Packaging and manufacturing method in which welds are hidden within the print.

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a tubular body (2) for a package in tube form (1), comprising the steps of: defining the geometrical characteristics of the tubular body (2) to be produced; creating an initial image (6) covering the surface of the tubular body (2) to be produced; creating an intermediate image (8) from the initial image (6) by adding lateral strips (13) to one of the edges of the initial image (6); printing at least one intermediate image (8) on a sheet; cutting small strips on each lateral side of the intermediate image (8) to form a final image (10); and shaping the tubular body (2) and the sheet as an edge-to-edge assembly to obtain design continuity between the right and left edges of the image.

Description

Cross-reference to related applications

[0001] This PCT application claims the priority of the earlier European patent application No. 21170375.6 filed on April 26, 2021 in the name of AISAPACK HOLDING SA, and the content of this earlier European patent application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Technical field

[0002] The present invention is included in the field of packages formed by printed sheets that are welded or joined. More specifically, the present invention relates to a package comprising a tubular body obtained by butt-welding or joining sheets. The present invention is applicable in the field of packages, particularly in the field of recyclable flexible tubes intended to contain cream or paste products, or in the field of cans for containing liquids instead of aluminum, or in the field of cosmetic flasks. Prior art

[0003] Butt-welding of sheet structures for manufacturing tube bodies has already been described in the prior art, particularly in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 5,569,144, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 4,733,800, European Patent Application Publication No. 2,720,849, European Patent Application Publication No. 2,720,850, European Patent Application Publication No. 2,007,567, European Patent Application Publication No. 2,004,506, European Patent Application Publication No. 2,004,389.

[0004] European Patent Application Publications 2720849 and 2720850 teach a method for butt-welding multilayer sheets to form a tubular body. European Patent Application Publication 2720849 proposes beveling the edges at different angles to create a slight overlap of the sheet edges within the weld zone. With respect to the beveled portion, European Patent Application Publication 2720849 teaches beveling the edges of the sheet and applying circumferential pressure to the edges during the welding process. These publications do not teach how to obtain design continuity in the welded zone to conceal the weld.

[0005] European Patent Application Publication No. 2007567, European Patent Application Publication No. 2004506, and European Patent Application Publication No. 2004389 propose, in particular, the addition of reinforcing strips to the butt welds at the ends in order to ensure that the weld has sufficient strength. The butt welds proposed in these publications also enable tubular bodies with decorative elements in the weld zone. The feasibility of masking the weld zone with decoration is a significant advantage in the field of packaging, especially when targeting the cosmetics sector. However, the prior art does not allow for achieving high-precision continuity of decoration on both sides of the weld.

[0006] European Patent Publication Nos. 2720849, 2720850, 2007567, 2004506, and 2004389 enable the application of decoration within the weld zone, thereby enabling a significant improvement in the aesthetics of welded packages. However, the designs that can be used within the weld zone remain generally limited because a slight offset is regularly observed between the left and right portions of the weld.

[0007] European Patent Application Publication No. 3300881 proposes a method for improving the aesthetics of welds at the edges of printed sheets by cutting the edges of the printed sheets before welding, where the edges are overlap welded. The method proposes using the edges of printed snapshots to control the position of the cut. While this method allows for improved aesthetics of the weld through overlapping, it cannot be applied to butt welds to solve the problem of pattern offset on both sides of the weld.

[0008] The objective of this invention is to improve upon known methods.

[0009] More specifically, the object of the present invention is to propose a simple means for manufacturing a tubular body that is decorated over the entire surface of the tubular body in which the welds are not visible.

[0010] The present invention makes it possible to correct the aforementioned drawbacks. In particular, the present invention makes it possible to create a butt weld with design continuity within the welded zone in order to conceal the weld and avoid the visible offset that occurs with the latest technology. Outline and principle of the invention

[0011] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a tube having so-called "360°" decoration, i.e., decoration that extends around the entire circumference of the tube, by welding printed sheets.

[0012] The present invention relates, in particular, to a method for concealing a welding zone within a design.

