KR19990030156A - Method and apparatus for manufacturing cigarette pack - Google Patents

Abstract

In a hinged pack of cigarettes, the contents of this packet, i.e. a group of cigarettes, are surrounded by an inner packaging material 28 made of foil, paper or the like. The inner packaging material 28, such as the hinged packet itself, is provided with printing or coating on its outside. Inside the printing of the inner wrapper 28 and / or the hinged packet, the unprinted area forms a recess 45 so that individual printing can be applied to the packet in the area of the packaging machine. Within this area, individual imprints are applied inside the packaging machine before the actual packaging process.

Description

Method and apparatus for manufacturing cigarette pack

The present invention relates to a method for producing a packet, in particular a pack of cigarettes, in a packaging machine, wherein at least one prefabricated blank, provided with printing and made of (thin) cardboard, paper, foil or coated material, wrapped in the contents of the packet and Relates to a device.

A preferred field of application for the present invention is cigarette packs. Two types of packets are used worldwide, hinged packets and soft pouched packets. Common to both types of packets is the fact that the packet contents-groups of cigarettes-are surrounded in every way by the inner packaging. It may consist of paper, foil or other coated packaging material. The inner packaging is provided with printing on its outside. This consists of a color imprint or (metal) vacuum coating in a suitable material. In tinfoil, the printing may be embossing, in particular structural surfaces.

The actual packaging material itself is made of (thin) cardboard in the case of the hinged packet and of paper in the case of the soft pouch type packet. These blanks are provided with printing in which both text and decorative illustrations of the contents are usually colored.

The main object of the present invention is to propose a method for the design and production of (cigarette) packets which leads to cheaper and more reasonable productivity.

In the achievement of this object, the method according to the invention provides that, at least for printing, the prefab blanks each have a recess without printing in the area of printing, and the individual printing is within the area of this recess of the blank in the area of the packaging machine. It is characterized by the application.

Underlying the present invention is the recognition that (cigarette) packets that are nearly even and have the same design often require different details in the area of printing, depending on market demand, respective legal requirements, and the like. This is true not only for the use of decorative details, but especially for printing text with informative content. Of particular interest here is the formal labeling of prescribed warnings about the health risks of smoking. These warnings must be in different languages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The gist of the present invention is to prepare blanks at the factory for coloring or other printing-as described above, so that they can be used in packaging facilities. The different details of the printing only, in particular the warnings, are reserved in the packaging and apply in the area of the packaging machine, corresponding to the individual requirements. The advantage of this measure lies in the fact that packets of different designs can be produced in approximately equal packaging.

The apparatus according to the invention, ie the packaging machine, is equipped with suitable printing means using ink (toner), for example an inkjet printer or a laser printer. As the packaging material is supplied to the packaging machine, the printer applies the individual, defined, adjustable printing within the area of the recess at the appropriate point under accurate control. The printing can be applied here to continuous material webs already mostly printed, or to individual prefabricated blanks or partially finished packets, especially in the production of hinged packs.

Further details of the design of the apparatus and the packet are described in more detail below through the examples given by way of example.

1 is a perspective view of an open hinged type cigarette pack,

2 shows a part of a material web for producing a blank for an inner packaging material;

3 likewise shows another embodiment of a material web for producing an inner packaging material,

4 is a view showing a part of a material web for manufacturing a soft pouch cigarette pack;

5 is a view showing a hinged lid for cigarette pack,

6 is a schematic side view of an apparatus for treating a web or blank of inner packaging material;

7 is a plan view of a part of a packaging machine for manufacturing a hinged lid pack;

8 shows a greatly simplified side view of the device according to FIG. 7;

1 shows a hinged lid pack. This type of packet is formed from the blank according to FIG. 5. The basic configuration consists of the packet part 10 and the cover 11. The packet part 10 is formed of the packet front wall part 12, the packet rear wall part 13, the packet side flaps 14 and 15, and the base 16. As shown in FIG. The packet side flaps 14 and 15 overlap each other and are bonded to each other to form a pair of packet sidewalls. The outer packet side flap 15 is attached to the packet front wall portion 12 on both sides.

