Labeling machine

Abstract

The present invention relates to a labeling machine, wherein the labeling machine comprises a conveyor (2) for transporting a container (3) to be labeled along a path, at least one labeling station (6) provided with a unwinding assembly (7) for unwinding a continuous label ribbon (8) on which a plurality of labels (8a) are printed continuously, and at least one drum (10) provided with a runner (12) around it, wherein the runner has at least one relief portion (13) that is convex with respect to the side of the drum (10), and the relief portion can engage with the label ribbon (8) and / or label (8a) by contact. A spreading roller (14) for applying adhesive to a label ribbon (8) and / or a label (8a) is positioned on the side of a drum (10) to apply at least one adhesive imprint (15) to each leading and trailing edge of the label (8a), the label is on a relief portion (13) of a runner (12), at least one of the runners (12) has at least one contour portion (16) having at least one support area (17) defined for the spreading roller (14), and to apply at least one adhesive imprint (15) having at least one adhesive-free area (15b) to a portion of the label ribbon (8) and / or label (8a) on the contour portion (16) by the spreading roller (14), the support area protrudes to a greater extent from the side of the drum (10) than to at least one other area (18) of the contour portion.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a labeling machine. Background Technology

[0002] A labeling machine is known that can apply a label to a container in an automated manner by cutting a continuous label ribbon taken from a reel on which multiple labels are printed in succession.

[0003] Typically, in a labeling machine, the container to be labeled is transported along a forward path by a conveying means generally consisting of a rotating carousel, and the rotating carousel is provided with a plurality of supports for individual containers, and the supports are configured to allow the container itself to rotate about its own axis.

[0004] Along the path of the container, at least one labeling station is also provided, which is provided with an unwinding assembly, and the unwinding assembly extracts a label from a reel of label ribbon, optionally passes the label ribbon through a tension control means, and feeds the label ribbon to a cutting drum, and in the peripheral area of ​​the cutting drum, a blade is provided that can cut the label ribbon between one label and the next label.

[0005] When leaving the cutting drum, the individual labels cut in this way come into contact with the transfer drum, and this transfer drum is transported by a carousel to attach the individual labels to containers progressively given in front of the transfer drum.

[0006] In particular, the label is positioned to be attached to the transfer drum in a corresponding sector on the outer surface of the transfer drum.

[0007] In cases where there is no adhesive applied to the label ribbon beforehand, the labeling machine is provided with an adhesive unit that may consist of an adhesive spreading roller positioned adjacent to the transfer drum, and before the label is taken by the transfer drum and attached to each container transported by the carousel, the spreading roller applies a layer of adhesive at the leading or front and rear edges of each label.

[0008] In particular, when the adhesive unit is composed of a spreading roller, at the ends of various sectors of the transfer drum, there are two adhesive bonding areas that are convex with respect to the main side of the transfer drum, and these bonding areas are defined by blocks called runners, and the leading and trailing edges of the label are designed to rest on the blocks, so that when the label passes in front of the spreading roller, the spreading roller applies a certain amount of adhesive to the label, and this adhesive is distributed to form only two adhesive imprints or areas in the form of a continuous strip that is substantially rectangular in shape, and the strip extends transversely with respect to the longitudinal extension of the label ribbon.

[0009] To create an adhesive imprint of this shape on the leading and trailing edges of the label, the runner is formed to provide a relief portion correspondingly formed for the adhesive imprint to be created, so that this relief portion consists of a rib protruding radially from the side of the transfer drum, which extends along its longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the axis of the transfer drum and has a substantially outwardly convex and continuous contact surface at its outermost end opposite to the end connected to the rest of the corresponding runner, and the side of the label to receive the adhesive imprint from the spreading roller rests on that contact surface.

[0010] To prevent the label from remaining attached to the spreading roller, the label is maintained attached to the side of the transfer drum and the runner by means of a hole connected to an air intake means, which is provided on both the side of the transfer drum and the runner itself.

[0011] During the operation of the labeling machine, since separated individual labels are attached to the transfer drum, the transfer drum often becomes contaminated with adhesive; consequently, the machine must be shut down to perform the necessary cleaning.

[0012] Additionally, there is a labeling machine comprising a cutting device distributed around a transfer drum in its surrounding area, wherein the cutting device can perform cutting of a label ribbon at the separation point between one label and the next, and can also retain the label provided after cutting on its side so that the label is attached to a corresponding bottle. In this case, the transfer drum is more appropriately referred to as a "cutting and transfer drum."