[0013] More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for continuously manufacturing a tubular body, comprising at least printing a series of continuous images on a reel-packaged sheet; dispensing the sheet to define a scroll direction; cutting the lateral edges of the sheet so that the remaining width of the sheet matches the diameter of the tubular body to be manufactured; shaping the sheet into a tubular geometric shape; butt welding the lateral edges of the sheet; and then cutting the tubular body perpendicular to the scroll direction and in synchronization with the images.

[0014] In embodiments, the present invention is characterized in particular by the fact that the width of the printed image on the sheet is greater than the circumference of the tubular body being manufactured, and that a first portion located on the left edge of the image is identical to a second portion located on the right edge of the image, and that the left and right portions form two parallel lateral strips of the same width.

[0015] According to embodiments of the present invention, the cutting of the edges of the sheet is performed in order to make the final width of the sheet match the diameter of the tubular body to be manufactured. According to embodiments of the present invention, the cutting of the edges is contained within the lateral strip.

[0016] According to embodiments of the present invention, the diameter of the tubular body to be manufactured is used to define the dimensions of an image called the "initial image". The width of the initial image is defined by the circumference of the tubular body to be manufactured, and the height of the initial image is defined by the length of the tubular body.

[0017] According to embodiments of the present invention, the initial image is used to generate an image called an “intermediate image” by adding a lateral strip to the left of the initial image that corresponds to a copy of the right lateral edge of the initial image, or conversely, by adding a lateral edge to the right of the initial image that corresponds to a copy of the left lateral edge of the initial image. Thus, the intermediate image includes at least two identical zones located at the lateral edges.

[0018] A series of intermediate images are printed on a sheet, which is then packaged onto a parent reel, with the lateral edges of the images parallel to the direction of sheet feeding. Printing on the sheet may be performed on one or more tracks. Routine cutting of the printed sheets allows for width adjustment and packaging of the intermediate images onto "child reels," each containing only a single track of images.

[0019] In the process of manufacturing a tubular body according to an embodiment of the present invention, the width of the intermediate image is then reduced by cutting small strips at each lateral edge. The image obtained after the edge cutting is called the "final image" and is characterized by the continuity of the design between the left and right lateral edges.

[0020] When carrying out embodiments of the present invention, a measure of design continuity between the left and right edges of the final image is used to adjust the remaining width of the sheet. The remaining width predetermines the diameter of the tubular body obtained by juxtaposing and butt welding the lateral edges of the sheet after cutting small strips of each lateral edge. Finally, a tubular body with 360° decoration is obtained.

[0021] Generally, a difference is observed between the theoretical diameter and the actual diameter of the tubular body. These small differences may be due to dimensional variations in the sheet under the influence of mechanical and / or thermal stress. Therefore, optimization of the final width of the sheet and the diameter of the tubular body according to the present invention is necessary to obtain the 360° decoration specified in the invention.

[0022] Variations inherent in the manufacturing equipment result in greater or lesser variations in the manufactured product. These variations can be reduced to a greater or lesser extent by employing sophisticated adjustment methods. However, these adjustment methods alone do not enable the achievement of the desired visual quality and design continuity on both sides of the weld in butt welds.

[0023] One major advantage of the present invention and its embodiments is that it makes it possible to significantly overcome variations in butt welds that may occur due to the manufacturing equipment. Accordingly, according to embodiments of the present invention, the width of the printed lateral strip is greater than the amplitude of the position variation of the sheet perpendicular to the scroll axis. For example, the position of the sheet may vary perpendicular to the scroll axis in printing or cutting of the sheet's edge. According to embodiments of the present invention, the width of the lateral strip is such that the edge cut is always located within the lateral strip.

[0024] According to embodiments of the present invention, the method can be optimized to reduce waste caused by edge trimming. For this purpose, a sheet guide system can be used to limit variations in the method. Thus, a guide system using one or more sensors to detect the lateral position of the strip during printing allows for adjustment of the lateral position of the sheet and, therefore, reduces variations in the position of the image relative to the edge of the sheet. Alternatively, fixed guide means can be used.

[0025] A preferred second system allows for adjustment of the sheet's position during edge cutting, prior to the operation of forming a tubular body. According to a preferred embodiment, the second system comprises one or more sensors that detect the lateral position of an image and adjust the lateral position of the sheet during edge cutting. According to an alternative method, the sensors detect the edge of the sheet for adjustment. According to another embodiment, fixed guide means are used.

