Method for manufacturing a label

Abstract

To provide a method for manufacturing a label, in which extraction waste material generated upon the formation of an insertion hole (through-hole) during manufacturing of a label does not fall, and the extraction waste material can be prevented from being mixed into an automatic mounting device, even without using a support base material other than a label base material.SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing a label having an insertion hole for attachment of the label to a neck portion of a container is provided, comprising a cutting step of forming a contour of the insertion hole in a sheet-like label base material having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a disintermediation step of removing an inside portion of the label base material surrounded by the contour of the insertion hole from the sheet-like label base material. The cutting step includes half-cutting the sheet-like label base material so that a thickness of at least a part of the contour of the insertion hole is made thinner than a thickness of the sheet-like label base material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing labels. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing labels that are preferably used in an automatic labeling device that feeds labels one by one and attaches them to the necks of containers such as bottles and bottles, as labels having insertion holes for attachment to the necks of containers.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for the purpose of promoting the sales of various products such as soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and seasonings arranged on display shelves in convenience stores and supermarkets, campaign seals and pop labels displaying promotional information have been used on their containers. In particular, pop labels are often used on the necks of containers such as bottles and bottles, and there are those in which an insertion hole is formed in a label-shaped sheet piece and the neck of the container is inserted and locked, and labels with a cut for inserting the neck are known.

[0003] As a method for manufacturing such labels, generally, a plurality of labels are processed at once from a single sheet so that high-speed and large-volume production can be performed. When using labels on the necks of containers such as bottles and bottles, for example, by automatically feeding the labels one by one to the necks of the containers using an automatic labeling device or the like and automatically attaching them, labels are attached to many containers in a short time. It is being done.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-529042) discloses a method for manufacturing a multi-layer printed folded leaflet or label including the following steps: preparing a web of a sheet material having both sides and a longitudinal axis; printing on one or both sides of this web material; and then making a score fold in the web material parallel to the longitudinal axis of the material to form a continuous series of connected multi-layer labels or leaflets. The advantages of the manufacturing method include substantial cost reduction.

[0005] In addition, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-037248) discloses a step of preparing a long laminate in which a long strip-shaped label base material web is releasably adhered to the surface of a long strip-shaped support base material, a step of forming a circular cut in the plane of the label base material web of the long laminate at a predetermined interval in the length direction, and a step of removing the region surrounded by the circular cut in the plane view from the support base material to form an insertion hole for a hanging label in the label base material web. In the plane of the label base material web of the long laminate, by forming a cut line along the outer shape of the label corresponding to each insertion hole, a step of producing a continuous body of hanging labels in which a plurality of hanging labels are releasably adhered at a predetermined interval in the length direction of the support base material is disclosed. According to this manufacturing method, punching holes or the like do not occur in the support base material, and a continuous body of hanging labels that can be smoothly and continuously attached to a container using a labeling device can be manufactured.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing a multilayer label that can form a through hole that can be used to suspend a label from the neck portion of a bottle by "hooking" the label onto the neck portion of a wine bottle or the like. Generally, such a hanging label forms a circular cut-out portion by die-cutting (punching) or the like of the label, and this is removed to form a circular hole (through hole). However, generally, since the through hole is cut out so as to penetrate the label, the cut-out waste material may fall into the production line, causing defects such as stopping the device or mixing into the product.

[0008] On the other hand, the method for manufacturing a label continuum disclosed in Patent Document 2 involves preparing a long laminated body in which a long strip-shaped label base material web is releasably adhered to the surface of a long strip-shaped support base material, forming, in the plane of the label base material web of the long laminated body, annular cuts at predetermined intervals in the length direction, and peeling and removing the region surrounded by the annular cuts in plan view from the support base material to form insertion holes for hanging labels in the label base material web. In this case, if the support base material and the label base material web are adhered, the detachment of the cut-out region can be prevented to some extent. However, since a support base material is required separately from the label base material web, the cost increases, and a large amount of waste is generated in the manufacturing process.

[0009] The present invention has been completed in view of the above problems. In one embodiment, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a label that can prevent waste material removed from an insertion hole (through hole) from falling off during label manufacturing and prevent the waste material removed from mixing into an automatic mounting device without using a support base material other than the label base material.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have found that by forming the contour of an insertion hole in a sheet-shaped label base material so as to be thinner than the thickness of the label base material and further removing the inner portion surrounded by the contour in a subsequent process, it is possible to appropriately remove the waste material removed from the insertion hole without using a separate support base material, thereby solving the above problems. The present invention has been completed based on the above findings.

