An apparatus for removing a defective label from a label support tape, comprising:
- a first return roller of a label support tape, arranged and configured so as to receive a label support tape coming from a printing station of information on the labels present on the support tape and from a checking and control station of the compliance of the information printed on the labels;
- at least a second return roller of the support tape arranged downstream with respect to the first return roller so as to receive the support tape coming from the first return roller and arranged and configured so as to direct the support tape towards advancement rollers of the support tape to a label application station;
- at least a return member of the support tape arranged between the first return roller and the second return roller, wherein the at least a return member is conformed in such a way as to comprise a main body and a contact portion, borne by the main body, for contact with the support tape in such a way that the support tape winds about the contact portion and has a predetermined unwinding path between the first return roller and the second return roller, and thus between the printing station and the advancement rollers of the support tape towards the label application station;
- characterised in that the main body of the at least a return member is activatable in rotation about a respective rotation axis and in that the contact portion of the at least a return member is shaped in such a way as:
- to comprise a first contact part, which is conformed as a portion of cylinder having a portion of cylindrical surface, for the contact and winding of the support tape, which is arranged eccentric with respect to the rotation axis of the main body, wherein the portion of cylindrical surface is conformed in such a way that the labels present on the support tape remain on the support tape when the support tape winds about a part of the portion of cylindrical surface;
- and comprises a second contact part, arranged on the opposite side to the first contact part with respect to the rotation axis of the main body, which is conformed in such a way as to comprise two surfaces converging with respect to one another in such a way as to form a cusp, for the contact and winding of the support tape, wherein the cusp is conformed in such a way that the labels present on the support tape detach from the support tape when the support tape winds on the two converging surfaces of the cusp;
- wherein the main body is activatable in rotation about the respective rotation axis in a first rotation direction in order to arrange a part of the portion of cylindrical surface of the first contact part in contact with the support tape so as to leave on the support tape the labels recognised as compliant by the checking and control station, and wherein the main body is instead activatable in rotation about the respective rotation axis in a second rotation direction so as to arrange the two converging surfaces of the cusp of the second contact part in contact with the support tape so as to detach a label from the support tape which label has been recognised as non-compliant in the passage thereof from the checking and control station;
- with the portion of cylindrical surface of the first contact part being arranged eccentric with respect to the rotation axis of the main body and with the first contact part and the second contact part of the contact portion being configured and conformed in such a way that, both when the main body is rotated about the respective rotation axis in order to arrange a part of the portion of cylindrical surface of the first contact part in contact with the support tape and when the main body is rotated about the respective rotation axis so as to arrange the two surfaces that are convergent to one another to form the cusp of the second contact part in contact with the support tape, the support tape winds about a part of the portion of cylindrical surface of the first contact part of the contact portion or on the two converging surfaces of the cusp of the second contact part always between a first contact point and a second contact point in such a way that the support tape maintains unaltered its predetermined unwinding path between the printing station and the advancement rollers of the support tape towards the label application station.