Patent Application
20230150785
The present invention relates to an apparatus for applying a strip comprising at least one microcreped paper to a carrier material. The present invention further relates to a method for applying a strip comprising at least one microcreped paper to a carrier material. Additionally the present invention relates to a use of said apparatus and also to a carrier material comprising a strip, obtained or obtainable by said method. Apparatuses and methods of the type stated may be used, for example, in the field of packaging technology, preferably in the production of packaging. Hence the invention may be employed more particularly in the production of packaging, for example for producing tear strips on a corrugated board line, on a folding box line and/or on a plain bonding line. Other fields of use are also conceivable in principle, however.
Within the packaging industry, sustainable packaging which as far as possible is environmentally neutral and can be used again in terms of its material is increasingly gaining in importance. On account of the generally easy recycling and also of a generally smaller CO2 footprint, paper has a particular part to play in boosting sustainability in the packaging industry. For the reprocessing of paper, however, it is generally very important that no substances that hinder processing enter into what is referred to as the pulp. Prior to reuse, therefore, plastics materials in particular, such as films, for example, must therefore be removed, and this is costly and complicated. In the production of packaging, therefore, it is generally useful to aim at reducing plastics materials or even omitting them entirely.
However, plastics materials, such as film strips, for example, are generally used, usually in the form of a self-adhesive tape, for the production of tear strips for opening packaging, in particular. The self-adhesive tear strips are applied automatically by corresponding unwind apparatuses during the production of the packaging itself. For example, DE 299 17 738 U1 describes an apparatus for unwinding a roll of a narrow material furnished self-adhesively on at least one side. These apparatuses and methods are generally suitable for plastics films and/or plastics adhesive tapes which are not sensitive in their handling. For the handling of paper, which in general operation is markedly more sensitive, however, known apparatuses and methods are commonly not suitable.
It is therefore desirable to provide apparatuses and methods which avoid or very largely avoid the described disadvantages of aforementioned apparatuses and methods. The apparatuses and methods are intended more particularly to enable the production of sustainable packaging.
This object is addressed by an apparatus for applying a strip comprising at least one microcreped paper to a carrier material, by a method for applying a strip comprising at least one microcreped paper to a carrier material, by a use of said apparatus and by a carrier material comprising a strip and obtained or obtainable by said method, having the features of the independent claims. Advantageous developments, which may be realized individually or in combination, are set out in the description and the dependent claims.
The present invention therefore relates to an apparatus for applying a strip P comprising at least one microcreped paper to a carrier material T, where the strip P has an areal extent with a length l, a width b and a thickness d where l>>b>d, and where the apparatus comprises:
The at least one microcreped paper contained in the strip P preferably has a tensile strength FZ of 8 kN/m≤FZ≤22 kN/m more preferably of 10 kN/m≤FZ≤21 kN/m, more preferably of 13 kN/m≤FZ≤20 kN/m such as, for example, of 15 kN/m≤FZ≤20 kN/m or of 17 kN/m≤FZ≤20 kN/m or of 19 kN/m≤FZ≤20 kN/m.
The at least one microcreped paper contained in the strip P preferably has an extensibility FD of 4%≤FD≤16%, more preferably of 6%≤FD≤15.5%, more preferably of 8%≤FD≤15% such as, for example, of 10%≤FD≤15% or of 12%≤FD≤15% or of 14%≤FD≤15%.
The at least one microcreped paper contained in the strip P preferably has a tearing resistance FR of 1200 mN≤FR≤4500 mN, more preferably of 1500 mN≤FR≤4000 mN, more preferably of 2000 mN≤FR≤3500 mN such as, for example, of 2500 mN≤FR≤3500 mN or of 3000 mN≤FR≤3500 mN.
The microcreped paper contained in the strip P preferably has a grammage G of at least 80 g/m2, more preferably of 80 g/m2≤G≤180 g/m2, more preferably of 120 g/m2≤G≤160 g/m2 such as, for example, of 120 g/m2≤G≤140 g/m2 or of 130 g/m2≤G≤150 g/m2 or of 140 g/m2≤G≤160 g/m2.
The at least one microcreped paper contained in the strip P is microcreped fundamentally in at least one, preferably in at least two, direction(s) within the areal extent.
Accordingly the present invention further preferably relates to the abovementioned apparatus where the at least one microcreped paper comprised in the strip P wound to the reel has the following properties:
where the at least one microcreped paper contained in the strip P is microcreped preferably in at least two directions within the areal extent.
