WO2013072884A1

WO2013072884A1 - Strip of a roll for labelling containers with wooden labels, and machine and method for making the strip

Info

Publication number: WO2013072884A1
Application number: PCT/IB2012/056493
Authority: WO
Inventors: Claudio BELTRANDI
Original assignee: Emiliana Tranciati S.R.L.
Priority date: 2011-11-18
Filing date: 2012-11-16
Publication date: 2013-05-23
Also published as: EP2783361A1; ITBO20110662A1

Abstract

A strip (1) of a roll for labelling containers with wooden labels (E) comprises: a first, heat-resistant layer (2); at least one wooden element (6) defining a wooden label (E) extending on a large planar face portion (15) of the first layer (2); a two-sided adhesive layer (3) interposed between the first layer (2) and the wooden element (6) at the large planar face portion (15) of the first layer (2).

Description

DESCRIPTION

STRIP OF A ROLL FOR LABELLING CONTAINERS WITH WOODEN LABELS, AND MACHINE AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE STRIP.

Technical field

This invention relates to a strip of a roll for labelling containers (preferably bottles) with wooden labels, and to a method and a machine for making the strip.

Background art

Wooden labels for containers are described in some documents.

These wooden labels have various different shapes and comprise a thin wooden layer on which logos or information about the product inside the container are printed.

Containers with wooden labels of this kind are not yet available on the market, however.

A strongly felt need, particularly in the wine industry is that of being able to apply wooden labels of this kind to wine bottles.

Indeed, it has been found that a wooden label applied to a bottle adds appeal and magnifies consumer attraction towards the product.

Applying wooden labels to containers by hand is, however, highly time- consuming and expensive.

Manual labelling is indeed an extremely slow process: glue is spread on each single label and the labels are then applied to the bottles one by one. The need to apply wooden labels to containers quickly and easily has therefore been felt strongly for a long time and is a need which has not up to now been satisfied.

Another need felt by producers of wine and other bottled products is that of being able to apply wooden labels to containers without having to invest in or develop particularly complex equipment or machinery and, especially, of being able to apply wooden labels using labelling machines, already available on the market, which apply plastic / paper labels. Aim of the invention

The aim of this invention is therefore to overcome these disadvantages by providing a strip of a roll for labelling containers with wooden labels, as well as a method and a machine for making the strip and the roll.

According to the invention, the above aims are achieved by a strip of a roll for labelling containers, and by a method and a machine comprising the technical characteristics described in one or more of the annexed claims.

Brief description of the drawings

The technical features of the invention, according to the above aims, are clearly described in the appended claims and its advantages are apparent from the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred non-limiting example embodiment of it, and in which:

- Figure 1 is a plan view of the strip according to the invention during its processing;

- Figure 2 is a scaled-up cross section of the strip of Figure 1 through the plane ll-ll;

- Figure 3 illustrates a strip according to the invention in a plan view;

- Figure 4 is a scaled-up cross section of the strip of Figure 3 through the plane IV-IV;

- Figure 5 is a schematic cross section of a variant of the strip of Figure 3; - Figure 6 schematically illustrates a machine for making the strip according to the invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

With reference to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 denotes a strip of a roll for labelling containers with wooden labels E.

The strip, illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5 (Figures 1 and 2 show a semifinished product 1', whilst Figures 4 and 5 show the strip according to the invention), comprises a first supporting layer 2 (preferably heat resistant, that is, resistant to thermal cutting).

The first layer 2 supports all the other layers / elements which form part of the strip and which will be described below.

The term "heat resistant means that the layer is capable of offering good resistance to thermal cutting, in particular laser cutting (that is not to say that it cannot be cut by laser but that the power needed for cutting it would have to be particularly high).

The first layer 2 is preferably made of a plastic material, more preferably of polyethylene (and still more preferably, of "siliconized polyethylene").

Preferably, the first layer 2 has a thickness of between 100 and 200 microns.

The first layer 2 comprises at least one wooden element 6 defining a wooden label E.

