Labelling machine for sleeve labels

摘要

A labeling machine has a carrousel having a frame at the periphery of which a plurality of mandrels are rotatably mounted, and, at angularly spaced positions around the carrousel, object feeding means, label feeding means and object removing means. Each mandel receives a label strip from the label feeding means, winds it around the body of the mandrel so that a leading end and a trailing end of the label strip overlap. The leading and trailing ends of the label strip are sealed to form a sleeve label. The label strips are sealed by heat sealing means which include a pulse heating bar.

主权项

1. A labeling machine for labeling bottles, said machine having a programmable logic controller and comprising
a carousel having a frame, said frame defining a periphery, a plurality of mandrels for supporting said bottles, each mandrel having an axis and being rotatably mounted on said periphery, actuators for rotating each said mandrel about its axis and for allowing sand mandrel to move vertically along its axis, an infeed conveyor for feeding bottles onto said carousel, a label feeder for feeding a continuous film of labels, a cutter for cutting the continuous film of labels into label strips, the label strips each having a trailing end and a leading end, a vacuum drum for transferring each of said label strips from said cutter onto one of said mandrels with said trailing end and said leading end overlapping each other to define overlapping ends, a pulse heating sealing bar connected to a power source and having a heating element, said sealing bar comprising a body carrying a heating element and having a channel through which a coolant may be circulated, the heating element comprising a plate on which plural layers of glass-ceramic materials are applied, to such glass-ceramic layers further layers of glass-metal materials and a final protective coating being applied, a slide activated through said programmable logic controller that performs the following actions: moving said pulse heating sealing bar from a rest position, in which said pulse heating sealing bar is distanced from said overlapping ends, to a contact position, wherein said heating element of said pulse heating sealing bar contacts said overlapping ends for sealing said overlapping ends together to form a sleeve label, and retracting said pulse heating sealing bar from said contact position to said rest position, a first distribution wheel rotating counter-wise with respect to the direction of rotation of the carousel; the label feeder is positioned downstream from the bottle feeder and feeds a continuous film of labels, cuts the film into discrete label strips and further comprises a vacuum drum that receives the label strips , retains them by vacuum and delivers the label strips onto the mandrels; the mandrels have a body, of substantially cylindrical shape, but slightly tapered upwardly and having a substantially flat top forming a plate that supports one of said bottles while on the carousel, the bottle being set firmly on place by a setting mechanism mounted on the top part of the frame of the carousel, in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the body of mandrel, the surface of the body of the mandrel comprising a plurality of openings that are in flow communication with passages for vacuum defined internally to the body, such passages being connected to a source of vacuum; the setting mechanism comprising a shaft having a proximal end engaged with the top frame of the carousel, and a distal end terminating with a bell for engaging a top portion of a bottle, and the setting mechanism moves vertically, so that, when a bottle is picked up on a mandrel, the setting mechanism is lowered to engage the top of the bottle and press it against the plate; and further comprising a second distribution wheel rotating counter-wise with respect to the direction of rotation of the carousel, that receives the labeled bottles exiting the carousel and transfers them onto an outfeed conveyor that delivers the bottles to a heating device for heat-shrinking of the labels around the bottles.