[0011] Therefore, in one aspect, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a label having an insertion hole for attachment to the neck of a container, the method including: forming a cutout for defining the contour of the insertion hole in a sheet-like label substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; and a punching step of removing a portion of the inner label substrate surrounded by the contour of the insertion hole from the sheet-like label substrate, wherein the forming step includes half-cutting the sheet-like label substrate such that at least a part of the thickness of the contour of the insertion hole is thinner than the thickness of the sheet-like label substrate.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the forming step may include feeding the sheet-like label substrate between a pair of rolls provided with punching blades on the outer circumferences of at least one of the rolls, and half-cutting the sheet-like label substrate with the punching blades such that at least a part of the thickness of the contour of the insertion hole is thinner than the thickness of the sheet-like label substrate.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the forming step may further include forming an outer contour cut line that penetrates between the first surface and the second surface of the sheet-like label substrate with the punching blades to form the contour of the outer shape of the label.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the blade height of a second portion for forming the contour of the insertion hole of the label is shorter than the blade height of a first portion for forming the contour of the outer shape of the label in the punching blade, and the difference in blade height between the first portion and the second portion can be set to 0.01 mm to 0.03 mm.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the forming step may further include forming at least one locking portion cut line that penetrates between the first surface and the second surface of the sheet-like label substrate with the punching blades to define at least one locking portion for preventing the label from detaching from the neck of the container.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the punching-out step may include removing a portion of the inner label base material surrounded by the contour of the insertion hole of the label from the sheet-like label base material by punching with a cylinder or spraying with an air nozzle.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, when the sheet-like label base material is made of paper, the method of the present invention can be preferably applied.

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] According to the method for manufacturing a label of the present invention, even without using a support base material other than the label base material, the waste material removed from the insertion hole does not fall off during the manufacture of the label, and it is possible to prevent the waste material removed from entering the automatic mounting device. As a result, the operating rate of the label manufacturing device and the automatic mounting device can be improved, and the risk of failure can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and modifications and improvements in design can be appropriately made based on the ordinary knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, the dimensions, scales, angles, etc. in the drawings for explaining each embodiment of the present invention are shown for convenience in understanding and do not necessarily represent actual dimensions, scales, angles, etc.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the manufacturing process in an embodiment of the method for manufacturing the label of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, in one embodiment, the method for manufacturing the label of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a label 12 having an insertion hole 121 for mounting on the neck of a container. The method includes a cutting process 3 for forming a contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 of the label 12 in a sheet-like label base material 11 having a first surface 11a and a second surface 11b opposite to the first surface 11a, and a punching process 4 for removing a portion 122 of the inner label base material 11 (hereinafter also referred to as "punching waste 122") surrounded by the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 of the label 12 from the sheet-like label base material 11. Further, in the present embodiment, before the cutting process 3, a sheet supply process 1 of placing a plurality of sheet-like label base materials 11 on a mounting table and feeding out the sheet-like label base materials 11 one by one from the stack of the plurality of sheet-like label base materials 11, and a conveying process 2 of conveying the sheet-like label base material 11 fed out from the sheet supply process 1 to a predetermined position by a conveying belt can be performed. After the punching process 4, a waste removal process 5 of removing the punching waste 123 other than the label 12 from the sheet-like label base material 11, and a label recovery process 6 of recovering the label 12 can be performed.

[0022] In this embodiment, the sheet-like label base material 11 is substantially a single-layer sheet, but in other embodiments, a multi-layer structure may also be used. The material of the sheet-like label base material 11 is not particularly limited as long as it can be used as the label 12. Examples of the material of the sheet-like label base material 11 include paper, synthetic paper, polyolefins such as PP (polyethylene) and PE (polyester), polyesters such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), and rigid resin sheets such as PS (polystyrene) and PA (polyamide). The thickness of the sheet-like label base material 11 is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of strength and the like, it is preferably 50 μm or more, more preferably 150 μm or more, and even more preferably 170 μm or more. On the other hand, from the viewpoints of cost and ease of handling, the thickness of the sheet-like label base material 11 is preferably 300 μm or less, more preferably 250 μm or less, and even more preferably 230 μm or less. The sheet-like label base material 11 does not necessarily have to be a single-layer sheet made of one type of material, and a sheet formed by laminating two or more types of materials may be used. Even in this case, the laminated sheet may be used as the sheet-like label base material 11 as if it were substantially a single-layer sheet.