[0026] According to embodiments of the present invention, the method also includes the step of finally adjusting the diameter of a tubular body, wherein the diameter of the tubular body is predetermined by the final image. The first embodiment comprises adjusting the diameter before the welding operation. An alternative embodiment comprises adjusting the diameter simultaneously with the welding operation.

[0027] According to an embodiment, the present invention also relates to a package at least partly manufactured by the method according to the present invention.

[0028] According to these embodiments, the present invention more specifically relates to a package comprising a weld hidden within the design.

[0029] More specifically, the present invention relates to a package comprising at least one tubular body decorated, printed and butt-welded according to the principles of the present invention and manufactured from a sheet.

[0030] More specifically, according to an embodiment, the present invention relates to a tube comprising a flexible tubular body and decorated according to the method described in the present application, one end of the flexible tubular body being connected to a tube head, the other end of the flexible tubular body being sandwiched between the flexible tubular body itself and welded onto the flexible tubular body, forming a so-called final weld. The tube head comprises at least one orifice for extracting the product enclosed within the package. The package may also comprise means for opening and closing said package.

[0031] A tube as described above preferably comprises two main faces geometrically assembled by the final weld and optionally by an opening system such as a hinged plug. The two main faces of the tube are used, for example, as vectors of communication with decoration, images or appropriate printing.

[0032] The present invention makes it possible in particular to obtain packages with complex decorations without discontinuities on each face. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the longitudinal weld is hidden within one of the two faces.

[0033] The principle of the present invention makes it possible, for example, to place a weld on one of the faces of the package without the weld being visible and without altering the aesthetics of the tube.

[0034] According to one embodiment of the present invention, butt welding includes adding material to the inner surface of a tubular body, thereby reinforcing the butt weld. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the added material may be a welded strip or an extruded material. This added material may be placed on the inner surface of the tubular body or at least partially embedded within the thickness of the tubular body.

[0035] According to embodiments of the present invention, the welded portion is difficult to detect on the decorated outer surface of the package and is therefore invisible to the user.

[0036] Embodiments of the present invention enable design continuity on both sides of the weld, and thus enable the avoidance of discontinuities in pattern or color at the weld.

[0037] Embodiments of the present invention enable the use of all surfaces of a tubular body as communication vectors.

[0038] Embodiments of the present invention enable the positioning of welds at optimal points, thereby achieving high package strength with optimal aesthetic characteristics.

[0039] In embodiments, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a tubular body for a package, wherein the method is particularly as follows: -) A step of defining the geometric properties of the tubular body to be manufactured, -) A step of creating an initial image that covers the surface of a tubular body to be manufactured, wherein the initial image has a right edge and a left edge. -) A step of creating an intermediate image from an initial image by adding a lateral strip to one of the edges of the initial image, wherein the lateral strip includes a copy of the other edge of the initial image. -) A step of printing at least one intermediate image on a sheet, wherein the intermediate image is positioned so that its lateral edges are parallel to the sheet's feeding direction. -) The step of cutting strips, preferably small strips, from each side of the intermediate image to form the final image, The present invention relates to a method comprising the steps of: -) forming a sheet as a tubular body and an edge-to-edge assembly to obtain design continuity between the right and left edges of an image.

[0040] In this embodiment, a series of intermediate images can be printed on a sheet.

[0041] In one embodiment, the image may be printed on several parallel tracks, and the sheet may be rolled up to obtain a single track of the image.

[0042] In the embodiment, the characteristics of the tubular body may be its diameter and / or length and / or thickness.

[0043] In the embodiment, the initial image may include a design formed by an image, a drawing, a solid or shaded color, or a combination thereof.

[0044] In the embodiment, edge-to-edge assembly can be performed by welding sheets together or by extruding a tubular body onto the inner surface of a sheet.

[0045] In the embodiment, edge-to-edge welding may include the steps of heating, pressing, and cooling the edges of the sheet.

[0046] In the embodiment, after the welding process, additional material is added to reinforce the welded zone, and the addition of material is performed, for example, on the inner surface and / or outer surface of the tubular body.