[0013] A machine of this type is known, in which a cutting device is activated to cut the label after the adhesive is applied to the label by the spreading roller, so that the possibility of the spreading roller contaminating the side of the transfer drum with adhesive is avoided.

[0014] In particular, a labeling machine of the same applicant is known in WO2018 / 114618, in which a unwinding assembly feeds a label ribbon directly to a transfer drum, wherein the transfer drum is provided with a cutting device positioned immediately behind each runner in the rotational direction of the transfer drum, and each cutting device consists of a blade that is integrally fixed to the transfer drum and accommodated in a corresponding suction chamber, the suction chamber being open to the side of the transfer drum and connected to an air suction means, the air suction means pulling the labeling ribbon inward into the chamber to contact the blade, and the labeling ribbon is cut.

[0015] This labeling machine is further provided with a control means, which can change the feeding speed of the label ribbon to the transfer drum by the unwinding assembly during the rotation of the transfer drum, so that the spreading roller can apply adhesive imprints to the leading edge and trailing edge of two consecutive labels of the label ribbon (the two consecutive labels are placed on a runner passing in front of the spreading roller), or a cutting device can perform cutting of the label ribbon between two consecutive labels, and determine a machine operation step in which the feeding speed of the label ribbon is equal to or slightly smaller than the peripheral speed of the transfer drum, and a machine operation step in which the feeding speed of the label ribbon to the transfer drum is instead slower than the transfer speed of the label to allow the transfer drum to slide against the label ribbon so that the cutting device is positioned at the separation part between the two consecutive labels where the spreading roller previously applied adhesive, immediately behind the runner where the trailing edge and leading edge of the two consecutive labels are placed when the spreading roller applied adhesive, or after the activation of the cutting device that performed cutting of the label ribbon, the cutting label is removed from the remainder of the label ribbon.

[0016] There is a widespread need for the machine described above to be able to reduce operating costs by limiting the amount of adhesive delivered to the label by the spreading roller as much as possible.

[0017] Another widely recognized need is to ensure that labels applied to containers can be easily removed so that the containers can be reused with new labels after washing and sterilization, thereby limiting the dispersion of empty containers into the environment.

[0018] One problem with current labeling machines is that they must be able to accurately apply labels even to containers that have a contour formed of ridges and valleys on their outer surface. In fact, on this type of container, labels with an adhesive imprint (applied to the edges of the label) consisting of a continuous rectangular adhesive strip extending transversely to the label tend to also adhere to the valleys present on the outer surface of the container and form a wavy pattern, which is not accepted because it makes the label difficult to read.

[0019] Furthermore, since the adhesive present in the bottom part of the container is sufficient, the adhesive present in the adhesive imprint in the bone part of the container is not needed to attach the label to the container, and thus this adhesive is wasted.

[0020] To overcome these problems, a labeling machine has been proposed in which the runner has a relief portion, and this relief portion has a flat and continuous contact surface for a portion of the label that is to receive adhesive, but in this labeling machine, the side of the spreading roller is not smooth and is contoured with some parts that are more convex than other parts, so that an adhesive imprint can be applied to the label that includes not only an adhesive area but also an adhesive-free area, rather than an adhesive imprint consisting of a simple continuous adhesive strip as typically occurs in traditional machines, and the adhesive-free area is designed to be placed in a groove on the outer surface of the container to be labeled so as to facilitate removal of the label and / or to label.

[0021] This solution is effective in solving the problem described above and preventing unwanted wrinkles on the label, but it has the disadvantage of being complex in configuration when providing a spreading roller.

[0022] Furthermore, this solution does not allow for the possibility of changing the label format unless the spreading roller is replaced; however, replacing the spreading roller entails significant operational difficulties and long machine downtime. The problem to be solved

[0023] The objective of the present invention is to provide a labeling machine capable of improving known technology in one or more of the points mentioned above.

[0024] Within these objectives, one objective of the present invention is to provide a labeling machine that can apply an adhesive imprint suitable for the format of the label to the label without wasting adhesive.

[0025] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a labeling machine that enables an adhesive imprint to be applied to a label that fits the shape of a container without the risk of label wrinkling.

[0026] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a labeling machine that can quickly and easily adapt to changes in the label format.

