PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING TUBULAR LABELS OF HEAT SHRINKABLE FILM AND INSERTING CONTAINERS THEREIN

摘要

The invention relates to the field of processes for labelling containers or bottles (6) and particularly to the process for applying tubular labels (100) made of heat shrinkable film which completely surround an area of the outer surface of the bottle. The process and machine comprise the step of winding a precut label (100) from a reeled film on a rotating tubular round plate (3) supported by a roundabout labelling machine, the bottle (6) abuts on the round plate (3a) and the label is wound on the underlying tubular portion (3b). The tubular surface of the round plate is provided with a plurality (10) of holes alternatively supplying or drawing air for establishing a positive or negative pressure respectively on the label surface. The overlapped vertical ends of the label are heat sealed by an electrically heated bar (30) located at each round plate or are chemically bonded. The tubular round plate (3) and the container (6) on it can vertically move to transfer the container (6) into the tubular label (100).