Pressing element for pressing labels onto bottles, and method for producing said pressing element

Abstract

The invention relates to a pressing element (1) for pressing labels (17) onto bottles (10) in a labeling machine (21) and to a method for producing the pressing element (1). The pressing element (1) comprises a front-face pressing cushion (2) with a pressing contour (3) for pressing the labels flat against wall sections (10a), in particular neck sections of the bottles (10), and a rear-face securing section (4) for securing the pressing element to a paired actuation arm (6), wherein the region of the pressing contour (3) is designed to be elastically deformable with respect to the securing section (4). Because the pressing cushion (2) and the securing section (4) are integrally formed and consist of at least one material which is additively layered in a 3D printing process and because the pressing cushion (2) comprises cavities (7), the pressing element can be produced without using casting molds with comparably little complexity and can be flexibly adapted to different container dimensions and label dimensions.

Description

[0001] Pressing element for pressing labels onto bottles and method for producing the pressing element

[0002] The invention relates to a pressing element according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method for producing the pressing element.

[0003] These pressure elements are known to be used to press neck labels or similar items, such as security labels, flatly onto bottles after they have been applied. For this purpose, the pressure elements rotate together with the bottles to be labeled on a container carousel of a labeling machine and are pressed onto the assigned labels, for example, by means of a pivoting lever after the bottle has been appropriately positioned. The bottles are clamped upright between a rotating container plate and an associated centering bell or centering cup.

[0004] Such pressure elements are essentially designed as a negative mold of the wall sections to be labeled. Since bottles generally have convex outer cross-sections in the neck area and / or at the acorns, the corresponding pressure elements have corresponding pressure contours with concave cross-sections. To ensure that the labels are pressed onto the entire surface as far as possible, the pressure contour area is also designed to be elastically flexible. Therefore, the pressure element can also be understood as a pressure pad in the area of ​​the pressure contour, which is made, for example, of a silicone or similar elastic material.

[0005] To attach the pressure element to the associated actuating arm, for example, a pivot arm, the pressure element comprises a mounting plate on its rear side opposite the pressure contour, which can preferably be attached to the actuating arm in a form-fitting manner, for example, by means of a screw connection. The pressure pad is then also screwed to the mounting plate, for which threaded plates must be integrated into the pressure pad during production, for example, during a casting process.

[0006] The problem with the known pressure elements is that the pressure pads, for example, are made of silicone by casting, which requires negative molds, and threaded plates or similar fastening elements must be inserted during the casting process, which is comparatively complex. This is all the more complex because different container formats may have to be labeled, which requires not only separate pressure elements but also the associated molds and tools for producing the pressure elements. Casting is also comparatively time-consuming and inflexible, as the molds must be ordered in advance, and only one pressure element can be produced per mold. This also creates additional storage costs for the molds.Thus, the known pressure elements and their production cause an undesirably high expenditure on material, storage and working time for the production and assembly of the pressure elements, especially in view of the increasing flexibility of filling systems and associated labelling processes.

[0007] There is therefore a need for improved pressure elements and their manufacture in order to eliminate or at least mitigate at least one of the problems mentioned above.

[0008] The stated object is achieved with a pressing element according to claim 1 and with a method for producing the pressing element according to claim 11. Preferred embodiments are specified in the subclaims.

[0009] The pressing element is therefore suitable for pressing labels onto bottles in a labeling machine. For this purpose, the pressing element comprises a pressing pad with a front-side pressing contour for pressing the labels flatly onto wall sections, in particular neck sections, of the bottles, and a rear fastening section for attaching the pressing element to an associated actuating arm. The area of ​​the pressing contour is designed to be elastically deformable relative to the fastening section. This means that when labels are pressed onto the bottle, the area of ​​the pressing contour deforms elastically more than the fastening section, which can therefore be considered rigid in this respect.

[0010] According to the invention, the pressure pad and the fastening section are formed integrally and consist of at least one additively layered material. Furthermore, elastically deformable cavities can be formed in the pressure pad. This means that both the cavities and the surrounding structures (which can consist of different material thicknesses) of the pressure pad can be elastically deformed. The cavities thus contribute to the appropriate elastic compliance of the pressure pad and / or enable this in the first place.

[0011] Additive layering in the context of the present invention is also referred to as 3D printing or generative layering. This means that the basic design is achieved neither by forming material in a negative mold nor by removing material.

[0012] The volume fraction, shape and orientation of individual cavities and the surrounding walls and / or separating webs can be variably and specifically adapted to the label and bottle formats to be processed using the additive manufacturing described.