[0027] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a labeling device that is simple to provide in terms of configuration.

[0028] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a labeling machine that can extensively guarantee safety and reliability during operation.

[0029] Another objective of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the background technology in an alternative manner to existing solutions.

[0030] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a labeling machine that can be produced at a low cost, making it competitive even from a purely economic perspective. means of solving the problem

[0031] These objectives, which will become more apparent below, and these and other objectives are achieved by a labeling machine according to claim 1, which optionally provides one or more of the features of the dependent claims. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0032] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the description of preferred but non-exclusive embodiments of the labeling machine according to the present invention, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings for non-limiting examples. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a labeling machine according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cutting and transfer drum of a machine according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a runner of a drum of a machine according to the present invention. Fig. 4 is a front elevation view of the runner. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the VV line of Figure 4. FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 are schematic top views of a series of operating steps of a machine according to the present invention. FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 show examples of adhesive imprints that can be produced by a runner on the drum of a machine according to the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0033] Referring to the drawings, the labeling machine according to the present invention, generally indicated by reference number "1", includes a conveyor (2) of containers (3) to be labeled along a path.

[0034] The conveyor (2) is composed, for example, of a rotating carousel (4), and the carousel has a pan (5) for supporting each individual container (3) so that the container (3) rotates about its axis in its surrounding area, and the pan also rotates.

[0035] Along the path of the container (3), there is at least one labeling station (6), which has an unwinding assembly (7), which is composed of, for example, a pair of reverse-rotating entraining rollers (7a, 7b), and by these rollers, a continuous label ribbon (8) on which a plurality of labels (8a, 8b) are printed continuously can be ejected from a reel (not shown).

[0036] Conveniently, the label ribbon (8) taken out of the reel by the unwinding assembly (7) passes through a device (9) for straightening the label ribbon (8) and adjusting its tension, as is known by itself.

[0037] The labeling station (6) further includes at least one drum (10), which can rotate about its own axis and is designed to receive a label ribbon (8) and / or a label (8a, 8b) attached to the side (10a) of the drum.

[0038] To this end, as is known by itself, on the side (10a) of the drum (10), there is a suction hole (11) connected to a vacuum source (not shown) to allow a label ribbon (8) and / or a label (8a, 8b) to be attached to the drum (10).

[0039] In the vicinity, the drum (10) is further provided with runners (12), which are arranged at an angle to each other around the axis of the drum (10).

[0040] Each runner (12) has at least one relief portion (13) that is convex with respect to the side (10a) of the drum (10), and this relief portion is coupled with the label ribbon (8) and / or label (8a, 8b) through contact.

[0041] Conveniently, to ensure the attachment of the label ribbon (8) and / or labels (8a, 8b) to the runner (12), the runner (12) also has a prescribed suction port (11).

[0042] An adhesive spreading roller (14) is positioned on the side of the drum (10), and this roller enables the application of adhesive to the label ribbon (8) and / or labels (8a, 8b).

[0043] In particular, the runner (12) defines at least one area for applying adhesive in at least one part of its relief portion (13), and this area is designed to face the spreading roller (14), so that when the runner (12) passes in front of the spreading roller (14), the spreading roller (14) can apply at least one adhesive imprint (15) to the leading and trailing edges of the labels (8a, 8b) that are in contact with the relief portion (13) of the runner (12), so that the labels (8a, 8b) can subsequently be attached to each container (3).

[0044] At least one of the runners (12) has at least one contoured portion (16) having at least one support area (17) defined for the spreading roller (14) in the area for applying adhesive substantially, which protrudes more from the side (10a) of the drum (10) than at least one other area (18) of the contoured portion (16), so that the other area does not come into contact with the spreading roller (14), so that the spreading roller (14) can instead deliver adhesive to the part of the label ribbon (8) or label (8a, 8b) located in the support area (17) rather than the part located in the area (18).

[0045] In this way, the spreading roller (14) can apply at least one adhesive imprint (15) to a portion of the label ribbon (8) and / or label (8a, 8b) that contacts the contour portion (16), and the imprint has at least one area (15a) containing adhesive, which is achieved by the support area (17) of the contour portion (16), as well as at least one area (15b) without adhesive in a portion provided to the area (18) of the contour portion (16) of the runner (12).

