Joining apparatus for supporting strips of adhesive labels and a joining process for supporting strips of adhesive labels

A joining process for supporting a first supporting strip with first adhesive labels and a second supporting strip with second adhesive labels conveyed by a labelling machine along a conveying direction between a starting reel and a collection reel, comprising steps of:

• arranging on a labelling machine a joining apparatus comprising a first module and a second module that can be moved with respect to one another between a distanced configuration and a neared configuration, each of the first module is configured to convey the first supporting strip comprising the first adhesive labels and the second module is configured to convey the second supporting strip comprising the second adhesive labels, each of said first module and second module comprise:
• at least one conveying element configured to convey one of the first supporting strip or the second supporting strip;
• at least one cutting element arranged along said conveying direction and configured to cut one of the first supporting strip or the second supporting strip at a joining zone of the one of the first supporting strip or the second supporting strip;
• at least one joining element arranged along said conveying direction and that can be configured in a first operating position, wherein the at least one joining element keeps in position at least one joining zone of one of the first supporting strip or the second supporting strip, and in a second operating position, wherein the at least one joining element joins a first joining zone of the at least one joining zone of the first supporting strip to a second joining zone of the at least one joining zone of the second supporting strips at least one of the at least one joining element being removable to allow an introduction of at least one fixing element of the first module of the second module when the first module and the second modules are in the neared configuration;
• at least one locking element arranged along said conveying direction and that can be configured between an active position, wherein it prevents the conveying of at least one of the first supporting strip or the second supporting strip, and a passive position, wherein it allows the conveying of at least one of the first supporting strip or the second supporting strip;
• starting the conveying of the first supporting strip along said conveying direction by means of the first module of said apparatus;
• arranging the second module in the distanced configuration from said first module;
• arranging the second joining zone of the second supporting strip at the at least one joining element of said second module;
• arranging said second module in the neared configuration with said first module;
• removing the at least one joining element of the first module from said first module during the conveying of said first supporting strip for positioning a fixing element to the at least one joining element, the fixing element being configured to be kept in position by the first joining element;
• reintroducing into position within said first module said at least one joining element of de first module and the related fixing element;
• arranging the at least one locking element of the first module and the at least one locking element of the second module in the active position for temporarily preventing the conveying of said first supporting strip;
• activating the at least one cutting element of said first module for performing a cut at the first joining zone of the first supporting strip;
• arranging the at least one locking elements of the first module and the at least one locking element of the second module in the passive position for conveying said first supporting strip for a predefined stretch;
• arranging the at least one joining elements in the second operating position in order to perform joining between the first joining zone of the first supporting strip and the second joining zone of the second supporting strip by applying said fixing element on a rear surface of at least one of the first supporting strip and the second supporting strip, in at least one of the first joining zone and the second joining zone, that is without adhesive labels so as to join and convey said second supporting strip along said conveying direction.

A joining apparatus for supporting a first supporting strip with first adhesive labels and a second supporting strip with second adhesive labels conveyed by a labelling machine along a conveying direction between a respective starting reel and a collection reel, said joining apparatus comprising:

• a first module and a second module that can be moved with respect to one other between a distanced configuration and a neared configuration, the first module being configured to convey the first supporting strip with the first adhesive labels and the second module configured to convey the second supporting strip with the second adhesive labels, said first module comprises:
• at least one conveying element configured to convey the first supporting strip;
• a cutting element arranged along said conveying direction and configured to cut the first supporting strip at a first joining zone of the first supporting strip;
• at least one joining element cooperating with each of the first module and the second module, the at least one joining element being arranged along said conveying direction and is configured to, in a first operating position, keep in position a joining zone of the first supporting strip and/or a fixing element and configured to, in a second operation position, abut the at least one joining element of the first module against that at least one joining element of the second module so as to join a first joining zone of a first supporting strip to a second joining zone of a second supporting strip;
• a locking element arranged along said conveying direction is configured to prevent conveyance of the first supporting strip in an active position and is configured to allow conveyance of the first supporting strip in a passive position;
• wherein the at least one joining element of the first module is configured to be removable from the first module so as to leave free, in a removed configuration, an access compartment extending through the first module and transversally to the conveying direction at the first module to allow an introduction of the fixing element when the first module and the second module are in the neared configuration.