[0047] In the embodiment, the addition of material may be in the form of plastic strips welded or joined to the edges of the sheet, or by adding beads of extruded material.

[0048] In this embodiment, the tubular body can be cut into segments, and the process of cutting into segments is synchronized with the image.

[0049] In the embodiment, the sheet may be a single-layer or multi-layer film.

[0050] In the embodiment, the sheet may be a laminate.

[0051] In the embodiment, the sheet is obtained based on a synthetic material, cellulose, a biosource material, a recycled material, a biodegradable material, or a mixture of the said materials.

[0052] In embodiments, the present invention relates to a package comprising a tubular body obtained by the method described in this application.

[0053] In the embodiment, the package may be a tube, a flask, a can, or any other type of package. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0054] [Figure 1] An example of edge-to-edge welding is shown according to the prior art specification of European Patent Application Publication No. 2720850. [Figure 2] This shows the cutting operation of the lateral edge of a sheet according to the prior art European Patent Application Publication No. 3300881. [Figure 3] The main steps of the tube manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described. [Figure 4] The so-called "initial," "intermediate," and "final" images used in this invention are shown. [Figure 5] This shows the step of cutting small strips on both sides of the intermediate image. [Figure 6] The 360° design tube obtained according to the present invention is shown. [Figure 7] The intermediate images used to fabricate the tube shown in Figure 6 are shown. Detailed explanation

[0055] 1 tube 2. Tubular body 3. Longitudinal weld 4 Tube Heads 5. End weld 6 Initial image 7. Width of the initial image 8 Intermediate images 9. Width of the intermediate image 10 Final Image 11. Width of the final image 12 sheet width 13 Lateral strips 14. Width of the lateral strip 15. Position of the left cutting section 16 Position of the right cutting section 17 Unprinted sheet edges

[0056] Figure 3 shows an example of steps of the method according to the present invention for welding a tubular body having a 360° design with welds concealed by design continuity. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method includes, for example, the steps described below.

[0057] The first step includes defining the geometric properties of the tubular body to be manufactured, namely, for example, the diameter of the tubular body to be manufactured, the width of the tubular body to be manufactured, and the thickness of the tubular body to be manufactured. The first step of the method also includes creating a design that is to be shown all around the tubular body. In the context of the present invention, the design can be of any kind, such as an image, a drawing, a solid or shaded color, or a combination thereof. Thus, an image called an initial image is created, whose width and height correspond to the circumference and length of the tubular body, respectively. Thus, the initial image completely covers the entire surface of the tubular body.

[0058] The second step of the method involves creating an intermediate image by adding a lateral strip to the left of the initial image, corresponding to a copy of the right edge of the initial image, or vice versa. The resulting intermediate image is larger than the initial image, and as a result, the width of the intermediate image is greater than the circumference of the tubular body to be manufactured.

[0059] The third step involves printing a series of intermediate images onto a sheet, which is then bundled, for example, onto a reel. The intermediate images are positioned so that their lateral edges are parallel to the direction in which the sheet is fed out. Depending on the width of the sheet, the images may be printed in one or more mutually parallel tracks. If the images are printed in several tracks, the printed sheets are then wound up to be bundled, with each reel having a single track of intermediate images.

[0060] The fourth step of the method, called "trimming," involves cutting small strips from each side of the intermediate image to obtain an image called the "final image," the final image including decorative continuity between the left edge and the right edge of the final image when formed as a tubular body. The width of the final image substantially corresponds to the circumference of the tube to be manufactured. Preferably, the fourth step is performed in a continuous tubular body manufacturing method in which a printed sheet is unwound, trimmed, formed as a tube, and assembled edge-to-edge (e.g., by welding). Precise adjustment of the width of the final image is performed to obtain design continuity between the left and right edges of the image.

[0061] The fifth step involves shaping the printed sheet into a tubular geometric form, with the printed surface visible on the outside of the tube. In this step, the edges of the printed sheet are aligned edge to edge, and the diameter of the tubular body is adjusted so that the edges of the sheet make contact without forming overlap or shrinkage in the printed zone.

