CN116766771A - Printing apparatus and printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a printing device and a printing method, wherein the printing device comprises: the printing device comprises a containing device, a printing spray head, a supporting device and a first driving mechanism. The accommodating device is used for installing the ink box. The print head can communicate with an ink cartridge mounted to the container to eject ink. The supporting device is positioned below the printing spray head and is used for supporting the workpiece. The first driving mechanism is connected with at least one of the printing nozzle and the supporting device and used for driving the printing nozzle to move relative to the supporting device. The electrostatic adsorption device comprises an electrostatic adsorption head and an electrostatic generator, wherein the electrostatic generator is electrically connected with the electrostatic adsorption head, and the electrostatic adsorption head is used for adsorbing dust. In the printing process, the electrostatic generator is started to enable the electrostatic adsorption head to be electrostatically adsorbed to adsorb dust in the environment, so that the possibility that the dust is adhered to the printing nozzle is reduced, the possibility that a tailing phenomenon occurs on the surface of a workpiece in the printing process is reduced, and the printing quality is improved.

Description

Printing apparatus and printing method

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of ink-jet printing, in particular to printing equipment and a printing method.

Background

In the related art, in the printing process of the ink-jet printer, the nozzle and the workpiece relatively move, and ink is ejected at the corresponding position of the workpiece, so that character manufacturing is completed. In the process, some impurities such as dust are often introduced due to factors such as environment, incoming materials, personnel and the like, and because the ink of the dust has certain viscosity, when the dust is adhered near the spray head, the dust moves along with the spray head in the printing process, so that tailing is caused on a workpiece, and the printing quality is reduced.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention proposes a printing apparatus capable of improving printing quality.

The invention also provides a printing method.

The printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention includes: the printing device comprises a containing device, a printing spray head, a supporting device and a first driving mechanism.

The containing device is used for installing an ink box, and the printing nozzle can be communicated with the ink box installed on the containing device so as to spray ink; the supporting device is positioned below the printing spray head and is used for supporting a workpiece;

the first driving mechanism is connected with at least one of the printing spray head and the supporting device and is used for driving the printing spray head and the supporting device to move relatively;

the electrostatic adsorption device comprises an electrostatic adsorption head and is used for adsorbing dust.

The printing equipment provided by the embodiment of the invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

the printing equipment comprises the electrostatic adsorption device, and dust in the environment can be adsorbed by the electrostatic adsorption device in the working process of the printing equipment so as to reduce the possibility that the dust is adhered to the printing spray head, thereby reducing the phenomenon that the tail appears on the surface of a workpiece and improving the printing quality.

According to some embodiments of the invention, a first driving mechanism is connected to the printing head and is used for driving the printing head to move relative to the supporting device;

the electrostatic adsorption head is connected with the printing spray head or the first driving mechanism.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the print head is movable in a printing direction to print the workpiece, and the electrostatic chuck is positioned in front of the printing direction along the printing direction.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the print head has an ink outlet end, the printing apparatus further comprises a guard comprising a guard that is a conductive structure, the guard having a guard cavity, the print head being located within the guard cavity.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the guard further comprises a second drive mechanism coupled to the guard for driving movement of the guard to selectively extend or retract the print head from the guard cavity.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the printing apparatus further comprises a cleaning device including a cleaning head located on a moving path of the electrostatic adsorption head, the cleaning head having a cleaning hole, and an air pump communicating with the cleaning hole.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the printing device further comprises a sensing device in communication with the electrostatic attraction device and the air pump, the sensing device configured to: when the electrostatic adsorption head moves to the position where the cleaning head is located, the electrostatic adsorption head is powered off, and the air pump is started.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the sensing device is connected to the cleaning head, the sensing device is configured as a contact switch, the contact switch is of a conductive structure, and the cleaning device further has a ground wire, and the ground wire is electrically connected to the cleaning head.

A printing method according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention includes the steps of:

placing the workpiece into a printing device;

adsorbing dust in a printing environment by using an electrostatic adsorption device;

relatively moving the printing nozzle and the workpiece;

the printing nozzle ejects ink to finish printing on one surface of a workpiece;

the printing method according to the embodiment of the invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

the electrostatic adsorption device is used for adsorbing dust in the environment, so that the possibility that the dust is adhered to the printing spray head can be reduced, the phenomenon that tailing occurs on the surface of a workpiece is reduced, and the printing quality is improved.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the printing method further comprises the steps of: and carrying out electrostatic shielding on the ink outlet end of the printing nozzle when the printing nozzle discharges ink.

