Two-stage pressure system and pressure process for a pipe

Abstract

A printing system (10) comprising: a transport system (20) for transporting a pipe (2) along a transport direction (Tr) through a printing area (21); a first printing device (30) which is configured to print a labeling field (3) on the pipe in the printing area (21); and a second printing device (40) which is arranged to print a signing code (4) on the tube; wherein the first printing device (30) and the second printing device (40) are arranged along the transport direction (Tr) at a distance (A 30-40 ) are arranged relative to one another and are synchronized such that the signature code (4) printed by means of the second printing device (40) is positioned within the labeling field (3) printed by means of the first printing device (30), wherein the first printing device (30) is an inkjet device for printing a laser-active ink, and wherein the second printing device (40) is a laser signing device for signing the laser-active ink.

Description

Various embodiments relate to a printing system and a printing method.Generally, the identification or signing of pipes plays an important role in differentiating the multiplicity of different pipes from one another and, for example, in ensuring the subsequent intended use of the pipes. The signing of the tubes can be effected, for example, by machine. In practice, a wide variety of problems can arise, for example in terms of the quality and thus legibility of the signing. Such problems may occur, for example, when the contrast ratio between the tube color and the signing code color is low.DE 10 2004 029 649 A1 discloses a device for printing a wire or a wire insulation by means of an inkjet printer, wherein the wire or the wire insulation can be conveyed along its longitudinal axis past a piezoelectric crystal of the inkjet printer for a printing process. In addition, at least one second printer is provided, wherein the first printer is designed to print a base area on the wire or the wire insulation and the second printer is designed as an inkjet printer to print a inscription on the base area.US 5 144 330 A describes a method and apparatus for printing identification marks on pipes in a pipe processing system comprising a printing press having a microcontroller connected to a host computer. The printing machine is connected to a printing device comprising a print head rotatable relative to a tube conveyed through the printing station. By rotating the print head, the height of the characters printed by the print head can be varied within a continuous range of possible sizes.DE 36 37 159 A1 describes a method for signing optical waveguides by spraying on color markings. In this case, an ink spraying device is used which ejects a spray jet consisting of a sequence of separate ink droplets.From EP 1 477 994 A1 a device for coloring an outer surface of a sheath of an electric cable is known, which comprises an electrically conductive core wire and the sheath made of synthetic resin for coating the core wire. The device includes: first colorants for coloring an outer surface of the central part in the longitudinal direction of the coating with a first color different from a color of the outer surface of the coating; and second colorants for coloring a part of each end in the longitudinal direction of the coating with a second color different from a color of the outer surface of the coating.Various aspects relate to a printing system that can enable a signing code to be printed on a pipe in a machine, high quality and reliable manner. For example, the printing system according to the present invention can further ensure the legibility of the signing code even at high production speeds of the pipes. In addition, the pressure system may be suitable for a variety of different types of pipe, pipe sizes, and pipe materials, for example. Further, the printing system may allow the resulting marking of the tubes to have high UV, weather, and scratch resistance. Thus, for example, the signing code printed on the pipe may remain permanently on the pipe (e.g., over the entire lifetime of the pipe).Various embodiments are based on the aspect of providing a printing system, which comprises: a transport system for transporting a pipe along a transport direction through a print region; a first printing device, which is configured to print a labeling field on the pipe in the print region; and a second printing device, which is configured to print a signing code on the pipe. In this case, the first printing device and the second printing device are arranged at a distance from one another along the transport direction and are configured in a synchronized manner in such a way that the signing code printed by means of the second printing device is positioned within the inscription field printed by means of the first printing device.According to a first aspect of the invention, the first printing device is an ink jet device for printing a laser-active ink and the second printing device is a laser marking device for marking the laser-active ink.According to a further aspect of the invention, the printing system has a reading device for reading in a predefined signing code, wherein the second printing device is configured to print the read-in predefined signing code as the signing code into the inscription field.According to various embodiments, the first printing device may be a first inkjet device for printing a first ink and the second printing device may be a second inkjet device for printing a second ink. According to various embodiments, the first ink and the second ink may be different colors, for example. Here, the first ink may be a white ink and the second ink may be a black ink.Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the figures and are explained in more detail below.They show FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a printing system, according to various embodiments; FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a printing system of FIG. 1, according to various embodiments; FIGS. 3A-C show examples of signing codes, according to various embodiments; and FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a printing method, according to various embodiments.In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. Since components of embodiments may be positioned in a number of different orientations, the direction terminology is for the purpose of illustration and is in no way limiting. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It should be understood that the features of the various exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined with each other, unless specifically stated otherwise. The following detailed description is therefore not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.Within the scope of this description, the term "printing region" is understood as a region of the transport system of the printing system which can extend from the first printing device to the second printing device.In the context of this description, the term "pretreatment region" is understood as a region of the transport system of the printing system in which a section of the pipe, for example a surface of the section, can be treated by means of a printing device before printing. Such treatment of the portion of the pipe may be, for example, heating or heating the pipe, and / or modifying at least one surface property of the pipe, etc.In this specification, the term "inscription field" is used to denote a printed area that is full on the tube. For example, the inscription field can have a rectangular, square, round, oval shape or any other desired shape. For example, not only the contours of the mold on the tube can be printed, but the full-area surface within the contours can also be printed. The inscription field in the sense of the present invention may not be encoded and thus contain no information about properties of the pipe (e.g. the inscription field is not a signing code).In the context of this description, the term "signing code" is used to describe a character which may have information about the pipe, for example in a coded form. The signing code serves, for example, for identification and / or for identifying the pipe.FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic side view of a printing system, according to various embodiments.In various aspects, a printing system 10 may be provided. The printing system 10 may comprise a transport system 20 for transporting an elongate object 2 (e.g. a tube, a hose, a cable) along a transport direction Tr through a printing region 21. Further, the printing system 10 may include a first printing device 30 and a second printing device 40. In this case, the first printing device 30 can be configured to print a labeling field 3 on the tube 2 in the print area 21, and the second printing device 40 can be configured to print a signing code 4 on the tube 2. In this case, the first printing device 30 and the second printing device 40 can be arranged 30-40 to one another along the transport direction Tr at a distance A and can be configured in a synchronized manner such that the signing code 4 printed by means of the second printing device 40 can be positioned (e.g. completely) within the inscription field 3 printed by means of the first printing device 30.The printing system can enable a machine, fast, high quality, precise and reliable printing of a signing code on a surface (e.g. an outer surface) of a pipe. For example, the printing system according to the present invention can ensure and / or increase the readability of the signing code, even at high production speeds of the production of the pipe. In addition, the pressure system may be suitable for a variety of different tube types, tube sizes, and / or tube materials, for example. Further, the printing system may allow the signing code printed on the pipe to have high UV, weather, and scratch resistance. Thus, for example, the signing code printed on the pipe may remain permanently on the pipe (e.g., over the entire lifetime of the pipe).According to various embodiments, the first printing device 30 may be a first ink jet device for printing a first ink. Additionally or alternatively, the second printing device 40 may be a second ink jet device for printing a second ink.In this case, the first ink and the second ink can be different colors, for example.According to various embodiments, the first ink and the second ink may be selected such that the first ink and the second ink may be in a color contrast ratio which may be, for example, greater than 10, for example greater than 13. According to various embodiments, the first ink may have a light color (e.g., a lighter color than the color of the tube) and the second ink may have a dark color (e.g., dark blue, black). In one embodiment, the first ink may be a white ink and the second ink may be a black ink.This allows a better contrast ratio to be achieved than if the signing code is printed directly on the surface of the tube (i.e. without a inscription field). Thus, the readability of the signing code can improve, so that errors in the reading of the signing code can be reduced or prevented.According to various embodiments, the first printing device 30 may be an inkjet device for printing a lasant ink (e.g. comprising titanium oxide) and the second printing device 40 may be a laser marking device for marking the lasant ink.The laser marking device can have the advantage that it can achieve very high coding speeds. Further, the laser marking apparatus does not require consumables, nor includes