[0013] The cavities of the described pressure element therefore differ from uniformly distributed cavities in semi-finished products, such as bubbles in a foam. In other words, the cavities according to the invention are individually specified and manufactured based on electronic printing templates for the 3D printing of the surrounding walls, webs, and / or similar structures of the pressure pad.

[0014] Thus, suitably shaped pressure pads and in particular their pressure contours can be produced cost-effectively and quickly in a flexibly adaptable manner and without the aid of casting molds or tools for material removal.

[0015] For example, the required elastic flexibility of the pressure pad and the conversely rigid design of the fastening section can be achieved by making the volume fraction of the cavities in the fastening pad larger than in the fastening section.

[0016] For example, the orientation and number of walls (or wall lines in FDM printing), connecting webs, stiffening ribs or similar structures in the fastening section can be specifically adjusted to achieve the required stiffness there.

[0017] The surface of the pressure element can, for example, have a honeycomb, dimple, striped, and / or other textured surface in the area of ​​the pressure contour. This can facilitate the pressing of labels without undesirable warping and / or a correspondingly unproblematic removal of the pressed-on pressure element.

[0018] Preferably, the cavities have a longitudinally elongated shape, at least in the region of the pressing contour. This can also be understood as a channel-like extension of the cavities essentially in the longitudinal direction. The cavities thus have a greater extent in longitudinal sections through the pressing element than in cross-sections through the pressing element. The longitudinal direction, for example, is the vertical direction with respect to an upright bottle.

[0019] Since the pressure element is guided and pressed against the bottles essentially transversely to the longitudinal direction, the required elastic compliance of the pressure pad can be achieved particularly well, especially in the area of ​​its pressure contour with cavities running predominantly in the longitudinal direction, even when using a relatively rigid material. In addition or alternatively, differently shaped and / or aligned cavities can also be created in the pressure pad as described.

[0020] At least some of the cavities, particularly in the area of ​​the pressure contour, can have a defined clear cross-sectional width in the direction of pressure, which is at least as large as the thickness of the adjacent walls, wall lines, connecting webs, or similar structures. The required flexibility of the pressure contour is created by the elastic deformation of the walls surrounding the cavities. The cavities then provide the surrounding walls with sufficient freedom of movement for elastic deformation of the pressure contour.

[0021] Preferably, the cavities take up at least half the volume of the pressure pad. This allows even relatively hard materials to be used to manufacture the pressure pad.

[0022] Preferably, the pressure pad comprises an outer wall, at least in the area of ​​the pressure contour, consisting of at least two adjacent wall lines. This allows the elasticity of the pressure contour to be specifically adapted to the surfaces to be labeled, for example, to relief-like irregularities that may occur at the edge of the respective label toward the bottle wall and / or to embossings. The wall lines of the inner and / or outer walls can optionally form double-walled structures, with the adjacent wall lines then preferably connected at points by connecting webs.

[0023] Wall lines are layered beads of material that a print head leaves behind during printing with a corresponding print advance. The thickness of such wall lines or beads of material is primarily determined by the diameter of the nozzles used and is, for example, between 0.4 and 0.8 mm.

[0024] In principle, wall lines can be printed both spaced apart, forming a multi-walled and especially double-walled structure, and without space, creating a wall with a thickness that is essentially a multiple of the respective wall line thickness. Different wall thicknesses / structures can thus be created in a reproducible and flexibly adaptable manner by adjusting the number, spacing, and thickness of adjacent wall lines using printer programming and nozzle selection.

[0025] Preferably, the pressing contour has a concavely curved outer cross-section for pressing the labels onto a wall area of ​​the bottles with a convex outer cross-section. This allows the pressing element to be specifically adapted for pressing neck labels and / or security labels onto a bottle mouth and / or neck area.

[0026] The pressure pad is preferably made of a softer material than the fastening section. The hardness of the materials is then specified in Shore hardness, for example, Shore A. This facilitates the production of the required elastic compliance of the pressure pad and the required rigidity of the fastening section. The pressure pad is preferably made of thermoplastic polyurethane, in particular TPU95a. This material is easily additively processed using 3D printing and, in the form of structures surrounding the described cavities, promotes elastic compliance of the pressure pad, at least in the area of ​​the pressure contour.

[0027] The fastening section is preferably made of PET, carbon fiber-reinforced PET, for example, PET CF15, PLA (polylactide), especially Tough PLA, and / or TPU95a. These materials are particularly well suited for 3D printing and enable the required rigidity of the fastening section, on the one hand, and additive material fusion with the material of the pressure pad, especially TPU95a, on the other. This allows for the targeted formation of relatively dense filler structures and / or support structures in the fastening section.

