EP0455941A1 - Labelling machine for bottles to be closed by screw closures - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a labelling machine for containers, in particular bottles (1), to be closed by screw closures. For closure security, in the labelling machine a label is glued on, which is glued on with hot adhesive in the region of the closure (19) and with cold adhesive in the container region lying below. The application of the cold adhesive takes place in a conventional labelling station (12), leaving free the region provided for the hot adhesive, while the application of hot adhesive takes place directly onto the closure (19). Before hot adhesive is applied to the closure, it is checked on the transport path of the containers before the application location whether a container to be labelled is properly provided with a closure and whether a label removed properly from a label storage station (16) is available for transfer to the container. Only when at least one, but preferably both, conditions are satisfied, does the transfer of hot adhesive to the closure take place. …<IMAGE>…

Description

The invention relates to a labeling machine for containers which can be closed with screw closures, in particular bottles, consisting of a gripper cylinder with a labeling station for labels to be attached to the bottle neck and closure and a receiving space for containers having a rotary table with an inlet and outlet star, the labeling station for the wet gluing of the label is set up with a recess in the area to be attached to the closure and an application element for hot gluing is provided for the recessed area.

For safety reasons, there is in containers filled with food, in particular bottles filled with drinks, which can be closed with reusable closures, such as screw or clip closures Regulation to secure the closure after filling the bottle with a drink so that the consumer can see whether the bottle was opened by the filler after closure. In the case of swing top bottles, this is achieved with a strip label that is glued over the swing bar. In the case of screw-top bottles, a ring made of plastic or metal is usually attached to the lower edge of the screw-top cap, which bursts open when the bottle is opened. This very effective securing of the screw cap is more complex than securing with a strip label in the case of clip closures and has the further disadvantage that when opened on a metal ring there are sharp edges which pose a risk of injury to the user. In practice, efforts are therefore underway to secure the closure with a strip label even with screw-top bottles.

• 1. Bei fehlendem Etikett im Greiferzylinder wird das für die rückseitige Abstützung der Etiketten vorgesehene Andrückkissen von der sich darauf abwälzenden Auftragsrolle beleimt. Das kann zu Störungen beim weiteren Betrieb führen, weil die folgenden Etiketten an dem Andrückkissen des Greiferzylinders haftenbleiben.
• 2. Der auf den ausgesparten Bereich aufgetragene Heißleim vermindert die Steifigkeit des Etiketts, so daß es auf seinem weiteren Weg bis zum Übergabeort am Drehtisch zum Einrollen neigt. Eine einwandfreie Übertragung auf den Verschluß ist dann nicht mehr möglich.
• 3. Beim Andrücken des Etiketts an den Verschluß hat der Heißleim keine für eine optimale Verbindung ausreichend hohe Temperatur. Eine optimale Klebeverbindung zwischen Heißleim und dem Kunststoffverschluß oder dem mit Kunststoff oder Lack beschichtetem Metallverschluß erfordert Temperaturen von über 100^oC.

In a known labeling machine of the type mentioned at the outset, it is provided that the application element for the hot gluing of the area left blank in the cold gluing is designed as a roller and is arranged on the gripper cylinder so that it transfers the hot glue in a rolling process on the label supported on the back in the gripper cylinder. The label thus provided with cold glue and hot glue is then transferred to the container moving past the gripper cylinder, wherein it is pressed onto the closure and the container part located thereunder, if necessary with the aid of controllable pressing members. This type of container labeling has a number of disadvantages:

• 1. If there is no label in the gripper cylinder, the pressure pad provided for the back support of the labels is glued by the roller that rolls on it. This can cause problems with the continue operation because the following labels stick to the pressure pad of the gripper cylinder.
• 2. The hot glue applied to the recessed area reduces the stiffness of the label so that it tends to curl up on its way to the transfer location at the turntable. A perfect transfer to the closure is then no longer possible.
• 3. When the label is pressed onto the closure, the hot glue is not at a temperature high enough for an optimal connection. An optimal adhesive connection between hot glue and the plastic closure or the metal closure coated with plastic or lacquer requires temperatures of over 100 ^o C.

The invention has for its object to provide a labeling machine of the type mentioned, in which the labels stick optimally to the closure and failures due to faulty hot glue transfer cannot occur.

This object is achieved in that the application element is arranged on the rotary table in the transport direction of the container before the transfer location of the label on the container, in particular bottles, and is set up for the pulsed control and the direct application of hot glue to the closure and that in the transport direction the container is arranged in front of the application element on the turntable or a synchronously driven transport device (feed star, feed screw) directly upstream of the turntable, a sensor of a control device for the application element which is responsive to the presence of a closure positioned correctly on the container is arranged, which Only actuate the order element when passing a pick-up location for the pulsed delivery of hot glue to this pick-up location if the sensor has detected a closure that is correctly positioned at this pick-up location.