wearing parts, so that it can provide process safety and cannot cause any production stoppages (e.g., no refill is necessary, nor maintenance is incurred). Thus, signing using a laser signing device may not only be environmentally friendly, but may also save time and money. In addition, the signing code printed by means of the laser signing device can be clean, precise and high-resolution, and therefore very easily automatically readable. Furthermore, the signing code printed by means of the laser signing device may have the advantage that it may be abrasion resistant and insensitive to chemicals, cleaning agents etc. And pretreatments may also be unnecessary, since lasers may also mark soiled surfaces. It is thus possible to dispense with a pretreatment of the surface of the pipe to be pressurized.According to various embodiments, the printing system 10 may further include at least one sensor 50 (e.g. a speed measuring wheel which runs in contact on the pipe 2) for measuring the transport speed V R of the pipe 2 along the transport direction Tr. In this case, the sensor 50 can be in communication, for example, with the first printing device 30 and / or with the second printing device 40. By means of the sensor 50, it is possible, for example, to calculate a time adaptation of the printing processes.According to various embodiments, the printing system 10 may further include a controller 60 for synchronizing the printing of the inscription field 3 by means of the first printing device 30 and the printing of the signing code 4 by means of the second printing device 40 based on the measured transport speed V R. In this case, the control device 60 can form, for example, the communication between the sensor 50, the first printing device 30 and / or the second printing device 40. For (time) synchronization, a time offset T between the printing of the inscription field 3 and the printing of the signing code 4 can be determined on the basis of the transport speed V R currently measured or programmed in in each case and the distance A 30-40 for example on the basis of the relation T=V R · A 30-40.This may allow synchronization of the second printing device 40 with the first printing device to be improved. As a result, a higher precision of the printing of the signing code 4 by means of the second printing device 40 within the inscription field 3 can be achieved.According to various embodiments, the printing system 10 may further comprise a surface pretreatment device 70 which may be configured to change at least one surface property of the tube 2 in a pretreatment region 22. In this case, the transport system 20 can be configured such that the tube 2 can be transported through the pretreatment region 22 into the pressure region 21. The surface pretreatment device 70 can thus be arranged, for example, along the transport direction Tr in front of the first printing device 30.According to various embodiments, the surface pretreatment device 70 may be spaced apart from the first printing device 30. For example, the surface pretreatment device 70 may be disposed at a distance in a range of 0.5 meters to 2 meters from the first printing device 30.According to various embodiments, the surface pretreatment device 70 may be a plasma, flame and / or a corona treatment device. According to various embodiments, the surface pretreatment device 70 may be configured such that the surface tension and / or the wettability of a surface portion of the tube 2 having or corresponding to the surface of the tube 2 to be printed may be increased. Alternatively or additionally, the surface pretreatment device 70 can be configured such that residues and / or surface contaminants on the surface section of the pipe 2, which can have the surface of the pipe 2 to be printed, can be removed. This may allow the first ink and / or the second ink to have better surface adhesion and / or better adhesiveness to the surface of the pipe / s. For example, the tube 2 can have an outer jacket surface made of polyolefin material (in particular a polyethylene (PE) material) or consist overall of one or more layered polyolefin materials. The non-polar polyolefin material (in particular the non-polar polyethylene (PE) material) can then be efficiently printed (e.g. by means of inkjet printing) if the surface to be printed is surface-treated immediately (e.g. less than 5 seconds) before the printing. Accordingly, the surface pretreatment device 70 can be arranged relative to the printing devices 30, 40.According to various embodiments, the printing system 10 may further comprise a checking device 80 for reading in and checking the signing code 4 printed by means of the second printing device 40. According to various embodiments, the checking device 80 can be configured, for example, to generate or emit a signal 8 (e.g. an error signal) if an read-in signing code 4 deviates from a predefined signing code and / or if no reading-in of a signing code 4 takes place. The surface pretreatment device 70 can thus be arranged, for example, along the transport direction Tr downstream of the second printing device 30.According to various embodiments, the test apparatus 80 may be in communication with the control apparatus 60, for example in order to store, analyze (e.g. compare with information stored in a database) the information contained in the signing code and / or to forward it with other components of the printing system 10.According to various embodiments, the generated signal 8 may be an optical signal, an acoustic signal, a digital signal (e.g. SMS, e-mail etc...) or the like.For example, the generated signal 8 can be emitted by the test apparatus 80 itself, and / or by means of the control apparatus 60.According to various embodiments, the inspection device 80 may be spaced apart from the