Laser-writable marking label

The invention relates to a composition for producing a laser-inscribable identification plate for attachment to an assembly to be labeled according to the preamble of claim 1, a laser-inscribable identification plate and a method for producing a laser-inscribable identification plate.

Such a composition for producing a laser-inscribable identification plate contains a polymeric plastic and a filler.

Identification plates made from a polymeric plastic should be capable of being written on in a permanent manner. Polymer plastics such as polypropylene are sometimes difficult to print, for example by means of thermal transfer printing or inkjet printing. It is true that pretreatment processes such as plasma activation and / or primer coating can improve the printability. However, such pretreatment or coating processes have only limited long-term stability and therefore only allow a reduced shelf life, for example over a few weeks, so that prefabrication of identification plates and delivery for use and labeling by a customer is only possible to a limited extent.

For this reason, a label of the present type should be laser-inscribable. In order to ensure such laser inscribability, the composition for producing the identification plate has, in addition to a polymeric plastic, for example an additive to enable a marking to be applied using a laser inscription system, for example using a laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm.

Laser-inscribable identification plates are used, for example, to mark systems or cables, in particular electrical cables. Such laser-inscribable identification plates can be used in different industrial areas, for example in the food industry, in which high demands are placed on the durability, resistance and hygiene of such laser-inscribable identification plates.

Identification plates, which are used in the food industry to mark cables or systems, are usually after they have been attached

To exclude contamination by germs, cleaned by comparatively aggressive LU101796 cleaning agents, which can possibly impair the condition of a label over its service life. It must be ensured that components of identification labels do not get into processed food, for example due to damage or destruction. The identification labels should therefore also be resistant to aggressive cleaning agents, so that material entry into food is prevented as far as possible, and it should also be ensured that components of identification labels in food can be recognized if material entry does occur.

DE 10 2004 027 622 A1 describes a laser beam marking method for marking surfaces of polymer materials. The method should be particularly suitable for labeling conductor labels. The polymer material can have particulate fillers, for example organic fillers (carbon) or inorganic fillers (aluminum, iron).

EP 1 108 747 A1 describes a laser-markable plastic, for example for the identification and inscription of cables and lines, which has dopants in the form of powdered graphite.

The object of the present invention is to provide a composition for producing a laser-inscribable identification plate, a laser-inscribable identification plate and a method for producing a laser-inscribable identification plate which, in the case of an identification plate, is easy to write on and also can be used in critical environments, for example in the Food industry, and thereby enable detectability in the event of material entry, for example in food.

This object is achieved by an object with the features of claim 1.

Accordingly, when the filler is composed, it has graphene particles, barium particles and / or barium sulfate particles.

In the context of the composition, a polymeric plastic is used that is mixed with a filler. The filler comprises graphene particles, barium particles and / or barium sulfate particles. The use of the filler ensures that an object produced from the composition is detectable and thus

Particles of such an article if, for example, when using an LU101796 identification label produced by means of the composition in the

Food industry get into food, can be detected.

Contamination, for example in food, due to the entry of material on a label, caused for example by damage to or destruction of the label, for example due to cleaning of the label with an aggressive cleaning agent, can thus be detected so that process reliability can be improved in the context of food processing.

The polymeric plastic of the composition can be, for example, polypropylene, polyethylene, PVC, TPU, TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), TPE-S (i.e. a thermoplastic elastomer with a different elastomer component, such as a styrene block copolymer (SBS, SEBS or SEPS)), TPV , PP / PA, polyketone, PA, ABS, PET and / or PMMA. The polymeric plastic can have homopolymers (that is, polymers that are built up from only one monomer unit) and / or copolymers (that is, polymers that are composed of two or more different types of monomer). The polymeric plastic can consist of just one substance (for example polypropylene) or in the form of a blend as a mixture of several different polymers, also referred to as a polyblend.

Graphene, barium or barium sulfate is an organic material that is added to the polymeric plastic and enables laser marking. Laser marking is permanent and stable, even if a label made from the composition comes into contact with aggressive cleaning agents, oils or other chemical media.

Graphene is a modification of carbon with a two-dimensional structure, in which each carbon atom is surrounded by three additional carbon atoms at an angle of 120 °, resulting in a honeycomb-shaped pattern. Graphene therefore consists of single-layer carbon layers. The use of graphene as a filler can be advantageous, for example in comparison to graphite, for example to enable variable coloring (coloring) on ​​an identification plate. Graphene can be detected, for example with an X-ray detection method, an inductive detection method or a magnetic detection method, so that a

Identification label or components thereof can be recognized in a simple manner, for example in LU101796 foods.

Barium or barium sulfate can be used as another filler. In particular, barium or barium sulfate can enable improved detectability.

Particles made of graphene, barium or barium sulfate can be used separately or in combination as a filler.

The composition containing a polymeric plastic and a filler containing graphite particles, barium particles and / or barium sulfate particles can have a low liquid absorption.

The proportion of filler in the composition can, for example, be between 5 percent by weight and 35 percent by weight (also referred to as mass fraction).

Polymeric plastics such as, for example, polypropylene, cannot usually be easily marked with a laser marking system, for example using a laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm (as in the case of an Nd: YAG laser). In the case of a label made from the composition, it can be written on, in particular with a laser at a wavelength of 1064 nm, for example by adding an additive to the composition.

The composition may contain a colorant, for example in the form of a dye (soluble in water or another solvent) or in the form of pigments. Such a colorant can be used to color the composition in order to give a specific color to an identification label produced using the composition. The composition can in principle be colored with any color using the colorant.

The object is also achieved by a laser-inscribable identification plate for attachment to an assembly to be identified, which is made from a composition of the type described. The identification label can, for example, have a marking field on which suitable lettering, for example in the form of letters, numbers, symbols or other characters, can be attached in order to appropriately identify an assembly to which the identification label is to be attached.

LU101796 The identification label can, for example, be flexible, for example by being formed from a flexible, bendable film. Alternatively, however, the identification label can also be (largely) rigid and essentially non-bendable.

In one embodiment, the identification label has an engagement opening and an engagement section that can be guided through the engagement opening. The identification label can thus be attached to an assembly to be marked, for example a cable, in that the identification label is placed around the assembly and the engagement section is guided through the engagement opening. In the attached position, the engagement section engages in the engagement opening, so that the identification label is thereby fixed on the assembly to be marked.

The identification label can be designed, for example, as a strip extending longitudinally along a longitudinal direction. The strip can be flexible here, so that the identification label can be placed around the assembly to be marked, for example a cable, in order to fix the identification label on the assembly in this way.

The engagement opening can be spaced apart from the engagement section along the longitudinal direction, so that by placing the identification label around the assembly to be marked and by guiding the engagement section through the engagement opening, a loop can be formed which engages around the assembly to be marked and thus fixes the identification label on the assembly .

The engagement section can for example have a waist which enables a fastening engagement of the engagement section in the engagement opening. Because the waistline lies in the engagement opening, the engagement section can be fixed axially to the engagement opening, so that a loop formed by placing the identification label around the assembly to be marked is essentially fixed in size.

In one embodiment, the engagement section can have a plurality of sidewalls axially lined up along the longitudinal direction and thus offset from one another, so that loops of different sizes can be formed by laying the marking strip around the assembly to be marked.

The waist can, in one embodiment, by at least one compared to one. |_Mn-i7QR outer section recessed section of the identification plate.

The waist is thus formed in that the (strip-shaped) identification plate has a reduced width (measured transversely to the longitudinal direction) in the region of the waist.

In one embodiment, the recessed section can be formed on one side of the identification plate.

In another embodiment, the engagement section for forming the waist on opposite sides of the identification plate that are spaced apart transversely to the longitudinal direction can each have at least one recessed section, so that the identification plate in the area of ​​the engagement section for forming the waist is set back inward on sides facing away from one another, Has recessed sections and thus the width of the identification plate is reduced at a waist.

If several sidewalls are provided, recessed sections are lined up along the longitudinal direction.

The object is also achieved by a method for producing a laser-inscribable identification plate for attachment to an assembly to be identified. The method comprises at least the following steps: providing a composition containing a polymeric plastic and a filler, and molding the identification plate from the composition. The filler contains graphene particles, barium particles and / or barium sulfate particles.

With regard to advantages and advantageous configurations, reference should also be made to what has been stated above with regard to the composition and the identification label.

In the context of the method, the composition can be provided as granules, for example. The granulate is further processed to produce the identification label, in particular melted, shaped into a profile or a film and optionally cut or reworked in some other way in order to obtain the identification label.

The production of the identification plate can, for example, in one embodiment,., _Mm7QR

I-LJ IUI / vü by means of plastic injection molding.

In another embodiment, the identification label can be obtained by extrusion and a subsequent cutting process. As part of the cutting process, for example, the identification label is cut to size from a larger structural unit, for example a film or a profile part, for example using a laser for cutting or a punching process using a punching tool.

When the identification plate is manufactured by means of extrusion, the composition for forming the identification plate can, in one embodiment, be melted in an extrusion device and shaped into a film or profile in a molding tool. The film or the profile can then be fed to a calender plant, for example in the form of a roller calender. A roller calender can, for example, be designed to roll a flat film and for this purpose can have at least three rollers, for example.

For example, the identification plate can be manufactured using a film manufactured by means of extrusion and subsequent calendering. Such a film can be manufactured by the manufacturer of the label itself. Such a film can, however, also be produced by an external extruder with a granulate made available and made available to the manufacturer of the identification plate.

The film can, for example, initially be obtained as a continuous film. In a subsequent step, the film or the profile is cut in a cutting tool in order, for example, to obtain film sections (so-called sheets). The cutting can take place, for example, by means of laser cutting or by means of punching using a punching tool. In the course of the same or a further cutting process, one or more identification plates with the desired shape are cut from the film or the film section. For example, several identical or different identification plates can be cut together from a (single) film section.

In one embodiment, before or after the identification plates are cut from the film, a deep-drawing process is carried out in order to form an identification plate in a three-dimensional manner. If such a deep drawing process is carried out before cutting.,_{M m 7QR}used, the film or the profile can be deep-drawn as a whole. If the deep-drawing process is used after cutting, the initially flat identification plate obtained after cutting is fed to a deep-drawing system and thus formed in a three-dimensional manner by deep-drawing.

In one embodiment, the identification label is inscribed after molding using a laser inscription device, for example with a laser at a wavelength of 1064 nm. Such labeling can be done by the manufacturer of the identification label or, if necessary, also after the manufacturer has delivered the identification label to a customer on the part of the customer. The label manufactured by the manufacturer using the composition can preferably also be stored for a longer period of time, so that a longer period of time, for example longer than 6 months, can lie between the production of the label by the manufacturer and the labeling, for example by the customer.

By using a manufacturing process of the type described, identification plates can also be implemented economically in small or very small series. This makes it possible to manufacture identification plates based on specific customer specifications, with reasonable process and tool costs.

The idea on which the invention is based will be explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures. Show it:

1 shows a view of an exemplary embodiment of an identification plate in the form of a flexible strip on an assembly to be identified, for example a cable;

2 shows a view of an embodiment of an identification plate; and

3 shows a view of a production process for the production of identification plates.

1 shows an exemplary embodiment of an identification plate 1 which is used to mark an assembly, for example a cable 2, for example an electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic line.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the identification plate 1 is designed as a flexible strip which is wrapped around the cable 2 and has a marking field 10 on which suitable lettering can be attached.

A label can be any type of mark used for marking. Labeling can in particular include letters or numbers or also symbols or other marking instructions.

In the illustrated embodiment, the identification plate 1 is attached to the cable 2 in that the identification plate 1 is passed with one end 11 through an engagement opening 120 in the area of ​​an end 12 of the identification plate 1 remote from the end 11. In the fastened state, an engagement section 13 lies in the engagement opening 120, so that the identification label 1 forms a loop through which the cable 2 extends and by means of which the identification label 1 is thus held on the cable 2.

The identification plate 1, which in the illustrated embodiment is designed as an elongated, flexible strip, is made of a composition which has a polymeric plastic and also a filler containing graphene particles, barium particles and / or barium sulfate particles. The polymeric plastic of the composition can be, for example, polypropylene, polyethylene, PVC, TPU, TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), TPV, PP / PA, polyketone, PA, ABS, PET and / or PMMA.

The filler enables the material of the label 1 to be detected, so that, particularly when the label 1 is used in the food industry, it can be detected whether the material of the label 1 leads to contamination in food processing, for example due to a material ingress if the label 1 is damaged or destroyed processed foods.

The filler can, for example, make up a proportion of 5 percent by weight to 35 percent by weight, for example 20-25 percent by weight, in the composition for producing the identification plate 1.

The composition can be colored with a colorant, for example a dye or LU101796 pigments. For example, a blue coloration (RAL 5012) is conceivable and possible, whereby in principle any color can be used.

Other substances, in particular additives, for example mineral substances such as talc, can also be added to the composition, for example in order to increase the stability of the composition for the manufacture of the identification plate 1.

An exemplary embodiment of an identification plate 1 before it is attached to an assembly to be identified, for example a cable 2, is shown in FIG. 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the identification plate 1 is elongated along a longitudinal direction L and is designed as a strip with essentially the same width along its length (apart from an engagement section 13 formed approximately in the center of the identification plate 1).

In the area of ​​one end 11, a marking field 10 is provided, on which marking can be applied using a laser marking system.

In the area of ​​an end 12 facing away from the end 11, on the other hand, an engagement opening 120 is formed, which forms an essentially circular opening section 121 and a slot opening 122 adjoining the opening section 121 and is shaped in such a way that the identification plate 1 with the end 11 through the engagement opening 120 can be passed through in order to fix the identification label 1 on an associated assembly to be identified, for example a cable 2.

An engagement section 13 is formed between the end 11 and the end 12, which in the illustrated embodiment has a plurality of sidewalls 131 which are lined up along the longitudinal direction L and in the region of which the width of the measured along a transverse direction Q transversely to the longitudinal direction L Identification plate 1 is reduced compared to the outer width of the strip-shaped identification plate 1.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the sidewalls 131 are formed by recessed sections formed on both sides of the identification plate 1. A recessed section on one side 14 of the identification plate 1 is assigned to an opposite recessed section on a side of the identification plate 1 facing away from the side 14, so that in the area of ​​each waist 131 the width of the identifying step 1 is reduced by indentations on both sides. The recessed sections on each side 14, 15 of the identification plate 1 are separated from one another by outer, projecting sections 130, so that a corrugated structure results on each side 14, 15 in the area of ​​the engagement section 13.

The side-by-side sidewalls 131 enable the identification label 1 to be placed around an assigned assembly, for example a cable 2, so that loops of different sizes can be formed. In a fixed position, the engagement section 13 engages in the engagement opening 120, a waist 131 coming to lie in the region of the essentially circular opening section 121 of the engagement opening 120 and the size of the loop formed by the identification plate 1 being fixed. Because different waistlines 131 can be brought into engagement with the opening section 121, the size of the loop formed by the identification label 1 can be adapted and the identification label 1 can thus be attached to different assemblies, for example cables 2 with different cable diameters.

3 illustrates a production process for producing identification plates 1.

To produce identification plates 1, a composition containing a polymeric plastic and a filler, for example in the form of a granulate G, can be provided and fed to an extrusion device 30 (extruder), in which the granulate G is melted and fed to a molding tool 31 for molding.

The molding tool 31 can, for example, shape the melted material into a film F which, for example, has a width between 50 mm and 200 mm, for example 110 mm. The film F is fed along a feed direction to a calender unit 32, for example a 3-roll calender, which rolls the film flat, for example to a thickness between 0.5 mm and 1 mm, for example 0.8 mm.

The film F obtained in this way is, for example, wound up as a continuous film and, if necessary, temporarily stored and then fed to cutting tools 33, 34, for example so-called CO2 cutters, which cut the continuous film into individual pieces, for example with a length between 50 mm and 200 mm, for example 100 mm. , _Mm7QR

I- LJ IUI / O cut to length so that individual film sections S (so-called sheets) are obtained.

The film sections S can now, on the part of the manufacturer of the film sections S or after delivery on the part of a customer, be fed to a further cutting tool 35 which cuts one or more identification plates 1 out of an individual film section S. The cutting tool 35 can again be, for example, a so-called CO2 cutting laser.

The identification plates 1 obtained in this way are then fed to a laser labeling device 36 which inscribes the identification plates 1 and for this purpose applies a suitable marking to the marking field 10 of each identification plate 1.

The cutting in the cutting tool 35 can take place in such a way that the identification plates 1 are indeed cut into a film section S, but the identification plates 1 are not yet separated from one another. This has the advantage that several identification labels 1 can be fed to the laser inscription device 36 as a coherent film section S in order to be inscribed in the laser inscription device 36. After the labeling, the identification labels 1 can then be detached from the film section S, for example by cutting, tearing or kinking, in order to attach the identification labels 1 for marking to the respectively assigned assemblies, for example cables 2.

The idea on which the invention is based is not restricted to the exemplary embodiments described above, but can also be implemented in a different manner.

Identification plates of the type described can be used to identify very different assemblies and are therefore not limited to being attached to cables.

By using the composition described, such identification plates can be laser-inscribed in a favorable manner, so that permanent inscription is obtained that is insensitive to mechanical or chemical influences.

The material of a label made from the composition described can have a low liquid absorption and can also be detectable, for example, using an X-ray detection method , an inductive detection method or a magnetic detection method, so that the label can be used in critical areas, for example in the food industry .

List of reference symbols

<td> 1</td><td>Identification label</td>

<td> 10</td><td>Check box</td>

<td> 11</td><td>end</td>

<td> 12</td><td>end</td>

<td> 120</td><td>Engagement opening</td>

<td> 121</td><td>Wide opening section</td>

<td> 122</td><td>Slot opening</td>

<td> 13</td><td>Engagement section</td>

<td> 130</td><td>Outer section</td>

<td> 131</td><td>Sidecut (recessed section)</td>

<td> 14, 15</td><td>pages</td>

<td> 2</td><td>Assembly (cable)</td>

<td> 3</td><td>Manufacturing facility</td>

<td> 30</td><td>Extrusion device (extruder)</td>

<td> 300</td><td>Feed chute</td>

<td> 31</td><td>Forming tool</td>

<td> 32</td><td>Calender mill</td>

<td> 33</td><td>Cutting tool</td>

<td> 34</td><td>Cutting tool</td>

<td> 35</td><td>Cutting tool</td>

<td> 36</td><td>Laser marking device</td>

<td>F.</td><td>foil</td>

<td>G</td><td>granules</td>

<td>L.</td><td>Longitudinal direction</td>

<td>Q</td><td>Transverse direction</td>

<td>S.</td><td>Foil section</td>

Claims LU101796