JPH06199330A - Method and device for heating heat-seal label - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [PROBLEMS] To provide a method and an apparatus for heating a heat-seal label that can melt the adhesive of the heat-seal label so that the printing ink printed on the heat-seal label does not melt. [Structure] A heat seal label 10 capable of melting an adhesive on a pasting surface by heating is used.
Heater 4 built in the suction board 46 that sucks and holds
At 6E, the heat-sealing label 10 is heated from the printing surface side to a temperature not higher than the melting temperature of the printing ink, and hot air having a temperature not lower than the melting temperature of the printing ink is blown from the hot air blower 58 to heat the sticking surface side. By heating the adhesive from both sides, the adhesive of the heat seal label is melted so that the printing ink printed on the heat seal label 10 does not melt.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for heating a heat-seal label and an apparatus therefor, which heats an adhesive previously fixed to the heat-seal label in order to apply the heat-seal label printed with a printing ink. The present invention relates to a heating method and apparatus for heating the adhesive so that the printing ink does not melt when it melts.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, as a label to which an adhesive is applied in advance, a plurality of labels are temporarily attached to an oil paper strip-shaped mount, and the labels are peeled one by one from the mount and attached to an adherend. And a heat-seal label of a type in which an adhesive is preliminarily fixed to the sticking surface of the label, and the adhesive is heated and melted to be stuck to an adherend.

However, the use of the heat-seal label is a method in which a pre-printed heat-seal label is printed by a printing machine and the adhesive of the heat-seal label is heated and melted at the time of use to be applied to an adherend. However, there was no method of using the method of printing with a printer for printing ink, heating and melting the adhesive, and then applying the adhesive to the adherend. In other words, the heat-sealing label was not used but the above-mentioned temporary mount label was used in the pasting device equipped with the printer for the printing ink, which is installed in the packaging line of products. The reason for this is that the heat seal label needs to melt the adhesive when it is applied, but the melting temperature of the adhesive is about 170 ° C.
On the other hand, the melting temperature of carbon ink usually used as a printing ink is as low as about 80 ° C. That is, after printing with a printer for printing ink, the carbon ink printed on the heat-sealing label is heated when the heat-sealing label is heated to melt the adhesive in order to attach the heat-sealing label to the adherend. It has been considered technically difficult to use a heat-sealable label in a sticking device equipped with the printer because it melts and letters flow to deteriorate the appearance of printing. By the way, the melting temperature of the printing ink is higher than that of the printing ink, and the printing ink does not melt when the adhesive is melted.

[0004]

However, since the heat seal label does not require a mount, it is cheaper than the temporary mount label and has the great advantage that the label use cost can be greatly reduced. Have From this, in order to be able to use the heat-seal label in a sticking device equipped with a printer for printing ink, melt the adhesive of the heat-seal label so that the printing ink printed on the heat-seal label does not melt. A heating method and an apparatus therefor that can be performed are necessary.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a method and apparatus for heating a heat-seal label that can melt the adhesive of the heat-seal label so that the printing ink printed on the heat-seal label does not melt. The purpose is to provide.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a heat seal label having a print surface and an adhesive surface on the side opposite to the print surface, which is printed with a printing ink. While heating below the melting temperature of the printing ink from the printing surface side, heat the adhesive above the melting temperature of the printing ink from the adhesive surface side, and heat by heating the adhesive from both sides of the heat seal label. It is characterized in that the adhesive of the seal label is melted.

[0007]

The method of heating the heat-seal label and the apparatus therefor are characterized in that the adhesive of the heat-seal label can be melted in a short time without melting the printing ink printed on the heat-seal label. Is. According to the method and apparatus for heating a heat-seal label of the present invention, a heat-seal label having a print surface and an adhesive surface on the opposite side of the print surface, from the print surface side printed with printing ink, The first heating means heats the adhesive at a temperature not higher than the melting temperature of the printing ink, and the second heating means heats the adhesive at a temperature not lower than the melting temperature of the printing ink from the adhesive surface side. In this way, the adhesive of the heat seal label,
By heating from both sides of the heat seal label, the adhesive of the heat seal label can be melted so that the printing ink printed on the heat seal label does not melt.