Preferably in combination with this solution, but also alternatively, the object is achieved in that a sensor of a control device for the application element is arranged on the gripper cylinder, which sensor responds to the presence of faultlessly kept egg chains, and which only then passes the application element for the pulsed dispensing of hot glue when it passes a receiving place controlled to this location if the sensor has determined a label intended for this location. Instead of controlling the pulsed dispensing of hot glue, it can also be provided that a pressure element arranged in the gripper cylinder for the closure area of the label is pulsed against the container, so that the transmission of hot glue to the pressure element is prevented if there is no activation.

In the labeling machine according to the invention, malfunctions due to faulty hot glue transfer to the container or its closure and / or to the pressing member of the gripper cylinder for the closure region of the label are prevented. Since the hot glue is not applied in the gripper cylinder, but in the turntable directly on the closures, the area of the label that is left out of cold glue is not impaired in its inherent rigidity and can therefore not curl up, so that it can be transferred to the vessel in an optimal position. In addition, because of the direct application of the hot glue to the closure, this is applied at an optimum temperature for the connection to the closure can be. The cooling of the hot glue on the closure until the label is pressed on is not critical, because a substantially lower temperature is sufficient for a perfect connection of the hot glue to the label than for the connection to the closure. Although the control of the application element for the pulsed dispensing of hot glue takes place primarily from the presence of properly positioned closures, the task is solved optimally if the control device also takes into account the presence of properly removed labels. By taking this into account it is prevented that hot glue is transferred to the pressure element by touching the pressure element not covered by the label and soiled that it becomes unusable. Of the two alternatives, the alternative with the control of the application element is preferred because it requires less technical equipment.

The sensor, which checks for the presence of a properly positioned closure, responds both to the absence of a closure on a container and to the absence of a container because there is then no closure either. This check can also be carried out on the turntable on an upstream transport route, be it in the feed star driven synchronously with the turntable, or in a feed screw that is also driven synchronously with it, because from here the position of the individual vessels can be clearly tracked. If a malfunction occurs after this first check of the closure and the closure is not in the predetermined position at the hot glue application point, according to a further embodiment of the invention, the application of hot glue can be carried out by means of a further check on or as close as possible to the Prevent job order.

According to this embodiment, it is provided that in a labeling machine with clamping heads arranged in the turntable, axially lowerable onto the vessels by means of a cam control, a compensating spring is arranged between each of these and the associated engagement members, with each clamping head having a transmitter for one before or at the application site for the hot melt Arranged sensors is assigned to the control device, which controls the application element for the pulsed dispensing of hot glue in the target position for a fault-free container. It goes without saying that this activation takes place only in the sense of a linkage with the other activation depending on the other checks.

If the pressing of the label on the closure by the gripper cylinder, which is usually achieved by a pressing element that can be radially pilot-controlled, is insufficient, it is provided according to one embodiment of the invention to complete the pressing in the outlet star. In order to protect the pressure element against inadvertent transfer of glue from the closure to the pressure element even in cases where, for whatever reason, there is no label in the area of the closure provided with glue, the invention provides for the following: that the pressing element in the outlet star can be transferred from an outer radial working position into an inner radial idling position by means of a switchable control curve, a control device with sensors responding to the presence of labels on the closure of the containers located in the discharge star being provided for switching on the control curve, which at missing the label controls the control curve for transferring the pressure element into the idle position.

Figur 1

eine Etikettiermaschinen in schematischer Darstellung in Aufsicht,

Figur 2

die Etikettiermaschine gemäß Figur 1 ausschnittweise am Auftragsorgan für Heißleim im Axialschnitt,

Figur 3

die Etikettiermaschine gemäß Figur 1 ausschnittweise im Auslaufstern im Axialschnitt,

Figur 4

eine Steuereinrichtung für das Auftragselement im Blockschaltbild und

Figur 5

eine Flasche mit einem am Flaschenhals und am Verschluß angebrachten Etikett in Seitenansicht.

In the following the invention is based on a Exemplary embodiment illustrating the drawing. In detail show:

Figure 1

a labeling machine in a schematic representation in supervision,

Figure 2

1 shows the labeling machine according to FIG. 1 in sections on the application member for hot glue in axial section

Figure 3

1 the labeling machine according to FIG. 1 in the outlet star in axial section,

Figure 4

a control device for the order element in the block diagram and

Figure 5

a bottle with a label attached to the bottle neck and the closure in side view.

The labeling machine for vessels shown in FIG. 1, namely bottles 1, has an inlet screw 2, an inlet star 3, a turntable 4 and an outlet star 5 for transporting the bottles 1. These parts 2 to 5 are driven synchronously and have receiving spaces, so that a bottle 1 entering the feed screw 2 can be tracked in its position during its further transport in the labeling machine.