[0046] The presence of an adhesive-free area (15b) in the adhesive imprint (15) created by the spreading roller (14) can save the amount of adhesive transferred to the labels (8a, 8b) by the spreading roller (14), in addition to making it easier to remove the labels (8a, 8b) from the container (3) once applied, so as to facilitate the reuse of the container (3) after the contents of the container are consumed.

[0047] Preferably, each runner (12) of the drum (10) has at least one contoured portion (16).

[0048] For example, the contour portion (16) may include a support area (17) that is substantially continuous and preferably exhibits a specific outward convexity, and this support area extends longitudinally in a manner substantially parallel to the axis of the drum (10) and affects substantially most of the contour portion (16), and the contour portion may also include an area (18) that protrudes less from the side (10a) of the drum relative to the support area (17), and this area is located in the peripheral area of ​​the contour portion (16).

[0049] With the contour portion (16) configured in this way, it is possible to deposit an adhesive imprint (15) on a label (8a, 8b) that is actually, substantially composed of a single area (15a) having a strip-shaped adhesive, and, except for one area (15b) without adhesive in the surrounding area of ​​that single area, it affects most of the lateral extension of the label (8a, 8b), and the area without adhesive can create a kind of missing corner or part of the strip formed by the area (15a) having adhesive, so that the label (8a, 8b) can be easily removed by tearing the label out of the container (3) starting by lifting the end flap of the label where the area (15b) without adhesive of the adhesive imprint (15) is located.

[0050] Alternatively, the contour portion (16) may also include a plurality of support areas (17), which are separated from and positioned by an area (18) that protrudes less from the side of the drum (10) relative to the support area (17), thus forming an adhesive imprint (15) formed of a plurality of adhesive areas (15a) with adhesive separated from each other and with adhesive-free areas (15b) in between, so that labels (8a, 8b) can be attached only to some points of the adhesive imprint (15), particularly to points where greater retention force is required, and not to other areas where they are not needed, thus achieving significant adhesive savings.

[0051] For example, if the outer surface of the container (3) is contoured into a ridge and a valley, the support area (17) can be positioned so that the area (15a) having the adhesive provided to the adhesive imprint (15) is placed in the ridge and not in the valley in the container.

[0052] Actually, the base area or areas (17) is formed by each raised portion defined in the contour portion (16), while the area or areas (18) is again formed by each hollow portion defined in the contour portion (16).

[0053] Now, referring more specifically to the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, it can be noted that the drum (10) is directly supplied with a label ribbon (8) by a unwinding assembly (7) and has a plurality of cutting devices (19) distributed along its periphery, which can be activated by a command to perform cutting of the label ribbon (8) between one label (8a, 8b) and the next label.

[0054] Conveniently, such a cutting device (19) is configured to cut the label ribbon (8) at the separation portion between two consecutive labels (8a, 8b) along the label ribbon (8) after two adhesive imprints (15) are applied by the spreading roller (14), one adhesive imprint is at the trailing edge of one of the two consecutive labels corresponding to the edge shown in FIG. 6, 7 and 8 as “8a”, and the other adhesive imprint is at the leading edge of the other label (8b) immediately after the previous label in the direction of travel of the label ribbon (8).

[0055] In this case, each runner (12) includes at least two relief portions (13), and in each case, the relief portions are designed to receive in contact the trailing edge and the leading edge of two consecutive labels (8a, 8b) of the label ribbon (8).

[0056] In particular, the two relief portions (13) on each runner (12) define each area for applying adhesive, and at least one of these areas includes at least one contour area (16).

[0057] Specifically, the relief portion (13) including at least one contour area (16) is a portion configured to receive the trailing edge of the label (8a, 8b) in contact, so that when the label (8a, 8b) is applied to the container (3) with the trailing edge overlapping the leading edge of the label (8a, 8b), the adhesive imprint (15) having at least one adhesive-free area (15b) is present on the trailing edge of the label, thereby facilitating the removal of the label, and the adhesive-free area allows the removal of the label by pulling.

[0058] Alternatively, each relief portion (13) on each runner (12) may include at least one contour portion (16).

[0059] Examples of adhesive imprints (15) that can be provided using two relief portions (13) of a runner (12) are shown in FIGS. 9, 10, and 11.

