JPH11240522A - Method and device for bonding print label onto metal container and label bonded container produced using same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and device for bonding a label to a container and a label bonded container produced by the method and the device, which device is suitable for a short production operation and in which even if the container is handled physically violently, labels are prevented from being peeled off or removed. SOLUTION: An enamel coating 24 containing an adhesive which is activated within a predetermined temperature range is applied to the surface of a metal container such as extruding type aluminum tube and a label 21 is formed from a transparent film onto the underside of which a reverse printing is applied. The coating 24 is heated to a temperature within an activation temperature range to activate the adhesive. The underside of the label 21 is brought into contact with the heated enamel coating 24 under sufficient pressure to bond the label 21 and then the temperature of a container and that of the label are lowered to a temperature below the activation temperature.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for attaching printed labels to metal containers such as extruded tubes, and to metals suitable for attaching such labels, especially in short production runs. For containers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Metal containers such as extruded tubes used for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, household goods and other products are widely used all over the world, but require decoration and printing of information. In order to decorate this container with product information etc., usually
Direct offset printing on containers (or enamel coatings on containers) has been used. However, the limited use of offset printing itself limits the quality, versatility and complexity of the printed matter (ie, print design). Further, in the case of offset printing, when a new design is used or a certain design is changed to another design, a long time is required for installation or switching.

[0003] Also, some product manufacturers need to deliver metal containers filled with products to different countries, each of which requires a different sign (due to different or different languages). If the transport volume to a foreign country is relatively small, only one transport is required. Currently, manufacturers of such containers need to purchase pre-printed containers in minimal order quantities (eg, 10,000 units), which can be used until needed or due to packaging changes. They must be kept in stock until they are lost and discarded. The minimum order quantity often exceeds the requirements of the recipient, in which case most of the containers are scrapped.

In order to eliminate such waste, it is desirable to print only the required number of containers at any time. However, an offset printing machine which is most efficient when operated on a mass production assembly line is desired. In some cases, producing such a small number of print containers is
It is unacceptable for container manufacturers in terms of cost.
At present, the extrusion type container to which the present invention is applied usually forms a container from a raw material such as aluminum slag, adheres to the container surface on the outer surface of the container, gives a decorative appearance, and receives printing ink. The polyester enamel to be coated, the printing material is printed on the container using the offset printing method, the printed enamel coating is cured, and the cap is placed on the top of the container (the other end is where the recipient side holds the product). It is manufactured on an assembly line that consists of opening it so that it can be packed. The production line downtime required to service the production line, especially the offset printing equipment, is the same whether the operation is short or long.
That is, the efficiency is not good when the operation time is short.

[0005] Instead of printing directly on a metal container, it has also been proposed to attach a pre-printed label to the metal container. This is an unacceptable method for many different recipients because of the lack. For example, such a method using a label having a thin print substrate and an adhesive support layer has the following problems.

(A) This label cannot withstand physically rough handling, such as squeezing and wrinkling, which are generally received by push-out containers. (B) The chemical content of the container reacts with the standard adhesive system used to apply the label, potentially reducing the ability of the adhesive or causing the label to peel. There is. (C) Since the label does not adhere to the container, the label is selectively peeled off from the container by a solvent or other means, and no trace remains even if any wrongdoing is performed. (This is unacceptable even for manufacturers with potential product liability.)

[0007] Adhesive labels (ie, labels having a substrate, a printed layer, and an adhesive layer) are also known and commonly used to decorate plastic containers. For example, 198
Canadian Patent No. 1,259, issued September 12, 2009,
No. 183 describes such a label carrying an adhesive which adheres to the container, but the problem of this adhesive-carrying label is to avoid the weakening of the adhesive before use. It is necessary to satisfy certain handling conditions and storage conditions. Furthermore, such labels currently available do not adhere to metal containers.

[0008] It is also known to apply a metal layer or metal label to a finish-coated metal surface by using a transfer sheet. In this transfer sheet, a metal layer is provided, an adhesive layer is provided thereon, and a release layer is provided via a peelable support sheet. For example, 1963
US Patent No. 3,340,121 issued February 20
After heating the metal surface to a temperature at which the release layer is activated and the adhesive softens, the release layer is activated and after the carrier sheet is released, the high temperature is applied until the metal layer adheres to the metal surface. A transfer sheet applied by pressing against a metal surface is disclosed. In this case, the adhesive layer and the finish coat are compatible. Such a transfer sheet also has a problem that its structure is complicated, and there are necessary conditions and restrictions in terms of handling and storage.