[0023] On one or both sides of the sheet-like label base material 11, printing such as patterns and characters for transmitting information (to consumers of products, etc.) may be performed if necessary. As the printing method, for example, a flat-plate printing method (such as offset printing), an intaglio printing method (such as engraved intaglio printing and gravure printing), a stencil printing method (such as silk screen printing), or a digital printing method (IJP, dry toner, wet toner, etc.) can be used. Examples of the ink used for printing include inks in which a colorant is dispersed in a resin such as acrylic or cellulose. As such colorants, inorganic pigments (such as titanium oxide, carbon black, and copper), pearl pigments, and aluminum powder can be used. The thickness of the printing layer of the pattern or characters is not particularly limited as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired. For example, it can be 0.5 μm or more, more preferably 1 μm or more, and can also be in the range of 10 μm or less, more preferably 3 μm or less.

[0024] Further, a varnish layer may be applied onto the sheet-like label base material 11 or its printing layer to provide slipperiness and abrasion resistance. The material of the varnish layer can be appropriately selected in consideration of the manufacturing method, slipperiness, glossiness, light transmittance, design property, etc. Examples of the material of the varnish layer include OP varnish, oil-based varnish, water-based varnish, UV-curable varnish, and other special varnishes. The thickness of the varnish layer is not particularly limited as long as it does not inhibit the effects of the present invention, but it can be, for example, 0.5 μm or more, more preferably 1 μm or more, and can also be in the range of 10 μm or less, more preferably 3 μm or less.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the sheet-like label base material 11 used in one embodiment of the method for manufacturing the label of the present invention. According to FIG. 2, a plurality of labels 12 are surface-attached to a single sheet-like label base material 11 so as to enable high-speed production of a large amount of labels. The dimensions of the sheet-like label base material 11 and the number of surface-attached labels are not particularly limited, but in the embodiment of FIG. 2, "5 × 4 pieces" of labels 12 are surface-attached by printing with respect to the "width direction × longitudinal direction" of the sheet-like label base material 11.

[0026] In the present embodiment, a sheet supply step 1 is performed in which a plurality of sheet-like label base materials 11 are placed on a mounting table, and the sheet-like label base materials 11 are fed out one by one from a laminate in which a plurality of sheet-like label base materials 11 are laminated. For example, the sheet supply step 1 can be performed using a sheet feeder device that sucks the uppermost one from the laminate of the sheet-like label base materials 11 set on the mounting table by air and sends it to a conveyor belt.

[0027] In the present embodiment, a conveyance step 2 is performed in which the sheet-like label base material 11 fed out from the sheet supply step 1 is conveyed to a predetermined position by a conveyor belt. The sheet-like label base material 11 fed out from the sheet supply step 1 is sent to a cutting step 3 by the conveyor belt.

[0028] As described above, by performing the sheet supply step 1 and the conveyance step 2, the sheet-like label base material 11 can be continuously and rapidly sent to the cutting step 3, enabling the production of a large amount of labels at high speed. However, in other embodiments of the present invention, the sheet-like label base material 11 can also be sent to the cutting step 3 by any other method.

[0029] In this embodiment, a cutting step 3 for forming the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) of the label 12 is performed on the sheet-like label base material 11 having the first surface 11a and the second surface 11b opposite to the first surface 11a. In the cutting step 3, the sheet-like label base material 11 is half-cut so that at least a part of the thickness of the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 of the label 12 becomes thinner than the thickness of the sheet-like label base material 11. This is in consideration of the fact that the cutting step 3 for forming the cutting line in the insertion hole 121 and the punching step 4 for removing the inner portion 122 of the label base material 11 surrounded by the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 are usually performed at different positions, making it easier to perform the punching step 4 and preventing the inner portion (punched waste material) 122 of the label base material 11 surrounded by the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 from falling off during conveyance. If the punched waste material 122 falls off during the cutting step 3, the fallen punched waste material 122 may accumulate in the device, come into contact with the conveyed sheet, and cause clogging in the device.

