporation, product name: Novatec PP FY4, MFR (230 ° C, 2.16 kg load): 5 g / 10 minutes))
Material 2 High-density polyethylene (abbreviation: PE1, manufactured by Japan Polyethylene Corporation, product name: Novatec HD HJ580, MFR (190 ° C, 2.16 kg load): 12 g / 10 minutes))
Material 3 Heavy calcium carbonate (abbreviation: CA1, manufactured by Bikita Powder Industry Co., Ltd., product name: Softon 2200, volume average particle size: 1.0 μm, specific surface area 22,000 cm ² / g)
<Material of thermosetting resin layer (B)>
Material a Propylene homopolymer (abbreviation: PP1, manufactured by Japan Polypropylene Corporation, product name: Novatec PP FY4, MFR (230 ° C, 2.16 kg load): 5 g / 10 minutes))
Material b High-density polyethylene (abbreviation: HDPE, manufactured by Japan Polyethylene Corporation, product name: Novatec HD HJ580, MFR (190 ° C, 2.16 kg load): 12 g / 10 minutes))

The mixture [a1] of Material 1 80% by mass, Material 2 10% by mass, and Material 3 10% by mass is melt-kneaded by an extruder set at 250 ° C., extruded, and cooled to 70 ° C. by a cooling device. A single-layer unstretched sheet was obtained.
After heating this unstretched sheet to 140 ° C., it was stretched 5 times between rolls in the vertical direction to obtain a vertically uniaxially stretched film serving as a core layer (A1). Next, a mixture [a2] of 55% by mass of the material and 345% by mass of the material was melt-kneaded by an extruder set at 250 ° C. and laminated on one side of the longitudinally uniaxially stretched film to form a printing layer / core layer ( A laminate of A2 / A1) was obtained.
Further, the compound [a3] of the material 1 55% by mass and the material 3 45% by mass and the compound [b1] of the material a 50% by mass and the material b 50% by mass are melt-kneaded at 250 ° C. using different extruders. A printing layer obtained by laminating the compound [b] on the opposite surface of the above-mentioned layer so that the compound [b] is on the outside to form the compound [a2] / compound [a1] / compound [a3] / compound [b1]. A four-layered laminate (A2 / A1 / A3 / B) of / core layer / intermediate layer / heat seal layer was obtained.
Next, the laminate was heated to 155 ° C. and stretched 8 times in the lateral direction using a tenter stretching machine to obtain a 4-layer laminated film stretched in 1-axis / 2-axis / 1-axis / 1-axis.

This laminated film was cooled to 55 ° C., the ears were slit, and the printing layer (A2) side was further ^{subjected to a 30 W / min / m 2} corona discharge treatment, and "ST-3200" manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (ST-3200). An aqueous solution containing 0.5% by weight of (trade name) is applied by a size press method so as to contain an antistatic agent having a solid content of 0.01 g after drying per ^{unit area (m 2), and dried.} An antistatic layer was provided. As a result, a sheet in which labels 10 for in-mold molding having a laminated structure of an antistatic layer / a printing layer / a core layer / an intermediate layer / a heat seal layer (antistatic layer / A2 / A1 / A3 / B) are arranged. (Film) was obtained. The heat seal layer side of the sheet is not antistatic treated. Here, the "printing layer / core layer / intermediate layer" (A2 / A1 / A3) corresponds to the label 10.

Using these labels 10 for in-mold molding, a labeled container was manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “the present manufacturing apparatus”). This manufacturing apparatus is equipped with an injection molding machine (NV50ST / mold clamping 50 tons, vertical arrangement type) manufactured by Niigata Engineering Co., Ltd. as a molding mechanism 90. An injection molding die was used, which was a flat plate having a container size of 130 mm in width, 150 mm in length, and 1 mm in wall thickness. The film 1 was unwound by the winding mechanism 20, and the detection unit 41 detected the state of the label 10. Next, the label 10 that was determined to be affirmative was peeled off from the film 1 by the transport mechanism 50. Further, while the mold was held at 20 ° C., the label 10 was arranged on the surface of the female mold attached to the lower fixing plate side by the transport mechanism 50 so that the printing surface side was in contact with the mold. Next, after molding the split mold, polypropylene (manufactured by Japan Polypropylene Corporation, "Novatec PP, MA3, MFR11 [230 ° C, 2.16 kg load]") was injected from the injection device at an injection resin temperature of 230 ° C and an injection pressure of 60 MPa. The label 10 was melt-bonded and the injection resin was cooled and solidified by injecting the label 10 into the mold from the gate portion. Then, the mold was opened to obtain a labeled container 2. The label adhesive strength of the labeled container 2 thus obtained was 7.2 N / 15 mm. Further, a labeled container 2 was obtained in the same manner as above except that the injection resin temperature was changed to 200 ° C. The label adhesive strength of the in-mold molded product thus obtained was 6.7 N / 15 mm.