In the method disclosed in US Pat. No. 3,553,044, issued on Jan. 5, 1971, a transfer paper is adhered to the surface as an integral part of the coating. By printing the transfer paper on a polymer substrate soluble in a solvent, the transfer paper printing substrate is attached to the surface,
When a clear solvent-containing coating is applied on the substrate and surface,
The substrate dissolves and the transfer paper becomes an integral part of the coating. However, since it is necessary to coat the adhesive transfer paper, the use of such a solvent-based coating is unacceptable in many applications.

[0010]

Thus, a method of attaching a pre-printed graphic label to a metal container which is an integral part of the metal container and which is capable of passing rigorous product handling tests. Is desired. In this test, there is a "wrinkle" test in which the container is repeatedly bent and wrinkled in different directions, and the label is intact,
Those that do not peel or fall off from the container are accepted. It is also desirable to adapt such a method to short production runs of containers.

[0011]

According to the present invention, there is provided a method for attaching a flexible printed label to a metal container, wherein the metal container has a metal substrate and an enamel coating containing an adhesive, The present invention provides a method of adhering an enamel coating to a surface of a substrate, activating an adhesive within a predetermined temperature range, forming a printing label from a film, and attaching a flexible printing label to a metal container. is there. Thus, the enamel coating is heated to a temperature within a predetermined range to activate the adhesive.
Under sufficient pressure, the label is contacted with the heated enamel coating and the label is adhered to it. Next, the temperature of the container and the label is reduced to a predetermined temperature range or less. In this case, the container may be an extruded tube, and the substrate may be aluminum. As the film, a transparent polyethylene film is preferable, and plastic ink is reversely printed on the surface of the film by a computer. Also, a preferred adhesive is a polymer adhesive.

[0012] The present invention is an apparatus for attaching a flexible printed label to a metal container, wherein the enamel coating is heated to a temperature within a predetermined temperature range to activate the adhesive.
There is also provided an apparatus for applying a flexible printed label to a metal container having means for adhering the label to the heated enamel coating under sufficient pressure to adhere the label to the enamel coating.

Further, the present invention provides a metal container to which a printed label is adhered. This label sticking container has a metal substrate and an enamel coating containing an adhesive, and the enamel coating is adhered to the surface of the substrate.
By adhering the printed flexible film to the enamel coating, the printed film is integrated with the substrate, so that peeling the film always leaves noticeable scratches on the substrate.

Further, the present invention provides a pre-printed label intended for a coated metal container. In this case, the label is composed of a flexible film, and the coated container is composed of a metal substrate and an enamel coating containing an adhesive. The coating adheres to the surface of the substrate. Since the adhesive is activated within a predetermined temperature range, if the film is attached to the coating when the adhesive is activated, the film will adhere to the coating.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a container 10 already filled with contents. In this case, the container 10 is an extruded aluminum tube used to pack pharmaceutical compositions, cosmetics and other products. The plastic cap 23 is fitted to the screw neck at one end. The other end of the tube (not shown) is left open at the time of manufacture and is sold to customers as it is. The customer side of the tube packs the product to be packed and then crimps and seals the open end, as shown in FIG. In accordance with the present invention, a label 21 is affixed to container 10 as described below. For simplicity of illustration, the container of FIG. 1 is a container filled with contents. Here, the “container” is an important container, but a container whose contents are not packed and whose ends are open. means. That is, before the container is sold, after the printed matter is attached, the customer side packs the contents. Similarly, for simplicity of illustration, a patch-type label is shown, but a label of a sufficiently practical size can be used,
Further, it is preferable that the container has a size that can substantially wind the container. The plastic cap 23 is a publicly known one, and a typical constituent material is HDPE (high-density polyethylene) or LDP.
It is thermoplastic because it is E (low density polyethylene).

As in the prior art, the preferred container comprises an extruded aluminum tube substrate 22, to which a coating layer 24 of polymer-containing enamel is adhered, as can be better understood from FIG. . Then, the film layer 26 is adhered to the coating layer 24 so that the printed transparent film layer 26 becomes an integral part of the container 10.
It is preferable that the identification portion 28 is reverse-printed with ink on the lower surface of the transparent film layer 26 and adhered by the coating layer 24. In addition, the printed display part may be printed on the upper surface of the film layer 26. In this case, it is not necessary to reversely print the print layer, and thus the film does not necessarily have to be transparent. In this example, the printing layer is not protected by the film layer 26. Although an extruded container has been described above as a container, the method of the present invention is also advantageously applied to a rigid metal container such as an aerosol container. As is well known, the inner surface of the container can be coated with a coating layer of a suitable composition (not shown) to prevent a chemical reaction between the container substrate and the contents of the container.