The wooden element 6 extends on a large planar face portion 15 of the first layer 2.

According to the invention, the strip 1 comprises a two-sided adhesive layer 3 interposed between the first layer 2 and the wooden element 6. It should be noted that the two-sided adhesive layer 3 is preferably located only at the wooden element 6: the remaining portion of the first layer 2 does not have the two-sided adhesive layer 3.

The two-sided adhesive layer 3 comprises an acrylic glue.

Preferably, the two-sided adhesive layer 3 has a thickness of between 00 and 200 microns.

The two-sided adhesive layer 3 consists preferably of a film or thin layer which is adhesive on both sides (the two opposite large faces of it).

The two-sided adhesive layer 3 is adhesive on its first face so that it can be applied (glued) to the first layer 2 and on its second face, opposite to the first, so that it can be applied (glued) to the wooden element 6. It should be noted, therefore, that the two-sided adhesive layer 3 is substantially a film which is adhesive on the two opposite faces of it.

Advantageously, having a two-sided adhesive layer 3 in the form of a film or thin layer facilitates adhesion of the wooden element and the subsequent detachment of the wooden element 6 and of the two-sided adhesive layer from the first layer 2 in order to glue the wooden element 6 to a container.

Advantageously, therefore, the two-sided adhesive layer in the form of a film or thin layer offers considerably greater advantages than a plain layer of liquid or semiliquid glue which would not allow effective fixing of the elements constituting the roll and subsequent fixing of the wooden element 6 to the container.

Also, advantageously, the two-sided adhesive film (or thin layer) increases the mechanical strength of the wooden element 6 so that it is more resistant to all the handling operations necessary for the wooden element 6 to be applied to the container.

The wooden element 6 is less than 1 mm thick and, more preferably, less than 0.5 mm.

It should be noted that the wooden element 6 is made preferably from a wood veneer.

Figure 5 shows a variant of the strip according to the invention.

In this variant, the strip 1 further comprises a backing 5 coupled to the wooden element 6 to stiffen it.

The backing 5 may - for example - be made from non-woven fabric or a paper material.

The backing 5 confers structural rigidity to the wooden element 6: this is extremely important because it prevents the label E from breaking when it is applied to the container whose surface, intended to receive it, is curved. It should be noted that in this embodiment the two-sided adhesive layer 3 is fixed to the backing 5 and to the heat-resistant layer 2.

The strip 1 described above is designed to be wound into a roll.

The roll can be used to feed a labelling machine which, if necessary, can be modified to handle rolls of this kind.

It should be noted that the strip 1 or roll allows labels to be applied to containers automatically extremely rapidly and at extremely limited costs. In effect, the application process is extremely quick and easy using an industrial labelling machine.

Furthermore, prior art labelling machines can be used which do not need particularly extensive modifications: modifications, when necessary, to allow the roll comprising the strip 1 to be handled by the machine are limited to a few aspects (for example, adjustments for label spacing, etc.). The roll can therefore be used on prior art machines and, in light of this, makes it possible to automate the process of applying wooden labels to containers at extremely limited costs.

The strip 1 according to the invention therefore allows the wine industry (and not only) to apply wooden labels to their products automatically.

Figure 6 illustrates a machine 7 for making a strip 1 of a roll for labelling containers with wooden labels E (of the kind described above).

The machine 7 comprises:

- means 8 for feeding a layer 4 of wooden material;

- means 9 for feeding a first supporting layer 2 with a two-sided adhesive layer 3 superposed thereon;

- coupling means (14a, 14b) for coupling the two-sided adhesive layer 3 to the layer 4 of wooden material to define a semi-finished strip 1 ' comprising, in order, a layer 4 of wooden material, a two-sided adhesive layer 3 and a first layer 2;

- an engraving head 10 (preferably thermal) for cutting into the two-sided adhesive layer 3 and the wooden layer 4 on the large planar face in such a way as to divide them into a first portion (corresponding to a label E of wooden material) and a second portion;

- means 11 for separating the layer 4 of wooden material and the two- sided adhesive layer 3 at the second portion so as to obtain the strip 1.