The lid 11 has a shape corresponding to the lid front wall portion 17, the lid rear wall portion 18, and the lid side flaps 19, 20. Moreover, an upper end wall portion 21 is provided. In the finished hinged cover packet, the cover inner flap 22 is folded about the inside of the cover front wall 17 and connected thereto. The cover side flaps 19 likewise overlap each other to form a cover side wall portion in pairs.

The packet part 10 and the cover 11 are connected to each other in the region of the rear wall part by a transverse hinge line 23 so as to be folded.

The hinged packet also includes a collar 24, usually made of a separate blank. This collar consists of a collar front wall 25 and a side flap 26. The collar 24 is attached to the packet part 10, ie fixed with an adhesive. The recessed part 27 which has a rounded shape is applied to the collar front wall part 25 which protrudes from the packet part 10, or the area | region of a part of collar 24. As shown in FIG.

The packet contents, ie groups of cigarettes, are surrounded by an inner packaging material 28 to form a tobacco block 29.

The cigarette pack of this type is thus formed from two blanks. The inner wrapper 28 is made of a relatively thin wrapper, in particular paper, foil or the like. 2 and 3 show two different types of embodiments of the inner wrapper 28. According to FIG. 2 the blank is designed according to the principle of cruciform packaging. The areas of the blanks for forming the inner front wall portion 30, the inner side wall portion 31 and the inner rear wall portion 32 are continuously disposed with each other in the longitudinal direction of the blank. Edge flaps 33 and 34 are connected to the inner front wall portion 30 on the one hand and to the inner rear wall portion 32 on the other hand. In the fully folded inner packaging material 28, these flaps are placed adjacent to each other and partially covering each other, thus creating an inner side wall portion opposite the inner side wall portion 31.

The upper and lower fold strips 34 and 35 form an end fold flap on the one hand and a base fold flap on the other for the end wall portion and the base wall portion of the inner packaging material 28. The end wall portions-and corresponding base wall portions-are formed in such a way that the trapezoidal longitudinal flaps 36, 37 partially cover each other. According to FIG. 1, the outer longitudinal flap 26 is connected to the inner front wall portion 30 of the inner packaging material 28.

According to FIG. 3 the blank for inner packaging 28 is formed in a similar manner, ie in accordance with the principle of longitudinal packaging. The inner front wall portion 30 and the inner rear wall portion 32 are connected by a continuous inner base wall portion 38. The side strips 39, 40 extend over the entire length of the long blank and partially cover each other to form inner sidewall portions. The inner end wall portion is formed by folding strips 41, 42 placed on opposite ends of the blank. These folding strips 41, 42 are folded in such a way that the trapezoidal longitudinal flaps 36, 37 are produced as part of the inner end wall-as in the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The blank for the inner wrapper 28 may be provided with printing and / or embossing over its entire surface. The latter uses almost the inner foil of silver foil, but an inner wrapper made of paper may also be used. In the example shown, the inner packaging material 28 may be provided with printing on portions that project from packets, ie hinged packets, soft pouched packets or another packet. Likewise, the blank according to FIG. 2 has a printing area on one side, ie printing strip 43. It is prepared in advance at the factory during the manufacture of the inner packaging material 28. It is made reel-like and made usable as a continuous web of material 44. The printing strip 43, which is applied on one side as a continuous strip, corresponds to the area of the inner packaging material 28 which includes a guaranteed area in the packet.

A particular feature is the fact that the printing area, ie printing strip 43, has at least one recess 45 per blank. This area, which is rectangular in this case, is thus not printed, but is prepared in such a way that printing can be applied later if necessary, ie by means of suitable printing means in the area of the packaging machine.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 2, the unprinted recess 45 is applied to the upper region of the inner front wall 30, ie the region protruding from the packet when the packet is opened. In the hinged packet according to FIG. 1, the recess 45 is located in a recess 27 formed by the collar front wall 25. Thus, when the lid is opened, the constant printing arranged in the recess 45 and the area of the recess can be recognized by the user.