According to some embodiments of the invention, after printing one surface of the workpiece, the method further comprises the steps of: removing electrostatic shielding on an ink outlet end of the printing nozzle, so that the electrostatic adsorption device can adsorb dust of the printing nozzle;

and after a set period of time, removing dust adsorbed on the electrostatic adsorption device.

Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

Drawings

The invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples, in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of a first aspect of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural view of a printing apparatus according to another embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural view of a printing apparatus according to another embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a flowchart of a printing method according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention.

Reference numerals:

a print head 100, an ink outlet 110;

a supporting device 200, a first driving mechanism 300;

electrostatic chuck 400, electrostatic chuck 410, electrostatic generator 420;

a curing light source 500;

the guard 600, the shield 610, the guard cavity 611, the second drive mechanism 620.

A cleaning device 700, a cleaning head 710, and an air pump 720.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like or similar reference numerals refer to like or similar elements or elements having like or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by referring to the drawings are illustrative only and are not to be construed as limiting the invention.

In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that references to orientation descriptions such as upper, lower, front, rear, left, right, etc. are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, are merely for convenience of description of the present invention and to simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the apparatus or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, the meaning of a number is one or more, the meaning of a number is two or more, and greater than, less than, exceeding, etc. are understood to exclude the present number, and the meaning of a number is understood to include the present number. The description of the first and second is for the purpose of distinguishing between technical features only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated or implicitly indicating the precedence of the technical features indicated.

In the description of the present invention, unless explicitly defined otherwise, terms such as arrangement, installation, connection, etc. should be construed broadly and the specific meaning of the terms in the present invention can be reasonably determined by a person skilled in the art in combination with the specific contents of the technical scheme.

In the description of the present invention, the descriptions of the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples," etc., mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments or examples. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of a first aspect of the present invention, the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the first aspect including: a housing device, a print head 100, a support device 200, and a first driving mechanism 300.

Wherein the accommodating device is used for installing the ink box. The printing head 100 can communicate with an ink cartridge mounted to the container to eject ink. The supporting device 200 is located below the printing head 100 for supporting a workpiece. The first driving mechanism 300 is connected to at least one of the printing head 100 and the supporting device 200, and is used for driving the printing head 100 and the supporting device 200 to move relatively. For example, the first driving device connects with the printing head 100 to drive the printing head 100 to move relative to the supporting device 200, so that the head moves relative to the workpiece placed on the supporting device 200. The electrostatic adsorbing device 400 includes an electrostatic adsorbing head 410 and an electrostatic generator 420, the electrostatic generator 420 is electrically connected to the electrostatic adsorbing head 410, and the electrostatic adsorbing head 410 is used for adsorbing dust (such as flock). In the printing process, the electrostatic generator 420 is started to enable the electrostatic adsorption head 410 to be electrostatically charged, so that dust in the environment is adsorbed, the possibility that the dust is adhered to the printing nozzle 100 is reduced, the possibility that a tailing phenomenon occurs on the surface of a workpiece in the printing process is reduced, and the printing quality is improved.

Referring to fig. 1, the printing apparatus further includes a curing light source 500, such as an ultraviolet lamp, for curing the ink, on the basis of the above-described embodiment. Specifically, in the printing process, after ink is ejected to the work to form characters, the characters are irradiated with the curing light 500 to quickly solidify the characters, and the work is printed with efficiency. Further, the curing light 500 may be connected to the printing head 100 to move together with the printing head 100, that is, to be irradiated and cured by the curing light 500 after the printing head 100 forms characters on a workpiece. The distances between the curing light source 500 and all the characters on the workpiece are consistent, so that the curing energy of the curing light source 500 to each character is the same, the curing effect of each character is nearly consistent, and the printing quality of the workpiece is improved.

Referring to fig. 1, the first driving mechanism 300 is connected to the printing head 100, and the printing head 100 can be driven by the first driving mechanism 300 to move relative to the supporting device 200. The electrostatic chuck 410 is connected to the printing head 100 or the first driving mechanism 300 such that the electrostatic chuck 410 moves with the printing head 100. Therefore, the electrostatic adsorption head 410 can adsorb dust near the printing head 100 in real time, and improve the cleanliness of the printing head 100, thereby improving the printing quality.

