How to mark packaging materials
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024531291
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2021-12-03
- Filing Date
- 2022-11-24
- Publication Date
- 2025-12-01
AI Technical Summary
Existing flexographic printing processes struggle to produce dynamic prints on packaging materials due to misalignment issues caused by dimensional changes, humidity, and web movement, leading to readability and positional accuracy problems.
A method involving a marking station that removes pre-printed elements to reveal the negative of the desired mark, using laser ablation and camera detection to ensure precise alignment and correction based on predefined geometric relationships, ensuring accurate placement of dynamic prints.
Ensures high-quality, correctly positioned dynamic prints with improved readability by compensating for interference factors, allowing continuous production at high speeds.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing a mark on a packaging material and a marking station for producing a mark on a packaging material. The present invention further relates to a packaging material production system including the marking station, to the packaging material and to a packaging container formed from the packaging material. [Background technology]
[0002] Disposable packaging containers for liquid or semi-liquid foods are often manufactured from packaging materials based on paperboard or carton, the packaging materials of the known packaging containers usually being manufactured as laminates comprising a bulk layer of paper or paperboard and an outer liquid-tight layer of thermoplastic plastic.
[0003] The inside of the laminate, i.e. the side intended to face the filled food contents of a packaging container made from the laminate, is provided with one or more inner layers comprising a heat-sealable thermoplastic polymer.
[0004] The appearance of the packaging containers produced from the above packaging materials depends on the decoration printed on the outer layer of the packaging material forming the outer surface of the packaging container. The printed decoration is usually applied by high speed flexographic printing processes. These printing processes are designed for high speed printing of wide substrate webs of several meters, for example in packaging material manufacturing plants.
[0005] For each color to be printed in flexography, a printing plate is made and mounted on the circumference of a rotatable printing cylinder. For the production of packaging materials, the printing plate contains a repeat of the pattern to be printed. The length of the repeat is equal to the circumference of the printing cylinder when the printing plate is mounted, and usually corresponds to the printing of 3 to 6 packaging containers, varying, for example, between 450 and 800 mm.
[0006] The width of the printing plate is usually chosen so that the decoration is printed simultaneously in several lanes, each of which is eventually separated and used in a packaging machine. Thus, the web of packaging material entering the flexographic printing process is provided with repeating printed patterns, each printed pattern designed for a single packaging container to be produced.
[0007] To increase printing speed, the width of the printing plate may correspond to 12 lanes, so that during one revolution of the printing plate the packaging material is provided with a printed pattern in an area corresponding to up to 12 x 6 packaging containers to be produced.
[0008] The construction of the printing plate is static, meaning that the print pattern is the same for all packages produced using the same printing plate, and is therefore sometimes referred to herein as a static print.
[0009] However, in recent years it has also been proposed to provide packaging materials with dynamic printing that can be accessed by the consumer of the manufactured packaging, one example of which is a two-dimensional code containing specific information.
[0010] Such dynamic prints cannot be obtained with existing flexographic printing processes due to their repetitive nature. Instead, it has been proposed to provide a separate printing station downstream of the flexographic processing equipment. This separate printing station can provide in-line unique printing, for example by implementing inkjet technology, thereby printing unique two-dimensional codes or other dynamic objects on areas of the packaging material.
[0011] The position of the dynamic print, i.e. the pattern printed by a separate printing station, must be aligned to align with the print of the flexographic printing process. To allow reading of the dynamic print, the flexographic design may include specific areas, usually not printed or with a specific background color, to accommodate the dynamic print. If the dynamic print is misaligned, there is a high risk that a correct reading of the dynamic print is impossible or at least difficult. Also, a misaligned dynamic print may have a negative effect on the visual quality of the dynamic print and / or the flexographic design.
[0012] The correct positioning of the dynamic print is influenced by several parameters. One important factor is that the packaging material may change dimensions as it passes through the packaging material manufacturing plant, especially the decorative printing equipment that includes separate printing stations. For example, wrinkles may be present, which may require an adjustment of the position of the dynamic print. Another issue that affects the dimensions of the packaging material web is the humidity or moisture content of the packaging material. Especially thin packaging materials expand and contract laterally when the moisture content changes, such as due to the drying heat applied immediately after the flexographic printing process. Due to the rather large web width of up to 12 lanes as mentioned above, variations in the width of the packaging material may cause malfunctions in the positioning of the dynamic print, especially in the outer lanes. A further factor that must be considered is the lateral movement of the packaging material web. Such movement is commonly known as meandering and causes small deviations in the lateral position of the entire packaging material web.