[0030] More specifically, when a paper substrate is used as the sheet-like label substrate 11, since paper fibers generally have a thickness of 20 μm to 100 μm, if a large amount of thick fibers are present at the position of the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121, separation of the removed waste material 122 at the insertion hole 121 from the sheet-like label substrate 11 is hindered, and the removed waste material 122 remains on the label 12, which may cause a mounting failure when the label 12 is mounted on the neck of a container such as a bottle or vial using an automatic mounting device. On the other hand, if the removed waste material 122 is penetrated without being half-cut, it may fall off during the manufacturing process and get mixed into the manufacturing line, which may cause product defects or the stoppage of the manufacturing line. Since a part of the paper fibers is cut by forming the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 by half-cutting, the removed waste material 122 can be easily removed by punching with a cylinder or spraying with an air nozzle. Therefore, preferably, the half-cut of the sheet-like label substrate 11 is performed so that the thickness of the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 of the label 12 is thinner overall than the thickness of the sheet-like label substrate 11. Note that the thickness of the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 means the thickness of the contour 331 remaining after the half-cut.

[0031] In the present embodiment, the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 is continuous. However, in other embodiments of the present invention, the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 may be discontinuous (e.g., dotted line). In that case, the sheet-like label base material 11 is half-cut so that only a part of the thickness of the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 becomes thinner than the thickness of the sheet-like label base material 11, and the remaining part is not cut. However, as described above, from the viewpoint of preferably avoiding the presence of thick fibers at the position of the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121, it is preferable that 80% or more of the length of the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 is half-cut, more preferably 90% or more is half-cut, even more preferably 95% or more is half-cut, even more preferably 98% or more is half-cut, and even more preferably 100% (i.e., all) is half-cut. It is most preferable that 100% (i.e., all) of the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 is half-cut. However, when there is a part that is not half-cut, if the length per uncut portion is 0.6 mm or less, more preferably 0.3 mm or less, even if thick fibers are present at the position of the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121, it is preferable because these can be partially cut.

[0032] The method of forming the insertion hole 121 of the label 12 in the sheet-like label base material 11 is not particularly limited. For example, it is possible to use a Vic blade, a Pinnacle (registered trademark) blade, a mold, or a die, and it is also possible to use a cutting method with a machine such as a laser beam or a machining center.

[0033] In this embodiment, in the cutting step 3, a sheet-like label base material 11 is supplied between a pair of rolls (31, 32) provided with a punching blade 33 such as a pinnacle blade on the outer periphery of at least one of the rolls 31, and the punching blade 33 is used to make at least a part of the thickness of the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 of the label 12 thinner than the thickness of the sheet-like label base material 11, and the sheet-like label base material 11 is half-cut. Further, in this embodiment, in the cutting step 3, when the sheet-like label base material 11 passes between the pair of rolls (31, 32), an outer contour cutting line penetrating between the first surface 11a and the second surface 11b of the label base material 11 can be formed to form the contour 332 of the outer shape of the label 12.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a schematic view schematically showing an example of the cutting step 3 in an embodiment of the method for manufacturing a label of the present invention. FIG. 3(A) shows a state in which a sheet-like label base material 11 is supplied between a pair of rolls (31, 32) provided with a punching blade 33 on the outer periphery of the roll 31. FIG. 3(B) is a partial schematic view showing the punching blade 33 provided on the outer periphery of the roll 31 in cross section. The punching blade 33 can penetrate between the first surface 11a and the second surface 11b of the sheet-like label base material 11, and has a first portion with a blade height d1 having a shape along the contour 332 of the outer shape of the label 12, and a blade height shorter than the blade height d1 forming the contour 332 of the outer shape of the label 12, and a second portion with a blade height d2 forming the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 of the label 12 is provided.

[0035] Preferably, the punching blade 33 has a shorter blade height d2 of the second portion forming the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 of the label 12 than the blade height d1 of the first portion forming the contour 332 of the outer shape of the label 12, and the difference in the blade heights between the first portion and the second portion is preferably 0.01 mm or more, more preferably 0.03 mm or less, and even more preferably 0.02 mm or less. In this embodiment, both the first portion and the second portion are treated as a part of the punching blade 33 for convenience, but the first portion and the second portion do not necessarily have to be physically integrally formed.

[0036] Figure 3(C) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 of the label 12 formed on the sheet-like label substrate 11 and the outer contour cut line formed on the outer contour 332 of the outer shape of the label 12. Figure 3(D) is a schematic plan view showing the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 of the label 12 formed on the sheet-like label substrate 11 and the outer contour cut line. The contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 is formed by half-cutting while leaving a thickness of the sheet-like label substrate 11 of 0.01 mm or more and 0.03 mm or less, preferably 0.02 mm or less. If the portion remaining after half-cutting becomes thinner than 0.01 mm, the punched-out waste material 122 will fall off during the conveyance of the sheet-like label substrate 11. On the other hand, if it is made thicker than 0.03 mm, when forming the insertion hole 121 by removing the inner portion 122 of the label substrate 11 surrounded by the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 of the label 12 from the sheet-like label substrate 11 by punching with a cylinder or injection by an air nozzle, it may not be possible to remove it sufficiently.