[0028] The fastening section preferably comprises a fastening rail running in the longitudinal direction of the pressing contour. This allows the fastening section to be inserted, for example, into an associated retaining rail of a mounting plate and thus positively secured to an associated actuating arm. Typically, no significant pressing forces need to be transmitted in the longitudinal direction. This allows for simple insertion and, at the same time, a stable positive fit in the transverse direction to dissipate pressing forces. This also eliminates the need for laborious screwing of the pressing element.

[0029] The described method serves to manufacture the pressure element according to at least one of its described embodiments. In the method, the pressure pad and the fastening section are additively constructed layer by layer using 3D printing. This allows the advantages described in claim 1 to be achieved.

[0030] Preferably, the pressure pad made of a first material and the fastening section made of a second material are printed layer by layer, preferably overlapping, and are bonded together by material fusion. This means that the first material, for example, from a first print head, and the second material from a second print head are printed in an uncured state, for example, crosswise, so that the first and second materials can bond together to form an overall one-piece structure of the fastening section and the pressure pad.

[0031] For example, the different materials can be printed together (e.g., crossed) and fused together by alternating the respective print heads based on appropriate programming of a 3D printer. The additive process (3D printing) described is preferably FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling). Another preferred process is 3D powder printing.

[0032] Preferably, the pressure pad is constructed layer by layer from thermoplastic polyurethane, in particular from TPU95a.

[0033] The fastening section is then built up layer by layer from PET, carbon fiber reinforced PET, for example PET CF15, PLA, for example Tough PLA, and / or TPU95a.

[0034] The materials mentioned are particularly well suited for additive material fusion in 3D printing. Consequently, the pressure pad and the fastening section, and thus the pressure element as a whole, can be manufactured in one piece using layer-by-layer additive construction, possibly even from at least two different materials.

[0035] The cavities are individually specified as design data, for example, in an electronic print template. 3D printing is then carried out based on the template, with the cavities formed by excluding them from the material applied to the print layers.

[0036] Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings.

[0037] Figures 1A to 1E show a preferred embodiment of the pressing element with associated holding plate;

[0038] Figure 2 shows a section through a pressing element according to a second embodiment;

[0039] Figure 3 shows a pressing element according to a third embodiment;

[0040] Figure 4 is a schematic representation of the arrangement of the pressure element on a labelling machine; and

[0041] Figure 5 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of the manufacturing process.

[0042] As can be seen from Figures 1A to 1E, the pressing element 1 comprises a pressing pad 2 with a pressing contour 3 formed on the front side 1a of the pressing element 1. Furthermore, the pressing element 1 comprises on its rear side 1b a fastening section 4 for fastening the pressing element 1 to a holding plate 5, which can be fastened to an actuating element, such as an actuating arm 6, for pressing the pressing contour 3 or can be integrated into such an actuating element.

[0043] The pressure pad 2 is designed to be elastically flexible with respect to the fastening section 4, so that the pressure pad 2 can deform when the pressure contour 3 is pressed against it. In contrast, the fastening section 4 is designed to be rigid, thus deforming less and preferably essentially not at all when pressed against it.

[0044] Deformable cavities 7 are formed in the pressure pad 2, which preferably have an elongated shape in the longitudinal direction 8, at least in the region of the pressure contour 3, and are then formed, for example, as channels extending substantially in the longitudinal direction 8. This means that the dimensions of such elongated cavities 7 are larger in the longitudinal direction 8 (from top to bottom or vice versa) than in a pressing direction 9 orthogonal thereto (from back to front).

[0045] In the external views of Figures 1A to 1E, only one cavity 7 extending from top to bottom can be seen. Further cavities 7, particularly elongated / channel-like cavities, are formed at least in the interior of the pressure pad 2, but can also be present in the fastening section 4, as can be seen by way of example in Figure 2.

[0046] The cavities 7 cause an elastic flexibility of the pressure cushion 2, particularly in the pressing direction 9. The flexibility promotes a pressing of the pressing contour 3 over as full a surface as possible against an associated bottle 10 (see Figure 4) or similar container.

[0047] Figures 1A to 1E further show that the fastening section 4 preferably comprises at least one fastening rail 4a extending in the longitudinal direction 8, which cooperates in a form-fitting manner with a holding rail 5a formed on the holding plate 5.