That is, the amount of heat required to melt the adhesive is determined by the relationship between the heating temperature and the heating time, but a part of the heat applied to the adhesive is not used for melting the adhesive. Used to heat the heat seal label itself, or lost as radiant heat. For this reason, the amount of heat retained in the adhesive is not sufficient and the temperature of the adhesive does not rise easily with a heating method that heats only from the sticking surface side of the heat seal label, that is, from the adhesive surface side of the heat seal label. It takes a long time to melt the agent, which is not practical. However, when the adhesive is heated at a high temperature such as the melting temperature of the adhesive (about 170 ° C.), the heat seal label deteriorates and the printing ink melts. Therefore, it is necessary to heat the adhesive at a temperature as low as possible and to melt it in a short time. Focusing on this point, in the heating method of the heat-seal label of the present invention, the heat-seal label is heated from the printing surface side printed on the heat-seal label as described above to keep the heat-seal label warm. From the adhesive surface side, it is heated above the melting temperature of the printing ink so as to melt the adhesive. Thereby, the heat heated from the adhesive surface side is effectively used for melting the adhesive, and the temperature of the adhesive easily rises, so that the printing ink printed on the heat seal label is not melted, The adhesive of the heat seal label can be melted in a short time.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of a method and apparatus for heating a heat-sealed label according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Then, an example in which the heating device for the heat-seal label 10 of the present invention is applied to a sticking device equipped with a printer for printing with printing ink will be described below. FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration diagram of the sticking apparatus, a printing mechanism for printing on the heat seal label 10 and the printed heat seal label 1
From the transport mechanism that holds 0 by suction and transports to the position of the pasting object 62 that is transported by the separately provided conveyor 64 and pastes it, and the heating device of the present invention that heats and melts the adhesive of the heat seal label 10. Each mechanism is housed in a casing 14 on the base 12. By the way, the heat-seal label 10 is a label in which an adhesive is preliminarily fixed to the attaching surface of the heat-seal label and the adhesive is melted by heating to produce an adhesive function.

First, the printing mechanism will be described. A supply reel 1 for accommodating a band-shaped heat seal label 10 in a winding manner.
6 is provided, and the heat seal label 10 rewound from the supply reel 16 forms a printing portion via the guide roller 18 for the heat seal label 10 and the thermal head 2
0 and the platen roller 22. An ink ribbon 24 of carbon ink is provided above the supply reel 16.
An ink ribbon supply reel 26 for storing the ink is provided, and the ink ribbon 24 rewound from the ink ribbon supply reel 26 reaches the printing portion via a first guide roller 28 for the ink ribbon 24 and is heat-sealed. The label 10 is sandwiched so as to be superposed on the label 10, and is wound around the ink ribbon take-up reel 32 via the second guide roller 30. The heat-seal label 10 in the print portion is provided with a strip-shaped heat-seal label 1 on the conveying direction side.
A pair of rotary cutters 34, 3 for cutting 0 into a predetermined length
4 are provided. As a result, in the printing mechanism, the heat seal label 10 is printed with the required name, price, manufacturing date, bar code, etc., and cut into a predetermined length.

Next, the transport mechanism will be described. The rotary cutter 34 is provided near the outlet of the rotary cutter 34.
A comb-teeth-shaped (see FIG. 2) slant plate 36 from which the heat-seal label 10 cut into a predetermined length slipped off was provided, and the tip of the heat-seal label 10 slid off the slant plate 36 was provided vertically. Stops by contacting the stopper plate 38,
The end portions of the heat seal label 10 are aligned. Further, a horizontal elevating plate 40 having comb teeth (see FIG. 2) capable of intersecting with the comb teeth of the inclined plate 36 is provided, and one end of the elevating cylinder 42 has a cylinder shaft 42A of a cylinder shaft 42A. It is attached to the tip. Also,
A detector 44 for detecting the presence or absence of the heat seal label 10 is provided on the inclined plate 36, and when the detector 44 detects the heat seal label 10, the lift cylinder 4 is moved.
The contraction operation of 2 is performed. This allows
The heat-seal label 10 cut to a predetermined length by the rotary cutter 34 slides down the inclined plate 36, and the stopper plate 3
When the detector 44 detects the heat-seal label 10, the lifting cylinder 42 contracts and the lifting plate 40 rises. Then, the elevating plate 40 scoops up the heat seal label 10 on the inclined plate 36 and accurately conveys the heat seal label 10 to the suction position of the suction plate 46 described below.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the suction plate 46 is formed in a box shape having a hollow portion 46A.
A plurality of small suction holes 46C, 46C ... Which communicate with the hollow portion 46A are formed on the lower surface 6 on the suction surface 46B side. Further, a suction port 46D is formed on the side surface of the suction plate 46, one end of which is connected to the hollow portion 46A and the other end of which is connected to a hose 60 which is connected to a suction device (not shown). As a result, in the suction plate 46, the hollow portion 46A becomes a negative pressure due to the operation of the suction device, and the heat seal label 10 can be sucked and held on the suction surface 46B, and when the suction is released, the heat seal label 10 is sucked by the suction plate 46. Away from you.