The engraving head 10 is preferably a laser head. Still more preferably, the engraving head is a galvanometric laser head. In a variant, the engraving head 10 comprises a punch configured to make the aforementioned cut.

According to this variant, cutting is not performed thermally but by a mechanical action.

Preferably, in this variant, the first layer 2 is mechanically configured to resist cutting, in particular to resist a pressure applied at right angles to the large planar face.

The machine 7 further comprises a unit for controlling and actuating the engraving head 10 and configured to drive the engraving head 10 in such a way as to reproduce predetermined graphical or textual information on the wooden label E.

In effect, it should be noted that the engraving head 10 divides the two- sided adhesive layer 3 and the wooden layer 4 into a first portion and second portion and has on the first portion of the wooden layer 4 predetermined textual or graphical information (for example, the trademark or logo of the end producer of the container the label E will be applied to). More specifically, the engraving head 10 cuts the wooden layer 4 and the two-sided adhesive layer 3 right through, whilst the first layer 2, owing to its properties of heat resistance, is not cut (that is to say, it is not divided into a first and a second portion).

The means 8 for feeding a layer 4 of wooden material preferably comprises rotary means (power driven) for unwinding a roll of wooden material.

The means 9 for feeding a first supporting layer 2 (preferably heat- resistant) with a two-sided adhesive layer 3 superposed thereon preferably comprise rotary means (power driven) for unwinding a roll comprising the first layer 2 and the two-sided adhesive layer 3.

The coupling means (14a, 14b) preferably comprise opposed rollers (14a, 14b) between which the wooden layer 4 and the heat-resistant layer 2 assembled to the two-sided adhesive layer 3 are made to pass in order to allow the wooden layer 4 to be coupled to the two-sided adhesive layer 3 (by adhesion).

The rollers (14a, 14b) thus press the wooden layer 4 into contact with the two-sided adhesive layer 3 in such a way as to define the semifinished strip 1'.

The semifinished strip 1 ' rests on a supporting surface 13 on which it is made to advance in the direction of the engraving head 0.

The engraving head 10 may be of fixed or movable type.

The means 1 for separating the layer 4 of wooden material and the two- sided adhesive layer 3 at the second portion comprise a winding roller 11 to which the second portion of the wooden layer 4 is connected.

In other words, the roller 8 unwinds the wooden layer 4 from the roll, while the roller 11 winds the second portion of the wooden layer 4 to form another roll (including only the second portion of the wooden layer and the two-sided adhesive layer 3 connected thereto).

It should be noted that the second portion of the wooden layer 4 and of the two-sided adhesive layer 3 is wound onto the roller 11 (the second portion of the wooden layer 4 has on it the shape of the label E in the negative) while the strip 1 of the invention is wound onto the roller 12.

The rollers 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d define means for guiding the semifinished strip 1 ' and configured to guide the semifinished strip 1 ' towards and away from the engraving head 10.

Also defined according to the invention is a method for making a strip 1 of a roll for labelling containers with wooden labels E, comprising the following steps:

- preparing a first, supporting layer 2 (preferably heat resistant);

- preparing a two-sided adhesive layer 3;

- preparing a layer 4 of wooden material;

- coupling the two-sided adhesive layer 3 to the first layer 2 and to the layer 4 of wooden material in such a way that the two-sided adhesive layer

3 is interposed between the layers 2,4 to define a semifinished strip 1 '; - engraving the layer 4 of wooden material and the two-sided adhesive layer 3 in such a way as to divide the layer 4 of wooden material and the two-sided adhesive layer 3 at the large planar face 15 into a first and a second portion (the first portion of the wooden layer 4 corresponding to a label E of wooden material);

- removing the layer 4 of wooden material and the two-sided adhesive layer 3 corresponding to the second portion so as to obtain a strip 1 of the type described above.

One advantage of the invention is that it provides a strip 1 that can be wound into a roll which can be easily loaded into a container labelling machine.

