Label printing apparatus and label residue removal tool

Abstract

The label residue separation blade prevents the loss of labeled individuals and ensures reliable separation and sorting of labeled individuals and label residue in all cases. [Solution] The label printing apparatus equipped with a label waste separation function is configured such that the separation blade 1, which is positioned horizontally perpendicular to the feeding direction at the front end of the circumferential surface of the paper feed drum 10, folds back the base sheet 20b with the tip 1A of the separation blade and separates and removes only the label waste 7. The separated label waste 7 is recovered by winding it up while in contact with the circumferential vertex of a rotating bar 2 installed on the plate surface 1B of the separation blade 1, thereby recovering it without contact with the plate surface 1B that constitutes the separation blade 1 and without experiencing significant resistance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for separating and recovering a label individual, which is a printed portion, and a peripheral portion (label waste) of an unnecessary label individual from a base material sheet, which is composed of a strip-shaped base material sheet having an adhesive layer on the back surface, which is a base paper for label printing, and a separator sheet temporarily attached thereto, after printing in a printing unit using a blade die in a blanking unit, in conjunction with the intermittent movement of the printing unit using a label waste removing tool having a separation blade.

Background Art

[0002] Label individuals used as precision instruments and various certificates are made of a strong adhesive to prevent forgery and replacement for their intended use, and a label base material sheet such as a small-sized and thin resin film is used.

[0003] In particular, when individual variable information is printed on each label individual, the omission of even one label individual is not allowed. Therefore, the separation and recovery of the label individuals that become products and the peripheral portions (label waste) of the label individuals that become unnecessary after punching are important processes.

[0004] In the latest printing machines, the printing ink is cured by UV lamp irradiation or LED lamp irradiation. Both methods involve heat generation, and the diversification of label printing base material sheets and strong adhesives are affected by heat. The adhesive increases its fluidity and adheres slightly to the periphery of the punching blade die and the film portion of the label waste that has been punched out and is no longer needed.

[0005] When the adhered adhesive passes through the tip portion of the label waste separation blade, it is separated into the label individual and the label waste. The label waste passes through the plate surface of the horizontally long thin plate-shaped member of the separation blade and is sequentially wound by a winding device.

[0006] By passing through the tip of the separation blade, the label is separated into the individual label and the surrounding area that is no longer needed. The individual label is then temporarily attached to the separator and continues to form the product.

[0007] Meanwhile, the unnecessary peripheral parts (label residue) rub against the plate surface, which is made up of a long, thin plate-like member that constitutes the separation blade, with strong force. In conjunction with the intermittent motion, they move sequentially towards the winding shaft and are wound up.

[0008] In the die-cutting unit within the printing unit, the characters and images printed on the printing substrate are die-cut using a die, and the individual labels, along with any unwanted surrounding label material, are temporarily attached to a separator. These are then moved sequentially in an intermittent motion to the paper feed drum at the very front of the printing unit.

[0009] The separation blade is a device that separates the individual labels from the unwanted label periphery (label waste) on the printing substrate that is sequentially transported to the paper feed drum, and extracts only the individual labels that are the product. Its role is extremely important, and it is a very difficult task.

[0010] The main reasons for this are several problems caused by friction.

[0011] In an attempt to solve this problem, many pioneers considered various approaches, including a temporary solution involving spraying silicone spray onto the tip of the separation blade or the thin plate-like components that make up the separation blade.

[0012] However, the effect of using silicone spray was only temporary and did not provide a complete solution, leaving the problem unresolved.

[0013] The process of separating label residue requires adjustments to the lifting force due to various variations in the shape of individual labels, such as round, square, or oval.

[0014] Setting the winding rotation speed too high will lead to an increase in the resistance friction of the surface made up of a horizontally elongated, thin plate-like member.

[0015] Furthermore, if the winding speed is not at least slightly higher than the rotation speed of the printing press itself, slack will occur as the paper passes over the tip of the blade.

[0016] The resulting sagging makes it impossible to separate the label from the label residue.