In terms of the width b there are in principle no particular restrictions. The strip P preferably has a width b of 2 mm≤b≤25 mm, more preferably 3 mm≤b≤15 mm, more preferably of 4 mm≤b≤8 mm such as, for example, of 4 mm≤b≤6 mm or of 5 mm≤b≤7 mm or of 6 mm≤b≤8 mm.
In terms of the thickness d there are in principle no particular restrictions. The strip P preferably has a thickness d of 100 μm≤d≤400 μm, more preferably of 150 μm≤d≤350 μm, more preferably of 200 μm≤d≤300 μm such as, for example, of 200 μm≤d≤250 μm or of 225 μm≤d≤275 μm or of 250 μm≤d≤300 μm.
Preferably from 95 to 100% by weight of the strip P consists of the at least one microcreped paper. More preferably from 98 to 100%, more preferably from 99 to 100%, more preferably from 99.5 to 100%, more preferably from 99.9 to 100% by weight of the strip P consists of the at least one microcreped paper.
With further preference the strip P comprises a single microcreped paper, where more preferably from 95 to 100%, more preferably from 98 to 100%, more preferably from 99 to 100%, more preferably from 99.5 to 100%, more preferably from 99.9 to 100% by weight of the strip P consists of the single microcreped paper.
Accordingly the present invention with further preference relates to the abovementioned apparatus where the at least one microcreped paper comprised in the strip P wound to the reel has the following properties:
where the at least one microcreped paper contained in the strip P is microcreped preferably in at least two directions within the areal extent and where from 99.9 to 100% by weight of the strip P consists of the at least one microcreped paper, preferably of a single microcreped paper.
In principle it is possible that the strip P has at least the following layers:
Additionally, optionally, from 0 to 5% by weight of the bonding layer of (ii) consists of one or more organic solvents. Preferably from 0 to 3% by weight of the bonding layer of (ii) consists of one or more organic solvents. More preferably from 0 to 1% by weight of the bonding layer of (ii) consists of one or more organic solvents. With further preference from 0 to 0.5% by weight of the bonding layer of (ii) consists of one or more organic solvents. With further preference from 0 to 0.1% by weight of the bonding layer of (ii) consists of one or more organic solvents.
The reel S is preferably a cross-wound reel, more preferably a criss-cross-wound reel. The strip P wound to the reel has, for example, a helical winding, where the strip P preferably forms at least two layers and the direction switches from layer to layer between right-handed and left-handed. The separation point T at which the strip P parts from the reel S on unwinding preferably performs a back-and-forth movement parallel to the reel axis AS when the strip P is unwound.
In its non-unwound state, the reel S preferably has a diameter D of at most 500 mm, more preferably of 100 mm≤D≤500 mm, more preferably of 200 mm≤D≤450 mm, more preferably of 300 mm≤D≤400 mm.
The reel S preferably has an extent L in the direction of the reel axis AS of at most 350 mm, more preferably of 100 mm≤L≤350 mm, more preferably of 160 mm≤L≤200 mm. The reel S for example has an extent L in the direction of the reel axis AS of L=180 mm.
The rollers R1, R2 and R3 are preferably cylindrical rollers, and at least one of the rollers R1, R2 and R3 has a substantially flange-free configuration on at least one side. The rollers R1, R2 and R3 are preferably cylindrical rollers, and at least one of the rollers R1, R2 and R3 has a substantially flange-free configuration on both sides. More preferably the rollers R1, R2 and R3 are cylindrical rollers, and all the rollers R1, R2 and R3 have a substantially flange-free configuration on at least one side. With further preference the rollers R1, R2 and R3 are cylindrical rollers and all the rollers R1, R2 and R3 have a substantially flange-free configuration on both sides. A flange-free configuration of the rollers in this way is advantageous, for example, in order to prevent damage to the edges of the strip P when it is being guided over the respective roller.
Preferably at least one of the rollers R1, R2 and R3 is a drive-free roller. More preferably all the rollers R1, R2 and R3 are drive-free rollers.
The roller R1 preferably has an outer diameter in the range from 5 to 100 mm, more preferably in the range from 7 to 40 mm, more preferably in the range from 10 to 30 mm.
The roller R2 preferably has an outer diameter in the range from 5 to 100 mm, more preferably in the range from 15 to 50 mm, more preferably in the range from 25 to 30 mm.
The roller R3 preferably has an outer diameter in the range from 5 to 100 mm, more preferably in the range from 15 to 50 mm, more preferably in the range from 25 to 30 mm.