In this case, the recess 45 spans a partial region inside the inner end wall portion of the inner packaging material 28, ie outside the outer longitudinal flap 36. In this way, a wider surface is provided for individual printing. Secondly, this ensures that the information provided by this particular printing can be read even when the front side of the (open) packet is observed in the end side region.

In the design according to FIG. 3, the material web 46 corresponds to the width of the blank for inner packaging material. Printing areas 47 and 48 are respectively formed at the end of the elongated blank, ie the area facing the open side of the packet.

Each of the at least one printing area 47 has a recess 45, ie an unprinted area for accommodating individual printing in the area of the packaging machine. The recess 45 likewise spans not only the inner front wall portion 30 but also the region of the adjacent end wall portion or front side printing area 47 having the trapezoidal outer longitudinal flap 36 in this embodiment.

Another particular feature of the blank according to FIGS. 2 and 3 lies in the fact that the unprinted area, ie the recess 45, is formed in the area of the flaps 49, 50. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the flap 49 is delimited by the edge cut line 51. In the embodiment according to FIG. 3, the cross cut 52 extends over the entire width of the material web 46 in the blank, ie in the area of the front printing area 47. Application of individual printing in the region of the recess 45 and thus the flaps 49 and 50 forms a coupon for competitive participation, for example.

The blank as described above may also have a thin metal film which is applied instead of printing, for example by vacuum coating. In the blank formed in this manner, during the vacuum coating process, the individually printed area, that is, the recess 45, is not vacuum coated.

The outer packaging, ie the blank for the soft pouch (FIG. 4) or the hinged packet (FIG. 5), can be formed in a similar manner.

4 shows a portion of a material web 53 made of rather strong paper or other suitable packaging. Inside this web of material 43, blanks 54 for soft pouches are formed apart from one another in a row. This blank 54 has a printing 54 (hatched) arranged continuously apart from each other in the material web 53 and corresponding to the brand or design of the packet. Moreover, there may also be decorative illustration 56. This printing 55 or illustration 56 is applied in the factory during the manufacture of the material web 53. In the area of the packaging machine, the blank 54 is separated from the material web 53 and sent to the packaging process.

In the present case, the blank 54 is formed of the first side wall portion flap 57, the front wall portion 58, the second side wall portion 59, the rear wall portion 60 and the longitudinal direction of the material web 53. The second inner wall flap 61 is formed to be continuous with each other. The base fold flap 62 is formed on the longitudinal side of the material web 53.

In the finished packet, ie the folded soft pouch, the base fold flap 62 forms a closed base. The side flaps 57 and 61 are connected to each other by being covered and bonded to each other. On the top side, the packet is open.

Here too a recess 63, ie an unprinted area, is provided in the area 55 of printing. Individual printing or text can be applied within this area in the area of the packaging machine. Since the blank 54 is completed in the area of the packaging machine, the material web 53 can be individually printed in the recess 63 before the blank 54 is separated from the material web 53. Optionally, printing may be applied to the blank 54 already separated from the material web 53.

The recess 63 formed in the rectangular area can be applied at a suitable point of the blank 54 which is easily recognized from the outside. In this preferred embodiment, the recesses 63 for individual printing are located adjacent to the upper region of the (closed) side wall portion 59, ie the open side of the pouch.

The blank for a hinged packet according to FIG. 5 is formed in a decorative manner. This blank also has a plurality of printing areas 64, 65, 66 and for example decorative illustrations 56, indicated by hatched lines. The recess 67 is provided in the upper printing area 64 with a specific limit on the cover 11. The lid front wall portion 67 is mainly provided as a recess 67. Only the edge of the factory-made printing remains.

In the packet made of the blank according to Figs. 4 and 5, recesses 63 and 67 in which individual printing is arranged are arranged outside of each case. The finished packet is usually surrounded by an outer packaging that is made of a transparent film. In this way, certain information in the area of the recesses 63 and 67 can be recognized from the outside even when the packet is closed.