[2. Second Example]
In the second embodiment, a labeled container manufactured by direct blow molding will be described.
<Material of base material layer (A)>
Material 4 Propylene homopolymer (abbreviation: PP2, manufactured by Japan Polypropylene Corporation, product name: Novatec PP MA4, MFR (230 ° C, 2.16 kg load): 5 g / 10 minutes))
Material 5 Heavy calcium carbonate (abbreviation: CA2, manufactured by Bikita Powder Industry Co., Ltd., product name: Softon 1800, volume average particle size: 1.8 μm)
Material 6 Rutile type titanium oxide (abbreviation: TIO, manufactured by Ishihara Sangyo Co., Ltd., product name: Typake CR-60, volume average particle size: 0.2 μm)
<Material of thermosetting resin layer (B)>
Material c Metallocene-based polyethylene (abbreviation: PE2, manufactured by Japan Polyethylene Corporation, product name: Harmorex NH745N, MFR (190 ° C, 2.16 kg load): 8 g / 10 minutes))

A mixture [a4] of material 4 89% by mass, material 5 10% by mass, and material 6 1% by mass was melt-kneaded in an extruder set at 250 ° C. and then supplied to a T-die set at 250 ° C. It was extruded into a sheet and cooled to about 60 ° C. with a cooling roll to obtain an unstretched sheet. Next, this unstretched sheet is reheated to 140 ° C., then stretched so as to be quadrupled in the vertical direction by utilizing the difference in peripheral speed of the roll group, cooled to about 60 ° C. with a cooling roll, and stretched. I got a sheet.

Next, the material c [b2] was melt-kneaded in an extruder set at 230 ° C. and then extruded into a sheet from a T-die set at 230 ° C., and the thermoplastic resin and the drawn sheet were gravure with # 150 wire. Guided between the embossed metal cooling roll and the matte rubber roll, the embossed pattern is transferred to the thermoplastic resin side while sandwiching and joining the two, and cooled by the cooling roll, [a4] / [ A film having a two-layer structure of b2] was obtained.

Next, this laminated resin sheet was reheated to 160 ° C. using a tenter oven, stretched to 9 times using a tenter, and then annealed in a heat set zone adjusted to 160 ° C. for cooling. Cool to about 60 ° C with a roll, slit the ears, and biaxially stretch a two-layer structure with a thickness of 110 μm (olefin resin film / heat seal layer: 106 μm / 4 μm) and a density of 0.78 g / cm ^3. A resin film was obtained.

Next, this was guided to a corona discharge processor with a guide roll, and the surface on the olefin resin film side was subjected to a corona discharge treatment at a processing amount of ^{50 W / min / m 2 and wound up by a winder.}
Next, this film was punched into a rectangle having a width of 60 mm and a length of 110 mm to obtain a label 10 used for manufacturing a labeled container. The label 10 is placed on one of the blow molding dies capable of molding a bottle having a content of 400 ml so that the heat seal layer faces the cavity side, and after fixing on the dies by using suction, between the dies. High-density polyethylene (trade name "Novatec HD HB420R", manufactured by Nippon Polyethylene Co., Ltd., MFR <JIS-K7210> = 0.2 g / 10 minutes, melting peak temperature <JIS-K7121> = 133 ° C, crystallization peak temperature <JIS-K7121> = 115 ° C., density = 0.956 g / cm ³ ) is melted at 170 ° C. and extruded into a parison shape, and then the mold 91 is molded and then ^{a pressure air of 4.2 kg / cm 2} is applied to the parison. The parison is inflated for 16 seconds to be brought into close contact with the mold 91 to form a container and fused with the label 10, then the molded product is cooled in the mold 91, the mold is opened, and the label is opened. I got a container with a label. At this time, the mold cooling temperature was set to 20 ° C., and the shot cycle time was set to 28 seconds / time.

The labeled container was stored in an environment of 23 ° C. and 50% relative humidity for 1 week, and then the adhesive strength was evaluated. The label adhesive strength of the obtained labeled container was 5.6 N / 15 mm.

[3. Third Example]
In the third embodiment, a labeled container manufactured by stretch blow molding will be described.
<Material of base material layer (A)>
Material 7 Propylene homopolymer (abbreviation: PP3, manufactured by Japan Polypropylene Corporation, product name: Novatec PP MA3U)
Material 8 Ethylene / hexene-1 copolymer (abbreviation: PE3, manufactured by Japan Polyethylene Corporation, product name: kernel KS340T)
Material 9 Low-density high-pressure polyethylene (abbreviation: PE4, manufactured by Japan Polyethylene Corporation, product name: Novatec LD LC720)
Material 10 Antistatic agent (abbreviation: AS1, manufactured by Japan Polyethylene Corporation, product name: Novatec LL LX-AS)
<Material of thermosetting resin layer (B)>
Material d Emulsion solution of maleic acid-modified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (manufactured by Toyo Morton Co., Ltd., trade name: EA-H700, solid content concentration: 50%)

The compound [a5] containing 70% by mass of the material 7 and 30% by mass of the material 9 was melt-kneaded at 240 ° C. using an extruder.
Material 7 [a6] was melt-kneaded at 240 ° C. using an extruder.
Further, the mixture [a7] of the material 8 85.7% by mass, the material 9 9.5% by mass, and the material 10 4.8% by mass was melt-kneaded at 240 ° C. using an extruder. These melt-kneading was performed using separate extruders.