[0013] All of these factors can affect the positioning of printing on packaging decoration.
[0014] There is therefore a need for improved methods and systems for producing such printed matter that ensure correct positioning and readability of the printed pattern in relation to features already present in the packaging material, even as the dimensions and position of the packaging material change during production. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0015] The object of the present invention is to at least partially overcome one or more of the above-mentioned limitations of the prior art, in particular to provide a method for producing dynamic marking elements on packaging materials with low technical effort while simultaneously ensuring readability and positional accuracy.
[0016] To achieve these objects, a first aspect of the present invention is a method for producing a mark on a packaging material, comprising the following steps: - providing a packaging material including at least one pre-printed element at a predefined location; - at the marking station, removing preprinted elements in predefined sections, the removed sections reflecting the negative of the mark to be produced; - detecting the nominal shape of the preprinted element and the nominal shape of the negative of the produced mark; - determining the geometrical relationships of the detected reference shapes; - Evaluate whether the determined geometric relations correspond to predefined geometric relations; If there is a match, removing the preprint element and producing a subsequent mark in the same predefined section; or If there is no match, the predefined section is adjusted to remove the preprint element and a subsequent mark is produced.
[0017] The invention can be summarised in other words as follows: As input to the method of the invention, a packaging material is provided. The packaging material comprises a static print, for example as described in the introduction. Since the position, orientation and shape of the static print are known, the marking station can remove the static print in predefined areas. This allows the packaging material underneath the static print to become apparent in the sections from which the static print has been removed, these sections representing the negative of a dynamic print, for example as described in the introduction. The negative of the dynamic print is then arranged inside the static print.
[0018] Based on disturbing influence factors that may affect the actual position and orientation of the static print, the negative of the dynamic print may not be positioned exactly as intended in the static print. Such cases can be determined by comparing the relative positions of the reference shapes of the static print and the negative of the dynamic print with a predefined relative position. For example, edges of the static print that may form corners of the static print are detected. The same is done for example for the negative of the dynamic print, which means that edges of the negative of the dynamic print that form corners of the negative of the dynamic print are also detected.
[0019] If the relative placement of the dynamic print and the static print negative is correct, then the exemplary corners and edges will in fact have predefined relative placements.
[0020] However, if the relative placement of the dynamic print negative and the static print negative is incorrect, the exemplary corners and edges will show deviations in their relative placement compared to the predefined relative placement, and in the presence of such deviations, in a closed-loop control manner, corrections can be calculated to correct the disruptive influence factors in subsequent manufacturing steps, so that the actual relative placement matches the predefined relative placement.
[0021] In this way, the method of the invention ensures, in a simple and stable manner, that the markings are correctly produced on the packaging material.
[0022] Preferably, the packaging material comprises a cellulose-based material such as paper. Preferably, the packaging material comprises paperboard, more preferably the packaging material consists of paper or paperboard, besides other materials necessary for the preprint. Preferably, the packaging material introduced in the method of the invention is a single-layer packaging material, besides other layers necessary for the preprint element. That is to say, the packaging material can be further processed later as mentioned at the beginning, for example by application of further layers, such as a sealing layer, after the mark has been produced.
[0023] The preprint element features a color different from the color of the underlying packaging material, which is essential for the visual detectability and readability of the produced mark. Preferably, the preprint element is part of a decoration printed on the packaging material. Preferably, the preprint element and the underlying packaging material feature colors that are in high contrast with each other, for example black and white, which further enhances the detectability and readability of the mark. Preferably, the preprint element is black and the underlying packaging material is white, at least in the areas where the preprint element is applied.
[0024] In one embodiment of the method of the present invention, at least subsequent marks are manufactured until the determined geometric relationship matches the predefined geometric relationship.
[0025] In this way, the effects of disturbance factors can be compensated for in a process-safe manner and a wide variety of high quality marks can be produced, for example in a flow manufacturing process.
[0026] In one embodiment of the method of the present invention, a camera is used to detect the nominal shape of the preprint element and the nominal shape of the negative of the produced mark.