In the turntable 4, as shown in FIG. 2, a turntable 6 and a clamping head 7 are assigned to each receiving location. The bottle 1 is clamped axially between the turntable 6 and the clamping head 7. The chuck 7 is from a rod 9 which is axially displaceable in a housing 8 and which can be moved axially against the bottle 1 by an engagement member 11 guided in a fixed control cam 10 with the interposition of a spring (not shown) arranged in the housing 8. The spring thus acts as a compensating spring and determines the axial clamping force.

The labeling machine has a labeling station 12 on the periphery of the rotary table 4, which comprises a rotating carrier 13 with driven removal elements arranged thereon rotatably or pivotably, as well as a glue roller 15, a label supply station 16 with a stack of labels and a gripper cylinder 17. In this labeling station, the labels to be transferred to bottles 1 are glued on the back with wet glue. The areas that are to be attached to the closure of the bottle are left out. In the bottle 1 shown in FIG. 5 with a belly label 17 and a neck label 18 with a strip 18a attached to it, which extends as far as the closure 19 of the bottle, the belly label 17 and the neck label with the exception of the strip 18 are provided with cold glue at least in the region of the closure 19. The labels 17, 18 glued in this way are transferred by means of the gripper cylinder 17 to the bottles 1 transported past them.

When the bottles 1 are transported further in the turntable 4, the labels 17, 18 thus transferred are moved past stationary brushes 20. The bottles are rotated about their own axes by the driven rotary plate 6, so that the labels 17, 18 are applied over the entire surface. On their further transport, the bottles arrive at stationary pressure rollers 21, which press and smooth the labels 17, 18 further. Leave the exit star 5 labeled bottles 1 the labeling machine.

In the outlet star 5, a cam-controlled pressing element 23 is assigned to each receiving location, as shown in detail in FIG. The pressure element consists of a carrier 25 equipped with a pressure cushion 24, which is mounted radially outwards against the force of a spring, not shown, in a guide 26. For the radial movement of the carrier 25, a cam control is provided, which consists of a fixed cam 27 and an engagement member 28 in the form of a roller of each carrier 25. The stationary cam 27 has a vertically movable cam piece 27a, which can be removed from the engagement area of the engagement member 28 by an actuator 29. This curve piece 27a projects beyond the otherwise concentric circular cylindrical surface of the cam plate 27, so that only in the lower position of the curve piece 27a shown in FIG the curve piece 27a happens.

As with the cold gluing of the labels 17, 18, provision is made only for their attachment to the bottle 1, but not also for the strip 18 on the closure 19, is on the turntable before the transfer location of the labels 17, 18 by the gripper cylinder 17 on the bottles 1, an application element 30 is positioned stationary on the periphery of the turntable. This application element is set up for the pulsed spraying of hot glue onto the closure 19 of bottles 1 transported past it. A control device 31 is provided for controlling this order element 30. The control device is assigned various sensors 32-36, which are positioned at different points on the labeling machine and on address different criteria. The sensor 32 is arranged on the inlet star 3 and is set up to determine whether a bottle 1 is present and / or the bottle 1 is provided with a closure. The sensor 33 is arranged at the job site. Various tasks can be assigned to it. In the simplest case, he only needs to determine the presence of bottles 1 in order to give a signal to the control device 1 at the right moment for the pulsed dispensing of hot glue onto the bottle head. In addition, he may be given the task of checking the presence of a proper bottle again. As can be seen in FIG. 2, this can be achieved with an encoder 37 which is carried by the rod 9 and to which the sensor 33 only responds when it is in the position shown in FIG. If, on the other hand, there is no bottle, it takes a lower position due to the intermediate spring 8 arranged in the housing and cannot be detected by the sensor 33.

The sensor 34 is arranged on the circumference of the gripper cylinder 17 and is set up to determine whether a label has been taken over by the removal elements 14 at all or whether the strip 18a is held in the correct position. Only when these conditions are met is a signal sent to the control device 31 which permits the dispensing of hot glue.

Shortly before the outlet star 5, the sensor 35 is arranged in a fixed position on the circumference of the rotary table 4. This sensor determines whether a strip 18a is attached to the closure 19.

The control of the application element 30 for the dispensing of hot glue by means of the control device 31 takes place in the following manner:
Only when the control device 31 reports from both the sensor 32, the sensor 33, and the sensor 34 a signal for the presence of a bottle with a properly positioned closure and the presence of a label 18 with a correctly positioned strip 18a, does the control device 31 control the application element 30 for dispensing hot glue so that it transfers hot glue in the form of two spots 40 to the closure 19. In addition, the control device 31 can also control an activation element 41 of a pre-controllable pressing element, which consists of a roller 42 for the strip 18a and a cushion 42b for the label 18. The roller 42 ensures a slip compensation, so that the strip 18a is practically not loaded in the tangential direction. The actuation of the pressing element can alternatively take place to actuate the application element 30, in such a way that the pressing element 42 is transferred into the idle position if it is not ensured that the strip 18a covers the spots 40 on the closure 19. In this alternative, too, it is excluded that hot glue applied soils the pressing element 42. If the label 18 or strip 18a is defective, the pressing element is not pre-controlled, so that no label 18 is transferred either. In a manner known per se, the label 18 initially remaining in the gripper cylinder is removed from the gripper cylinder.