[0037] In the present embodiment, in the cutting step 3, when the sheet-like label substrate 11 passes between a pair of rolls (31, 32), in order to define at least one locking portion for preventing the label 12 from detaching from the neck of the container on the sheet-like label substrate 11, it is preferable to further form at least one locking portion cut line that penetrates between the first surface 11a and the second surface 11b of the sheet-like label substrate 11 by the punching blade 33. Figure 4 is a schematic plan view showing an example in which locking portion cut lines (211, 212, 221, 222) are provided to define locking portions (231, 232) on the label 12 formed on the sheet-like label substrate 11.

[0038] In the cutting step 3, the sheet-like label base material 11 with the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 and optionally the outer contour cutting line and the locking portion cutting line formed thereon is sent to the punching step 4 by a conveyor belt. In the punching step 4, the inner portion 122 of the label base material 11 surrounded by the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 of the label 12 is removed from the sheet-like label base material 11. The conveyor belt can include a pair of upper and lower belt means for conveying the label 12 by sandwiching both side edges of each label 12 attached to the sheet-like label base material 11 between the belt pair. Thereby, the conveyance deviation of the label 12 from the sheet-like label base material 11 with the cutting line formed thereon is prevented, and as will be described later, the inner portion 122 of the label base material 11 surrounded by the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 of the label 12 can be removed below the conveyor belt.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the punching step 4 in an embodiment of the method for manufacturing a label of the present invention. The punching step 4 is a step of removing the inner portion 122 of the label base material 11 surrounded by the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 of the label 12 from the sheet-like label base material 11 by punching with a cylinder or spraying with an air nozzle. In FIG. 5(A), in order to remove the inner portion (punching waste) 122 of the label base material 11 surrounded by the contour 331 of the insertion hole 121 of the label 12 from the sheet-like label base material 11, air is blown from the air nozzle 41 into the insertion hole 121 to separate and remove the punching waste 122 from the label 12. Thereby, the label 12 with the insertion hole 121 formed therein can be obtained (FIG. 5(B)). Considering the production efficiency, the separation and removal of the punching waste 122 are preferably performed so as to remove one row in the width direction of the sheet-like label base material 11 conveyed in the longitudinal direction by the conveyor belt at a time. Referring to FIG. 2, for the four labels 12 attached in the longitudinal direction and five labels 12 attached in the width direction of the sheet-like label base material 11, the punching waste 122 is preferably separated and removed from the five labels 12 arranged in the width direction at a time.

[0040] After the punching process 4, the waste material removal process 5 can remove the extracted waste material 123 other than the label 12 from the sheet-like label base material 11, and the label recovery process 6 can recover the label 12. The recovered label 12 can be used by attaching it to the neck of containers such as soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and seasonings.

Example

[0041] Hereinafter, examples for better understanding of the present invention and its advantages are illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to the examples.

[0042] (Example 1) Prepare a B5-sized high-quality paper (size: 545 mm × 394 mm, thickness: 170 μm, basis weight: about 160 g / m 2 ) and perform surface printing such as patterns and characters on one side (the front surface) of the high-quality paper using an offset printing device. As the printing ink, an offset UV ink (process ink) manufactured by T&K Co., Ltd. was used to form a surface printing layer with a thickness of about 1.5 μm. Then, as the surface varnish, FD Carton manufactured by Toyo Ink Co., Ltd. was used to coat the surface printing layer with a thickness of about 2.0 μm.

[0043] Similarly, a back printing layer with a thickness of about 1.5 μm was provided on the other side (the back surface) of the high-quality paper, and FLASHDRY manufactured by Toyo Ink Co., Ltd. was used as the back varnish to coat the back printing layer with a thickness of about 2.0 μm, the same as the surface, to produce the sheet-like label base material 11 shown in Fig. 2.