These kneaded products were supplied to one co-extruded T-die and laminated in three layers in the T-die. Next, it was extruded into a sheet from the T-die, guided between the semi-mirror-like cooling roll and the mat-like rubber roll, and cooled while sandwiching pressure (linear pressure: about 1.5 kg / cm). In this way, a non-stretched laminated resin film having a three-layer structure (a5 / a6 / a7) was obtained.
Next, the obtained laminated resin film was guided to a corona discharge processor with a guide roll, and the surface on the printable layer side was subjected to corona discharge treatment at a processing amount of ^{50 W / min / m 2, and the ears were cut off.} After that, it was wound up by a winder.
At the time of pinching, the semi-mirror-like cooling roll was in contact with the intermediate layer, and the mat-like rubber roll was formed so as to be in contact with the printable layer. The thickness of the obtained laminated resin film was 80 μm, and the internal haze was 13%.

Material d [b3] was applied using a microgravure coater. The coated laminated resin film was dried in an oven set at 95 ° C. to obtain a film having a four-layer structure (a5 / a6 / a7 / b3). The thickness of the heat seal layer of the film was 3 μm.

The obtained film 1 was punched into rectangles having a long side of 8 cm and a short side of 6 cm to obtain a label 10 for in-mold molding.
Inside the molding mold of a stretch blow molding machine (manufactured by Nissei ASB, trade name: ASB-70DPH), the opposite side of the seal layer is in contact with the mold (the seal layer faces the cavity side). Like), installed. The mold 91 is provided with a suction hole and is connected to a vacuum suction device. The label 10 was installed so that the long side was attached in the mold 91 in parallel with the circumferential direction of the body of the resin molded product. The mold 91 was cooled so that the surface temperature on the cavity side was within the range of 20 to 45 ° C.

Next, the polyethylene terephthalate preform was preheated to 130 ° C. Then, in the mold, this preform was stretch blow molded at a mold temperature of 45 ° C. for 1 second under a blow pressure of 10 to 40 kg / cm ^2. Then, it cooled to 50 degreeC in 3 seconds. In this way, a labeled container was obtained. Of the obtained labeled containers, container 2 was a container having a square body having a height of 12 cm and a side of about 7 cm.
Next, each of the obtained labeled containers was stored for 2 days in an environment of a temperature of 23 ° C. and a relative humidity of 50%. The label adhesive strength of the obtained in-mold molded product was 6.9 N / 15 mm.

[III. Modification example]
Finally, a modified example of the present embodiment will be described.
[1. First modification]
Here, a modification relating to the inspection of the label 10 will be described.
The label 10 determined not to be in a predetermined state may be separated by the arm unit 60. In this case, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 2, a discharge port (second discharge portion) 27 for discharging the label 10 separated by the arm portion 60 to the outside of the device is provided. Here, the discharge port 27 is arranged between the insertion position and the transport position in the origin position P _1. Above all, when the discharge port 27 is arranged below the arm portion 60, the separated label 10 falls by its own weight, so that the label 10 can be collected by a simple device.
By functioning the arm portion 60 and the discharge port 27 as the discharge portion of the label 10 in this way, the label 10 determined not to be in a predetermined state can be reliably discharged to the outside of the device.

Further, the quality control of the label 10 may be carried out based on the inspection result of the label 10 by the inspection unit 40. For example, the quality of the label 10 can be controlled by accumulating the records in which the inspection unit 40 determines that the label 10 is not in a predetermined state. In this case, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 7, the quality control step (step A18) is carried out after the negative determination of the determination step (step A17).

In addition, the label 10 which is not in a predetermined state may be corrected to a predetermined state and then separated from the film 1. In this case, the manufacturing apparatus is provided with a correction unit that puts the label 10 in a predetermined state.
When the label 10 is corrected by removing the foreign matter existing on the surface, an air gun for ejecting air to remove the foreign matter or a wiping device for wiping the surface to remove the foreign matter may be adopted as the correction part. it can. Alternatively, when correcting a defective print state, a printer or a marker that complements the print omission can be adopted in the correction unit.
As described above, the correction step of modifying the label 10 to a predetermined state may be carried out by modifying the label 10 by the correction unit after the inspection step and before the separation step.

On the other hand, the label 10 which is not in a predetermined state may be changed to a state in which it cannot be restored to a predetermined state before being discharged as a defective product, and then discharged. In this case, the manufacturing apparatus is provided with a state changing unit that changes the label 10 to a state in which it cannot be restored to a predetermined state.
The change of the state of the label 10 by the state change part may be a change of a physical state such as piercing with a needle, and is an overwrite (new printing) for changing the state of print information in the printing part. There may be. Alternatively, the state changing portion may be a means for fixing the plurality of labels 10.
The overwriting of the label 10 by the state changing unit includes means for superimposing printing information such as solid printing, tint block printing, character printing, and mark printing, and means for removing printing information such as an ink release agent and an ink dissolving agent. Can be mentioned.
Examples of the state changing portion forming the means for fixing the plurality of labels include a device and a mechanism for injecting and applying an adhesive.