Referring to fig. 1, the printing head 100 is movable in a printing direction to print a workpiece, and the electrostatic chuck 410 is positioned in front of the printing direction in the printing direction, on the basis of the above-described embodiment. That is, during ink-jet printing of the printing head 100, the electrostatic adsorbing head 410 is located in front of the printing head 100. In contrast to the electrostatic chuck 410 being located at the rear of the printing head 100, the printing apparatus of the present embodiment has dust removed from a position before the printing head 100 moves to the position during printing, thereby further reducing the possibility of dust adhering to the printing head 100. In addition, in some embodiments, the electrostatic adsorption heads 410 are disposed on both sides of the printing head 100 along the moving direction of the printing direction, so that the printing head 100 can reciprocate to print the workpiece, and printing efficiency is improved.

Referring to fig. 2, fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a printing apparatus according to another embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, in some embodiments, a printhead has an ink outlet end 110, and ink is ejected from the ink outlet end 110 to form characters on a workpiece. The printing apparatus further comprises a protection device 600, the protection device 600 comprises a protection cover 610, the protection cover 610 is of a conductive structure, the protection cover 610 is provided with a protection cavity 611, and the end part of the printing nozzle 100 is positioned in the protection cavity 611 so as to form electrostatic shielding on the ink outlet end 110, and the influence of the electrostatic adsorption head 410 on ink in the working process is avoided, so that the falling precision of the ink is improved, and the printing precision of workpiece characters is improved. In addition, the protection cover 610 may be made of aluminum alloy, stainless steel, or the like, so as to reduce the load of the first driving mechanism 300, thereby saving energy. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the guard 600 further includes a second driving mechanism 620, where the second driving mechanism 620 is connected to the protective cover 610, for driving the protective cover 610 to move, so that the ink outlet end 110 of the print head 100 selectively extends or retracts into the guard cavity 611. That is, before the printing head 100 ejects ink, the protective cap 610 is driven to move by the second driving device, so that the ink outlet end 110 protrudes out of the protective cavity 611. At this time, the static electricity generated by the static electricity absorbing head 410 of the protection cavity 611 can affect the ink outlet end 110. When the printing head 100 has dust thereon, the dust is attracted by the electrostatic head to leave the printing head 100, thereby realizing cleaning of the printing head 100. After the cleaning of the printing nozzle 100 is completed, the second driving device is used for driving the protective cover 610 again, so that the ink outlet end 110 of the printing nozzle 100 enters the protective cavity 611, and electrostatic shielding of the printing nozzle 100 is realized. Thereby preventing the ink from being affected by the electrostatic adsorption head 410 during printing to improve printing quality.

Referring to fig. 3, fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a printing apparatus according to another embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, in some embodiments, the printing apparatus further includes a cleaning device 700, the cleaning device 700 includes a cleaning head 710 and an air pump 720, the cleaning head 710 is located on a moving path of the electrostatic adsorption head 410, the cleaning head 710 has a cleaning hole, and the air pump 720 is communicated with the cleaning hole. Specifically, the cleaning head 710 is made of a metal material, and the cleaning head 710 is provided with a cleaning tank having a horizontal opening and a vertical opening. The shape of the cleaning tank is adapted to the shape of the electrostatic chuck 410, and the size of the cleaning tank is slightly larger than the size of the electrostatic chuck 410. During operation, the electrostatic chuck 410 can be moved into the cleaning tank from the horizontal opening. When the cleaning head 710 moves into the cleaning tank, the power supply of the electrostatic chuck is turned off, and the air pump 720 is turned on to suck air, so that dust adhered to the electrostatic chuck 410 is sucked away, and the cleaning of the electrostatic chuck 410 is realized. The electrostatic adsorption head 410 is prevented from adsorbing much dust to reduce the adsorption capacity to improve the reliability of the electrostatic adsorption head 410, and in addition, dust is sucked through the air pump 720 without manual cleaning, so that the printing apparatus of the present embodiment is more convenient to use.

Based on the above embodiment, the printing apparatus further includes a sensing device, such as a position sensor or a contact switch, which is communicatively connected to the electrostatic adsorbing device 400 and the air pump 720. The sensing device is configured to: when the electrostatic chuck 410 moves to the position where the cleaning head 710 is located, the electrostatic chuck 410 is powered off and the air pump 720 is started. Specifically, when the electrostatic chuck 410 reaches the position of the cleaning head 710, the cleaning device 700 automatically cleans the electrostatic chuck 410 by the sensing device. That is, the electrostatic chuck 410 is cleaned once every printing surface of the printing head 100, thereby ensuring the dust suction capability of the electrostatic chuck 410 during printing. For example, the cleaning head 710 is disposed at a print end position (a position where the electrostatic chuck 410 is located after one side is printed each time), and thus the electrostatic chuck 410 is cleaned by the cleaning head 710 after one side is printed each time by the apparatus. When the printing head 100 returns to the printing initial position (the position where the electrostatic chuck 410 is located at each printing), the electrostatic chuck is separated from the cleaning head 710, and the electrostatic generator 420 is automatically activated to generate the electrostatic by the electrostatic chuck 410. Therefore, before the printing head 100 prints again, the electrostatic adsorption head 410 adsorbs the dust in the environment in advance, so that the printing efficiency is not affected, and the quality problem caused by the adhesion of objects such as dust to the printing head 100 can be effectively prevented.