Labelling is extremely simple: indeed, the wooden element 6 is easily detached from the first layer 2 (automatically by the labelling machine) detaching also the underlying two-sided adhesive layer 3 from the first layer 2.

Thus, the wooden element 6 assembled to the underlying two-sided adhesive layer 3 can be easily attached permanently to the container. It should be stressed that the strip 1 is made from recyclable, non-polluting materials and is thus very environment friendly: the label E in particular can be easily and effectively recycled at the end of product life.

It should also be noted that graphical or textual information can be printed on the label E (for example, by gold or silver printing on the surface of the label E).

The invention described is susceptible of industrial application. It may be modified and adapted in several ways without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept. Moreover, all the details of the invention may be substituted for technically equivalent elements.

Claims

1. A strip (1 ) of a roll for labelling containers with wooden labels (E), characterized in that it comprises:

- a first, supporting layer (2);

- at least one wooden element (6) defining a wooden label (E) extending on a large planar face portion (15) of the first layer (2);

- a two-sided adhesive layer (3) interposed between the first layer (2) and the wooden element (6) at the large planar face portion (15) of the first layer (2).

2. The strip (1 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the first layer (2) is heat resistant.

3. The strip (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first layer (2) is made of plastic material.

4. The strip according to claim 1 , 2 or 3, characterized in that the two- sided adhesive layer (3) comprises acrylic glue.

5. The strip according to claim 1 , characterized in that the wooden element (6) has a thickness of less than 0.5 mm.

6. The strip according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises a support (5) coupled to the wooden element (6) in order to stiffen it, the support (5) being interposed between the wooden element (6) and the two-sided adhesive layer (3).

7. A roll comprising a strip according to any of the preceding claims.

8. A machine for making a strip of a roll for labelling containers with wooden labels (E), characterized in that it comprises:

- means (8) for feeding a layer (4) of wooden material;

- means (9) for feeding a first supporting layer (2) with a two-sided adhesive layer (3) superposed thereon;

- coupling means (14a, 14b) for coupling the two-sided adhesive layer (3) to the layer (4) of wooden material to define a semi-finished strip comprising a layer (4) of wooden material, a first, supporting layer (2) and a two-sided adhesive layer (3) interposed between the layers (2,4); - an engraving head (10) for cutting into the two-sided adhesive layer (3) and the wooden layer (4) on the large planar face (15) in such a way as to divide them into a first and a second portion, the first portion corresponding to a label (E) of wooden material;

- means for separating the layer (4) of wooden material and the two-sided adhesive layer (3) at the second portion so as to obtain a strip (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims.

9. The machine according to claim 8, characterized in that the engraving head (10) is a laser head.

10. The machine according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising a unit for controlling and actuating the engraving head (10) and configured to drive the engraving head (10) in such a way as to reproduce predetermined graphical or textual information on the wooden label (E).

11. A method for making a strip (1 ) of a roll for labelling containers with wooden labels (E), characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

- preparing a first, supporting layer (2);

- preparing a two-sided adhesive layer (3);

- preparing a layer (4) of wooden material;

- coupling the two-sided adhesive layer (3) to the first layer (2) and to the layer (4) of wooden material in such a way that the two-sided adhesive layer (3) is interposed between the layers (2,4) to define a semifinished strip (1 ');

- engraving the layer (4) of wooden material and the two-sided adhesive layer (3) in such a way as to divide the layer (4) and the two-sided adhesive layer (3) at the large planar face (15) into a first and a second portion, the first portion of the wooden layer (4) corresponding to a label (E) of wooden material;

- removing the layer (4) of wooden material and the two-sided adhesive layer (3) corresponding to the second portion so as to obtain a strip according to any of the claims from 1 to 5.

12. The method according to claim 11 , characterized in that the engraving step comprises laser cutting the layer (4) of wooden material and the two-sided adhesive layer (3).

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that in the engraving step, predetermined graphical or textual information is reproduced on the wooden label (E).