second printing device 40. For example, the inspection device 80 may be disposed at a distance in a range of 0.5 meters to 2 meters from the second printing device 30.According to various embodiments, the printing system 10 may further comprise a cutting device 90 for cutting the pipe 2 according to a predefined pipe length. The cutting device 90 may be in connection with the control device 60 and / or the testing device 80, for example, in order to obtain the information about the predefined tube length.According to various embodiments, the printing system 10 can further comprise a verification device 95, which can be configured to ascertain pipe length information. The pipe length information can be based, for example, on a signing code 4 read in by means of the checking device 80. Furthermore, the verification device 95 can be configured in such a way that it verifies the predefined pipe length on the basis of the ascertained pipe length information. In this case, the verification device 95 can be arranged along the transport direction Tr in front of the cutting device 90 or in the cutting device 90. Thus, for example, the verification device 95 (e.g., which may be in communication with the cutting device) may provide the pipe length information to the cutting device 90 such that the pipe may be cut in the length corresponding to the signing code printed on the pipe.According to various embodiments, the transport system 20, the first printing device 30 and the second printing device 40 may be arranged relative to one another such that a printing direction for printing the inscription field 3 and the signing code 4 may run at an angle α to the vertical direction Y. Here, the angle α may be in a range of 0° to 45°. The pressure direction can thus be, for example, at an angle to the horizontal direction X in a range from 45° to 90°. The printing direction may be the ink jet direction and / or the surface normal in the area on which printing is being performed.FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of the printing system of FIG. 1, in accordance with various embodiments, in which the first printing device 30 and the second printing device 40 are arranged at an angle α of zero to the vertical direction Y (position 1) or at an angle α of 45° to the vertical direction Y (position 2)It can thus be made possible that the signing code 4, for example by the transport system 20 and / or other components of the printing system, can remain undamaged.In various embodiments, the transport system 20, the first printing device 30 and / or the second printing device 40 can be configured such that a distance of the pipe 2 relative to the first printing device 30 and / or relative to the second printing device 40 can be adjusted.Thus, it can be made possible that the pressure system 10 can easily adapt to different pipe diameters of the pipes 2.According to various embodiments, the printing system 10 may further comprise a tube 2, which may be labeled by means of the printing system 10. The tube 2 can be, for example, a polymer tube and / or have a polymer surface layer. The polymer can be polyethylene, for example.According to various embodiments, the pressure system 10 may be configured such that a pipe temperature of the pipe 2 in the pressure region 21 and / or in the pretreatment region 22 may be greater than an ambient temperature of the pressure system 10, for example greater than 40° C.It can thus be made possible that the inscription field 3 printed by means of the first printing device 30 and / or the signing code 4 printed by means of the second printing device 40 can / can better adhere to the surface of the tube 2.According to various embodiments, the printing system 10 may include a heating device (not shown in FIG. 1 ) for heating the pipe 2 along the transport direction before the surface pretreatment device 70 or between the surface pretreatment device 70 and the first printing device 30, such that the pipe temperature in the printing region 21 and / or in the pretreatment region 22 may be greater than the ambient temperature of the printing system 10.According to various embodiments, the first printing device 30 and the second printing device may be spaced apart from one another, for example, in such a way that the inscription field 3 printed by means of the first printing device 30 may be dry before the signing code 4 is printed by means of the second printing device 40. For example, the distance A 30-40 may be in a range of 0.5 meters to 2 meters.According to various embodiments, the printing system 10 may further comprise a drying device 35 and / or heating device 45 which may be arranged between the first printing device 30 and the second printing device 40 / may be configured to dry or heat a first ink printed by means of the printing device 30 before the labeling code 4 is printed on the labeling field 3.According to various embodiments, the printing system 10 may further comprise a reading device 65 for reading in a predefined signing code, wherein the second printing device 40 may be configured to print the read-in predefined signing code as the signing code 4 into the inscription field 3.According to various embodiments, the transport system 20 and the first printing device 30 can be configured such that the inscription field 3 can be printed directly on a surface of a tube 2 transported by means of the transport system 20. Alternatively, the inscription field 3 can be printed on a sticker, which can be glued to the tube 2 before printing.Printing the inscription field 3 directly on the surface of the tube 2 can have the advantage that detachment of the inscription field 3 and of the signing code 4 printed subsequently thereon from the tube 2 can be prevented.FIGS. 3A-C illustrate examples of signing codes, according to