Further, a vertical cylinder 48 which expands and contracts in the vertical direction (XX direction in the drawing) is provided above the suction plate 46, and the tip end of the cylinder rod 48A of the vertical cylinder 48 is the upper surface of the suction plate 46. It is attached to the section. Further, the vertical cylinder 48 has a pair of slide guides 50, 50 attached to the upper and lower parts thereof, and
Horizontal upper and lower two parallel guide rails 5
It is slidably supported by 2, 52. Further, in the vicinity of the vertical cylinder 48, the horizontal direction (Y-Y direction in the drawing)
A horizontal cylinder 54 that expands and contracts is provided, and the tip end of a cylinder rod 54A of the horizontal cylinder 54 is attached to the center of the side surface of the vertical cylinder 48 via an arm 56.
As a result, the heat seal label 10 sucked and held by the suction disk 46 can be moved in the vertical direction by the expansion / contraction operation of the vertical cylinder 48, and can be moved in the horizontal direction by the expansion / contraction operation of the horizontal cylinder 54.

Next, the heating device of the present invention will be described. The heating device includes a heater incorporated in the suction plate 46 and a hot air blower 58 provided below the moving path along which the suction plate 46 moves horizontally. It consists of and. First,
The heating structure of the suction plate 46 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. A heater 46E is attached to the upper surface of the hollow portion 46A, and a suction surface 46B is attached to one end of the lower surface of the hollow portion 46A.
There is provided a thermocouple type temperature detector 46F for detecting the temperature. Also, the heater 46E and the temperature detector 46F
Are connected to a temperature controller (not shown) by respective wires 46G. As a result, the suction surface 46B of the suction plate 46 is maintained at the preset temperature preset by the temperature controller.

Next, the heating structure of the hot air blower 58 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, and the hot air blower 5 will be described.
8 has a round opening 58B in the center of the upper surface of the box-shaped container 58A, and three round rod-shaped heaters 58C, 58C, 58C are arranged in parallel in the middle part of the container 58A and are supported by the electrode plate 58D. There is. A fan 58E is provided below the round bar heater 58C, and a thermocouple type temperature detector 58F is provided above the round bar heater 58C. The electrode plate 58D and the temperature detector 58F are connected to the respective wiring 5
8G is connected to the temperature controller, and the power unit 58J of the fan 58E is connected to a sequencer (not shown) of the main body by wiring 58H. As a result, when the fan 58E is operated in a state in which the round rod-shaped heater 58C is heated to heat the round rod-shaped heater 58C, the open portion 5 above the container 58A is opened.
From 8B, hot air having a temperature preset by the temperature controller is blown upward.