[0027] The camera is particularly suitable for detection in an assembly line and without contacting the (sensitive) surface of the packaging material. The camera is also suitable for simultaneously performing additional detection tasks. The camera is, for example, a line scan camera.
[0028] Thus, in one embodiment of the method of the present invention, the same camera is used to evaluate at least one additional predefined quality feature of the produced mark.
[0029] Preferably, the additionally defined quality characteristic comprises the readability of the information represented by the mark.
[0030] Based on this, multiple quality assurance tasks can be performed simultaneously and with low technical effort.
[0031] In one embodiment of the method of the present invention, the produced mark comprises a two-dimensional code.
[0032] Such codes, known for example as bar codes or QR codes, may encode information into the packaging material during its manufacture or further during its lifecycle, which may subsequently indicate the product that is packaged by the packaging material.
[0033] In one embodiment of the method of the invention, the additional pre-presented quality characteristic comprises the readability of the information represented by the two-dimensional code.
[0034] In one embodiment of the method of the present invention, the determined geometric relationship comprises detected information regarding the relative positions and / or relative orientations of the reference shapes and the predefined geometric relationship comprises predefined information regarding the relative positions and / or relative orientations of the reference shapes.
[0035] Based on the present disclosure, a person skilled in the art will be permitted to determine suitable reference shapes and their geometrical relationships in order to evaluate the desired quality features. This also depends on the shapes of the preprint element and the mark. For example, if both the preprint element and the mark have a square shape and the mark should be located in the center of the preprint element, it will be suitable to select, for example, two sides forming the respective corners of the mark and the preprint element as reference shapes. In this example, the desired / predefined geometrical relationship may be that the corners of the mark have a certain relative position from the corners of the preprint element. Furthermore, the predefined geometrical relationship may be that the edges of the mark run parallel to the edges of the preprint element. The number of geometrical shapes and geometrical relationships referred to is not limited and may be adapted by the person skilled in the art depending on the given mark to be produced and for a given preprint element.
[0036] In general, and by way of example only, the respective reference geometries of the mark and preprint element may comprise an edge line, a corner, a center point, a center of an area, or a composite element such as an angle between two lines forming an edge or element arranged in a pattern. Exemplary geometric relationships regarding the relative position and / or orientation of the mark and preprint element may include, by way of example, the distance between lines or points, the parallelism or angle between lines, or the location of the center of an area.
[0037] In one embodiment of the method of the present invention, the nominal shapes of the preprinted element and the negative of the produced mark are of the same geometric type.
[0038] This is particularly useful for calculating geometric relationships between reference features. For example, if both the mark and the pre-print element feature reference features in the form of corners or edges formed by straight lines, the distance between an edge or corner of the mark and an edge or corner of the pre-print element can be calculated more easily than if, for example, the mark has edges formed by curves and the pre-print element has edges formed by straight lines. However, it should be understood that the invention can be practiced with different types of reference features.
[0039] In one embodiment of the method of the present invention, removal of the pre-printed element in the predefined portions is accomplished by laser ablation.
[0040] Laser ablation offers several advantages in terms of speed and precision. Furthermore, when a laser is used, the packaging material is not exposed to the risk of mechanical damage. Laser ablation usually involves sublimation of the removed material, so there is no need for additional salvage of the cut material.
[0041] In one embodiment of the method of the present invention, at least one element is pre-printed on a packaging material in a packaging manufacturing system, and then the packaging material including the pre-printed element is provided to a marking station.
[0042] With exemplarily reference to the introduction, this allows for example packaging material comprising a decoration as a static print and a two-dimensional code as a dynamic (negative) print to be produced in a continuous flow manufacturing process, which may also be integrated with additional manufacturing steps, such as the application of further layers of packaging material and the formation of packaging containers.
[0043] Based on a combination of a camera for detection purposes and laser ablation for removing material of the preprinted element, high speeds of about 600 m / min can be achieved in the flow manufacturing process.
[0044] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a marking station that is adaptable and configurable to produce marks on packaging material in the inventive method according to the present disclosure.
[0045] Yet another aspect of the present invention refers to a packaging material manufacturing system including an inventive marking station according to the present disclosure and adapted and configurable to carry out an inventive method according to the present disclosure.
[0046] In one embodiment of the packaging material manufacturing system of the present invention, the system further comprises a decorative printing station adapted and configurable to pre-print at least one element at a predefined location on the packaging material.
