| 摘要 |
A method and apparatus for creating an identification sleeve on a thin, elongate object (35, 67, 113), such as a wire, pipe or ring, is disclosed. A printer (15, 65, 91) prints identification indicia on a strip of ultrasonically weldable heat shrinkable material (13, 63, 93). The strip is cut into flat pieces (13A, 63A, 93A), each of which contain identification indicia in a predetermined location, preferably at the center of the piece. The pieces are wrapped around the elongate object to be identified such that the indicia overlies the object and the longitudinal axis of the indicia lies generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the object. The pieces (13A, 63A, 93A) are wrapped around the object such that the pieces take on a U-shaped configuration. The outwardly extending legs of the U-shaped pieces are ultrasonically welded together adjacent to the object and the excess portion of the legs are cut away. Then the thusly formed sleeve is positioned by sliding it along the object. After being positioned, the sleeve is heated, resulting in the sleeve material shrinking until it tightly grips the object.
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