[0017] To address this problem, Japanese Patent Publication No. 4184750 proposes a label residue removal tool that allows the base end of the separation blade to be moved and fixed horizontally to accommodate fluctuations in the separation start position, and also arranges multiple single members in the width direction for each row of individual labels, with their tips protruding from the lower end of the separation blade in the sheet feeding direction, thereby pressing down on the individual labels with the tips of the single members when separating the label residue.

[0018] This configuration allows the label to be held down by one component even if the angle of the separation blade tip relative to the sheet surface is somewhat large, making it easier to reliably separate the label from the residue. However, this label removal tool can damage the surface printing or cause problems due to adhesive buildup by the one component that prevents the label from lifting, requiring cleaning of the one component, which can easily increase the workload for the operator. Furthermore, the applicant has proposed further improved techniques in Patent No. 6027810. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0019] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4184750 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6027810 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0020] The present invention aims to solve the above problems. Regarding an apparatus that is attached to a paper feed drum located at the forefront of a printing unit and separates individual labels from label stacks, it is an object of the present invention to achieve reliable separation of label stacks for any printing target without overly burdening the operator.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0021] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention is made. A structure that can move in a state where the label stack floats is installed at a horizontal position on the plate surface formed by the horizontally long thin plate-like member constituting the separation blade so that the label stack does not strongly rub against the surface formed by the horizontally long thin plate-like member constituting the separation blade.

[0022] That structure is solved by installing a cylindrical bar rotatably on a part of the plate surface in a direction horizontal to the plate surface of the horizontally long thin plate-like member so that the separated label stack does not strongly rub against the plate surface of the horizontally long thin plate-like member.

[0023] The newly installed rotatable bar is a device that makes the frictional resistance generated when winding up the label stack approach zero resistance. Therefore, bearings (such as bearings) are used at both ends of the 12 mm cylindrical bar.

[0024] The effect is enormous. The label stack separated at the tip of the blade is designed to pass by contacting the apex of the newly installed cylindrical bar with a diameter of 12 mm. As a result, it is pulled up without rubbing against the plate surface, which was the biggest drawback of the conventional separation blade, and without receiving a large resistance, and is sequentially wound up on the take-up shaft.

[0025] Due to the effect that the rubbing friction is pulled up to be almost zero, the separation of the individual label and the label stack is smoothly pulled up without much adjustment effort and can be recovered to the take-up shaft.

[0026] As described above, various problems have been eliminated, and no missing labels have occurred due to the imbalance of the tension on the right or left side of the label cassette caused by the adhesion of the adhesive due to frictional resistance, resulting in a great effect.

[0027] In the present invention, the diameter of the rotating bar is set to 12 mm, but it is not limited to 12 mm in practice.

Advantages of the Invention

[0028] By installing the rotating bar on the separating blade plate surface portion, the pulling and winding of the label cassette are significantly reduced in resistance without rubbing against the plate surface, enabling reliable separation of the label cassette according to any printing object without overburdening the operator.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0029] [Figure 1] It is a partial perspective view for explaining the configuration of a label printing apparatus which is an embodiment of the separating blade with a rotating bar installed in the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a front view of the separating blade with a rotating bar installed in the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a side view of the separating blade with a rotating bar installed in the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a front view of a conventional separating blade. [Figure 5] It is a side view of a conventional separating blade. [[ID=३३]] [Figure 6] It is a partial side view for explaining the configuration of a label cassette remover of a label printing apparatus which is an embodiment in the present invention. [Figure 7] It is a partial side view for explaining the configuration of a label cassette remover of a label printing apparatus which is an embodiment of the conventional type.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0030] Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this invention, the label also includes so-called stickers that have an adhesive layer on the back of the sheet and a printed material on the surface. Furthermore, since the technology underlying the present invention is substantially the same as the technology disclosed in the prior art document, Japanese Patent No. 6027810, it will be omitted in the following description.