With further preference, therefore, the roller R1 has an outer diameter in the range from 10 to 30 mm, the roller R2 an outer diameter in the range from 25 to 30 mm, and the roller R3 an outer diameter in the range from 25 to 30 mm.
Preferably at least one of the rollers R1, R2 and R3 has an extent along its respective rotational axis of at least 100 mm. More preferably at least two of the rollers R1, R2 and R3 have an extent along their respective rotational axis of at least 100 mm. More preferably all the rollers R1, R2 and R3 have an extent along their respective rotational axis of at least 100 mm.
The extent of at least one of the rollers R1, R2 and R3, preferably of all the rollers R1, R2 and R3, along their respective rotational axis, independently of one another, is preferably at least L+10 mm, where L is the extent of the reel S in the direction of the reel axis AS. With further preference the extent of at least one of the rollers R1, R2 and R3, more preferably of least two of the rollers R1, R2 and R3, more preferably of all the rollers R1, R2 and R3 along their respective rotational axis is in the range from (L+10 mm) to (L+20 mm), more preferably in the range from (L+10 mm) to (L+15 mm).
The roller R3 is preferably arranged in such a way that in the guiding of the strip P, the first contact point between the strip P and the roller R3 lies in the plane of an end face of the reel S or is arranged at a distance from this plane in a direction away from the reel. An arrangement of the roller R3 of this kind is especially suitable for converting a back-and-forth movement of the strip P on unwinding from the reel S, as described above, into a linear, preferably a stable linear, movement. Hence by this means a zig-zag movement of the strip P on unwinding can be converted into a smooth movement.
The rotational axis A1 of the roller R1 is preferably positioned movably in space in such a way that the roller R1 contacts the reel S during the unwinding of the strip P. With further preference the rotational axis A1 of the roller R1 is positioned movably in space in such a way that the roller R1 contacts the reel S linearly during the unwinding of the strip P. With preference additionally the rotational axis A1 of the roller R1 is positioned movably in space in such a way that the rotational axis A1 during the unwinding of the strip P performs a movement in a radial direction relative to the reel axis AS.
The rollers R2 and R3 are preferably guide rollers disposed as spatially fixed rotational axes.
The reel axis AS is preferably arranged as a spatially fixed rotational axis.
The rotational axes A1 and A2 are preferably disposed in such a way that the free length of the strip P between the roller R1 and the roller R2 is in the range from 150 to 500 mm, more preferably in the range from 200 to 300 mm. The term “free length” as used here denotes the length of the strip P between the last contact point of the strip P with the roller R1 and the first contact point of the strip P with the roller R2 when the strip P is guided over these rollers.
The rotational axes A2 and A3 are preferably disposed in such a way that the free length of the strip P between the roller R2 and the roller R3 is in the range from 150 to 500 mm, more preferably in the range from 200 to 300 mm. The term “free length” as used here denotes the length of the strip P between the last contact point of the strip P with the roller R2 and the first contact point of the strip P with the roller R3 when the strip P is guided over these rollers.
According to one possible embodiment of the present invention, the roller R3 is the last roller for guiding the strip P before the strip P is applied to the carrier material T.
According to a further possible embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus, additionally to the three rollers R1, R2 and R3, comprises a further rotatably mounted roller R4 for guiding the strip P unwound at least partly from the reel, the roller R4 being downstream of the roller R3, where
The roller R4 preferably has a guide flange on at least one side, preferably on both sides. With further preference the roller R4 has a guide flange on both sides. With additional preference the guide flanges disposed on both sides have a distance from one another in the range from (b+0.1 mm) to (b+0.9 mm), more preferably in the range from (b+0.2 mm) to (b+0.8 mm), more preferably in the range from (b+0.3 mm) to (b+0.7 mm).
The roller R4, if present, is preferably the last roller for guiding the strip P before the strip P is applied to the carrier material T.
According to a further possible embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus, additionally, comprises a rotatably mounted roller R5 for guiding the strip P unwound at least partly from the reel, the roller R5 being downstream of the roller R4, where
The roller R5 preferably has a guide flange on at least one side, preferably on both sides. With further preference the roller R5 has a guide flange on both sides. With additional preference the guide flanges disposed on both sides have a distance from one another in the range from (b+0.1 mm) to (b+0.9 mm), more preferably in the range from (b+0.2 mm) to (b+0.8 mm), more preferably in the range from (b+0.3 mm) to (b+0.7 mm).
The roller R5, if present, is preferably the last roller for guiding the strip P before the strip P is applied to the carrier material T.
