Method, a transfer drum and an apparatus for labeling articles

A labeling apparatus for applying labels onto a succession of articles, comprising:

• a transfer drum having a central axis and being configured to retain on an outer surface of the transfer drum itself at least one label and adapted to convey through rotation around the central axis the at least one label along a path from a receiving station to a label application station at which the at least one label is applied to one respective article;
• and
• a glue application roller having an outer lateral surface and being mounted tangentially adjacent to the transfer drum, adapted to rotate about a rotation axis parallel to the central axis, and configured to apply a pattern of glue onto the at least one label at a glue application station interposed between the receiving station and the label application station along the path,
• wherein the transfer drum comprises a plurality of pad assemblies arranged along a peripheral portion, each one adapted to interact with a leading edge or a trailing edge of the at least one label for retaining the at least one label on the outer surface of the transfer drum,
• wherein the transfer drum further comprises pad assembly alignment means configured to modify the orientation and/or position of each one of the plurality of pad assemblies to a respective working configuration for aligning each one of the plurality of pad assemblies with respect to the outer lateral surface of the glue application roller at the glue application station, and
• wherein each working configuration is fixed during rotation of the transfer drum around the central axis.