Marking method and marked receptacle
AssigneeAirnov, Inc.
InventorsMark Florez, Valere Logel, Randy Powell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for marking of a receptacle while it is moved along a conveying path, including: moving the receptacle in a marking station along the conveying path; and simultaneously marking a first surface region and a second surface region of the receptacle while it is moved in the marking station along the conveying path, using a first laser beam and a second laser beam emitted in opposite directions on both sides of the receptacle, transversally to a conveying direction of the receptacle, wherein the first and second surface regions are arranged substantially at 180° from each other with respect to a main axis of the receptacle.
Claims21
A method for the marking of a receptacle while it is moved along a conveying path, the method comprising:
- moving the receptacle in a marking station along the conveying path in a conveying direction;
- and
- simultaneously marking a first surface region and a second surface region of the receptacle while it is moved in the marking station along the conveying path, using a first laser beam and a second laser beam emitted in opposite directions on two sides of the receptacle, transversally to the conveying direction, wherein the first and second surface regions are arranged substantially at 180° from each other with respect to a main axis of the receptacle,
- wherein the first laser beam is emitted by a first laser device and the second laser beam is emitted by a second laser device, wherein the first and second laser devices each comprise a respective laser source,
- wherein each of the first and second laser beams is focused in the form of a laser spot in a focal plane corresponding to the respective surface region to be marked,
- wherein, in each surface region to be marked, successive laser-marked dots, arranged in lines such that a width of each line corresponds to a diameter of one laser-marked dot, are marked by moving the laser spot produced by the respective laser beam among the first and second laser beams in the focal plane according to a scanning trajectory, wherein each laser beam among the first and second laser beams is a pulsed laser beam, with a repetition rate and a laser scanning speed adapted in such a way that, during the marking of each line of laser-marked dots in the respective surface region by moving the laser spot produced by the respective laser beam, a ratio of a length of an overlap zone between two successive positions of the laser spot to a spot diameter of the laser spot is higher than or equal to 0.15.
A laser-marked receptacle for use in a packaging filled with sensitive products such as food, nutraceutical products, pharmaceutical products or diagnostic products, wherein said laser-marked receptacle comprises on its outer surface two laser-marked surface regions arranged substantially at 180° from each other with respect to a main axis of the receptacle, wherein each laser-marked surface region comprises a respective marked pattern formed of a plurality of laser-marked dots resulting from a color change of material of the outer surface under the effect of a photochemical reaction induced by a laser beam, wherein, in each laser-marked surface region, the marked pattern is formed by straight and curved line segments each comprising a single row of laser-marked dots, such that a width of each line segment corresponds to a diameter of one laser-marked dot, wherein, for each line segment of each laser-marked surface region, all of the successive laser-marked dots forming the line segment are connected to each other in an overlap zone such that, for all pairs of successive laser-marked dots, a ratio of a length of the overlap zone between the two successive laser-marked dots in a longitudinal direction of the line to a diameter of each laser-marked dot is higher than or equal to 0.15, both for straight and curved line segments.
An apparatus for the marking of successive receptacles in a marking station, such that in each laser-marked surface region of the laser-marked receptacles, the laser-marked dots are arranged in lines such that a width of each line corresponds to a diameter of one laser-marked dot, the apparatus comprising:
- a conveyor for moving successive receptacles in the marking station along a conveying path;
- a first laser device and a second laser device each comprising a respective laser source, which are located on both sides of the conveying path and configured to emit two laser beams in opposite directions, transversally to a running direction of the conveyor, wherein
- the laser beam of the first laser device is focused in the form of a laser spot in a first focal plane corresponding to a first surface region of a receptacle passing in the marking station, and
- the laser beam of the second laser device is focused in the form of a laser spot in a second focal plane corresponding to a second surface region of a receptacle passing in the marking station,
- wherein for each receptacle, the first and second surface regions are arranged substantially at 180° from each other with respect to a main axis of the receptacle;
- and
- a controller configured to control the first and second-laser devices as a function of a speed of the conveyor and a triggering time,
- wherein, in each surface region to be marked, successive laser-marked dots, arranged in lines such that a width of each line corresponds to a diameter of one laser-marked dot, are marked by moving the laser spot produced by the respective laser beam in the focal plane according to a scanning trajectory,
- wherein each laser beam is a pulsed laser beam, with a repetition rate and a laser scanning speed adapted in such a way that, during the marking of each line of laser-marked dots in the respective surface region by moving the laser spot produced by the respective laser beam, a ratio of a length of an overlap zone between two successive positions of the laser spot to a spot diameter of the laser spot is higher than or equal to 0.15.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.