INLINE PRINTING WITH PACKAGING MACHINE

Abstract

An arrangement adapted to package a liquid consumable product in a package. The arrangement can include an infeed to provide prepared packaging material having a first side and a second side adapted to be in contact with the consumable product, a digital printing system coupled to the infeed and adapted to print at least one color onto at least a portion of the first side of the prepared packaging material, and a packaging machine coupled to an outfeed of the digital printing system and adapted to provide a package from said prepared packaging material. The package is filled with the consumable product, and the printed first side of the prepared packaging material does not get in contact with the second side during transport of the printed prepared packaging material from the digital printing system to the packaging machine.

Claims

1. An arrangement adapted to package a liquid consumable product in a package comprising: an infeed configured to provide prepared packaging material including a first side and a second side adapted to be in contact with the liquid consumable product; a digital printing system coupled to the infeed and adapted to print at least one color onto at least a portion of the first side of the prepared packaging material; a packaging machine coupled to an outfeed of the digital printing system and adapted to provide a package from said prepared packaging material, said package configured to be filled with the liquid consumable product; wherein the digital printing system is arranged with respect to the packaging machine such that contact between the printed first side of the prepared packaging material and a portion of the second side can be avoided during transport of the printed prepared packaging material from the digital printing system to the packaging machine.

2. (canceled)

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the infeed comprises at least two reels and a splicing unit configured to splice an end portion of prepared packaging material of one reel to a start portion of prepared packaging material of the second reel.

4. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the prepared packaging material comprises at least one of the following: a printed area on the first side at least partially surrounding an area to be printed upon by the digital printing system; one or more crease lines; at least one optical marker for positioning the prepared packaging material in the digital printing system and/or packaging machine; at least one magnetic marker for positioning the prepared packaging material in the digital printing system and/or packaging machine; a carton layer and one or more lamination layers on each side of the carton layer; an aluminium layer facing the second side of the prepared packaging material; or a dedicated opening area, which comprises at least one layer of the prepared packaging material less than the surrounding material.

5. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the digital printing system comprises a mechanical and/or an optical and/or magnetic positioning system adapted to evaluate the relative position of the prepared packaging material in view of one or more markers arranged on the prepared packaging material and/or geometric elements of the same prepared packaging material.

6. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the digital printing system is adapted to print a marking on the first side of the packaging material, said marking to be read by the packaging machine during operation.

7. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the digital printing system is arranged on a movable platform and its outfeed comprises a separable interface for coupling the digital printing system to another packaging machine.

8. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the digital printing system comprises one or more encapsulated areas, said areas being adapted to operate in a food handling environment.

9. The arrangement according to claim 8, wherein said encapsulated areas comprises a dedicated mechanism adapted to prevent migration, transport or transfer of substances from an inside of said encapsulated areas to an outside.

10. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the packaging machine comprises one of: a filling machine for web based packaging material; a filling machine for sheet based packaging material; a web based tube filling machine; and a tube based filling machine.

11. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the packaging machine comprises: a splicing unit for splicing together prepared packaging material from two reels; and a bypass for feeding in prepared packaging material from the digital printing system; wherein the splicing unit is adapted to splice prepared packaging material from the digital printing system to other prepared packaging material.

12. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the packaging machine comprises a curing device configured to finalize polymerization of ink used in the digital printing system.

13. The arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the curing device comprises an electron beam device.

14. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising: a package material buffer between the digital printing system and the packaging machine, the package material buffer configured to compensate speed fluctuations in the packaging machine and/or synchronize a position of the printed packaging material with the packaging machine.

15. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement is placed in a food handling environment, particularly in a diary.