various embodiments. The signing code 4 can be printed, for example, in the form of a barcode (see FIG. 3B ) in the inscription field 3 (see FIG. 3A ), in the form of a QR code (see FIG. 3C ), a color code or the like.FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a printing method according to various embodiments. It should be appreciated that the printing system 10 described in connection with FIGS. 1-3C may include one or more functions that may be described herein with reference to the method of printing a pipe 2 and vice versa.According to a further aspect of the invention, a printing method 400 for printing a signing code 4 on a pipe 2 is provided. The printing method 400 comprises: transporting 410 the tube 2 along a transport direction 20 through a printing region 21 at a transport speed V R; first printing 420 an inscription field 3 (e.g. in the printing region 21) onto the tube 2 and subsequently second printing 430 the signing code 4 into the inscription field 3 during the transport 410 of the tube 2, wherein the first printing 420 is synchronized with the second printing 430 according to the transport speed V R wherein the first printing 420 is effected with a laser-active ink and wherein the second printing 430 is signing the laser-active ink.According to a further aspect of the invention, the printing method 400 can comprise: reading in a predefined signing code, transporting 410 the pipe 2 along a transport direction 20 through a printing region 21 at a transport speed V R; first printing 420 a inscription field 3 on the pipe 2 and subsequently second printing 430 the read-in predefined signing code 4 into the inscription field 3 during the transporting 410 of the pipe 2, wherein the first printing 420 is synchronized with the second printing 430 in accordance with the transport speed V R.As described above, the first printing 420 may be performed by a first printing device 30, and the second printing 430 may be performed by a second printing device 40.According to various embodiments, the synchronization of the printing by means of the first printing device 30 and the printing by means of the second printing device 40 may be configured such that the signing code 4 printed by means of the second printing device 40 may be positioned completely within the inscription field 3 printed by means of the first printing device 30. A time offset for (time) synchronized printing may be determined as described above. Accordingly, the first printing device 30 and the second printing device 40 can be operated or controlled in accordance with the desired two-stage printing result.According to various embodiments, the transport speed V R may be in a range from 2 m / min to 20 m / min, for example in a range from 5 m / min to 20 m / min or greater than 5 m / min. It should be noted that the printing method described herein (based on ink jet printing devices as the first and / or second printing device, for example) is advantageous for comparatively high transport speeds V R( e.g. greater than 5 m / min), in which conventional stamping methods or the like are no longer applicable in a meaningful manner.According to various embodiments, the method 400 may further comprise, before transporting 410 the pipe 2 through the print region 21, a step of measuring the transport speed V R of the pipe 2 along the transport direction Tr, for example by means of the sensor 50 described above. Thus, an improved synchronization of the first printing with the second printing may be achieved, for example in the case that the transport speed V R of the pipe 2 should change or vary in the course of the manufacturing process of the pipe 2.According to various embodiments, the method 400 may further comprise, before transporting 410 the tube 2 through the pressure region 21, transporting the tube 2 through the pretreatment region 22 into the pressure region 21. The method can thereby comprise a step of pretreating a section (e.g. a surface) of the pipe 2 in the pretreatment region 22. In this case, the section of the tube 2 can contain a region of the tube 2 in which the inscription field 6 is printed. According to various embodiments, the pretreatment of the portion of the pipe 2 may be performed by means of a surface pretreatment device 70 (e.g. as described above). In this case, the surface pretreatment device 70 can be configured in such a way as to change at least one surface property of the tube 2 (as described above) in the pretreatment region 22.According to various embodiments, the method 400 may further comprise a step of drying the first ink printed by means of the printing device 30 between the first printing 420 and the second printing 430 before the signing code 4 is printed on the inscription field 3. The drying can take place, for example, by means of a sufficient distance A 30-40( and thus by means of a sufficient drying time of the first ink) between the first printing device 30 and the second printing device 40, or can take place, for example, by means of a drying device 35 and / or heating device 45.According to various embodiments, the size of the inscription field and / or of the signing code can be adapted to the tube diameter of the tube to be inscriptiond. It has been found that, in particular in the case of tubes having a diameter of less than 20 cm, a comparatively large inscription field can be produced using the printing method described herein and the corresponding apparatus, which can improve the readability of the signing code applied therein, e.g. the inscription field can have a height (in the circumferential direction) of more than 1 cm (e.g. more than 1.5 cm, e.g. more than 2 cm), wherein the length (in the axial direction, perpendicular to the circumferential direction) of the inscription field is not technically limited.