[2. Second variant]
Here, a modification relating to the shaping of the label 10 will be described.
The operation of the shaping unit 70 may be intermittent rather than continuous. For example, when the label 10 being conveyed in the shaping position P _2, the shaping unit 70 releases air or flame, it may stop release at other times.

Further, an inspection unit for inspecting whether or not the deformed portions 11a and 12a are attached to the label 10 separated by the arm portion 60 may be provided.
As the inspection unit, the above-mentioned optical device 26 can be diverted. Examples of the inspection method by the optical device 26 include a method of comparing the image data (contour data) as a sample of the label 10 with the image data (contour data) of the label 10 captured by the optical mechanism 26. In this method, when the contour of the latter is larger than the contour of the former, it is determined that the deformed portions 11a and 12a are attached to the label 10, otherwise the deformed portions 11a and 12a are not attached to the label 10. Is determined. Such an inspection step is carried out after the separation step and before the shaping step.

When the inspection unit for inspecting the presence or absence of the deformed portions 11a and 12a is provided in this way, it is preferable that the inspection unit is connected so that the inspection result can be transmitted to the control unit 100.
The control unit 100 controls whether or not to shape the label 10 according to the inspection result of the inspection unit.
Specifically, when the inspection result that the deformed portions 11a and 12a are attached to the label 10 is transmitted from the inspection unit to the control unit 100, a control instruction for shaping the label 10 is issued from the control unit 100 to the shaping unit 70. Is output to. On the other hand, when the inspection result that the deformed portions 11a and 12a are not attached to the label 10 is transmitted from the inspection unit to the control unit 100, a control instruction for not shaping the label 10, that is, a stop control instruction is issued from the control unit 100. It is output to the shaping unit 70. The above program 117 may execute such a control process.

In this way, the shaping unit 70 shapes the label 10 when it is determined that the deformed portions 11a and 12a are attached to the label 10 in the inspection of the inspection unit, and conversely, the deformed portion 70 is formed on the label 10 in the inspection of the inspection unit. If it is assumed that 11a and 12a are not attached, the label 10 does not have to be shaped.
Further, only when the deformed portions 11a and 12a are attached to the label 10, the deformed portions 11a and 12a may be aimed at the shaping portion 70 to shape the label 10. The above program 117 may execute such a control process.

Next, the action and effect of the modified example relating to the shaping of the label 10 will be described.
If an inspection unit is provided to inspect whether or not the deformed portions 11a and 12a are attached to the label 10 separated from the film 1 by the arm 60, the necessity of shaping the label 10 is determined according to the inspection result of the inspection unit. It can be determined. For example, if the inspection unit inspects the label 10 and the deformed portions 11a and 12a are attached to the label 10, the deformed portions 11a and 12a are removed from the label 10 by the operation of the control unit 100 and the shaping unit 70 by the operator. be able to.

Further, if the control unit 100 controls whether or not the label 10 is shaped according to the inspection result of the inspection unit, the deformed portions 11a and 12a can be automatically removed from the label 10. Further, the label 10 to which the deformed portions 11a and 12a are not attached is not shaped, and excessive shaping processing by the shaping portion 70 can be suppressed.
If it is determined that the deformed portions 11a and 12a are attached to the label 10 in the inspection of the inspection unit, for example, the deformed portions 11a and 12a are removed from the label 10 by the operation of the control unit 100 and the shaping unit 70 by the worker. .. By adjusting the outer shape of the label 10 on the production line in this way, it is possible to improve the quality of the labeled container while ensuring the production efficiency.

Moreover, the shaping unit 70 removes the deformed portions 11a and 12a according to the positions of the deformed portions 11a and 12a detected by the position detecting unit, so that the removal efficiency of the deformed portions 11a and 12a can be improved.
On the other hand, if it is determined by the inspection of the inspection unit that the deformed portions 11a and 12a are not attached to the label 10, the label 10 is not shaped by the stop operation of the shaping unit 70 by the control unit 100 or the worker, and the label 10 is not shaped, which is useless. Processing can be suppressed.

[3. Third variant]
Here, a modification relating to the positioning of the label 10 will be described.
The positioning mechanism 25 may be provided with electrodes that are arranged at locations corresponding to the separation positions and sandwich the locations (heights) corresponding to the positioning holes of the film 1. One positioning hole is formed in the film 1 for each of the one label 10.
In this case, when the phase of the film 1 is "N", the electrodes come into contact with each other through the holes to energize. On the other hand, when the phase of the film 1 is other than "N", the electrodes are insulated from each other. Therefore, the label 10 can be positioned at the separation position by stopping the feeding of the label 10 when the electrode is energized.

As another positioning mechanism, there is a mechanism in which a positioning pin (plunger) driven to appear and disappear and a positioning hole into which the pin is inserted / removed cooperate to position the label 10.
At this time, the positioning pin may be urged in the protruding direction by an urging member such as a spring or rubber.