[0048] The pressing element 1 is then attached to the holding plate 5 by sliding the fastening rail 4a and the holding rail 5a into one another in the longitudinal direction 7. The pressing element 1 can thus be easily and quickly attached to the holding plate 5 and the associated actuating arm 6 as a setup part. At the same time, this positive connection enables sufficient lateral stability to transfer pressing forces in the pressing direction 9 from the actuating arm 6 to an associated bottle 10 by means of the pressing element 1.

[0049] As can be seen, for example, in Figure 1C, the pressing contour 3 has a preferably concavely curved outer cross-section 3a. In the present example, the pressing contour 3 also has an upper contour section 3b, which is adapted, for example, to a closure area and / or a mouth cone of the bottles 10 to be labeled, and a lower contour section 3c, which is adapted, for example, to a neck area of ​​the bottles 10 to be labeled. However, the pressing contour 3 could also be adapted to the shoulder and / or body areas of the bottles 10. Likewise, at least two pressing elements 1 for different wall sections 10a (Figure 4) of the bottles 10 could be grouped one above the other.

[0050] In Figure 1A it is schematically indicated that the one-piece pressure element 1 consists of printing layers 1c which are arranged additively on top of one another by means of 3D printing and which each extend over both the pressure pad 2 and the fastening section 4.

[0051] As schematically indicated in Figure 1B, for example, the pressure pad 2 can consist of a first material 11 and the fastening section 4 of a preferably harder second material 12. The first and second materials 11, 12 are suitable for 3D printing in such a way that the first and second materials 11, 12 can be printed on one another and preferably crosswise, and in the process fuse together in a material-to-material manner, see also Figure 5. Such material fusion (fused deposition modeling) is the basis for the one-piece construction of the pressure element 1, provided that the latter consists of at least two different materials 11, 12. In principle, however, it would also be conceivable to build up the pressure pad 2 and the fastening section 4 layer by layer from the same material, for example from the first material 11.

[0052] The first material 11 is, for example, thermoplastic polyurethane, in particular TPU95a. This material has a Shore A hardness of 95. Despite the relatively high hardness of this material, the described cavities 7 enable suitable elastic compliance of the pressure pad 2, particularly in the area of ​​the pressure contour 3.

[0053] The second material 12 is, for example, PET, carbon fiber reinforced PET, PLA or also a thermoplastic polyurethane, in particular TPU95a.

[0054] The pressure pad 2 and the fastening section 4 can, in principle, also be manufactured from the same material 11 in 3D printing, for example, from TPU95a. The different compliance / stiffness of the pressure pad 2 and the fastening section 4 then essentially results only from the arrangement of the cavities 7 and the filling structure.

[0055] The surface of the pressing element 1 can have a honeycomb-shaped, knob-shaped, strip-shaped and / or differently structured, for example relief-like, surface, particularly in the area of ​​the pressing contour 3.

[0056] Likewise, the surface of the pressure contour 3 can consist of a non-stick material (not shown) that adheres less well to the label 17 to be pressed (Figure 4) than the first material 11. This means that the first material 11 and the cavities 7 surrounding it can then essentially determine the rigidity / compliance of the pressure pad 2, whereas the non-stick material would determine the adhesive properties of the pressure contour 3 with respect to the label 17. The non-stick material could be understood as a coating of the pressure contour 3, for example, to facilitate the detachment of the pressed-on pressure element 1 from the label 17. The non-stick material is then preferably also applied by 3D printing.

[0057] As shown in Figure 1E, the retaining plate 5 is detachably attached to the associated actuating arm 6, for example, by means of screw connections 5b. However, the retaining plate 5 could also be integrated into the actuating arm 6.

[0058] The described pressure element 1 is a format-specific component that can be inserted into the holding plate 5 depending on the label format and bottle format. This, in contrast, is a format-independent connecting element for attaching different pressure elements 1 to the actuating arm 6.

[0059] Pressing elements 1 for different label and bottle formats differ from one another in the area of ​​the pressing contour 3 and, if appropriate, by the formation of different cavities 7. In contrast, the fastening section 4 is preferably of uniform design, at least in the area of ​​the fastening rail 4a, in order to be able to fasten different pressing elements 1 to one and the same holding plate 5.

[0060] In principle, however, other positive-locking connections of the pressure element 1 to the holding plate 5 and / or the actuating arm 6 would also be conceivable, for example, screw connections. For this purpose, internal threads could be produced in the fastening section 4 using 3D printing, for example, in order to screw the pressure element 1 there to the associated holding plate 5 and / or the associated actuating arm 6. However, the illustrated embodiments of the pressure element 1 with fastening rails 4a enable a particularly simple and quick positive fastening of the pressure element 1.