Next, the operation of the heat-sealing label heating method and apparatus of the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to an example in which the apparatus is applied to the above-mentioned label sticking apparatus. The band-shaped heat-seal label 10 is rewound from the winding reel 16 and supplied to the thermal head 20 and the platen roller 22 which form the printing unit and is sandwiched between the thermal head 20 and the platen roller 22. It is printed. next,
The printed heat-seal label 10 is sandwiched between a pair of rotary cutters 34 and cut, and then slides down the inclined plate 36 so that the tip of the heat-seal label 10 is stopped by the stopper plate 3.
8 is abutted and stopped, and positioning is performed so as to be conveyed to the next suction plate 46. Next, when the detector 44 detects the presence of the heat-seal label 10, the elevating cylinder 42 contracts and the elevating plate 40 rises, and the heat-seal label 10 is picked up from the inclined plate 36 and is waiting above. The suction surface 46B of the board 46 is suction-held. At this time, the suction surface 46B is heated to about 70 ° C. As a result, the heat-seal label 10 sucked and held by the suction plate 46 is heated from the printing surface side printed with the carbon ink at a temperature not higher than the melting temperature of the carbon ink, so that the carbon ink printed on the heat-seal label 10 ( The melting temperature is about 80 ° C.) The adhesive can be heated without melting. Next, by the contraction operation of the vertical cylinder 48, the suction plate 46 that holds the heat seal label 10 by suction.
Is raised to a position where it does not hit the hot air blower 58 in the next horizontal movement, and is horizontally moved by the subsequent extension operation of the horizontal cylinder 54 to move above the separately provided conveyor 64. During the horizontal movement of the suction cup 46, hot air of about 120 ° C. is blown upward from the hot air blower 58 to heat the adhesive surface side of the heat seal label 10 suction-held on the suction cup 46. . In this way, by using the heating from the printing surface side and the heating from the adhesive surface side together, the adhesive is melted in about 1 to 2 seconds without melting the carbon ink printed on the heat seal label 10. Can be made. Next, by the extending operation of the vertical cylinder 48, the suction plate 46 is pressed against the adherend 62 conveyed by the separately provided conveyor 64 via the heat-sealed label 10 held by suction. As a result, the heat seal label 10 is pressed against the object to be adhered in a state where the adhesive is melted, so that the heat seal label 10 can be adhered to the object to be adhered 62. Next, as the suction of the suction disk 46 is released, the vertical cylinder 48 contracts to retract the suction disk 46 from the adherend 62, and then the horizontal cylinder 54 contracts to move the suction disk 46 to the original position. Move to position.

By repeating the above operation, the heat seal label 10 can be sequentially and automatically attached to the adherend 62 without melting the carbon printed on the heat seal label 10. As a result, when the heating device for a heat-seal label of the present invention is applied to a sticking device equipped with a printer for printing ink, a heat-seal label is provided despite having a printer for printing ink. Can be used.

The heat seal label heating method and apparatus according to the present invention heat the heat seal label 10 at a temperature not higher than the melting temperature of the carbon ink (for example, 70 ° C.) from the printing surface side of the heat seal label 10 and heat seal the heat seal label. The carbon ink printed on the heat-seal label 10 is not melted for a short time by double-sided heating in which the adhesive surface of the label 10 on which the adhesive is fixed is heated at a melting temperature of the carbon ink or higher (for example, 120 ° C). The adhesive can be melted with. That is, the amount of heat required to melt the adhesive is determined by the relationship between the heating temperature and the heating time, but a part of the amount of heat applied to the adhesive is not used for melting the adhesive and is heat-sealed. It is used to warm the label 10 itself or is lost as radiant heat. In particular, when the heat seal label 10 is suction-held on the suction plate 46, the temperature of the hot air added from the adhesive surface side of the heat seal label 10 is likely to decrease due to the cooling effect of the suction air. Therefore, only the adhesive surface side of the heat seal label 10, that is,
In the heating method in which only the sticking surface of the heat seal label 10 is heated, the amount of heat retained in the adhesive is not sufficient and the temperature of the adhesive is unlikely to rise, so it takes a long time to melt the adhesive, which is not practical. However, if the adhesive is heated at a high temperature such as the melting temperature of the adhesive (about 170 ° C.), the heat seal label 10 deteriorates and the carbon ink melts. Therefore, it is necessary to heat the adhesive at a temperature as low as possible and to melt it in a short time. Focusing on this point, in the heat seal label heating method and apparatus of the present invention, the heat seal label 10 is heated from the printing surface side of the heat seal label 10 at a temperature not higher than the melting temperature of the carbon ink as described above. It has a function of keeping heat, and has a function of melting the adhesive by heating from the adhesive surface side at a temperature not lower than the melting temperature of the carbon ink. By this, the heat heated from the adhesive surface side is effectively used for melting the adhesive, and the temperature of the adhesive easily rises,
The adhesive can be melted in a short time. For example, as described above, the adhesive of the heat seal label 10 is heated at about 70 ° C. from the printing surface side and 120 ° C. from the adhesive surface side.
When heated with the hot air of about 1 to about 1 without melting the carbon ink printed on the heat seal label 10.
The adhesive could be melted by heating for a short time of 2 seconds. Therefore, even when the heating device of the present invention is applied to a label sticking device equipped with a printer for printing ink, the sticking efficiency does not deteriorate.