In accordance with the present invention the number of rollers additional to the rollers R1, R2 and R3 is dependent on factors including the distance of the roller R3 from the carrier material T. Hence it may be preferable, for example, to provide at least one roller additional to the rollers R1, R2 and R3 in the case of a distance of R3 from T of at least 300 mm.
In accordance with the present invention the number of rollers additional to the rollers R1, R2 and R3 is dependent on factors including the movement of the strip P on the roller R3. Hence it may be preferable, for example, in the case of a deviation in the movement of the strip P on the roller R3 from a linear movement, for example in the case of a deviation of this kind by at least 2%, to provide an additional roller R4 or, preferably, a roller pair R4 and R5, preferably having a spatial disposition which is analogous to the spatial disposition of the rollers R2 and R3.
With regard to the application apparatus V, it is preferably set up in such a way that it exerts at least one force on the strip P in a direction towards the carrier material T. With further preference the application apparatus V is set up in such a way that the force is exerted via at least one rubber roll. Alternatively or additionally the application apparatus V is preferably set up in such a way that the force is exerted via compressed air.
The apparatus preferably comprises additionally at least one bond application apparatus K for applying at least one bonding layer, preferably a bonding layer which comprises at least one hotmelt adhesive, more preferably a bonding layer which consists of at least one hotmelt adhesive. While it is possible in principle to apply the bonding layer to the strip P before the latter is applied to the carrier material T, it is preferred in the context of the present invention for the bonding layer to be applied to the carrier material T before the strip P is applied to the carrier material T bearing the bonding layer. The bonding layer applied to the carrier material preferably has a width of at most the width b of the strip P.
The apparatus preferably additionally comprises at least one separating unit for separating off lengths of the strip P, with the at least one separating unit being preferably downstream of the last roller, such as of the roller R3 or the roller R4 or the roller R5, for example.
The apparatus preferably additionally comprises at least one drive unit for driving the strip P and at least one brake unit for braking the strip P. The drive unit and the brake unit are preferably set up to control a rotational movement of the reel S. The rotational movement of the reel S preferably features an unwind velocity v of the strip P from the reel S of 0 m/min<v≤250 m/min, more preferably of 100 m/min≤v≤200 m/min. For example, the drive unit and the brake unit are set up to control the rotational movement of the reel S as a function of a status of the application apparatus V and/or of the separating unit, preferably in order to adapt the rotational movement to an application procedure and/or to a separating procedure. The drive unit and the brake unit are preferably downstream of the last roller, such as the roller R3 or the roller R4 or the roller R5, for example. Alternatively the drive unit is preferably disposed in such a way as to drive the strip P by accelerating a rotational movement of the roller R2 or the roller R3 and the brake unit is disposed in such a way as to brake the strip P by reducing a rotational movement of the reel S. The drive unit is disposed, for example, in the roller R2 or the roller R3, with the brake unit being disposed for example in the reel S.
While in principle there are no particular restrictions with regard to the carrier material T, it is preferred in accordance with the present invention that the carrier material T is at least one packaging blank. The packaging blank is preferably a packaging blank made of paper and/or of board, with the packaging blank preferably being a case, a carton, a folding box or a wrapper.
The present invention further relates to a method for applying a strip P comprising at least one microcreped paper to a carrier material T. The method comprises the steps identified in more detail below. These steps may be carried out in the stated order. A different order, however, is also possible in principle. Moreover, two or more of the stated method steps may be carried out simultaneously or with temporal overlap. Furthermore, one or more of the stated method steps may be carried out once or else repeatedly. The method may comprise further method steps beyond the steps stated.
The method comprises the following steps:
The step a) preferably comprises a threading of the strip at least between the rollers R1, R2 and R3.
Step c) comprises, for example, a driving of the reel S and of the rollers R1, R2 and R3 via a take-off of the strip P through a movement of the carrier material T. Alternatively or additionally, step c) comprises, for example, a controlling of a movement of the strip P by means of a drive unit and a brake unit, as present optionally above in the apparatus.
The method in step c) preferably comprises a controlling of a rotational movement of the reel S, so that the strip P is unwound from the reel S with an unwind velocity v of 0 m/min<v≤250 m/min, preferably of 100 m/min≤v≤200 m/min.
The applying in step d) preferably comprises an exerting of at least one force on the strip P in a direction towards the carrier material T.
The method preferably further comprises a step e) preceding step d), where
The strip P is preferably applied in step d) to the bonding layer applied to the carrier material, and so the bonding layer joins the carrier material T and the strip P.