[0061] While Figures 1 A to 1 D show the pressing element 1 only from the outside, Figure 2 also shows the internal structure of the pressing element 1 with a plurality of the described cavities 7 or filling structure in principle using a further embodiment.

[0062] Accordingly, for example, the outer wall 13 of the pressure element 1 can be double-walled (consisting of two wall lines) at least in the region of the pressure pad 2 and in particular in the region of its pressure contour 3. Accordingly, the outer wall 13 there consists of an outer wall or wall line 13a, an inner wall or wall line 13b, and connecting webs 13c formed therebetween, each of which encloses channel-like cavities 7. Similarly, at least one inner wall 14 of the pressure pad 2 could also be double-walled and / or consist of at least two wall lines.

[0063] However, wall lines (in the sense of material beads layered on top of one another during 3D printing) can also be printed together without intermediate cavities 7 and connecting webs 13c, for example the outer and inner wall lines 13a, 13b, in order to produce a desired wall thickness, here for example the outer wall 13.

[0064] Furthermore, connecting webs 15 can be formed, for example, between an outer wall 13 and an inner wall 14 and / or between several inner walls 14. This also forms elongated / channel-like cavities 7 that preferably extend substantially in the longitudinal direction 8.

[0065] At least some of the cavities 7 preferably have a largest clear width 16 measured in the pressing direction 9 (largest clear width of a cavity 7 as seen from the rear side 1b to the front side 1a), which is greater than the thickness of the walls adjacent there (in Figure 2, for example, the thickness of the adjacent inner walls or wall lines of the double-walled inner wall 14).

[0066] Cavities 7 extending substantially in the longitudinal direction 8 promote elastic flexibility of the pressure pad 2 in the pressing direction 9 and yet allow sufficient stability and rigidity to transfer suitable pressing forces by means of the pressing contour 3 onto the bottles 10 or labels 17 attached there (see Figure 4).

[0067] The described 3D printing enables a flexible design of outer walls 13, inner walls 14 and / or connecting webs 15 as well as of the cavities 7 enclosed thereby, both from a uniform material 11 for the pressure pad 2 and the fastening section 4 and from different materials, such as the described first and second materials 11, 12. This can be specified, for example, by suitable programming of the 3D printer 30 used and achieved by using separate print heads 31, 32 for extruding the materials 11, 12 (see Figure 5).

[0068] The described cavities 7 differ fundamentally from a homogeneous structure of foams or similar semi-finished products with cavities specified by the supplier due to their individual design according to an electronic print template 34 (Figure 5). In other words, the size, shape, and position of the individual cavities 7 are specifically specified in a print template 34 during design and are specifically manufactured by 3D printing the surrounding outer walls 13, inner walls 14, and / or connecting webs 15.

[0069] Figure 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the pressing element 1, in which the fastening section 4 has a fastening channel 4b extending in the longitudinal direction 8, which is slid, for example, over a corresponding retaining rail of a retaining plate or an actuating arm (neither shown) to enable a positive fastening of the pressing element 1 to an actuating arm, essentially with the advantages described above. Otherwise, the pressing element 1 according to Figure 3 can have features described with reference to the other embodiments of the pressing element 1, for which corresponding reference numerals have been used.

[0070] Figure 4 shows, in a schematic plan view, the arrangement of the pressing elements 1 on associated actuating arms 6 and their operation in the area of ​​rotary plates 18, on which the bottles 10 are clamped upright, for example, by means of centering bells / centering bells (not shown). Accordingly, the container plates 18 and the associated actuating arms 6 rotate together on a container carousel 19 to apply labels 17 to the bottles 10 clamped thereon. These labels are transferred, for example, by means of a transfer cylinder 20, to wall sections 10a of the bottles 10 in a manner known in principle.

[0071] The labels 17 thus applied to the bottles 10 are fully affixed to the labels 17 during further rotation on the container carousel 19 by pressing the pressing elements 1 against them. For this purpose, the labels 17 are positioned in a suitable rotational position in the working area of ​​the pressing elements 1 in a known manner by means of the turntables 18.

[0072] The container carousel 19 with the turntables 18, the actuating arms 6, and the pressure elements 1 attached thereto as setup parts, as well as the transfer cylinder 20, are preferably components of a rotary-type labeling machine 21. Their function is known in principle and therefore not described in detail. Of course, the pressure element 1 could also be used in a similar manner at stationary labeling stations (not shown).