Based on the above embodiment, the sensing device is connected to the cleaning head 710, the sensing device is a contact switch, the contact switch is a conductive structure, and the cleaning device 700 further has a ground wire, and the ground wire is electrically connected to the cleaning head 710. Specifically, when the electrostatic chuck 410 moves to the cleaning head 710, the electrostatic chuck 410 contacts the contact switch to power off the electrostatic generator 420 and simultaneously operate the air pump 720. In addition, the cleaning device 700 further includes a ground wire, one end of which is electrically connected to the cleaning head 710, and the other end of which is grounded. And the contact switch is of a conductive structure, i.e. the cleaning head 710 is electrically connected with the electrostatic chuck 410. Therefore, after the electrostatic chuck 410 contacts the contact switch, the ground wire can discharge the electric charge on the electrostatic chuck 410, so that the electrostatic chuck capability on the electrostatic chuck 410 disappears, and at the same time, the cleaning head 710 can be prevented from generating static electricity, so that dust can be easily sucked by vacuum suction.

Referring to fig. 4, fig. 4 is a flowchart of a printing method according to a second aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the printing method according to the second aspect of the embodiment includes the steps of:

s100, placing a workpiece into printing equipment;

s200, removing dust in a printing environment by utilizing electrostatic adsorption;

s300, enabling the printing nozzle 100 and the workpiece to relatively move;

and S400, enabling the printing nozzle 100 to spray ink, and finishing printing on one surface of the workpiece.

Specifically, for example, the printing apparatus includes the printing head 100, the supporting device 200, the first driving mechanism 300, and the electrostatic adsorbing device 400, the electrostatic adsorbing device 400 includes the electrostatic adsorbing head 410, and the supporting device 200 is located below the printing head 100 for supporting the workpiece. The first driving mechanism 300 is connected to at least one of the printing head 100 and the supporting device 200, and is used for driving the printing head 100 and the supporting device 200 to move relatively. For example, the first driving device connects with the printing head 100 to drive the printing head 100 to move relative to the supporting device 200, so that the head moves relative to the workpiece placed on the supporting device 200. In the printing process, the electrostatic adsorption device 400 is started to adsorb dust in the environment, and then the printing head ejects ink and moves relative to the workpiece. Thereby reducing the possibility of dust adhering to the printing head 100 during printing, thereby reducing the possibility of tailing on the surface of the workpiece during printing, and thus improving the printing quality. It should be noted that, the electrostatic adsorbing device 400 can work simultaneously with the printing nozzle 100, that is, in the process of ink-jet printing of the printing nozzle 100, the electrostatic adsorbing device 400 is in a start state, so as to prevent adhesion to the printing nozzle 100 caused by factors such as personnel walking in the printing process.

The electrostatic chuck 410 may be fixed, and the electrostatic chuck 410 may be used to remove dust over a large area. Or the electrostatic chuck 410 is connected to the printing head 100 and moves together with the printing head 100 to remove dust. In addition, when the electrostatic adsorption head 410 is connected to the printing nozzle, before the printing nozzle 100 emits ink, the printing nozzle 100 can be driven to reciprocate n times, and the electrostatic adsorption head 410 is driven to reciprocate, so that the electrostatic adsorption head 410 fully adsorbs dust in the device, and then the workpiece is printed.

In some embodiments, the printing method further comprises the steps of: the ink outlet end of the print head 100 is electrostatically shielded while the print head 100 is discharging ink. For example. The printing apparatus further includes a guard 600, the guard 600 being movably connected to the printing head 100, the shield 610 being of a conductive structure, the shield 610 having a shield cavity 611. Before the ink is discharged from the printing head 100,

the protective cover 610 is moved relative to the printing nozzle 100 so as to expose the ink outlet end 110 of the printing nozzle 100 to the protection cavity 611, the electrostatic adsorption head 410 can remove dust from the printing nozzle 100, the protective cover 610 is moved relative to the printing nozzle 100 after the dust removal of the printing nozzle 100 is completed, the ink outlet end 110 of the printing nozzle 100 is retracted into the protection cavity 611, the electrostatic shielding function of the protective cover 610 on the ink outlet end 110 is realized, the influence of the electrostatic adsorption head 410 on ink in the printing process of the printing nozzle 100 on a workpiece is avoided, the precision of ink dripping onto the workpiece is ensured, and the printing quality is improved.