[0047] Yet another aspect of the present invention refers to packaging material marked in the inventive method according to the present disclosure and / or marked by the inventive marking station according to the present disclosure and / or produced by the inventive packaging material production system according to the present disclosure.
[0048] Yet another aspect of the present invention refers to a packaging container comprising the inventive packaging material according to the present disclosure.
[0049] Further objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and drawings. [Means for solving the problem]
[0050] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0051] [Figure 1] 1 shows a packaging material production system. [Diagram 2] 1 is a photograph of a packaging material provided with a pre-printed element and introduced into a method for producing a mark on the packaging material. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 shows the packaging material of FIG. 2 and a mark produced thereon. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0052] 1, there is shown a packaging material manufacturing system 10. The packaging material manufacturing system 10 includes a marking station 12 and, illustratively, a decorative printing station 14 upstream of the marking station 12. The packaging material manufacturing system 10 is adapted and configured to supply to the marking station 12 a packaging material 16 having at least one preprinted element 18 at a predefined location 20.
[0053] In this embodiment, and by way of example only, the packaging material manufacturing system 10 may be adapted and configured to preprint at least one element 18 by the decorative printing station 14 at a predefined position 20 on the packaging material 16 before the packaging material 16 is further fed to the marking station 12. Preferably, the preprinting is performed as a static printing process, whereby the position 20 is predefined and a plurality of elements 18 are preprinted. However, it may also be the case that the packaging material 16 is already provided with a preprinted element 18 and is fed, for example, from the storage 22 to the marking station 12 without additional preprinting. In such a case, a sensor may be applied to detect, for example, the predefined position 20 of the one or more preprinted elements 18 upon feeding of the packaging material 16 from the storage 22.
[0054] However, for purposes of preprinting at least one element 18 in the illustrated embodiment, packaging material production system 10 includes a store 22 adapted to supply blank packaging material 16. Packaging material 16 may be stored and supplied in the form of a web of packaging material 16 wound on a roll as store 22.
[0055] Packaging material 16 may be continuously fed through packaging material production system 10 in the direction of the block arrow at the bottom right of Figure 1. The web of packaging material 16 preferably comprises at least one layer made from a cellulose-based material, such as paper.
[0056] The decorative printing station 14 is preferably a flexographic printing system and includes a series of flexographic printing units 24a-d. Each flexographic printing unit 24a-d includes a plate cylinder 26a-d and an impression cylinder 28a-d. Each plate cylinder 26a-d and the associated impression cylinder 28a-d form a nip through which the packaging material 16 is fed, thereby transferring ink from the plate cylinder 26a-d to the packaging material 16. In the illustrated example, four flexographic printing units 24a-d are shown. Each flexographic printing unit 24a-d is responsible for a specific color, and in one example, the flexographic printing units 24a-d may provide each one of the CMYK color schemes. Each flexographic printing unit 24a-d may include additional components, such as anilox rollers and fountain rollers, as is well known in the art.
[0057] The decorative printing station 14 may optionally include a drying unit 30. The drying unit 30 is disposed downstream of the flexographic printing units 24a-d. The drying unit 30 may operate by providing infrared (IR) radiation or hot air to the packaging material 16, thereby drying the ink on the packaging material 16.
[0058] It should be noted that the decorative printing station 14 does not necessarily have to be a flexographic printing system, but may use other well-known techniques to provide one or more preprinted elements 18 to the packaging material 16.
[0059] Once the packaging material 16 has been applied with a preprint element 18 , such as a decoration, it is advanced to the marking station 12 .
[0060] 2 and 3, the marking station 12 is adapted and configured to produce marks 34 on the packaging material 16 in an inventive manner consisting essentially of the following steps:
[0061] In a first step, as shown in Fig. 2, packaging material 16 including at least one preprint element 18 at a predefined location 20 is provided as input to the marking station 12. The packaging material 16 shown in Fig. 2 is partially illustrated, but may be, for example, a continuous web of packaging material 16 that periodically repeats the illustrated preprint elements 18 and the decoration in which the preprint elements 18 are illustratively embedded. It will be understood that the decoration is preferably periodically repeated and that the preprint elements 18 are preferably printed integrally with or form part of the decoration. In the illustrated example, the preprint elements 18 comprise black squares.