The enamel coatings used on extruded metal tubing are generally known, and products of various different compositions are on the market. When an enamel layer such as polyester enamel is used, the appearance of the container is not unsightly and the appearance is excellent. Also, printing ink can be applied to this layer using an offset printing system according to the prior art. In the case of containers intended for the pharmaceutical field, the selection of an appropriate enamel coating is considerably narrowed because it is necessary to satisfy appropriate standards set by the relevant authorities.

In the present invention, as the predetermined enamel coating,
Use a polyester enamel consisting of a sufficient amount of polymer to impart sufficient adhesion properties to the coating. As the adhesive properties of the composition are thermally activated within a certain temperature range, the coating layer 24 chemically adheres to the film layer 26 and the display 28 printed thereon.

The polyester enamel / polymer adhesive composition used in the above embodiment is HOBA Racke
und Farben GmbH and sold under the product number PN9221. The essential components of this composition are polyester and polyvinyls. Because the potential range of suitable adhesive components, which are the active components in the enamel coating, is wide and large, it is not practical to specify the exact components suitable or not for the present invention. Rather, it is sufficient to specify and explain the properties of the adhesive-containing enamel necessary for the intent and effect of the present invention. And if these exist, those skilled in the art should be able to select an appropriate enamel composition according to an application. While the enamel adhesive compositions disclosed herein are suitable for the embodiments disclosed herein, other enamel compositions can be utilized. Therefore, the present invention
It is not limited to the adhesive enamel compositions disclosed herein.

As will be explained further below, the minimum activation temperature at which the enamel exhibits the desired adhesive properties is the temperature at which other materials including the cap 23, the inner coating and the film layer 21 used in the container begin to melt. Do not exceed the temperature, or the temperature at which distortion begins. In the case of the above-mentioned predetermined coating composition, the activation temperature of the adhesive contained therein is 118 ° C.
It is in a temperature range of about 140 ° C. (245 ° F. to 284 ° F.). Above these temperatures, the adhesive properties (essential for the operation of the invention) will be permanently destroyed.

Various materials can be used for the printable film layer 26, but the selected material must not be affected by the contents of the container. It must also be flexible enough to withstand the physical stress normally applied to the extruded container, such as bending or squeezing, without damage. In addition, as described below, the process applied to the enamel coating must be able to withstand, and as a result, the print thereon must not be distorted or subject to other undesirable physical changes. When applied to an enamel-coated container, the label must be chemically stable and not subject to long-term aging. Furthermore, a change in visual appearance and a change in adhesion cannot be tolerated. As is well known in the art, the film layer may be treated or modified to improve printability.

The film used in the present invention is Mobil
Chemicals polypropylene, thickness 2
5 μm. Print on film layer 26 before attaching to container. In addition, since the preprinted film is stable and has a long stocking period, stock management is possible, and the film can be used as needed and when needed. A preferred printing means is Indigo America (Uni).
corn Park Dr. , Woburn, Mass
achusetts, U.S.A. S. A. , 01801) and sold under the trademark OMNIUS, with the following advantages: The first advantage is that the printer can reproduce prints (images) of much higher quality and variety than other printing methods such as offset printing. Second
The advantage of this is that the time or procedure for setting or changing required for switching from one image to another image is minimal as compared with other printing methods. A third advantage is that a plastic ink can be used in the printer, and that the plastic ink is made of enamel at the temperature required for the application of the film layer 21 to the (contained) container 20. 24.

In order to manufacture a label sticking container according to the present invention, the label 21 is produced by reverse printing the transparent film layer 26 according to the specification of the selected printing method. According to conventional means, the coating layer 24 of the enamel and the adhesive composition is applied to the container 20 and then dried at a temperature not exceeding 140 ° C., whereby the composition is heated to a temperature at which it loses its adhesive properties. To prevent that. Adhesive properties only appear in certain ranges,
This particular range is about 118 for the compositions used in the present invention.
C. to 140C. In the present invention, this drying temperature is sufficient to dry the enamel to such an extent that the coated tube can be handled. In the conventional offset printing method, it is possible to dry the enamel film at a higher temperature around 190 ° C., at which temperature the enamel can be dried more completely, and at the same time, the adhesive properties of the polymer in the enamel become permanent. Will be destroyed. If desired, this can be carried out long before the labeling step, in which case the containers can be kept in stock, so that they can be used as and when needed. The important thing is not to heat the coated container to such a temperature that the enamel loses its adhesive properties.