The assembly for handling the material web according to FIG. 2 is shown in a simplified shape in FIG. 6. Such an assembly can be used to produce the blank according to FIG. 3 or 4. The material web 44 is withdrawn from the active first reel 68. The additional spare reel 69 is introduced into the manufacturing flow once the reel 68 is consumed.

In reel exchange, the material web 44 is laid through a splicing assembly 70 of known construction in order to connect the new and used material webs to be connected to the assembly. The exhausting material web 44 is drawn onto the refraction roller into the area of the splicing assembly 70, which is likewise basically laid through a known correction pendulum 72. The corrected pendulum corrects for different transport movements in the individual areas of the material web 44.

In this embodiment, unlike the one shown in FIG. 2, the material web 44 is formed in two tracks, i.e., double-width. The printing strip 43 may also lie as a double-width printing strip in the middle of the double-width material web 44. Optionally (double-width) material web 44 may have two printing strips 43 on its free edge. In each case, the continuous split cut separates the material web from the longitudinal center of the material web so that two separate material webs 44 as in FIG. 2 can be obtained.

For this purpose, the material web 44 rests through the cutting assembly 73. The cutting assembly includes and carries a disk-shaped rotating cutting blade 74 to separate the material web in the longitudinal direction.

In front of the cutting assembly 73 is arranged an edge control system 75 of similarly known construction. This provides accurate alignment and constant monitoring of the material web to the cutting assembly 73. By this means it is ensured that the split cut separates the material web accurately in the middle of the material web 44.

Two material webs 44 separated from one another are then placed through another edge control system 76. This precisely aligns the two individual tracks with the next assembly.

The first processing assembly is an embossing assembly 77. In the area of the embossing assembly, for example to obtain a matte surface structure on a silver foil, the material web is embossed by an embossing roller with a corresponding surface structure.

Following the embossing assembly 77, the material web, ie the two material webs 44, lies in the area of the upright conveying cable passing through the printing unit 78. The printing unit 78 has a role of applying predetermined printing (text or decoration) to the area of the recess 45. The printing unit 78 may be an inkjet printer, for example. Application of printing precisely to the area of the recess 45 is by means of a printed mark reader 79 connected upstream in the conveying direction. This reader controls the function of the processing unit with the help of the printed mark 80 on the material web 44.

Thereafter, the material web 44 is drawn to the blank assembly 81. The blank assembly separates the individual blanks for the inner packaging according to FIG. 2 from the material web 44. Accurate positioning of the split cut is also controlled by the printed mark 80. In the area of the blank assembly 81, the blank prepared for the packet is held in a vertical plane. In this case, the object surrounding the group of cigarettes is carried on the horizontal packet path 82. In the area of the blank assembly 81, the cigarette is first surrounded in a U shape by the blank. In the next step, the blank is fully folded to form the tobacco block 29. The tobacco block is then led to another packaging assembly, ie a packaging machine for outer packaging material, which is applied to the tobacco block, in particular to form a hinged packet.

A similar method can be used for the blank 54 for soft pouched packets. That is, a device similar to that of FIG. 6 may be used.

In the manufacture of hinged packets using the blank according to FIG. 5, this blank is usually delivered as a blank pile. Individual printing of the area of the recess 67 may be performed in the area of the blank passageway after the blank 54 has been separated from the web, for example while conveying the blank to the rotary folding unit. The blank 54 should be positioned in such a way that the side with the print areas 64, 65, 66 or the recesses 67 faces upward upon printing.

7 shows details of a packaging machine having a rotary folding unit 83 mounted to rotate in a horizontal plane. The rotary folding unit has pockets 84 and 85 arranged in pairs. Blanks 54 are each inserted in pairs into these pockets. In the area of the radial passage 86 facing radially, the blank 54 may be printed in the area of the recess 63.

Optionally an outer packet side flap 15 (or lid side flap 20) is printed within (or outside of) the printing area 66. Here, the conventional manufacturing technique for this type of hinged packet is used. The almost completed hinged packet is pressed radially from the rotary folding unit 83 into the connecting straight packet path 87. In the area of the packet path 87, the hinge cover packet is completed.