[0062] The sixth step involves edge-to-edge welding or joining of the sheet ends. Preferably, the assembly is carried out using heating, pressing, and cooling operations of the sheet ends. Edge-to-edge welding may include adding material to reinforce the welded zone. This addition of material may be in the form of plastic strips welded or joined onto the sheet ends, or by adding extruded beads. Preferably, the addition of reinforcement is done on the inner surface of the tube. The tubular body may also include reinforcement on the outer surface of the weld.

[0063] Finally, the seventh step involves cutting the tubular body into segments of similar length, with the cutting process synchronized with the image. The final cutting process results in a tubular body decorated all around, with the welds hidden within the print.

[0064] Figure 4 shows, as a non-limiting example, an example of an initial image 6, an intermediate image 8, and a final image 10 having a design composed of images / drawings. The initial image 6 has a width 7 corresponding to the circumference of the outer surface of the tubular body to be manufactured. The width 7 of the initial image is measured perpendicular to the sheet feed direction and the axis of the tubular body. The initial image 6 is a virtual image (unprinted) corresponding to the design to be obtained on the tubular body.

[0065] Figure 4 shows an intermediate image 8 constructed by adding a strip 13 to the left of the initial image, which is a copy of the strip 13 on the right side of the initial image. Another intermediate image (not shown) may be obtained by copying the strip on the left side of the initial image to the right side of the initial image. In all cases, the intermediate image is characterized by the fact that it contains two identical lateral strips 13 (one being a copy of the other). The lateral strips 13 may contain images, drawings, solid or shaded colors, or a combination thereof, and the important factor is that the two lateral edges should be identical. Thus, the resulting intermediate image 8 has a width 9 greater than the circumference of the tube to be manufactured. The intermediate image 8 is then printed onto a sheet used to manufacture the tubular body by welding the ends.

[0066] Ultimately, since the decoration is positioned on a cylindrical body with a 360° design, it is prudent to optimize the primary image to select the zone on the package where the weld will be positioned. Generally, for tubular packages, having welds positioned at folds formed by end welds 5 of the package is to be avoided, for example.

[0067] Figure 4 also shows the final image 10 obtained during the trimming process of the sheet edges. This process involves taking small strips from each side of the sheet, specifically to create decorative continuity between the left and right edges of the sheet. This trimming is necessary in the manufacturing process to remove any sheet edges that may have been damaged during reel storage and to precisely adjust the width of the sheet before forming the tubular body. Figure 4 shows the width 11 of the final image adjusted to obtain design continuity between the left and right edges, i.e., the continuity that will be created during edge-to-edge welding of the sheet formed as a tubular body. The positions of the cuts 15 and 16 are located inside the strip 13. The distance between the cuts 15 and 16 is set during manufacturing so that variations in width 11 throughout the manufacturing process can be ignored.

[0068] Figure 5 illustrates one of the advantages of the present invention, which makes it possible to overcome variations in the lateral positioning of the sheet in the manufacturing method. Figure 5 further illustrates the principle of the present invention, which makes it possible to ensure the continuity of the design between the left edge and the right edge of the image even if the image moves laterally. According to the principle of the present invention, since the distance between the cutting positions 15 and 16 is constant, the width 11 of the final image remains constant even if the image moves laterally relative to the cutting positions. The method according to the present invention makes it possible to overcome variations in lateral positioning as long as the variations in positioning are contained within the lateral strip 13 of width 14, since the strip 13 encloses the same image or a portion of the image. Thus, the present invention makes it possible to overcome variations in the lateral position of the image relative to the edge of a sheet of width 12, and the sheet may include unprinted lateral portions 17. The present invention also makes it possible to overcome variations in the position of the printed sheet relative to the cutting positions 15 and 16. The variations shown in Figure 5 are illustrative and in reality may appear over much longer sheet lengths, which may correspond to hundreds of meters. The present invention also makes it possible to overcome variations that occur when changing reels, for example, when the design on the second reel is laterally offset with respect to the design on the preceding reel.