[0031] Figure 1 is a partial perspective view illustrating the configuration of a label waste separation blade 1 installed on the leading edge of the paper feed drum 10 of a label printing apparatus according to this embodiment. This label printing apparatus comprises a printing unit (not shown) that prints on the surface of a base sheet 20b, a flat plate unit (not shown) that cuts out the area around the printed portion of the base sheet 20 along with the adhesive layer on the back, and a paper feed drum 10 provided downstream of these units that intermittently feeds the continuous label sheet 20 according to each printing area. These components are well known and common to the prior art.

[0032] Furthermore, a separation blade 1 and its support member 6 are attached to the leading edge of the circumferential surface of the paper feed drum 10, extending perpendicularly to the feeding direction and horizontally. The separation blade 1, positioned close to the circumferential surface of the paper feed drum 10, has the function of separating and removing only the label residue 20d from the label continuous sheet 20, which is formed by temporarily attaching the base sheet 20b to the separator sheet 20a, by folding back the upper base sheet 20b with the separation blade 1.

[0033] A feature of the separation blade 1 according to the present invention, as shown in Figure 2, is that a horizontally elongated rotating bar 2 is provided on the separation blade plate surface 1B perpendicular to the feeding direction and horizontally. As the separation blade plate surface 1B lifts up during the lifting operation, it comes into contact with the circumferential apex of the rotating bar 2, causing the rotating bar to rotate and preventing friction with the plate surface 1B of the separation blade 1, thus enabling lifting without resistance.

[0034] Next, the operation and function of the separation blade 1 according to this embodiment will be explained using Figure 6. From the base material sheet 20b printed by a printing unit (not shown), the label individual 20c and its surrounding area, so-called unwanted label residue 20d, are separated and removed by a flat plate unit (not shown) as they pass through the tip 1A of the separation blade 1, while only the printed base material sheet 20b is folded back, leaving only the label residue 20d.

[0035] The best configurations, methods, and other elements for carrying out the present invention are disclosed above, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other words, although the present invention is illustrated and described in particular with respect to specific embodiments, those skilled in the art can make various modifications to the embodiments described above in terms of shape, quantity, position or orientation, and other detailed configurations without departing from the scope of the technical idea and objectives of the present invention. For example, the rotating bar may be a non-rotating bar-shaped object (rod-shaped object). Furthermore, it is effective to form the part of the bar-shaped object that comes into contact with the label residue with a material such as fluororesin, which has low surface friction resistance. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 1 Separation blade (with rotating bar) 2 Rotating bar 3 Bearing 4 Printing unit clamping part 1 Separation blade 1A Separation blade tip 1B Separation blade plate surface 2 Rotating bar 3 Bearing 4 Printing unit clamping part 5 Label waste winding shaft 1' Separation blade 1A' Separation blade tip 1B' Separation blade plate surface 4' Printing unit clamping part 10 Forward feed drum 20 Continuous label sheet 20a Separator 20b Base sheet 20c Individual label 20d Label waste

Claims

1. A label printing apparatus comprising a printing unit that prints on the surface of a base sheet, a die-cutting unit that cuts out the area around the printed portion of the base sheet along with the adhesive layer on the back, and a label waste removal tool provided downstream of these and having a separation blade that is perpendicular to the feeding direction and horizontally positioned at the leading edge of the circumferential surface of a paper feed drum that intermittently feeds the paper according to the printing area, wherein the label printing apparatus has a function to separate and remove only the label waste, which is the area around the individual labels, by lifting up in sync with the paper feeding operation while folding the base sheet with the tip of the separation blade that is positioned downward and close to the circumferential surface of the paper feed drum, from a label continuous sheet in which the printed and die-cut base sheet is temporarily attached to a separator sheet, The label waste removal device is characterized by comprising a label waste support means that supports and guides the label waste, which has been folded back at a lateral position of the separation blade, in a state where it is lifted from the plate surface of the separation blade.

2. The label waste support means is a horizontally elongated cylindrical bar that is rotatable around a central axis, and is provided parallel to the plate surface with its central axis aligned with the longitudinal direction of the horizontally elongated separation blade, and is characterized in that it rotates due to the sliding motion of the label waste in contact with its circumferential surface.

3. The label printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the portion of the label residue support means that comes into contact with the label residue is made of a surface fluororesin.

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