In order to apply the label 21 to the container 20, the coating layer 24 made of the enamel and the adhesive composition is heated so that the adhesive property is developed. A large amount of heat acts on the cap 23 to prevent it from being damaged, so that it does not go above a certain temperature. Next, the label 21 is transferred to the container 20 by contacting the label 21 with the cover layer 24 under sufficient pressure to transfer the label. The resulting labeling container is then cooled, preferably to ambient temperature.

To heat the coating layer 24 and apply the label 21, the cylindrical container 20 is rotatably mounted on a mandrel and the mandrel is heated until the coating 24 reaches the required temperature. The label 21 is positioned on a receiving means or a receiving plate. After heating, container 20
And label 21 under sufficient pressure to contact container 2
The label 21 is wound around 0. Pressure is applied between the container 20 and the label 21 to even out the adhesion and prevent wrinkles and other deformations. A pressure in the pressure range from about 0.5 to about 5 bar is sufficient.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of a label sticking apparatus 40 for sticking a label to a container in an inoperative state according to the present invention. In this device, a frame 42 is attached to a base 44. A label supply station 46 is mounted on the frame so that it can move up and down. An adjusting mechanism 48 is provided so as to be compatible with various sizes of the container to which the label is attached.
Allows the vertical height of the station to be adjusted. The label receiving plate 50 at the label supply station is made of a material having a compressible surface that can withstand the temperatures experienced by the plate and prevent damage to the tubing during label application.
Since the film material is subject to high static effects, it is advantageous to use the resulting electrostatic adhesion to hold the label in place on the label receiving plate.

The label receiving plate is mounted such that it can move horizontally between a label receiving position and a position where the label is applied to the container. A pneumatically controlled drive system 52 having a pneumatic brake system 54 is used to control the horizontal movement of the plate supporting the film under the container during label application.

A container receiving mandrel in the form of a substantially cylindrical mandrel 58 is rotatably mounted on the film support plate. Also, the container receiving mandrel is mounted such that it can move up and down toward or away from the label receiving plate between the container mounting and heating position and the labeling position on the container. The up-and-down movement of the container receiving mandrel is controlled by the drive control system 60 to control the speed and pressure at which the container receiving mandrel applies to the label receiving plate at the location where the label is applied to the container.

At the container receiving and heating position, a forced hot air heater 62 is mounted near the container receiving plate. The heater gun provides the means to heat the enamel and adhesive coating (indirectly via the mandrel). In this case, although the adhesiveness is exhibited, since the activation temperature is not exceeded, there is no possibility that the cap is overheated or the enamel is locally heated (that is, unevenly heated).

Using a programmable control system 64, the machine operator controls the downtime of the container receiving mandrel at each location during labeling and counts the total number of labeling containers produced.

In operation, a label 21 having a preprinted film layer to be affixed to a container is positioned on a label receiving plate at a film receiving position. Start the heater and preheat the mandrel.
Then, the coated container 20 coated with the enamel is attached to the pre-heated mandrel of the container receiving means at the container heating and attachment position. The coating vessel 20 is heated by the pre-heated mandrel and then the coating layer 24 to obtain a coating. However, do not exceed a temperature range sufficient to activate the adhesive.

The film layers are transferred to the container substrate by operating the drive systems of the container receiving means and the label receiving means, respectively, to move the container receiving means and the label receiving means to the positions where the labels are applied to the containers. The heated polymer coating layer is then brought into contact with the container along with the label. Under the container, the horizontal movement of the label receiving means is continued at a controlled speed to rotate and bring the container coating into contact with the rest of the label.
Next, the container receiving means and the label receiving means are respectively returned to the starting positions, and the obtained label sticking container is removed and cooled.

The device can be changed. For example,
It is also possible to heat the mandrel by other means mounted inside the mandrel, such as an electric resistance heater controlled by a rheostat and a temperature sensor. Alternatively, hot air can be applied directly to the enamel and the adhesive as long as heating of the enamel and the adhesive is controlled so that overheating of the coating and local heating of the coating do not occur. Further, it is possible to change the relative movement of the container 20 and the label 21 when applying the label to the container. In this case, one possibility is to hold the label receiving means in place while the container moves horizontally and rotates while contacting the label.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a container already filled with contents.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the container taken along line 2-2 in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an apparatus for applying a label to a container according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Container, 20 ... Coating container, 21 ... Label, 22 ... Aluminum tube base material, 23 ... Cap, 24 ... Coating layer, 26 ... Film layer, 28 ... Identification part, 40 ... Label attaching apparatus, 42 ... Frame, 44 ... foundation, 46 ... label supply station, 48 ... adjustment mechanism, 50 ... label receiving plate, 52 ... pneumatically controlled drive system, 54 ...
Pneumatic brake system, 58 ... cylindrical mandrel,
60: drive control system, 62: forced hot air heater, 6
4. Control system