[0069] Figure 6 shows a package in the form of a tube 1 having design continuity along the circumference, obtained by the method according to the present invention. The tube 1 comprises a tubular body 2 fixed to a tube head 4 having an orifice for extracting the product enclosed in the package. The tube head 4 is associated with an opening / closing system, generally such as a plug (not shown). The tubular body 2 is closed on the side opposite the tube head by an end weld 5. The package 1 shown in Figure 6 is characterized in that the longitudinal weld 3 of the tubular body 2 is completely hidden in the image with design continuity on both sides of the longitudinal weld 3.

[0070] Figure 7 shows an intermediate image 8 that enables the fabrication of the package shown in Figure 6. The intermediate image includes two identical lateral strips 13 with a width of 14 located at the edges of the image. Cutting positions 15 and 16 with a fixed width 11 corresponding to the circumference of the tube to be fabricated allow the final image to be obtained by trimming. According to the present invention, the cutting positions 15 and 16 can be moved laterally within the strips 13 while maintaining a constant separation distance 11. According to the present invention, the final image obtained after trimming has design continuity between the left and right edges of the image. This design continuity is on the tubular body on both sides of the longitudinal weld.

[0071] Figure 7 shows an intermediate image 8 with a width of 9 printed on a sheet with a width of 12. Cutting positions 15 and 16 define the final image with a width of 11 obtained after trimming and before forming as a tubular body. The present invention makes it possible to overcome small variations in the relative lateral position between the cutting tools 15, 16, the intermediate image, and the edges of the sheet.

[0072] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, means are used in the method to guide the sheet laterally and to reduce the amplitude of fluctuations. For example, it is advantageous to use a strip guide controlled by a camera that detects either the edge of the sheet or the lateral position of the image. During the trimming operation, the preferred method is to adjust the lateral position of the sheet according to the position of the image. This makes it possible to limit the waste of the trimming operation.

[0073] According to embodiments of the present invention, the width 14 of the strip 13 must be greater than the amplitude of variation in the lateral position of the intermediate image 8 relative to the cutting positions 15 and 16. According to the present invention, the width 14 of the strip 13 is, for example, 0.5 to 10 mm, preferably 1 to 3 mm.

[0074] According to embodiments of the present invention, the width of the intermediate image 13 is, for example, 1 to 10 mm greater than the circumference of the tubular body, preferably 2 to 4 mm greater.

[0075] According to embodiments of the present invention, the width of the final image is equal to the width of the initial image, taking into account the shrinkage of the sheet that may occur during the printing process.

[0076] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the circumference of the tubular body is equal to the width of the final image, taking into account the shrinkage of the sheet during edge-to-edge welding.

[0077] The sheets used in the context of the present invention may be single-layer or multi-layer sheets having a thickness of 20 to 500 microns, preferably 150 to 450 microns.

[0078] The sheets can be obtained based on plastic resins, bio-sourced materials, recycled materials, or biodegradable materials.

[0079] The printing on the sheet can be performed on the surface or enclosed within the multilayer structure of the sheet. In the second case, after printing the sheet, a lamination step is performed to enclose the print.

[0080] The sheets can be printed, for example, by using several techniques separately or in combination, such as offset printing, UV flexographic printing, screen printing, typography, thermal transfer printing, and digital printing.

[0081] The tubular body is manufactured by edge-to-edge welding. Many configurations described in the prior art may be useful in relation to the present invention. Thus, the edges of the sheet may be cut at a right angle or at some angle, as proposed, for example, in European Patent Publication No. 2720849. The edge-to-edge weld may be reinforced with an inner strip and / or outer strip, as proposed, for example, in European Patent Publication No. 2007567, European Patent Publication No. 2004506, and European Patent Publication No. 2004389. One alternative is to reinforce the edge-to-edge weld with a weld bead, as described, for example, in European Patent Publication No. 2089213.