Next, a second embodiment of the heat seal label heating apparatus of the present invention will be described. The same members as those in the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 5, the difference from the first embodiment is that the base end portion of the vertical cylinder 48 attached to the suction plate 46 is swingably supported by the support member 66 and is heated at about 70 ° C. Suction cup 46
After the heat-seal label 10 is suction-held on the side, the heat-seal label 10 is attached to the side surface of the adherend 62 by swinging it by 90 ° toward the separately provided conveyor 64. Further, a hot air blower 58 is provided along the swing track of the suction board 46 so that hot air of about 120 ° C. is blown to the adhesive surface side of the heat seal label 10 during the swing of the suction board 46. did.

As a result, even in the case of the second embodiment, the first
The same effect as that of the embodiment can be obtained, and it is suitable for attaching the heat seal label 10 to the side surface of the adherend 62. In the embodiment of the present invention, the heat seal label 10
The printing surface of is about 70 ° C and the adhesive side is about 120 ° C.
It was heated for up to 2 seconds, but it is not limited to this temperature and heating time.
It is possible to freely select the temperature condition for melting the adhesive in a short time without melting the carbon printed with 0. Further, hot air is blown from the hot air blower 58 during the horizontal movement or the swing movement of the suction cup 10, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be added after moving the suction cup 46. Alternatively, a hot air blower may be provided below the positioning portion to heat the suction plate 46 before adsorbing it. In short, the place to heat is not limited. Further, although the thermocouple type is used as the temperature detector of the suction board 46 and the hot air blower 58, the temperature is not limited to this, and the temperature of the suction surface of the suction board 46 and the temperature of the hot air of the hot air blower 58 are not limited thereto. Any type of detector can be used as long as it can accurately detect

[0021]

As described above, according to the heat seal label heating method and apparatus of the present invention, the heat seal label is heated at a temperature not higher than the melting temperature of the print ink from the printing surface printed with the print ink. At the same time, heating was performed from the adhesive surface side to which the adhesive was fixed, at the melting temperature of the printing ink or higher. Thereby, the adhesive of the heat seal label can be melted in a short time without melting the printing ink printed on the heat seal label. Therefore, if the method and apparatus for heating a heat-sealable label of the present invention is applied to a label sticking device equipped with a printing device for printing ink, it is possible to obtain heat even if it is equipped with a printing device for printing ink. A sticker label can be used.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment in which a heat seal label heating device according to the present invention is applied to a label sticking device.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the first embodiment of the heating device for the heat-seal label according to the present invention when the suction plate moves above the conveyor.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a heating structure of a suction plate.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a heating structure of a hot air blower.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a second embodiment in which the heating device for heat-sealed labels according to the present invention is applied to a label sticking device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... Heat seal label 16 ... Supply reel 20 ... Thermal head 22 ... Platen roller 24 ... Ink ribbon 26 ... Ink ribbon supply reel 32 ... Ink ribbon take-up reel 34 ... Rotary cutter 46 ... Adsorption board 48 ... Vertical cylinder 54 ... Horizontal cylinder 58 ... Hot air blower

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A heat seal label having a print surface and an adhesive surface on the side opposite to the print surface is heated from the print surface printed with the print ink to a temperature not higher than the melting temperature of the print ink, A heat seal label characterized by heating the adhesive from the adhesive surface side at a melting temperature of the printing ink or higher, and heating the adhesive from both sides of the heat seal label to melt the adhesive of the heat seal label. Heating method. 2. A heat seal label having a print surface and an adhesive surface on the side opposite to the print surface is heated from the print surface side printed with the print ink at a temperature not higher than the melting temperature of the print ink. Heating means and a second heating means for heating the adhesive side of the heat seal label above the melting temperature of the printing ink, thereby heating the adhesive from both sides of the heat seal label. An apparatus for heating a heat-sealable label, characterized in that the adhesive of (1) is melted.