As the hinged packet is introduced into the packet passage 87, the hinged packet is only directed at the top surface such that the outer packet side flap 15 and the outer cover side flap 20 are laterally facing sideways in a horizontal plane. Folded The outer portions of these folding flaps face upwards (FIG. 8). In order to apply individual printing to the area of the side wall portion of the hinged packet, in particular the area of the packet side flap 15, the printing member 88 is arranged on the packet passage 87. A printing member 88, such as, for example, an inkjet printer or a laser printer using toner, is positioned on a movement path of one of the packet side flaps 15 to deliver an imprint. Optionally, two such printing members 88 may be arranged next to each other to print both packet side flaps 15.

In order to make it possible to apply printing without locally coating the material, blanks for the preparation of the inner packaging or outer packaging can also be prepared in such a way that the coated packaging is interrupted in the coating, ie with a window therein.

In accordance with the present invention, measures are proposed for the design and production of (cigarette) packets which lead to cheaper and more reasonable production possibilities.

According to the invention, at least for printing, the prefabricated blanks each have a non-printing recess in the area of printing, and individual printing is applied in the area of this recess of the blank in the area of the packaging machine.

In addition, blanks can be prepared at the factory for coloring or other printing, and they can be used for packaging facilities. The different details of the printing only, in particular the warnings, are reserved in the packaging and apply in the area of the packaging machine, corresponding to the individual requirements. This allows packets of different designs to be produced in approximately equal packaging.

Claims (6)

In a method for producing a packet, in particular a pack of cigarettes, printed in a packaging machine and surrounding the contents of the packet with at least one prefabricated blank made of (thin) cardboard, paper, foil or other coated material, a) a continuous material web 44, 46, 53, made of paper or other thin packaging material, which can be wound, is fed to the packaging machine as a reel 68 to produce the blanks 28, 54. , b) printing is carried out on the material webs 44, 46, 53 for each blank 28, 54 produced corresponding to the design of the blanks 28, 54, c) printing for each blank 28, 54 having at least one unprinted recess 45, 63, 67, d) inside the packaging machine, in the region of the recesses 45, 63 and 67, individual printing is applied to the continuous material webs 44, 46 and 53, e) then, the blank (28, 54) consists of separating from the material web (44, 46, 53). The method of claim 1, wherein the recesses 45 for the individual printing of the inner packaging material 28 for cigarettes are in the region of the portion of the inner packaging material 28, in particular the inner packaging material, which protrudes from the packet (hinged or soft pouched). And a recess (45) in the upper region and / or in the inner end wall of the inner front wall portion (30). 2. A state according to claim 1, wherein the recesses 45 are arranged at precisely spaced distances from each other, or, as with the recesses 45, the printing areas 47, 48 are formed at a distance from each other. Furnace, characterized in that the blank material web (44) for forming the inner packing material (28) has a continuous printing strip (43) at its edge. The blank for manufacturing a hinged packet is produced in a factory with printing (printed areas 64, 65, 66) and at least one recess 67 for individual printing, the blank having a A method in which the individual printing is carried out in the area of the recess (67) before or after the blank is folded in the packaging machine, after which the hinged packet is completed. In the packaging machine, a packet is produced, in particular a pack of cigarettes, surrounded by a blank which can be separated from the continuous material web 44 of the inner packaging material 28 or the pouch-blank 54-in which the printing takes place. In the arrangement for printing, the printing unit 78 is preferably arranged in the region of the vertical conveying section of the material web 44, which unit is arranged in the printed mark reader 79 which is arranged in front of the unit in the conveying direction. Based on the precise control provided by the application, printing is applied to the area of the recesses 45 and 63 prepared in the material web 44, and the material web 44 is then blank assembly 81 to separate the individual blanks. Device). Apparatus for manufacturing a hinged pack of cigarettes in a rotary folding unit (83) in which a hinged packet which is almost completely folded in a region in which the hinged packet can be folded can be pressed radially into the packet passage (87). In the area of the packet passage 87, printing is performed by a printing member 88 arranged on the packet passage 87 in the horizontally aligned outer packet side flap 15 of the hinged packet. Device.