[0044] In Example 1, the above-described sheet supply process 1 to label recovery process 6 were carried out in order. A flexible pinnacle die was attached to the roll 31 to produce a label 12 provided with a cut line shown in Fig. 4. The label size was 74 × 60 mm, and the insertion hole 121 was an ellipse with a major axis of 30 mm and a minor axis of 10 mm. The insertion hole 121 was half-cut to form a cut line so as to leave a thickness of about 10 μm of the sheet-like label base material 11. Also, the lengths of the cut lines 211 and 212 defining the locking portions 231 and 232 were 5 mm, and the lengths of the cut lines 221 and 222 were 40 mm.

[0045] (Example 2) The label 12 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1. However, the insertion hole 121 was formed as a cut line by half-cutting so as to leave a thickness of about 20 μm of the label base material 11.

[0046] (Example 3) The label 12 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1. However, the insertion hole 121 was formed as a cut line by half-cutting so as to leave a thickness of about 5 μm of the label base material 11.

[0047] (Example 4) The label 12 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1. However, the insertion hole 121 was formed as a cut line by half-cutting so as to leave a thickness of about 30 μm of the label base material 11.

[0048] (Evaluation) Conveyability: Between the cutting step 3 and the blanking step 4, it was confirmed whether the waste material 122 extracted from the insertion hole 121 had fallen off. Blanking property: In the blanking step 4, it was confirmed whether blanking was sufficiently performed by blowing air pressure of about 0.6 MPa into the insertion hole 121. Labeling property: 500 labels 12 were stacked on the stacker part of an automatic labeling device (Toppan Informatics Co., Ltd., product name "TLN-800"), the label 12 was fed out at a speed of 60 m / min, and it was confirmed whether the waste material 122 extracted was mixed in during labeling.

[0049] The evaluation results are shown in Table 1. The meanings of the symbols indicating the evaluation are as follows. ◎: Good product rate of 99.5% or more ○: Good product rate less than 99.5% and 99% or more △: Good product rate less than 99% and 95% or more ×: Good product rate less than 95% and 90% or more

[0050] [Table 1]

[0051] In each of the examples, there were no major problems with conveyance or punching-out properties, and the labeling property was also good. In Example 3, although slight, the punching-out piece dropped off during conveyance. Also, in Example 4, although slight, punching-out defects were observed, and waste material 122 was mixed in during labeling. However, the good product rate of both Example 3 and Example 4 was 95% or more, which was good.

Explanation of Signs

[0052] 1 Sheet supply process 11 Sheet-like label base material 12 Label 121 Insertion hole 122, 123 Punched-out waste material 2 Conveyance process 211, 212, 221, 222 Locking part cutting lines 231, 232 Locking parts 3 Cutting process 31, 32 Rolls 33 Punching blade 331 Outline of the insertion hole 332 Outline of the outer shape (outer shape cutting line) 4 Punching-out process 41 Air nozzle 5 Waste material removal process 6 Label recovery process

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a label having an insertion hole for attachment to the neck of a container, comprising: a cutting step of forming a contour of the insertion hole in a sheet-like label substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a punching step of removing a portion of the inner label substrate surrounded by the contour of the insertion hole from the sheet-like label substrate wherein the cutting step includes half-cutting the sheet-like label substrate such that at least a part of the thickness of the contour of the insertion hole is thinner than the thickness of the sheet-like label substrate, and the punching step includes removing a portion of the inner label substrate surrounded by the contour of the insertion hole of the label from the sheet-like label substrate by punching with a cylinder or injection with an air nozzle. The method for manufacturing a label is provided.

2. The method for manufacturing a label according to claim 1, wherein the cutting step includes feeding the sheet-like label substrate between a pair of rolls provided with punching blades on the outer circumferences of at least one of the rolls, and half-cutting the sheet-like label substrate with the punching blades such that at least a part of the thickness of the contour of the insertion hole is thinner than the thickness of the sheet-like label substrate.

3. The method for manufacturing a label according to claim 2, wherein the cutting step further includes forming an outer contour cutting line penetrating between the first surface and the second surface of the sheet-like label substrate with the punching blades to form a contour of the outer shape of the label.

4. In the punching blade, the blade height of a second portion forming a contour of the insertion hole of the label is shorter than the blade height of a first portion forming a contour of the outer shape of the label, and a difference in blade height between the first portion and the second portion is 0.01 mm to 0.03 mm. The method for manufacturing a label according to claim 3 is provided.

5. The method for manufacturing a label according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the cutting step further includes forming at least one locking portion cutting line penetrating between the first surface and the second surface of the sheet-like label substrate with the punching blades to define at least one locking portion for preventing detachment of the label from the neck of the container.

Images