The present invention further relates to an apparatus or a method as described herein where the strip P is a tear strip.
The present invention further relates to the use of an apparatus as described herein for applying a strip P to a carrier material T.
The present invention further relates to a carrier material T comprising a strip P, obtained or obtainable by a method as described herein.
The present invention as described above is additionally described by the following set of embodiments and combinations of embodiments, with the combinations arising from the corresponding dependencies and dependency references. It may be pointed out in particular that at those points where a range of embodiments is mentioned—such as, for example, in connection with an expression such as “apparatus according to any of embodiments 1 to 5”—each individual embodiment within this range is understood as being explicitly disclosed for the skilled person, with the skilled person thus understanding this expression as being synonymous with the expression “apparatus according to any of embodiments 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5”. Further, it may be pointed out explicitly that the following set of embodiments represents not the set of claims determining the scope of protection, but rather a suitably structured part of the description which is directed to general and preferred aspects of the present invention.
where the at least one microcreped paper comprised in the strip P wound to the reel has the following properties:
Further details and features of the present invention are evident from the description of exemplary embodiments. In these embodiments the respective features may be actualized alone or multiply in combination with one another. The invention is not confined to the exemplary embodiments. The exemplary embodiments are represented schematically in the figures. Identical reference numerals in the individual figures here denote identical or functionally identical elements or elements which correspond to one another in terms of their function.
Specifically:
The figures are described in common.
The apparatus 110 comprises the strip 112 comprising the microcreped paper, which is wound to a reel S 116, the reel 116 being mounted rotatably about a reel axis AS 117. The reel 116 preferably has a length L in the direction of the reel axis AS 117 of not more than 310 mm and a diameter D of not more than 500 mm. The apparatus 110 further comprises three rotatably mounted rollers R1 118, R2 120 and R3 122 for guiding the strip 112 unwound at least partly from the reel 116, with a movement direction of the strip 112 being illustrated in the figures by arrows. The roller R1 118 is downstream of the reel 116, the roller R2 120 downstream of the roller R1 118, and the roller R3 122 downstream of the roller R2. The roller R1 118 has a rotational axis A1 124, with the angle α1 between the rotational axis A1 and reel axis AS being 0° with a tolerance of ±5°. The rotational axis A1 124 and the reel axis AS 117 are preferably oriented in parallel to one another, for example along the z-axis of the Cartesian coordinate system represented illustratively in the figures. The roller R2 120 has a rotational axis A2 126, the angle α2 between the rotational axis A2 and reel axis AS being 0° with a tolerance of ±10°. The rotational axis A2 126 and the reel axis AS 117 are preferably oriented in parallel to one another, for example likewise along the z-axis of the Cartesian coordinate system represented. The roller R3 122 has a rotational axis A3 128, the angle α3 between the rotational axis A3 and rotational axis A2 126 of the roller R2 being 90° with a tolerance of ±1°. The rotational axis A3 128 and the rotational axis A2 126 are preferably oriented orthogonally to one another, for example along the x-axis and the z-axis of the Cartesian coordinate system represented in
The roller R3 122 is preferably disposed in such a way that in the guiding of the strip 112, a first contact point 129 between the strip 112 and roller R3 122 is in the same plane as an end face 131 of the reel 116, for example in order to convert a back-and-forth movement of the strip 112 induced by the unwinding of the strip 112 from the reel 116, for example a zig-zag movement along the z-axis of the coordinate system shown in the figures, into a stable linear movement.
The apparatus 110 additionally comprises at least one application apparatus V 130 for applying the strip 112 to the carrier material 114. The application apparatus 130 is preferably set up to exert at least one force in a direction toward the carrier material 114 on the strip 112; this force is depicted illustratively in
As shown illustratively in
The apparatus 110 additionally preferably comprises at least one further cylindrical roller R4 137, the roller R4 137 being mounted rotatably about a rotational axis 138 and being positioned downstream of the roller R3 122. Preferably the rollers R1 118, R2 120, R3 122 and also the roller R4 137 of the apparatus 110 are passive, drive-free rollers, which are placed into rotation via a take-off of the strip 112. In
The apparatus 110 additionally preferably comprises a bond application apparatus 140 for applying adhesive 142, preferably solvent-free adhesive, to the carrier material 114. The apparatus 110 additionally preferably comprises a separating unit 144 for separating off lengths of the strip 112. The apparatus 110 is used preferably for producing tear strips 146.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2021 130 079.7 | Nov 2021 | DE | national |