[0060] In particular, FIG. 9 illustrates a pair of adhesive imprints (15) that can be provided on a label ribbon (8) by a runner (12) at the trailing edge of a label (8a) and at the leading edge of a label (8b) that is continuous with the label (8a), the runner having a first relief portion (13) having a contour portion (16), the contour portion having an adhesive imprint (15) having an area (15a) having adhesive in a strip transverse to the label (8a) at the trailing edge of the label (8a), which is not adhesive in an area (15b), and not at the corner facing the label (8b), and the runner also has a second relief portion (13) configured according to known techniques, so that this relief portion is essentially entirely composed of an area (15a) having adhesive in a rectangular strip transverse to the label (8b) at the leading edge of the label (8b). An imprint (15) can be provided, and the rectangular strip extends along almost the entire transverse extension of the label (8b).

[0061] Alternatively, FIG. 10 illustrates a pair of adhesive imprints (15) that can be provided on a label ribbon (8) by a runner (12) having two relief portions (13), each of which has a contour portion (16), and which can form an adhesive imprint (15) comprising a plurality of local areas (15a) having adhesive at the leading edge and trailing edge of two consecutive labels (8a, 8b) after the labels pass in front of a spreading roller (14), each local area having a substantially rectangular shape extending substantially parallel to the extension of the label ribbon (8), and also having an area (15b) without adhesive interspersed with the labels (8a, 8b).

[0062] FIG. 11 illustrates an adhesive imprint (15) provided on a label ribbon (8) at the trailing edge and leading edge of two consecutive labels (8a, 8b) by a runner (12), with each of the two relief portions (13) of the runner having a respective contour portion (16), and the adhesive imprint (15) provided at the trailing edge of label (8a) consists of a continuous area (15a) having adhesive in a strip extending transversely to label (8a), but without a corner consisting of an area (15b) without adhesive, and the adhesive imprint (15) provided at the leading edge of label (8b) consists of a plurality of localized areas (15a) having adhesive, separated from each other by an area (15b) without adhesive, extending transversely to label (8b).

[0063] Referring again to the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, each runner (12) of the drum (10) is associated with each cutting device (19) positioned immediately behind the corresponding runner (12) in the rotational direction of the drum (10).

[0064] Conveniently, in this case, a control means for controlling the machine is provided, and the control means is composed of, for example, an electronic control unit (30), and the electronic control unit is configured to drive a unwinding assembly (7) for unwinding the label ribbon (8) to change the supply speed of the label ribbon (8) to the drum (10) by the unwinding assembly (7) with respect to the peripheral speed of the drum itself, so as to obtain a machine operation stage in which the peripheral speed of the drum (10) is faster than the speed at which the label ribbon (8) is supplied to the drum (10) by the unwinding assembly (7) to obtain a sliding of the side of the drum (10) on the label ribbon (8), and otherwise, a machine operation stage in which the supply speed of the label ribbon (8) to the drum (10) is substantially the same as the peripheral speed of the drum (10).

[0065] In particular, the control means can command the supply of label ribbon (8) to the drum (10) by the unwinding assembly (7) to slow down immediately after the runner (12) passes in front of the spreading roller (14) while the trailing edge and the leading edge of two consecutive labels (8a, 8b) of the label ribbon (8) are in contact with the runner, and two adhesive imprints (15) are each applied by the spreading roller (14), one adhesive imprint is applied to the trailing edge of the two consecutive labels (8a, 8b) mentioned above that are in contact with the runner (12), and the other adhesive imprint is applied to the leading edge.

[0066] In this way, by the resulting sliding of the drum (10) on the label ribbon (8), the label ribbon (8) is stretched, and after the label ribbon is attached to the contour portion (16) of the runner (12), the situation in which the label ribbon (8) can be wrinkled is avoided, and also by the sliding, at the separation portion between two consecutive labels (8a, 8b) that have received the adhesive imprint (15), the spreading roller (14) can send the cutting device (19) immediately after the runner (12) that has received the adhesive imprint (15), so that the cutting of the label ribbon (8) can be performed and the label (8a) preceding the other label (8b) in the direction of travel of the label ribbon (8) can be separated from the label ribbon.

[0067] After cutting, when the label (8a) is separated from the label ribbon (8), it is maintained to be attached to the side (10a) of the drum (10) by the suction hole (11), so that the drum (10) can send the label to be attached to the corresponding container (3) reaching the carousel (4).