[0073] Figure 5 schematically illustrates the layer-by-layer additive construction of the described pressure element 1 using 3D printing. Accordingly, the print layers 1c, each extending over both the pressure pad 2 and the fastening section 4, are successively printed on top of one another by a 3D printer 30.

[0074] In the example, the pressure pad 2 is printed from a first material 11 using a first print head 31, and the fastening section 4 is printed from a second material 12 using a second print head 32. The 3D printing of the individual print layers 1c is carried out in such a way that the first material 11 and the second material 12 are printed / extruded onto one another in such a way that they fuse together in a transition region 1d, preferably overlapping. The print heads 31, 32 can perform the relative movements required for this, for example, in a horizontal plane, and a build platform 33 supporting the resulting pressure element 1 can perform it, for example, in a vertical plane, in a manner known in principle.

[0075] The described material fusion results in a one-piece construction of the pressure element 1 even when using different materials 11, 12 for the pressure pad 2 and the fastening section 4. The consolidation of the pressure layers 1c is then possible in a manner known in principle.

[0076] For the described 3D printing, electronic print templates 34 are used, in which the size, shape, and position of the individual cavities 7 are already specified as design data. This contrasts with a substantially uniform distribution of cavities in porous semi-finished products. This means that the cavities 7 are deliberately formed during 3D printing by excluding them from the material deposited on the individual print layers 1c. This is indicated schematically in Figure 5 as an example for cavities 7 that are additively formed between an outer wall 13, a connecting web 15, and inner walls 14.

[0077] The described method thus enables particularly simple production of pressure elements 1 by programming the 3D printer 30 used based on electronic print templates 34. Compared to conventional pressure elements, the time, cost, and storage requirements for molds and / or special tools for production and assembly are eliminated. Thus, flexible adaptation of pressure elements 1 to different label and container formats is possible, if necessary, on-site, i.e., without the need for specially equipped workshops, using 3D printers.

Claims

Claims: Pressure element (1) for pressing labels (17) onto bottles (10) in a labeling machine (21), comprising a pressure pad (2) with a front pressure contour (3) for pressing the labels (17) onto wall sections (10a), in particular neck areas, of the bottles (10) over a surface area, and a rear mounting section (4) for attaching the pressure element (1) to an associated actuating arm (6), wherein the area of ​​the pressure contour (3) is elastically compliant with respect to the mounting section (4), characterized in that the pressure pad (2) and the mounting section (4) are formed in one piece and consist of at least one additively layered material (11, 12), wherein elastically deformable cavities (7) are formed in the pressure pad (2).Pressure element according to claim 1, wherein several of the cavities (7), particularly in the region of the pressure contour (3), have a longitudinally elongated shape (3). Pressure element according to claim 1 or 2, wherein several of the cavities (7), particularly in the region of the pressure contour (3), have a clear cross-sectional area (16) in the pressure direction (9) that is at least as large as the thickness of adjacent walls (13, 14), wall lines (13a, 13b), and / or connecting webs (13c, 15). Pressure element according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cavities (7) occupy at least half the volume of the pressure pad (2). Pressure element according to at least one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pressure pad. (2) is formed at least in the area of ​​the pressure contour (3) with at least two adjacent wall lines (13a, 13b) extending outwards. Pressure element according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the pressure contour (3) has a concavely curved outer cross-section (3a) for pressing the labels (17) onto a wall section (10a) of the bottles (10) with a convex outer cross-section. Pressing element according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the pressing pad (2) is made of a softer material (11) than the fastening section (4). Pressing element according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the pressing pad (2) is made of thermoplastic polyurethane, in particular TPU95a. Pressing element according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the fastening section (4) is made of PET, carbon fiber reinforced PET, PLA and / or TPU95a. A pressure element according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the fastening section (4) comprises a fastening rail (4a) extending in the longitudinal direction (8) of the pressure contour (3). A method for manufacturing a pressure element (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the pressure element (1) is additively built up by printing layers (1c) on top of each other, each extending over the pressure pad (2) and the fastening section (4). A method according to claim 11, wherein the pressure pad (2) is made of a first material (11) and the fastening section (4) is made of a second material (12) and is printed layer by layer, preferably overlapping, and is thereby bonded together by material fusion. A method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the cavities (7) are individually specified as design data in an electronic print template (34) and the 3D printing is carried out based on the print template (34).Method according to one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the cavities (7) are formed during 3D printing by being left out of the material deposit of the printing layers (1c).

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