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Gilles Fornia Canada K0B 1P0 St. Eugene Carillon Park Road 4691 Ontario

Claims (28)

[Claims] 1. A metal container to which a printed label is adhered, the container comprising: (a) a metal substrate; (b) an enamel coating which contains an adhesive and is adhered to the surface of the substrate; A flexible printed film adhered to the coating, wherein the printed film is integral with the substrate and cannot be peeled off without leaving any noticeable damage from the substrate. Metal container. 2. The label sticking container according to claim 1, wherein said container is an extruded tube and said base material is aluminum. 3. The label sticking container according to claim 1, wherein said container is an aerosol can. 4. The label sticking container according to claim 2, wherein said film is transparent, and the surface thereof to be adhered to said coating is subjected to reverse printing. 5. The container according to claim 4, wherein the film is polypropylene and the adhesive is a polymer. 6. The label sticking container according to claim 5, wherein the reverse printing is made by a computer. 7. The printing method according to claim 6, wherein a plastic ink adhered to the coating is used.
The label sticking container of the description. 8. A pre-printed label for use in combination with a coated metal container, wherein the label comprises a flexible film; the coated container comprises an enamel coating containing a metal substrate and an adhesive; Adhere to the surface of the substrate,
Then, the adhesive is activated within a predetermined temperature range, and when the adhesive is activated, the film is bonded to the coating when the film is adhered to the coated metal container. A pre-printed label characterized by being used in combination with. 9. A preprinted label for use in combination with a coated metal container according to claim 8, wherein said container is an extruded tube and said substrate is aluminum. 10. A preprinted label for use in combination with a coated metal container according to claim 8, wherein said container is an aerosol can. 11. A pre-printed label for use in combination with a coated metal container according to claim 9, wherein said film is transparent and its surface adhered to said coating is reverse printed. 12. A pre-printed label for use in combination with a coated metal container according to claim 11, wherein said film is polypropylene and said adhesive is a polymer. 13. A pre-printed label for use in combination with a coated metal container according to claim 12, wherein said reverse printing is computer generated. 14. The coating according to claim 13, wherein said printing uses a plastic ink that adheres to said coating when said film is heated within said temperature range and applied to said coating. Pre-printed labels for use in combination with metal containers. 15. When a flexible printed label is attached to a metal container, the container is constituted by a metal substrate and an enamel coating containing an adhesive, and the coating is adhered to the surface of the substrate. Activating the adhesive within a predetermined temperature range, and if the label comprises a film: (a) heating the enamel coating to a temperature within the temperature range to activate the adhesive; (B) contacting the label with the heated enamel coating under sufficient pressure to adhere the label to the enamel coating; and (c) adjusting the temperature of the container and label to the temperature range. A method of adhering a flexible printed label to a metal container, comprising a step of lowering the printed label to below. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein said container is an extruded tube and said substrate is aluminum. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein said container is an aerosol can. 18. The method of claim 16, wherein said film is transparent and has its surface adhered to said coating reverse-printed. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein said film is polypropylene and said adhesive is a polymer. 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein said reverse printing is computer generated. 21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the printing uses a plastic ink adhered to the coating. 22. (a) attaching the container to the container receiving means so as to be rotatable; (b) positioning the label on the label receiving means; and (c) bringing the coating into contact with the label, 22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising the steps of: rotating the label and winding the label under pressure to transfer the label to the container; and (d) removing the label-attached container from the container receiving means. The described method. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein said container receiving means is a cylindrical mandrel and said label receiving means is a plate. 24. The method of claim 2, wherein the container receiving means is heated to heat the coating via the substrate.
2. The method according to 2. 25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the heating is performed by forced hot air. 26. An apparatus for attaching a flexible printed label to a metal container, the container comprising a metal substrate and an enamel coating containing an adhesive, wherein the coating is applied to the surface of the substrate. Adhering, activating the adhesive within a predetermined temperature range, and, if the label comprises a film, (a) heating the enamel coating to a temperature within the predetermined range to allow the adhesive to Activating the printed label into a metal container, comprising: (b) contacting the label with the heated enamel coating under sufficient pressure to adhere the label to the enamel coating. A device to stick. 27. A container receiving means for rotatably mounting the container, and (b) a label receiving means for positioning the label, wherein the container receiving means is provided with sufficient pressure. 3. The container according to claim 2, wherein the container is rotated, the label is wound, and the label is transferred to the container.
7. The apparatus according to 6. 28. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said container receiving means is a cylindrical mandrel and said label receiving means is a plate.