In addition, three or more labeled containers may be molded at the same time, or may be molded one by one. In this case, the number of labels 10 to be fed out and the number of mold sets are set according to the number of labeled containers to be molded at one time. Further, the mold of each set is not limited to the split mold divided into two, and a split mold divided into three or more may be used.

[4. Fourth variant]
Here, a modified example relating to the arm portion 60 will be described.
In the above-described embodiment, the chassis portion 52 provided with the number of arm portions 61 and 62 corresponding to the number of labels 11 and 12 in one label 10 has been described, but one arm portion is provided regardless of the number of labels. May be used.
The arm portion used in this case is provided with a tip portion having a size that overlaps with all of the plurality of labels in a side view. As the tip portion, a punching grill (also referred to as a "punching plate") in which a large number of holes are bored can be used.
On the other hand, more arm portions may be provided than the number of labels 11 and 12 in one label 10. Specifically, a plurality of arm portions may be provided for one label 11 and 12.
Further, the label may be attracted to the arm portion by static electricity, not limited to suction. In this case, since the label can be charged, it is not necessary to provide a charged portion.

[5. Fifth variant]
Here, with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, an example of an apparatus for manufacturing a labeled container deformed with respect to a destination for taking out the label 10 and an apparatus for conveying the label thereof will be described.
It should be noted that the configuration is the same as that of the above-described embodiment except for the points described here. Similar reference numerals are given to these configurations, and description of each part will be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 8, this manufacturing apparatus includes a label stock area 200, a transport mechanism (transport section) 50, and a molding mechanism (molding section) 90. Further, the label transfer device is configured to include a label stock area 200 and a transfer mechanism (conveyor unit) 50 excluding the molding mechanism 90 from the manufacturing device.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the label stock area 200 includes a feeding mechanism 20 for feeding out the film 1 in which the labels 10 are arranged, and a single-wafer stacker 8 containing a plurality of single-wafer-shaped labels 9 in an integrated state. (Hereinafter, a plurality of single-wafer-shaped labels 9 in an accumulated state are referred to as a label aggregate 9S). That is, the label stock area 200 is provided with a separation label installation unit 200A on which the film 1 including the label 10 is installed, and a sheet-fed label installation unit 200B on which the label stack 9S is installed.
The transport mechanism 50 transports the label 10 of the film 1 or the single-wafer-shaped label 9 of the label stack 9S from the label stock area 200 until it is placed in the mold 91. Hereinafter, the label 10 or the label 9 taken out from the label stock area 200 is also referred to as a used label because it is arranged in the mold 91 and used for manufacturing the container 2.
Further, as shown in FIG. 9 (omitted in FIG. 8), the switching mechanism (relative position changing mechanism, label setting part moving mechanism) 55 so that the label 10 or the label 9 can be selectively taken out by the transport mechanism 50. Is provided. The switching mechanism 55 will be described later.

<Sheet leaf stacker>
As described above, the single-wafer stacker 8 stores a plurality of single-wafer-shaped labels 9 (label aggregate 9S) in an accumulated state. The single-wafer-shaped label 9 is pre-cut with a rotary die cutter, a guillotine cutter, or the like, and a pattern is pre-printed as described above.
As shown in FIG. 9, the single-wafer stacker 8 is arranged in a stacker main body 8a composed of an L-shaped frame 8c erected from both side edges of the bottom wall 8b and the bottom wall 8b, and in the stacker main body 8a. It is configured with a pusher 8d. The pusher 8d is driven by a drive device (not shown), and the single-wafer-shaped labels 9 stored in the stacker main body 8a are sequentially sent out one by one to the transport mechanism 50 side.
Further, the single-wafer stacker 8 is arranged above the feeding mechanism 20 by supporting the bottom wall 8b of the single-wafer stacker 8 by a support bar 54c erected on the gantry 54.

<Switching mechanism>
As shown in FIG. 9, the switching mechanism 55 includes a gantry 54 and a moving mechanism (pedestal moving mechanism) 56 for moving the gantry 54 up and down. The gantry 54 is provided with a separation label installation unit 200A on which the feeding mechanism 20 (film 1) is installed, and a sheet-fed label installation unit 200B on which the sheet-fed stacker 8 (label stack 9S) is installed.
The upper surface of the gantry 54 is provided with support portions 54a and 54b that rotatably support the lower ends of the rotation shafts 21 and 22 of the feeding mechanism 20, and the support portions 54c that support the bottom wall 8b of the single-wafer stacker 8. Is provided. In the present embodiment, the height of the support portion 54c is set higher than that of the support portions 54a and 54b, and the single-wafer stacker 8 is arranged above the feeding mechanism 20.

The operation of the moving mechanism 56 is controlled by the control unit 100 described later, and the gantry 54 is moved up and down based on the production order input in advance to the control unit 100. Specifically, when the current production order is a production order using the label 10, the gantry 54 is moved upward, and the height of the feeding mechanism 20 is set to the arm portion 60 of the chassis portion 52 described later. The height should be such that they can face each other (hereinafter referred to as "take-out height"). As a result, the arm portion 60 can take out the label 10 of the feeding mechanism 20 as a label to be used from the separation label installation portion 200A. On the other hand, when the current production order is a production order using the label 9, the gantry 54 is moved downward to set the height of the single-wafer label installation portion 200B to the take-out height. As a result, the label 9 of the single-wafer stacker 8 can be taken out as a label to be used by the arm portion 60.