[0068] At the moment the label ribbon (8) is cut by the corresponding cutting device (19), the control means commands the unwinding assembly (7) to supply the label ribbon (8) to the drum (10) at a speed substantially equal to the peripheral speed of the drum (10), so that the cutting of the label ribbon (8) can occur in a state of substantial synchronization between the movement of the label ribbon (8) and the movement of the cutting device (19).

[0069] After performing the cutting of the label ribbon (8), the control means may issue a command to slow down the supply speed of the label ribbon (8) to the drum (10) relative to the peripheral speed of the drum (10), so that the drum (10) can pull the label ribbon (8) and pull the label (8a) obtained after cutting from the remaining part of the label ribbon (8).

[0070] Advantageously, in the illustrated embodiment, each cutting device (19) includes each blade (20) disposed inside a cutting chamber (21), the cutting chamber being open over the side (10a) of the drum (10) and may be connected to a suction means, for example, consisting of the same vacuum source connected to the suction hole (11) of the drum (10), so that a portion of the label ribbon (8) facing the cutting device (19) can be pulled inward into the corresponding cutting chamber (21) and brought into contact with the blade (20), thereby performing cutting of the label ribbon.

[0071] The operation of the labeling machine according to the present invention is as follows.

[0072] Starting from the situation shown in FIG. 6, when a runner (12) (the trailing edge and leading edge of two consecutive labels (8a, 8b) of the label ribbon (8) are in contact with the relief portion (13) of the runner, respectively) passes in front of the spreading roller (14) so ​​that two adhesive imprints (15) can be applied to a portion of the label ribbon (8) that the spreading roller (14) contacts, the unwinding assembly (7) feeds the label ribbon (8) to the drum (10) at a speed substantially matching the peripheral speed of the drum (10), and one of the two adhesive imprints is on the trailing edge of label (8a) that leads label (8b) in the forward direction of the label ribbon (8), and the other adhesive imprint is on the trailing edge of label (8b).

[0073] In this situation, the suction hole (11) present in the runner (12) is conveniently activated through a connection to a vacuum source, so that the label ribbon (8) is perfectly attached to the relief portion (13) of the runner (12) and takes its shape by the pulling action toward the relief portion (13) applied by the suction hole (11) present in the runner (12).

[0074] Once the adhesive imprint (15) is applied to the trailing edge and the leading edge of the label (8a, 8b), a situation is reached in which the unwinding assembly (7) for unwinding the label ribbon (8) is operated in accordance with the command of the control means to supply the label ribbon (8) to the drum (10) at a speed slower than the peripheral speed of the drum (10).

[0075] In this way, the drum (10) can slide over the label ribbon (8) to stretch the label ribbon (8) and, after the label ribbon (8) is attached to the runner (12), the label ribbon takes on its original shape, thus avoiding a situation where the label ribbon remains in a wrinkled state after being attached to the contoured parts or parts (16) of the runner (12), and also sends the cutting device (19), which was in front of the spreading roller (14) in the previous step, immediately behind the runner (12) (in the rotational direction of the drum (10)), to the separation part between the two labels (8a, 8b) to which the adhesive imprint (15) is applied.

[0076] It should be noted that while the drum (10) slides on the label ribbon (8), at least one part of the suction hole (11) in the runner (12) is conveniently deactivated by blocking the connection to the vacuum source, which helps prevent wrinkles from remaining on the label ribbon (8).

[0077] FIG. 8 illustrates a situation where a cutting device (19), located immediately behind the runner (12) that contacts the leading and trailing edges of labels (8a, 8b) that have received an adhesive imprint (15), reaches the separation portion between the labels (8a, 8b) with a corresponding blade (20).

[0078] In this situation, the label ribbon (8) is fed back by the unwinding assembly (7) at a speed substantially matching the peripheral speed of the drum (10), and the cutting chamber (21) of the cutting device (19) in the separation area between the labels (8a, 8b) is connected to the suction means so that the label ribbon (8) is pulled inward into the cutting chamber (21) and pushed to contact the corresponding blade (20) to cut the label ribbon (8), and the label (8a) is separated from the label ribbon.

[0079] After the label (8a) is cut, the control means, by means of the unwinding assembly (7), commands a different reduction in the feed rate of the label ribbon (8) to the drum (10) relative to the peripheral speed of the drum (10) to remove the cut label (8a) from the remaining part of the label ribbon (8), and in the rotational direction of the drum (10), position the next runner (12) behind the runner where the label (8a) received the adhesive along the label (8b) and the label ribbon (8) at the separation part between the label immediately following that label, so that the feed rate of the label ribbon (8) can be returned to a value substantially matching the peripheral speed of the drum (10) to resume the operation cycle, and the cut label (8a) from the label ribbon (8) will be delivered by the drum (10) to each container (3) transported by the conveyor (2).

