Process and apparatus for manufacturing a foamed resin container with a label

An apparatus for producing a foamed resin container with a label provided on a circumferential surface thereof by automatically performing a process sequence from a label punching step to an integral molding step, comprising:

• a sheet feeding device having a mechanism which is capable of positioning each of label bodies printed on a continuous sheet;
• a label punching device which includes a punching mechanism for punching the supplied sheet in order to obtain a label in a predetermined configuration, and a label reception platform adapted to fix the label thereon at a position where the label has been punched and to be movable to a predetermined position with respect to a dummy core mold;
• a device for winding up the sheet after the punching of the label;
• a cavity mold provided in association with the dummy core mold so that the cavity mold can be matched with the dummy core mold, the dummy core mold having vent holes for suction to fix the label around the dummy core mold after the label is wound around the dummy core mold by a pressurized gas jet mechanism;
• and
• a core mold provided in association with the cavity mold so that the cavity mold can be matched with the core mold, the cavity mold having suction holes for intimately fixing the label thereon by sucking the label after the label is transferred from the dummy core mold onto an inner wall of the cavity mold, a feed hole for feeding foamable resin beads and heater means for foam molding, the cavity mold having heater means for the foam molding.

A process for producing a foamed resin container with a synthetic resin label provided on a circumferential surface thereof by integral molding, comprising steps of:

• winding the label around a dummy core mold, and retaining the label around the dummy core mold by suction through vent holes formed in the dummy core mold;
• correcting a possible positional offset of the label by stopping the suction from the dummy core mold immediately before the dummy core mold retaining the label is matched with a cavity mold, or by matching the dummy core mold with the cavity mold;
• transferring the label onto an inner wall of the cavity mold and fixing the label thereon in intimate contact therewith by pressurizing the label through the vent holes of the dummy core mold;
• separating the dummy core mold from the cavity mold with the label fixed onto the cavity inner wall in intimate contact therewith;
• and
• locking the cavity mold with a core mold with the label fixed onto the cavity inner wall in intimate contact therewith, then loading foamable resin beads, and heating the foamable resin beads for foam molding, whereby the foamed resin container is molded integrally with the label.