Since the position of the bottles 1 in the labeling machine can be tracked as far as the outlet star 5, the actuator 29 for the curve piece 27 can be controlled by the control device 31 as a function of the signals supplied for the individual receiving places via the presence of labels correctly transferred to the bottles are controlled so that the pressing element 24 is prevented from striking spots 40 of hot glue not covered by the strip 18a. Because on the transport route the Bottles can occur through the labeling machine after initially correctly attached labels, a repeated check for proper labeling can be carried out immediately in front of the outlet star 5 by means of the sensor 35. If this sensor 35 detects an error, the actuator 29 is actuated so that the pressing element 24 is moved into the idle position. This type of control can also take place independently of the control device 31.

In addition, depending on the signal from the sensor 35, a lock arranged at the outlet of the outlet star can be actuated, which separates out the incorrectly labeled bottle.

Claims (4)

Labeling machine for containers which can be closed with screw closures, in particular bottles, comprising a labeling station (12) comprising a gripper cylinder (17) for labels (18, 18a) to be attached to the container (1), in particular the bottle neck, and the closure (19), and a Receiving places for the containers (1) having a rotary table (4) with an inlet and outlet star (3, 5), the labeling station (12) for the wet gluing of the label (18) with the exception of the area (18a) to be attached to the closure (19). is set up and an application element (30) for hot gluing is provided for the recessed area (18a),
characterized in that the application element (30) is arranged on the turntable (4) in the transport direction of the containers (1) before the transfer location of the label (18) on the container (1) and for the pulsed control and the direct application of hot glue to the closure (19) is set up and that in the transport direction of the container (1) in front of the application element (30) on the turntable (4) or one of the turntable (4) immediately upstream, synchronously driven transport device (infeed star 3, infeed screw 2) a to the presence of a on the container (1) correctly positioned closure (19) responsive sensor (32,33) of a control device (31) for the Order element (30) is arranged, which controls the order element (30) only for the pulsed delivery of hot glue to the receiving location when the sensor (32, 33) has detected a closure (19) correctly positioned at this receiving location. Labeling machine for containers which can be closed with screw closures, in particular bottles, comprising a labeling station (12) comprising a gripper cylinder (17) for labels (18, 18a) to be attached to the container (1), in particular the bottle neck, and the closure (19) and a receiving space for the container (1) having a rotary table (4) with an inlet and outlet star (3, 5), the labeling station (12) being set up for wet gluing of the label (18) with the exception of the area (18a) to be attached to the closure (19) and an application element (30) for hot gluing is provided for the recessed area (18a), in particular according to claim 1,
characterized in that on the turntable (2) in front of the transfer location of the label (9) onto the container (1) there is arranged an impulse-controllable application element (14) set up for the direct application of hot glue to the closure (19) and that on the gripper cylinder (17) a sensor (34) of a control device (31) for the application element (30), which is responsive to the presence of labels (18, 18a) that are kept free of defects, is arranged, which the order element (30) only passes for a pulsed delivery when it passes a receiving place of hot glue at this location or a pressure element provided in the gripper cylinder for the closure area (18a) of the label (18) either holds it in the pressure position or transfers it to this position when the sensor (34) has found a label (18) that is held correctly for this location . Labeling machine according to Claim 1 or 2, with clamping heads (7) arranged in the rotary table (4) and axially lowerable onto the vessels (1) by means of a cam control (10, 11), between which and the associated engagement members (11) of the cam control (10, 11) ) a compensating spring is arranged,
characterized in that each chuck (7) is assigned a transmitter (37) for a sensor (33) arranged in front of or at the place of application for the hot glue of the control device (31), the chuck only when the chuck is in the desired position for a faultless container (1) (7) controls the application element (30) for the pulsed delivery of hot glue. Labeling machine according to one of claims 1 to 3,
characterized in that a rotating pressure element (23) is provided in the outlet star (5) for each receiving location, which can be converted from an outer radial working position into an inner radial idling position by means of a switchable control cam (28), with the control cam (28 ) the control device (31) is provided with sensors (35) which respond to the presence of labels (18) on the closure (19) of the vessels to be transported in the outlet star (5) and which, if the label (18) is missing, the control curve (28) controls to transfer the pressure element (23) into the idle position.

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