Labeling machine for applying labels to reusable containers

A labeling machine for applying labels to reusable containers, which comprises a conveyor for conveying containers to be labeled along an advancement path and at least one labeling assembly arranged along said advancement path, said at least one labeling assembly comprising a cutting roller fed with a label ribbon and a transfer drum, which can rotate about an axis thereof and is provided peripherally with at least one sector that is adapted, in each instance, to receive from said cutting roller, on a lateral surface thereof, a label obtained from the cutting of said label ribbon and to transfer the label to a respective container arriving on said conveyor, at a transfer region of said labeling assembly, said at least one sector having, substantially at a front end thereof with respect to a direction of rotation of said transfer drum, a leading skid which is adapted to receive in resting contact a leading end of the label transferred to the corresponding sector by said cutting roller and, substantially at a rear end thereof, a trailing skid which is adapted to receive in resting contact a trailing end of the label transferred to the corresponding sector by said cutting roller, laterally to said transfer drum there being a glue application roller for applying glue to the trailing end of the label received from said at least one sector;

• along said conveyor, upstream of said at least one labeling assembly along an advancement direction of the containers, there being spraying means for spraying a dissolvable adhesive material at least on a region of the containers which are transiting on said conveyor that is adapted to receive the labels, wherein said at least one sector has at least one movable portion which is configured to move, with respect to a remaining part of said transfer drum, between a first working condition, assumed at least when a front end of said at least one sector passes in front of said glue application roller, wherein the front end of said at least one sector is arranged in a position that is close to the axis of said transfer drum, in order to prevent application of glue by said glue application roller to the leading end of the label received from said at least one sector, and a second working condition, assumed at least when the front end of said at least one sector passes substantially in front of said transfer region, wherein the front end of said at least one sector is arranged in a position that is spaced apart from the axis of said transfer drum, in order to allow adhesion of the leading end of the label received from said at least one sector to the corresponding container.

A method for labeling containers, which comprises the steps of:

• advancing, along an advancement path, containers to be labeled;
• spraying a dissolvable adhesive material at least on a region of the containers that is adapted to receive the labels;
• cutting a label ribbon in order to obtain labels to be applied to the containers;
• feeding the labels to a transfer drum thus placing each label on a respective sector of said transfer drum;
• rotationally moving said transfer drum about an axis thereof in order to make the labels fed to said transfer drum pass in front of a glue application roller, so as to apply the glue to a trailing end of the labels, and in order to subsequently move a leading end of the labels fed to said transfer drum so that the leading end adheres to the respective containers by means of said dissolvable adhesive material at a transfer region of said labeling assembly,
• further comprising the steps of positioning a movable portion of each sector in a first working condition, prior to a passing of the corresponding sector in front of said glue application roller, in order to arrange a front end of the corresponding sector in a position that is close to the axis of the transfer drum, in order to prevent application of glue by said glue application roller to the leading end of the label received from the corresponding sector, and of positioning said movable portion of each sector in a second working condition, prior to the arrival of the corresponding sector at said transfer region, in order to arrange a front end of the corresponding sector in a position that is spaced apart from the axis of said transfer drum, in order to allow adhesion of the leading end of the label received from the corresponding sector to the corresponding container.