ARRANGEMENT AND METHOD FOR PACKAGING A LIQUID CONSUMABLE PRODUCT IN A PACKAGE

Abstract

The invention relates to an arrangement adapted to package a liquid consumable product in a package. The arrangement comprises an infeed to provide prepared packaging material having a first side (6) and a second side (7), said second side (7) being adapted to be in contact with the consumable product, a digital printing system (4) coupled to said infeed and adapted to print at least one color onto at least a portion of the first side (6) of the prepared packaging material, a sterilization system (8) having a low voltage electron beam device (12) adapted to emit an electron beam on said first and second side (6, 7) of said packaging material, and a packaging machine (9) coupled to an outfeed of the digital printing system (4) and adapted to provide a package from said prepared packaging material, said package being filled with the consumable product. The invention also relates to a method for packaging a liquid consumable product in a package.

Claims

1. An arrangement adapted to package a liquid consumable product in a package, the arrangement comprising an infeed configured to provide prepared packaging material having a first side and a second side, said second side being adapted to be in contact with the consumable product; a digital printing system coupled to said infeed and adapted to print at least one color onto at least a portion of the first side of the prepared packaging material, a sterilization system comprising a low voltage electron beam device adapted to emit an electron beam on said first side and/or said second side of said 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 being filled with the consumable product.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a sterilization chamber configured to encapsulate said sterilization system to prevent radiation from leaking into the environment outside of said sterilization system.

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 configured 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 1, wherein the packaging machine comprises one of: a first filling machine for web based packaging material; a second filling machine for sheet based packaging material; a web based tube filling machine; or a tube based filling machine.

10. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the packaging machine comprises: a splicing unit configured to splice together prepared packaging material from two reels, and a bypass configured to feed in prepared packaging material from the digital printing system, wherein the splicing unit is further configured to splice prepared packaging material from the digital printing system to other prepared packaging material.

11. 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 the printed packaging material with the packaging machine.

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

13. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said digital printing system is adapted to print a unique print onto said first side of the prepared packaging material.

14. 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.

15. The arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the curing device comprises an electron beam device.

16. The arrangement according to claim 14, wherein said prepared packaging material comprises a pre-printed portion on said first side of the prepared packaging material.

17. A method for packaging a liquid consumable product in a package, comprising providing a packaging material to an infeed of a packaging arrangement, said packaging material having a first side and a second side being adapted to be in contact with the liquid consumable product, printing at least one color onto at least a portion of the first side of the prepared packaging material using a printing system of said packaging arrangement, sterilizing said packaging material by emitting an electron beam on said first side and/or said second side of said packaging material using a low voltage electron beam device of said packaging arrangement, providing a package from said prepared packaging material using a packaging machine of said packaging arrangement, and filling said package with said liquid consumable product.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] 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:

[0027] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the arrangement adapted to package a liquid consumable product according to one exemplary embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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. The printing system 4 preferably contains one or more encapsulated areas 5 adapted to enhance the fulfilment of food handling requirements. The encapsulated areas 5 may be provided with a gas flow to provide an elevated sub-pressure in the encapsulated area 5 so that an inward directed flow of gas to the encapsulated area 5 is induced, ensureing 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 gas flow, for example a suitable mechanical arrangement and or the usage of appropriately designed seals.

[0030] The arrangement further comprises a sterilization system 8. The sterilization system 8 has a low voltage electron beam device 12 adapted to emit an electron beam on said first and second side 6, 7 of said prepared packaging material. By using such a low voltage electron beam device 12, the hydrogen peroxide bath may be eliminated from the sterilization process. Instead, the low voltage electron beam device will sterilize the prepared packaging material by emitting an electron beam on the first and second side 6, 7 of said prepared packaging material. Thus, in practice, there is no contact (direct or indirect) between the first and second side 6, 7 which will reduce any risk of contamination. Also, the electron beam will cure the printed ink on the first side 6 of the prepared packaging material, thereby ensuring a better attachment of said print to said prepared packaging material and contribute totally or partially to finalize the polymerization of the said ink making the print more resistant to wear. The sterilization system 8 is encapsulated by a sterilization chamber 13 in order to prevent radiation from leaking into the environment outside of said sterilization system 8.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.