[0082] In the embodiment, the sheet is, for example, -) It is mainly composed of cellulose, i.e., compositions commonly used in the paper industry. These compositions generally contain a large amount of cellulose (e.g., 70% or more), mineral fillers (e.g., calcium carbonate or kaolin), colorants or fluorescent whitening agents, binders (e.g., starch or latex), and optionally lignin. According to the present invention, the package may also include a thin barrier layer, such as a moisture or oxygen barrier layer. These layers are, for example, thermoplastic resins such as PE, PP, EVOH, PVOH, PLA, or thin layers such as an SiOx layer or a metallized layer, or a coating or nanocoating. -) Multilayer films as described in International Publication No. 2013 / 186723, having reinforcing elements as described in that publication, -) Laminates as described in International Publication No. 2007 / 113782, -) The welding method described in International Publication No. 2009 / 125330, the strip described in that publication, -) Laminates as described in International Publication No. 2007 / 113781, -) Laminates as described in International Publication No. 2008 / 038206, -) Laminates as described in International Publication No. 2007 / 113780 It can be manufactured using methods such as those mentioned above.

[0083] A variation of the present invention involves manufacturing a tubular body by extrusion labeling according to the method described in International Publication No. 2015 / 159234 and International Publication No. 2018 / 051235. In this variation, a thin sheet is printed according to the principles of the present invention. In the continuous extrusion labeling method described in International Publication No. 2015 / 159234 and International Publication No. 2018 / 051235, the sheet is then trimmed according to the present invention before forming the sheet into a tubular geometric shape. The tubular body is then extruded onto the inner surface of the sheet formed into a tubular geometric shape. Thus, the sheet may be, for example, a single-layer film as described in these publications, or another equivalent film used in the field of packaging as described in this application.

[0084] The embodiments described in this application are therefore described as illustrative examples and should not be considered limiting. Other embodiments may use, for example, means equivalent to those described. The embodiments may be combined with each other depending on the circumstances, and means used in one embodiment may be used in another embodiment.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a tubular body for packaging, wherein the method is as follows: A step of defining the geometric properties of the tubular body to be manufactured, A step of creating an initial image that covers the surface of the tubular body to be manufactured, wherein the initial image has a right edge portion and a left edge portion. A step of creating an intermediate image from an initial image by adding a lateral strip to one of the edges of the initial image, wherein the lateral strip includes a copy of the other edge of the initial image. A step of printing at least one intermediate image on a sheet, wherein the intermediate image is positioned such that its lateral edges are parallel to the direction in which the sheet is fed out. The steps include cutting strips from each lateral edge of the intermediate image to form the final image, The steps include: forming the sheet as a tubular body and an edge-to-edge assembly to obtain design continuity between the right and left edges of the final image; Methods that include...

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a series of intermediate images are printed on a sheet.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate image is printed on several parallel tracks, and the sheet is rolled up to obtain a single track of the image.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the geometric characteristics of the tubular body are diameter and / or length and / or thickness.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the initial image includes a design formed by an image, a drawing, a solid or shaded color, or a combination thereof.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the edge-to-edge assembly is manufactured by welding the sheets or by extruding a tubular body onto the inner surface of the sheets.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein edge-to-edge welding includes the steps of heating, pressing, and cooling the edges of the sheet.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein after the welding work, additional material is added to reinforce the welded zone, and the addition of the material is performed on the inner surface and / or outer surface of the tubular body.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the addition of material is carried out in the form of plastic strips welded or joined onto the edges of the sheet, or by adding beads of extruded material.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tubular body is cut into segments, and the operation of cutting into segments is synchronized with the final image.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is a single-layer or multi-layer film.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is a laminate.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is based on a synthetic material, cellulose, a biosource material, a recycled material, a biodegradable material, or a mixture of the said materials.

14. A tubular body comprising a sheet having multiple lateral edges, the sheet having a print that forms a final image, and the multiple lateral edges of the sheet being edge-to-edge welded to each other such that the welds are concealed within the print, thereby forming continuity of the design of the final image.

15. The tubular body according to claim 14, comprising an additional material, wherein the addition of the material is performed on the inner surface and / or outer surface of the tubular body.

16. The tubular body according to claim 15, wherein the addition of material is performed in the form of plastic strips welded or joined onto the end of the sheet, or by adding beads of extruded material.

17. The tubular body according to claim 14, wherein the sheet is a single-layer or multi-layer film.

18. The tubular body according to claim 14, wherein the sheet is a laminate.

19. The tubular body according to claim 14, wherein the sheet is based on a synthetic material, cellulose, biosource material, recycled material, biodegradable material, or a mixture of said materials.

Images