[0080] In fact, the present invention appears to fully achieve its intended goals and objectives by providing a labeling machine that, in relation to known technology, can achieve effective optimization of the use and consumption of adhesive applied to the label with a very simple structure and without compromising the quality of the labeling.

[0081] The present invention, thus devised, is subject to many modifications and changes within the scope of the appended claims, and all details may be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.

[0082] In practice, if compatible with a specific application, not only the materials used but also the associated geometry and dimensions may vary depending on requirements and the latest technology.

[0083] The disclosure of Italian patent application number 102021000004100, for which the present application claims priority, is incorporated herein by reference.

[0084] Where a reference numeral follows a technical feature mentioned in any claim, such reference numeral is included solely for the purpose of enhancing understanding of the claim scope and therefore does not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified, for example, by such reference numeral.

Claims

Claim 1 A labeling machine comprises a conveyor (2) for transporting a container (3) to be labeled along a path, at least one labeling station (6) provided with a unwinding assembly (7) for unwinding a continuous label ribbon (8) having a plurality of labels (8a) printed thereon, and at least one drum (10) designed to receive the label ribbon (8) and / or label (8a) by attachment to its side and provided with a runner (12) around it, wherein the runner (12) has at least one relief portion (13) that is convex to the side of the drum (10), wherein the relief portion (13) can be joined to the label ribbon (8) and / or label (8a) by contact, and at least one area for applying adhesive is provided in at least one portion of the relief portion (13), and a spreading roller (14) for applying adhesive to the label ribbon (8) and / or label (8a) is provided with at least one adhesive To apply an imprint (15) to the leading and trailing edges of a label (8a), the label is positioned on the side of the drum (10), the label contacts at least one relief portion (13) of a runner (12), at least one of the runners (12) has at least one contour portion (16) having at least one support area (17) defined for the spreading roller (14) in the area where the adhesive is applied, and to apply at least one adhesive imprint (15) having at least one adhesive-free area (15b) to a portion of the label ribbon (8) and / or label (8a) in contact with the at least one contour portion (16) by the spreading roller (14), the support area protrudes to a greater extent from the side of the drum (10) with respect to at least one other area (18) of the at least one contour portion (16), and each of the runners (12) includes at least two relief portions (13).The relief portion is designed to receive in contact the trailing edge and the leading edge of two consecutive labels of the label ribbon (8), and at least one of the relief portions (13) includes at least one contour portion (16), and the drum (10) receives the label ribbon (8) directly by the unwinding assembly (7) and also has a plurality of cutting devices (19) distributed along its periphery, and the cutting devices (19) can be activated by command to perform cutting of the label ribbon (8) between one label and the next label, and the cutting devices (19) are configured to perform cutting of the label ribbon (8) at the separation portion between two consecutive labels (8a, 8b) along the label ribbon (8) after two adhesive imprints (15) are applied by the spreading roller (14), one of the two adhesive imprints is at the trailing edge of one of the two consecutive labels (8a), and the other adhesive imprint is at the other immediately after the previous label in the direction of travel of the label ribbon (8). Labeling machine, located at the leading edge of the label (8b). Claim 2 A labeling machine according to claim 1, wherein each of the runners (12) has at least one contour portion (16). Claim 3 A labeling machine according to claim 2, wherein the at least one contour portion (16) comprises a continuous support area (17) located in a peripheral area of ​​the contour portion (16) and an area (18) protruding to a smaller degree from the side of the drum (10) with respect to the support area (17). Claim 4 A labeling machine according to claim 3, wherein the contour portion (16) comprises a plurality of support areas (17) separated from and positioned by an area (18) that protrudes to a smaller degree from the side of the drum (10) with respect to the support area (17). Claim 5 A labeling machine corresponding to claim 1, wherein the relief portion (13) including at least one contour portion (16) is designed to receive the trailing edge of the label (8a) in contact. Claim 6 A labeling machine according to claim 1, wherein each of the relief portions (13) comprises at least one contour portion (16). Claim 7 delete

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