On the basis of the above embodiment, the method further comprises the following steps after printing one surface of the workpiece:

the electrostatic shielding of the ink outlet end 110 of the printing head 100 is released, so that the electrostatic adsorbing device 400 can adsorb dust of the printing head 100.

After a set period of time, dust adsorbed on the electrostatic adsorption device 400 is removed.

For example, the printing apparatus further includes a cleaning device 700 and a sensing device, and the electrostatic adsorbing device 400, the cleaning device 700, and the protecting device 600 are all in communication with the sensing device. The electrostatic chuck 410 is moved to the position of the cleaning head 710, so that the protective cover 610 moves relative to the print head to extend the ink outlet end 110 out of the protective cavity 611, so that the electrostatic chuck 410 removes dust from the print head 100. After the set period of time, the electrostatic adsorbing device 400 is powered off, and the cleaning device 700 is started to clean the electrostatic adsorbing head 410 by the cleaning device 700. That is, before the cleaning device 700 cleans the electrostatic chuck 410, the ink-ejecting end of the print head 100 is protruded out of the protection cavity 611, and dust at the ink-ejecting end 110 is removed by the electrostatic chuck 410. So that the printing head 100 is cleaned once after printing one side, that is, before the printing head 100 prints the next side (the other side of the same workpiece or one surface of another workpiece), to improve the cleanliness of the printing head 100, thereby improving the printing quality.

Note that the set period may be 1S, 2S, or 3S, as long as dust on the print head 100 can be removed.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, embodiments of the invention and features of the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict.

Claims (10)

1. A printing apparatus, comprising:

a housing device for mounting the ink cartridge;

a printing nozzle capable of communicating with an ink cartridge mounted to the accommodating device to eject ink;

the supporting device is positioned below the printing spray head and is used for supporting a workpiece;

the first driving mechanism is connected with at least one of the printing spray head and the supporting device and is used for driving the printing spray head and the supporting device to move relatively;

the electrostatic adsorption device comprises an electrostatic adsorption head and is used for adsorbing dust.

2. The printing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first drive mechanism is coupled to said print head for driving said print head to move relative to said support device, and said electrostatic chuck is coupled to either said print head or said first drive mechanism.

3. The printing apparatus of claim 2, wherein said print head is movable in a printing direction to print a workpiece, said electrostatic chuck being located in front of said printing direction along said printing direction.

4. The printing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said print head has an ink outlet end, said printing apparatus further comprising a guard, said guard comprising a shield, said shield being a conductive structure, said shield having a shield cavity, said ink outlet end being located within said shield cavity; or alternatively, the process may be performed,

the protective device further comprises a second driving mechanism, wherein the second driving mechanism is connected with the protective cover and used for driving the protective cover to move so that the printing spray head can selectively extend out of or retract into the protective cavity.

5. The printing apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a cleaning device including a cleaning head located on a moving path of the electrostatic adsorption head, the cleaning head having a cleaning hole, and an air pump communicating with the cleaning hole.

6. The printing apparatus of claim 5, wherein said printing device further comprises a sensing device in communication with said electrostatic attraction device and said air pump, said sensing device configured to: when the electrostatic adsorption head moves to the position where the cleaning head is located, the electrostatic adsorption head is powered off, and the air pump is started.

7. The printing apparatus of claim 6, wherein said sensing device is coupled to said cleaning head, said sensing device is a contact switch, said contact switch is a conductive structure, said cleaning device further comprises a ground wire, said ground wire is electrically coupled to said cleaning head.

8. A printing method characterized by comprising the steps of:

placing the workpiece into a printing device;

adsorbing dust in a printing environment by using an electrostatic adsorption device;

relatively moving the printing nozzle and the workpiece;

and (3) enabling the printing nozzle to spray ink to finish printing on one surface of the workpiece.

9. The printing method according to claim 8, characterized in that the printing method further comprises the steps of: and carrying out electrostatic shielding on the ink outlet end of the printing nozzle when the printing nozzle discharges ink.

10. The printing method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of, after printing one surface of the workpiece: removing electrostatic shielding on an ink outlet end of the printing nozzle, so that the electrostatic adsorption device can adsorb dust of the printing nozzle;

and after a set period of time, removing dust adsorbed on the electrostatic adsorption device.