16. An arrangement adapted to package a liquid consumable product in a package comprising: an infeed configured to provide prepared packaging material having a first side and a second side adapted to be in contact with the consumable product; a digital printing system coupled to the infeed and adapted to print at least one color onto at least a portion of the first side of the prepared packaging material; and a packaging machine coupled to an outfeed of the digital printing system and adapted to provide a package from said prepared packaging material, said package filled with the consumable product; wherein the packaging machine is arranged such that contact between one or more parts of the packaging machine that are in contact with the first side of the prepared packaging material, and the second side of the prepared packaging material can be avoided during operation of the packaging machine.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The above objects, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0021] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the arrangement adapted to package a liquid consumable product according to a first embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0022] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an arrangement adapted to package a liquid consumable product according to a first embodiment of the invention. A first reel 1 of packaging material and a second reel 2 of packaging material are connected to a splicing unit 3. Packaging material is used from one reel at a time. When one of the reels 1, 2 are out of packaging material, the splicing unit 3 will splice the end of the packaging material from the reel 1, 2 that is empty to the beginning of the packaging material of the full reel 1, 2. After the splicing, the empty reel 1, 2 may be replaced with a full reel 1, 2. In that way the machine does not have to be stopped when a new reel 1, 2 is attached.

[0023] The feed of packaging material after the splicing unit 3 is fed to the digital printing system 4. The digital printing system 4 prints on a portion of a first side 6 of the packaging material corresponding to each individual package enabling the possibility of a unique printing design on each package to at least some part. The second side 7 of the packaging material is intended to be in contact with the food.

[0024] The printing system 4 preferably contains one or more encapsulated areas 5 adapted to enhance the fulfillment of food handling requirements. The encapsulated areas 5 may be provided with a gas flow to provide elevated sub-pressure in the encapsulated area 5 so that an inward directed flow of gas to the encapsulated area 5 is induced, ensuring that unwanted substances cannot exit the encapsulated area 5 and endanger the second side 7 of the packaging material. The encapsulated area 5 of the digital printing system 4 may be provided to the first side 6 of the packaging material. Encapsulation may further be provided by other means than a gas flow, for example a suitable mechanical arrangement and or the usage of appropriately designed seals.

[0025] A curing device 8 may be applied to the feed of packaging material after the printing system 4 to cure the print on the first side 7 of the packaging material. The curing device 8 may also function as a disinfecting and sterilizing device to sterilize the packaging material. The curing device 8 could e.g. be a low voltage electron beam device both curing the ink printed onto the first side 6 of the packaging material and sterilizing the packaging materials on both sides 6, 7.

[0026] Additionally, the arrangement has a packaging machine 9 coupled to an outfeed of the digital printing system 4. The packaging machine 9 is adapted to provide a package from said prepared packaging material, which package is to be filled with the consumable product.

[0027] A package material buffer 11 may also be placed in the feed of packaging material between the digital printing system 4 and the packaging machine 9. The buffer 11 may be made of a number of movable rolls that may alter the infeed of packaging material to the packaging machine 9 to synchronize the packaging machine 9 so that the printed packaging material is positioned exactly right in the machine 9 and thus on the produced packages. The same buffer 11 may compensate eventual speed fluctuations between the packaging machine 9 and the printing system 4.

[0028] The arrangement may further be equipped with a feedback and control signal 10 from the packaging machine 9 to the digital printing system 4.

[0029] According to a further embodiment of the present invention a bypass is provided from two packaging material reels for connecting the digital printing system 4. An operator may in the splicing process, when changing reel 1, 2, choose if the next reel 1, 2 with pre-printed packaging material should be used or if packaging fed from the digital printing system 4 should be splice onto the feed so that the packaging machine 9 may change its production to produce instantly customizable printed packages in a seamless fashion. Naturally a third reel with packaging material then has to be provided for feeding packaging material to the digital printing system 4.

[0030] It is understood that other variations in the present invention are contemplated and in some instances, some features of the invention can be employed without a corresponding use of other features. It is e.g. understood that a person skilled in the art understands that all different possibilities are contemplated of having the printing system 4 and respective encapsulation 5 and curing device 8 to be all part of a standalone unit, a semi-autonomous unit, or autonomous movable platform, as well as being a full integral part of the packaging system in a modular or fully integrated manner. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention.