Linerless label

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12269237-B2
Application number	US-202117485747-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2021
Priority date	Sep 29, 2020
Publication date	Apr 8, 2025
Grant date	Apr 8, 2025

Abstract

This invention relates to a method for manufacturing a direct thermal linerless label web ( 100 ), the direct thermal linerless label web ( 100 ) comprising a face ( 110 ) having a first side ( 111 ) and a second side ( 112 ), the face comprising a direct thermal printable coating, wherein the method comprises supplying the face ( 110 ), and applying modified adhesive coating ( 121 ) on to a substrate ( 110, 611 ). The modified adhesive coating comprises water-based acrylic adhesive, and emulsified silicone additive. The method further comprises thermally drying the modified adhesive coating ( 121 ) on the substrate ( 110, 611 ) into a pressure sensitive adhesive coating ( 120 ). The substrate is the face ( 110 ) or a carrier material ( 611, 611 a, 611 b ). This invention further relates to a direct thermal linerless label web ( 100 ), and a use of a direct thermal linerless label ( 100 ) in on-demand printing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a direct thermal linerless label web ( 100 ), the direct thermal linerless label web ( 100 ) comprising a face ( 110 ) having a first side ( 111 ) and a second side ( 112 ), the face comprising
a direct thermal printable coating, and
optionally, a release coating ( 130 ) on the direct thermal printable coating, wherein the method comprises
supplying the face ( 110 ),
applying a modified adhesive coating ( 121 ) on to a substrate ( 110 , 611 ), the modified adhesive coating comprising
a) water-based acrylic adhesive comprising 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate,
b) emulsified silicone additive, the amount of the emulsified silicone additive being in a range between 1 wt. % and 6 wt. %, calculated from the total dry weight of the adhesive coating, and
c) at least one wetting agent,

and
thermally drying the modified adhesive coating ( 121 ) on the substrate ( 110 , 611 ) into a pressure sensitive adhesive coating ( 120 ),

wherein the pressure sensitive adhesive coating ( 120 ) comprising the silicone additive has a coat weight of 10 to equal to or less than 21 g/m 2 , calculated as total dry weight of the pressure sensitive adhesive coating ( 120 ); wherein the emulsified silicone additive is present in an amount of 0.1 g/m 2 to 1.3 g/m 2 , and wherein the wetting agent is present in an amount of 0.3 to 5 weight percent, calculated from a total dry weight of the pressure sensitive adhesive coating ( 120 );
wherein
i) said substrate is the face ( 110 ), and the modified adhesive coating is applied on to
the first side ( 111 ) of the face ( 110 ), or
the second side ( 112 ) of the face ( 110 )
or
ii) said substrate ( 110 , 611 ) is a carrier material ( 611 , 611 a , 611 b ), and the method further comprises the following step:
transferring the pressure sensitive adhesive coating ( 120 ) from the carrier material on to
the first side ( 111 ) of the face ( 110 ), or
the second side ( 112 ) of the face ( 110 ).

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
A)
i) said substrate is the second side ( 112 ) of the face, or
ii) said substrate is the carrier material and the pressure sensitive adhesive coating is transferred from the carrier material onto the second side ( 112 ) of the face,
and
iii) optionally, the face comprises the release coating ( 130 ) on the direct thermal printable coating,

or
B) the face comprises the release coating ( 130 ) on the direct thermal printable coating, and
iv) said substrate is the first side ( 111 ) of the face, or
v) said substrate is the carrier material and the pressure sensitive adhesive coating is transferred from the carrier material onto the first side ( 111 ) of the face.

3. The method according to claim 1 , the method further comprising:
providing alternating adhesion areas and adhesion-free areas ( 150 , 150 a ) before the modified adhesive coating ( 121 ) is dried into the pressure sensitive adhesive coating ( 120 ).

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the method comprises:
removing at least 10% of the modified adhesive coating ( 121 ) from the substrate ( 110 , 611 ) prior to drying to provide alternating adhesion areas and adhesion-free areas ( 150 ), preferably by using a wiping blade, wherein the blade is arranged at a wiping angle of 75-85 degrees with respect to the surface of the substrate ( 110 , 611 ), or
applying the modified adhesive coating ( 121 ) locally onto the substrate to provide the alternating adhesion areas and adhesion-free areas ( 150 , 150 a ).

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein said substrate is the face ( 110 ), and the method comprises
providing moisture to the adhesion-free areas ( 150 , 150 a ) prior to drying of the modified adhesive coating ( 121 ),

wherein the moisture is provided by spraying water on the adhesion-free areas ( 150 , 150 a ).

6. The method according to claim 3 , wherein at least some of the modified adhesive coating ( 121 ) is removed from the substrate prior to drying, and
the adhesion-free areas ( 150 , 150 a ) comprise a residual amount of the adhesive coating in a range of 0.5-5.0 g/m 2 , and/or
a dry weight content of the modified adhesive coating after being removed from the substrate is 0.1-5% lower than a dry weight content of the adhesive coating ( 121 ) applied onto the substrate, and/or
a speed of the substrate is in a range between 100 m/min and 600 m/min, and a dwell time between applying the adhesive coating ( 121 ) and removing the adhesive coating is from 0.05 to 3 seconds.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the modified adhesive coating ( 121 ) is dried at a temperature in a range between 60° C. and 100° C., and/or
temperature of the substrate when exiting thermal drying is arranged to be from 5 to 15 degrees C. below an activation temperature of the direct thermal printable coating.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the modified adhesive coating ( 121 ) is dried on the carrier material ( 611 , 611 a , 611 b ) into the pressure sensitive adhesive coating ( 120 ) before the adhesive is transferred on the face,
optionally, the modified adhesive coating ( 121 ) is dried at a temperature that is at least 10 degrees C. higher than the temperature of the linerless label web ( 100 ), and
the carrier material ( 611 , 611 a , 611 b ) is
i) in a form of a reusable batch, or
ii) an endless belt.

9. A direct thermal linerless label web ( 100 ) comprising a face ( 110 ) having a first side ( 111 ) and a second side ( 112 ), the face comprising
a direct thermal printable coating, and
optionally, a release coating ( 130 ) on the direct thermal printable coating, wherein the direct thermal linerless label web ( 100 ) is obtainable by a method comprising:
supplying the face ( 110 ),
applying a modified adhesive coating ( 121 ) on to a substrate ( 110 , 611 ), the modified adhesive coating ( 121 ) comprising
a) water-based acrylic adhesive comprising 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate,
b) emulsified silicone additive, the amount of the emulsified silicone additive being in a range between 1 wt. % and 6 wt. %, calculated from the total dry weight of the modified adhesive coating ( 121 ), and
thermally drying the modified adhesive coating ( 121 ) on the substrate ( 110 , 611 ) into a pressure sensitive adhesive coating ( 120 ),
wherein the pressure sensitive adhesive coating ( 120 ) comprising the silicone additive has a coat weight of 10 to equal to or less than 21 g/m 2 , calculated as total dry weight of the pressure sensitive adhesive coating ( 120 ), wherein the emulsified silicone additive is present in an amount of 0.1 g/m 2 to 1.3 g/m 2 , and wherein the pressure sensitive adhesive coating further comprises a wetting agent in an amount of 0.3 to 5 weight percent, calculated from a total dry weight of the pressure sensitive adhesive coating ( 120 );
wherein
i) said substrate ( 110 , 611 ) is the face ( 110 ), and the modified adhesive coating ( 121 ) is applied on to
the first side ( 111 ) of the face ( 110 ), or
the second side ( 112 ) of the face ( 110 )
or
ii) said substrate ( 110 , 611 ) is a carrier material ( 611 , 611 a , 611 b ), and the method further comprises the following step:
transferring the pressure sensitive adhesive coating ( 120 ) from the carrier material ( 611 , 611 a , 611 b ) on to
the first side ( 111 ) of the face ( 110 ), or
the second side ( 112 ) of the face ( 110 ).

10. The direct thermal linerless label web ( 100 ) according to claim 9 , wherein
the direct thermal linerless label web ( 100 ) consists of
the face ( 110 ) comprising the direct thermal printable co

Assignees

• Upm Raflatac Oy

Inventors

• Tiainen Marko
• Rabska Magdalena
• Morawiec Agnieszka

Classifications

• B32B2307/7376

  Thickness · CPC title

• C08K5/54

  Silicon-containing compounds {(C08K5/0091 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• C09J2301/204

  the adhesive coating being discontinuous · CPC title

• B32B37/06

  characterised by the heating method · CPC title

• B05D5/10

  to obtain an adhesive surface · CPC title