Claims

A printing system (10), comprising: a transport system (20) for transporting a pipe (2) along a transport direction (Tr) through a print region (21); a first printing device (30), which is configured to print a labeling field (3) on the pipe in the print region (21); and a second printing device (40), which is configured to print a signing code (4) on the pipe; wherein the first printing device (30) and the second printing device (40) are arranged at a distance (A 30-40) to one another along the transport direction (Tr) and are configured in a synchronized manner such that the signing code (4) printed by the second printing device (40) is positioned within the inscription field (3) printed by the first printing device (30), wherein the first printing device (30) is an inkjet device for printing a laser-active ink, and wherein the second printing device (40) is a laser signing device for signing the laser-active ink.A printing system (10), comprising: a transport system (20) for transporting a pipe (2) along a transport direction (Tr) through a print region (21); a first printing device (30), which is configured to print a labeling field (3) on the pipe in the print region (21); and a second printing device (40), which is configured to print a signing code (4) on the pipe; wherein the first printing device (30) and the second printing device (40) are arranged 30-40) to one another along the transport direction (Tr) at a distance (A and are configured in a synchronized manner such that the signing code (4) printed by means of the second printing device (40) is positioned within the inscription field (3) printed by means of the first printing device (30), a reading device (65) for reading in a predefined signing code, wherein the second printing device (40) is configured to print the read-in predefined signing code as the signing code (4) into the inscription field (3).The printing system (10) of claim 2, wherein the first printing device (30) is a first ink jet device for printing a first ink, and wherein the second printing device (40) is a second ink jet device for printing a second ink, wherein the first ink and the second ink are different colors; preferably wherein the first ink is a white ink and the second ink is a black ink, and / or preferably wherein a color contrast ratio of the first ink and the second ink is greater than 13.The printing system (10) of claim 2, wherein the first printing device (30) is an ink jet device for printing a lasant ink, and wherein the second printing device (40) is a lasant marking device for signing the lasant ink.The printing system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: at least one sensor (50) for measuring the transport speed (V R) of the pipe (2) along the transport direction (Tr); and a control device (60) for synchronizing the printing of the inscription field (3) by means of the first printing device (30) and the printing of the signing code (4) by means of the second printing device (40) based on the measured transport speed (V R).The printing system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: a surface pretreatment device (70) configured to change at least one surface property of the tube (2) in a pretreatment area (22); wherein the transport system (20) is configured such that the tube (2) is transported through the pretreatment area (22) into the printing area (21).The printing system (10) according to one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: a checking device (80) for reading in and checking the signing code (4) printed by means of the second printing device (40), wherein the checking device (80) is preferably configured to generate a signal (8) if a read-in signing code (4) deviates from a predefined signing code and / or if no reading-in of a signing code (4) takes place.The printing system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: a cutting device (90) for cutting the pipe (2) according to a predefined pipe length.The printing system (10) according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising: a verification device (95) which is configured to determine pipe length information based on a signing code (4) read in by means of the verification device (80) and to verify the predefined pipe length on the basis of the determined pipe length information.The printing system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the transport system (20), the first printing device (30) and the second printing device (40) are arranged relative to each other such that a printing direction for printing the inscription field (3) and the signing code (4) runs at an angle (α) to the vertical direction (Y), and preferably at an angle to the horizontal direction (X).The printing system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the transport system (20), the first printing device (30) and / or the second printing device (40) is / are configured such that a distance of the pipe (2) relative to the first printing device (30) and / or relative to the second printing device (40) can be adjusted.The printing system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising: a tube (2) labeled by the printing system (10), wherein the tube (2) is a polymer tube and / or wherein the tube (2) comprises a polymer surface layer, wherein the polymer is preferably a polyolefin.The pressure system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the pressure system (10) is configured such that a pipe temperature of the pipe (2) in the pressure region (21) is greater than an ambient temperature of the pressure system (10), preferably greater than 40°C.The printing system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising: a drying device (35) and / or heating device (45), which is arranged between the first printing device and the second printing device, for drying or heating a first ink printed by means of the printing device (30) before printing the labeling code (4) on the labeling field (3).The printing system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the transport system (20) and the first printing device (30) are configured such that the inscription field (3) is printed directly on a surface of a tube (2) transported by means of the transport system (20).A printing method (400) for printing a pipe (2) with a signing code (4), the printing method (400) comprising: transporting (410) the pipe (2) along a transport direction (20) through a printing region (21) at a transport speed (V R); first printing (420) an inscription field (3) onto the pipe (2) and subsequently second printing (430) the signing code (4) into the inscription field (3) during the transport (410) of the pipe (2), wherein the first printing (420) is synchronized with the second printing (430) according to the transport speed (V R) ; wherein the first printing (420) is effected with a laser-active ink and wherein the second printing (430) is signing the laser-active ink.A printing method (400) for printing a pipe (2) with a signing code (4), the printing method (400) comprising: reading in a predefined signing code, transporting (410) the pipe (2) along a transport direction (20) through a printing region (21) at a transport speed (V R); first printing (420) a inscription field (3) onto the pipe (2) and subsequently second printing (430) the read-in predefined signing code (4) into the inscription field (3) during the transporting (410) of the pipe (2), wherein the first printing (420) is synchronized with the second printing (430) in accordance with the transport speed (V R).

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