[0062] In a second step, the preprint element 18 is removed in a predefined section 32 in the marking station 12. In this way, in the removed portion 32, a negative of the mark 34 to be produced becomes visible, as shown in Figure 3. Illustratively, this is achieved because the material of the packaging material 16 underlying the black square is white. However, these are merely examples, and the packaging material 16 and the preprint element 18 may have different colors, so long as the colors feature at least some degree of contrast.
[0063] In the illustrated example, the manufacturing mark 34 comprises a two-dimensional code 36, for example a QR code.
[0064] The removal of the preprint element 18 in the predefined section 32 is exemplarily and preferably performed by laser ablation. For this purpose, the marking station 12 shown in Fig. 1 may comprise a laser unit 38 for sublimating the material of the preprint element 18 by means of a laser beam 40. Exemplarily, the preprint element 18 is shown in Fig. 1 at the position of the laser beam 40, which corresponds to the preprint element 18 in Fig. 2 immediately before the laser ablation. After the laser ablation, a mark 34 is produced, and thus the preprint element 18 corresponds to the preprint element in Fig. 3, which is shown behind the laser beam 40 in Fig. 1, respectively.
[0065] In a third step, with reference to Figures 1 and 3, the nominal shape 44 of the preprint element 18 and the nominal shape 46 of the produced negative of the mark 34 are detected. For the detection, the marking station 12 may preferably be equipped with a camera 42, as shown in Figure 1. Detail A of Figure 3 shows an image taken by the camera 42 of the preprint element 18 and the mark 34 located below the camera 42.
[0066] 3, in this embodiment, the nominal shape 44 of the preprint element 18 comprises a horizontal edge 48 and a vertical edge 50. Similarly, the nominal shape 46 of the negative of the produced mark 34 comprises in this embodiment a horizontal edge 52 and a vertical edge 54. That is, in this embodiment, the nominal shapes 44, 46 of the preprint element 18 and the negative of the produced mark 34 are of the same geometric type, which is beneficial for the next step.
[0067] In a fourth step, the geometric relationship 56 of the detected reference shapes 44, 46 is determined, which is easier if they are of the same geometric type, as mentioned above.
[0068] Preferably, the determined geometrical relationship 56 comprises detected information on the relative position and / or relative orientation of the reference shapes 44, 46. Based on the above example, on the one hand, the determined geometrical relationship 56 is detected in the form of a distance 58 between the horizontal edge 48 of the preprint element 18 and the horizontal edge 52 of the mark 34. On the other hand, the determined geometrical relationship 56 is detected in this example in the form of a distance 60 between the vertical edge 50 of the preprint element 18 and the vertical edge 54 of the mark 34. On this basis, the overall relative position of the mark 34 and the preprint element 18 can be derived as the geometrical relationship 56, since both the mark 34 and the preprint element 18 are in the shape of a square of known size. Although not shown, it is also possible to take into account further measures to describe the geometrical relationship 56, such as, for example, the angle between the horizontal edges 48, 52. In this way, the relative orientation of the mark 34 and the preprint element 18 can also be evaluated to determine the geometrical relationship 56.
[0069] In a fifth step, it is evaluated whether the determined geometric relationship 56 corresponds to a predefined geometric relationship. The predefined geometric relationship preferably comprises predefined information regarding the relative position and / or the relative orientation of the reference shapes 44, 46. Based on the above example, the predefined information comprises, for example, predefined distances 58 and 60 indicating the desired relative position of the mark 34 and the preprint element 18. For this evaluation, the marking station 12 shown in FIG. 1 may comprise a controller 62 in which the predefined geometric relationship is stored. The controller may receive 64 the images acquired from the camera 42 and perform the determination and evaluation operations described above.
[0070] In the sixth step, there are two options: if the evaluation results in the determined geometric relationship 56 matching the predefined geometric relationship, a subsequent mark 34 is produced in the same predefined section 32, with the preprint element 18 removed, as shown in FIG.
[0071] If, as a result of the evaluation, the determined geometric relationship 56 does not coincide with the predefined geometric relationship, the subsequent mark 34 is produced under a predefined adjustment of the portion 32 from which the preprinted element 18 has been removed. This adjustment may be performed by an adjustment of the position of the laser unit 38 in the transverse and / or longitudinal direction compared to the direction of the block arrow at the bottom right of Fig. 1 (flow direction of the packaging material (16)). To this end, the controller 62 may transmit 66 respective control data to the laser unit 38. In a possible alternative, the longitudinal adjustment, i.e. the adjustment in the block arrow direction, may be achieved by controlling the flow speed of the packaging material (16) and / or by adjusting the trigger signal delay time of the laser unit 38.