Therefore, the labels 9 and 10 used on the front side (first split mold 91a side) and the back side (second split mold 91b side) of the container 2 can be selectively switched, respectively. It is not necessary to unify the labels used on the front side and the back side of the container 2 to the label 9 or the label 10, and the sheet-fed label 9 is attached to the front side and the label separated from the film is attached to the back side. It is also possible to mold the attached container 2. That is, the single-wafer-shaped label 9 and the label 10 separated from the film can be used together in one container 2.
The switching step of switching the take-out destination of the label to be used by the switching mechanism 55 may be performed in parallel with the winding step of winding the film 1 in the feeding mechanism 20.

In addition, the switching mechanism may switch the stage of the transport mechanism 50 instead of or in addition to switching the stage to which the labels 9 and 10 are taken out. Specifically, a switching mechanism may be provided in which a slide rail extending vertically is provided and the chassis portion 52 slides up and down along the slide rail. In this case, when the chassis portion 52 is located at the lower part, the label 10 can be separated from the long film 1 as described above, and when it is located at the upper part, the sheets stacked by the stacker 8 can be separated. The leaf-shaped label 9 can be taken out.
The extending direction of the rotating shafts 21 and 22 in the feeding mechanism 20 and the direction in which the feeding mechanism 20 and the stacker 8 are arranged are not limited to the vertical direction, but are set in various directions according to the surrounding configuration, required specifications, and the like. To.

[6. Sixth variant]
Here, a modification relating to the transport of labels 9 and 10 will be described.
The transport mechanism 50 is not limited to a mechanism in which the chassis portion 52 slides along the rail 51 and the labels 9 and 10 reciprocate linearly.
For example, suction cups and electrostatic portions may be intermittently arranged at the outer peripheral end of a rotating disk, and labels 9 and 10 may be attracted by these suction cups and electrostatic portions. In this case, the labels 9 and 10 are conveyed while rotating.

In addition, suction cups and electrostatic portions may be arranged at the tips of multi-axis robot arms such as 4-axis robots and 6-axis robots, and labels 9 and 10 may be attracted by these suction cups and electrostatic portions. In this case, the labels 9 and 10 can be conveyed in a free trajectory.
Further, when the number of robot arms corresponding to the number of labels is provided, the relative arrangement can be changed and the robot arms can be transported. Therefore, by printing the label 10 on the film 1 at a high density, the material cost can be suppressed.

That is, the relative arrangement of the plurality of labels 11 and 12 may be set differently in the separation step (separation section) and the placement step (placement section). As a result, in the long film 1, a plurality of labels 11 and 12 in one label group 10 are arranged in a state where a plurality of label groups 10 composed of a plurality of labels 11 and 12 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of one surface. The interval between the labels can be narrowed. In other words, the material cost of the film 1 can be reduced by reducing the margins by devising the pattern allocation (also referred to as imposition) when printing on the long film 1.

At this time, in the separation step, there is no change in that each of the plurality of labels 11 and 12 forming the label group 10 is separated from the film 1, but in the placement step, the inside of one of the molds 91 is separated in the separation step. It is necessary to arrange the separated labels 11 and 12 differently from the relative arrangement. The arm portion 60 that sucks each of the plurality of labels 11 and 12 needs to move independently. In order to achieve this, as described above, it is preferable that each arm portion 60 is configured as an arm of an independent multi-axis robot or connected to the arm.

When the relative arrangement of the plurality of labels 11 and 12 is set to be different between the separation step and the arrangement step, the relative positions of the plurality of labels 11 and 12 in the separation step and the plurality of labels 11 in the arrangement step are set. , 12 relative positions are stored in the external storage device 112 in advance, and the relative arrangement of the labels 11 and 12 in the separation step is changed to the relative arrangement of the labels 11 and 12 in the arrangement step, so that the plurality of labels 11 , 12 are preferably computer-controlled so as to be arranged in the mold 91. Further, it is preferable that the program 117 for causing the control unit 100 to execute this control is stored in the external storage device 112.

[7. Seventh variant]
Here, a modified example of the control system will be described.
The control target of the control unit 100 may be not only the arm unit 60 and the shaping unit 70 but also other units such as the printing unit 30, the feeding mechanism 20, and the transport mechanism 50, and these units are integratedly controlled. The entire manufacturing apparatus may be controlled. In this case, the program 117 may execute the control process for individually controlling each unit of the manufacturing apparatus and the control process for controlling the entire control apparatus.

On the contrary, the control unit 100 may be omitted. In this case, a display unit may be provided in addition to the output device 114, and the inspection result by the inspection unit 40 may be displayed on this display unit. When the inspection result is displayed on the display unit in this way, the worker can manually operate the arm unit 60 and select the label 10 according to the displayed inspection result. Therefore, the manufacturing workability can be improved.
Furthermore, the inspection unit 40, the shaping unit 70, and the charging unit 80 may be omitted. In this case, the device configuration can be simplified.