[0072] Preferably, at least subsequent marks 34 are produced until the determined geometric relationship 56 matches the predefined geometric relationship.
[0073] Preferably, the same camera 42 is used to evaluate at least one additional predefined quality feature of the produced mark 34. Based on the above example, and referring to Figure 3, this may comprise the evaluation of the readability of the information represented by the two-dimensional code 36.
[0074] After packaging material 16 has been marked according to the methods described above, it may be introduced into a subsequent manufacturing process in the direction of the illustrated block arrows, for example, to produce a package from packaging material 16.
[0075] From the foregoing description, while various embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, the invention is not limited thereto and may be embodied in other ways within the scope of the subject matter defined in the following claims.
[0076] Reference number 10 Packaging manufacturing system 12 Marking Station 14 Decorative Printing Station 16 Packaging materials 18 Preprint Elements 20 Predefined Positions 22 Storage 24a~d Flexographic printing machine 26a~d Plate cylinder 28a~d impression cylinder 30 Drying Unit 32 Predefined Sections 34 Marks 36 2D Code 38 Laser Unit 40 Laser Beam 42 Camera 44 Standard shape 46 Standard shape 48 Horizontal Edge 50 Vertical Edge 52 Horizontal Edge 54 Vertical Edge 56 Geometric Relationships 58 distance 60 distance 62 Controller 64 Received 66 Send
Claims
1. A method for producing a mark (34) on a packaging material (16), comprising the steps of: providing a packaging material (16) including at least one preprinted element (18) at a predefined location (20); removing said preprint element (18) in a predefined section (32) at a marking station (12), the removed section (32) reflecting the negative of the mark (34) to be produced; detecting a reference shape (44) of the preprint element (18) and a reference shape (46) of a negative of the produced mark (34); determining the geometric relationships (56) of the detected reference shapes (44; 46); Evaluating whether the determined geometric relationship (56) matches a predefined geometric relationship; Equipped with If there is a match, removing the preprint element (18) in the predefined section (32) to produce a subsequent mark (34); If there is no match, removing the preprint element (18) under the control of the predefined section (32) to produce a subsequent mark (34). method.
2. At least subsequent marks (34) are produced until the determined geometric relationship (56) matches the predefined geometric relationship. The method of claim 1.
3. using a camera (42) to detect the nominal shape (44) of said preprint element (18) and the nominal shape (46) of a produced negative of said mark (34); The method of claim 1.
4. the camera (42) is used to evaluate at least one additional predefined quality feature of the produced mark (34); The method of claim 3.
5. The produced mark (34) comprises a two-dimensional code (36). The method of claim 1.
6. said additional predefined quality characteristic comprising the readability of the information represented by the two-dimensional code (36); The method of claim 4.
7. the determined geometric relationship (56) comprises detected information on the relative positions (58; 60) and / or relative orientations of the reference shapes (44; 46), and the predefined geometric relationship comprises predefined information on the relative positions and / or relative orientations of the reference shapes (44; 46). The method of claim 1.
8. the fiducial shapes (44; 46) of the preprint element (18) and the produced negative of the mark (34) are of the same geometric type; The method of claim 1.
9. Removal of the preprinted element (18) in the predefined section (32) is performed by laser ablation. The method of claim 1.
10. In the packaging material manufacturing system (10), at least one element (18) is preprinted on a packaging material (16), and then the packaging material (16) containing the preprinted element (18) is provided to the marking station (12). The method of claim 1.
11. 2. The method of claim 1, adapted and configurable to produce the mark (34) on the packaging material (16). Marking station (12).
12. A marking station (12) adapted and configurable to produce a mark (34) on a packaging material (16), the marking station (12) being adapted and configurable to carry out the method according to claim 1. A packaging material manufacturing system (10).
13. further comprising a decorative printing station (14) adapted and configurable to pre-print at least one element (18) at a predefined location (32) on said packaging material (16); The packaging material manufacturing system according to claim 12.
14. Packaging material (16) marked by the method of claim 1, or marked by a marking station (12) according to claim 11, or produced by a packaging material production system (10) according to claim 12.
15. A packaging container comprising a packaging material (16) according to claim 14.