Further, when only one of the plurality of labels 11 and 12 is determined to be defective based on the inspection result of the label 10 by the inspection unit 40, the transport mechanism 50 and the container are used until both the plurality of labels 11 and 12 are determined to be acceptable. It may be controlled to stop the manufacturing process of the above, a buffer area for temporarily storing a plurality of labels 11 and 12, respectively, and the labels 11 and 12 taken out by the arm portion 60 are temporarily stored in the buffer area, and the buffer area is provided. Labels 11 and 12 may be taken out again from the above and used for the transport process. When the buffer area is provided, the feeding mechanism 20 and the transport mechanism 50 are controlled in a non-interlocking manner. Further, the arm portion for taking out the label from the buffer area may be shared with the arm portion 60 for temporarily storing the label in the buffer area, but may be provided as an arm portion separate from the arm portion 60.

[8. Eighth variant]
Here, with reference to FIG. 8, a modified example of the activation processing unit 150 that performs the activation treatment on the label 10 will be described.
<Activation processing unit>
The activation treatment unit 150 is arranged on the heat seal layer 1a (see FIG. 3) side of the label 10. The activation treatment unit 150 applies the activation treatment to the sticking surface to be stuck to the container 2 of the heat seal layer 1a, that is, the surface facing inward of the mold 91 when placed in the mold 91. As a result, the heat seal layer 1a is activated to improve the wettability.
The position of the activation treatment unit 150 is not limited to the position shown in FIG. 8 as long as the heat seal layer 1a can be activated before the label 10 is placed on the mold 91.
Specifically, after being integrally fed with the film 1 from the first rotating shaft 21 side of the feeding mechanism 20, it is arranged inside the first split mold 91a of the mold 91 by the arm portion 60 of the transport mechanism 50. Previously, the activation processing unit 150 may be arranged at a position where the activation treatment can be performed on the label 10.
Further, the activation processing unit 150 may perform the activation treatment only during the period when the label 10 passes through the processing position where the activation treatment is performed. Alternatively, the activation treatment may be continuously performed. When the activation treatment is continuously performed, not only the label 10 but also the entire film 1 including the margin portion 13 (see FIG. 3) is activated.

By activating the surface of the low melting point resin layer (heat seal layer) 1a during in-mold molding, the adhesion between the low melting point resin layer 1a and the container 2 is improved, and as a result, the labeled container 2 The label adhesive strength can be increased.

Here, conventionally, when double-sided printing is performed on a label, an activation treatment such as a corona discharge treatment is performed to impart a printing function to both sides of the label including the sticking surface of the heat seal layer. However, in the case of single-sided printing only on the outer surface as in in-mold molding, it was not necessary to perform an activation treatment such as a corona discharge treatment on the sticking surface, which is a non-printing surface. Further, it was generally understood that when the surface to which the label is attached is subjected to the activation treatment, the adhesive strength of the label is rather lowered, which is not practical.
For this reason, it is contraindicated to apply the activation treatment to the sticking surface of the label used for in-mold molding, and when the activation treatment is applied to impart the printing function to the outer surface of the label, the activation treatment is performed. Care was taken to ensure that the effect did not affect the sticking surface.
On the other hand, in the case where the container 2 is made by molding a polar resin like a PET bottle, the present inventor makes a parison on the sticking surface of the heat seal layer 1a of the label 10, that is, at the time of in-mold molding. It has been discovered that by performing an activation treatment on the facing surfaces, the sticking surface can be activated and the wettability can be improved, thereby improving the adhesiveness between the container 2 and the heat seal layer 1a. This is because when the wettability of the heat seal layer 1a is improved, when the heat seal layer 1a is melted by the heat of the parison, the heat seal layer 1a and the parison become more familiar, and the heat seal layer 1a spreads on the surface of the parison. It is presumed that this will facilitate the adhesion between the heat seal layer 1a and the container 2 and improve the adhesion.
As a result, even when the container 2 is a molded polar resin, the label 10 using the non-polar resin can be attached to the heat seal layer 1a.
Examples of the activation treatment include mainly corona discharge treatment, but other activation treatments include frame treatment and plasma treatment. Among them, corona discharge treatment and plasma treatment are preferable from the viewpoint of treatment effect, and corona discharge treatment and frame treatment are preferable from the viewpoint of using simple equipment.

Further, a modification related to the case where the corona discharge processing unit is used for the activation processing unit 150 will be described.
(1) Since the activation treatment step is executed by the corona discharge treatment by providing the corona discharge treatment unit, the label 10 is charged at that time. When the charge of this charge is large, the label 10 can be electrostatically adsorbed on the mold 91, so that the charge portion 80 and the charge step may be omitted.
On the contrary, when a suction hole is provided in the mold 91 and vacuum suction is performed from the suction hole to hold the label 10, a static eliminator (ionizer) is provided and the activation treatment step by the corona discharge treatment is executed. It is preferable to remove static electricity from the label 10 before sucking and holding the label 10 in the mold 91. This is because when the label 10 is charged, the electrostatic force affects the suction holding, and the holding position of the label 10 in the mold 91 may deviate from the regular position.

(2) In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a label 10 arranged in the longitudinal direction of the film 1 to be activated is described, but the present invention has been activated to a single-wafer-shaped label. It can also be applied to those to be processed.
The target of the activation treatment by the activation treatment unit 150 is not limited to the label 10 separated from the film 1, and may be a single-wafer-shaped label 9.

1 Film 1a Heat seal layer 1b Base layer 1c Printing layer 8 Stacker 9 Sheet-leaf label 10 Label (label group)
11 1st label 11a Deformed part 12 2nd label 12a Deformed part 13 Margin 14 Marking 2 Container 2a Outer wall 20 Feeding mechanism (feeding part, 1st discharging part)
25 Positioning mechanism 26 Optical equipment 27 Discharge port (second discharge section)
29 Stopper 30 Printing part 40 Inspection part 41 Detection part 42 Judgment part 50 Conveying mechanism (conveying part)
51 Slide rail 52 Chassis part 54 Mount 55 Switching mechanism 56 Movement mechanism 60 Arm part (separation part, arrangement part, discharge part)
70 Shaping part (Shaping process)
71 Air gun (fumarole)
72 Burner (flamethrower)
80 Charging part (charging process)
90 Molding mechanism (molding part)
91 Mold 100 Control unit (computer)
113 Input device 114 Output device (display)
117 Program 118 Recording medium P ₁ Origin position P ₂ Shaping position P ₃ Charging position P ₄ Molding position

Claims (12)

A feeding portion for feeding out a long film in which a plurality of label groups consisting of a plurality of labels are arranged in the longitudinal direction of one surface, and a feeding portion.
A separation unit that separates the label group from the film that is unwound by the feeding unit, and a separation unit.
An arrangement portion for arranging the label group separated by the separation portion in the mold, and an arrangement portion.
The molding material is supplied into the mold, and the molding portion for molding the container in which the label group arranged in the mold by the arrangement portion is attached to the outer wall is provided.
The separation unit separates each of the plurality of labels forming the label group from the film.
In the arrangement unit, each of the plurality of labels separated by the separation unit is arranged inside one of the molds .
The separating portion and the arranging portion have a number of arm portions corresponding to the number of the labels in one label group, which separates the label from the film and arranges the label inside the mold. A device for manufacturing labeled containers. Claim 1 is characterized in that the relative arrangement of the plurality of labels in the label group is set according to the relative arrangement of the plurality of labels arranged inside one of the molds. Labeled container manufacturing equipment described in. The claim is characterized in that the relative arrangement of the plurality of labels in the label group is set to be different from the relative arrangement of the plurality of labels arranged inside one of the molds. The device for manufacturing a labeled container according to 1. The apparatus for manufacturing a labeled container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of labels have different shapes from each other. The labeled container manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the label has only a curved contour. The mold is a split mold divided into two, and is
The separating portion and the arranging portion separate the label from the film and arrange it inside one of the split molds.
The labeled container manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A feeding process of feeding out a long film in which a plurality of label groups consisting of a plurality of labels are arranged in the longitudinal direction of one surface, and a feeding process.
A separation step of separating the label group from the film fed by the feeding step, and a separation step of separating the label group from the film.
An arrangement step of arranging the label group separated by the separation step in a mold, and
It is provided with a molding step of supplying a molding material into the mold and molding a container in which the label group arranged in the mold is attached to an outer wall by the placement step.
In the separation step, each of the plurality of labels forming the label group is separated from the film by a number of arm portions corresponding to the number of the plurality of labels.
The arrangement step is a method for manufacturing a labeled container, which comprises arranging each of the plurality of labels separated in the separation step inside one of the molds by the arm portion. The method for manufacturing a labeled container according to claim 7 , wherein in the separation step and the placement step, the relative placement of the plurality of labels is maintained. The method for manufacturing a labeled container according to claim 7 , wherein the relative arrangement of the plurality of labels is set to be different between the separation step and the arrangement step. The mold is a split mold divided into two, and is
In the separation step and the placement step, the label is separated from the film and placed inside one of the split molds.
The method for manufacturing a labeled container according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the labeled container is manufactured. A feeding section for feeding out a long film in which a plurality of label groups consisting of a plurality of labels are arranged in the longitudinal direction of one surface, a separating section for separating the label group from the film fed by the feeding section, and the above. An arrangement part for arranging the label group separated by the separation part in the mold and a label group arranged in the mold by supplying the molding material into the mold are attached to the outer wall. A molding portion for molding the attached container is provided, the separating portion separates each of the plurality of labels forming the label group from the film, and the arranging portion is inside one of the molds. Each of the plurality of labels separated by the separation portion is arranged, and the relative arrangement of the plurality of labels in the label group is the relative arrangement of the plurality of labels arranged inside one of the molds. Used for labeling container manufacturing equipment that is set differently from the typical arrangement,
A control step for controlling the placement of the plurality of labels on the mold by changing the relative positions of the plurality of labels in the separation unit to the relative positions of the plurality of labels in the placement unit is performed on the computer. A program characterized by being executed. A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 11 is recorded.

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