EP4606254A1

EP4606254A1 - Pressing unit

Info

Publication number: EP4606254A1
Application number: EP23894332.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yuji Koga; Kenji Takeuchi; Yoji Tsujishita
Original assignee: Brother Industries Ltd
Current assignee: Brother Industries Ltd
Priority date: 2022-11-25
Filing date: 2023-10-24
Publication date: 2025-08-27
Also published as: WO2024111320A1; JPWO2024111320A1

Abstract

To provide a pressing unit capable of manufacturing a button product with high accuracy. A pressing unit is configured to press a connected portion of a printing medium against a lower die, the printing medium including: a connected portion having a sheet shape and configured to be connected to a front member and a back member constituting a button product; a remaining portion having a sheet shape and different from the connected portion; and a coupling portion coupling the connected portion and the remaining portion, and the pressing unit includes: a first pressing portion configured to press the connected portion against the lower die; and a second pressing portion configured to press the connected portion against the lower die. The second pressing portion is configured to press, after the first pressing portion presses a first position of the connected portion, a second position different from the first position of the connected portion.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a pressing unit.

BACKGROUND ART

In the related art, a manufacturing device of a button product such as a button badge to which a predetermined image is applied is known, and Patent Literature 1 discloses a button product manufacturing device that manufactures a button badge by caulking a front lid to a back lid.

CITATION LIST

PATENT LITERATURE

Patent Literature 1: JP2019-136210A

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

TECHNICAL PROBLEM

However, in the related art described above, a user himself or herself places a transparent film on a film placement surface of a lower die, the transparent film being used for caulking the front lid together to the back lid supported by the lower die. Therefore, the user himself or herself can enjoy the manufacturing of the button badge by participating in the manufacturing of the button badge, but the positioning accuracy of the transparent film may decrease. As a result, there is a problem that it is difficult to manufacture a button product with high accuracy.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a pressing unit capable of manufacturing a button product with high accuracy.

SOLUTION TO PROBLEM

A pressing unit according to the present invention is a pressing unit configured to press a connected portion of a printing medium against a lower die, the printing medium including: the connected portion having a sheet shape and configured to be connected to a front member and a back member constituting a button product; a remaining portion having a sheet shape and different from the connected portion; and a coupling portion coupling the connected portion and the remaining portion, the pressing unit includes: a first pressing portion configured to press the connected portion against the lower die; and a second pressing portion configured to press the connected portion against the lower die, in which the second pressing portion is configured to press, after the first pressing portion presses a first position of the connected portion, a second position different from the first position of the connected portion.
According to the present invention, after the printing medium is conveyed to the front member, the connected portion of the printing medium is pressed against the lower die by the pressing unit, whereby the coupling portion is cut. Consequently, it is possible to automatically position only the connected portion of the printing medium on the front member. Therefore, the connected portion of the printing medium can be disposed on the front member with high accuracy, whereby the button products can be manufactured with high accuracy.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pressing unit capable of manufacturing a button product with high accuracy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a button product manufacturing device using a pressing unit according to the present embodiment.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the button product manufacturing device illustrated in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system of the button product manufacturing device illustrated in Fig. 1.
Fig. 4A is a plan view illustrating a printing medium.
Fig. 4B is a plan view illustrating a white film.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a conveying unit.
Fig. 6 is a side view of the conveying unit illustrated in Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is a plan view illustrating a lower plate and an upper plate provided above a lower die.
Fig. 8A is a perspective view of the pressing unit.
Fig. 8B is a perspective view of the pressing unit viewed from a direction different from that of Fig. 8A.
Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a standby position of a pressing head of the pressing unit.
Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating a pressing position of the pressing head of the pressing unit.
Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating a pressing position of the pressing head viewed from a direction different from that of Fig. 10.
Fig. 12A illustrates perspective views of a front member and a back member.
Fig. 12B is a cross-sectional view of a button product manufactured by connecting the front member and the back member illustrated in Fig. 12A.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, a pressing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The pressing unit to be described below is merely an embodiment of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and can be added, deleted, or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

(Overall Configuration of Button Product Manufacturing device)

First, a button product manufacturing device for manufacturing a button product using a pressing unit as one component will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a button product manufacturing device 100 using a pressing unit 6 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the button product manufacturing device 100 illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system of the button product manufacturing device 100 illustrated in Fig. 1.
The button product manufacturing device 100 is a device that manufactures a button product by connecting a front member and a back member constituting the button product, for example, by caulking the front member and the back member. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the button product manufacturing device 100 includes a printing unit 1, a conveying unit 2, a die unit 3, a front member feeding unit 4, a back member feeding unit 5, the pressing unit 6, a take-out unit 7, a collection box 8, and a button product container 9. In Figs. 1 and 2, directions orthogonal to one another are referred to as a first direction Dx, a second direction Dy, and a third direction Dz. In the present embodiment, for example, the first direction Dx is a front-rear direction of the button product manufacturing device 100, the second direction Dy is a left-right direction of the button product manufacturing device 100, and the third direction Dz is an up-down direction. In this case, a front surface side of the printing unit 1 is referred to as a front side, a back surface side is referred to as a rear side, and left and right sides when viewed from the front surface are referred to as a left side and a right side. In the following description, the Dx is referred to as the front-rear direction, the Dy is referred to as the left-right direction, and the Dz is referred to as the up-down direction.
The printing unit 1 is disposed further downward than the die unit 3, the front member feeding unit 4, the back member feeding unit 5, the pressing unit 6, and the take-out unit 7. The printing unit 1 is an inkjet printer that prints an image on a printing medium W (Fig. 4A to be described later) such as a transparent film. The printing unit 1 performs printing on the printing medium W. Specifically, the printing unit 1 includes an ejection head 10, and printing is performed by ejecting ink droplets onto the printing medium W by the ejection head 10. The printing unit 1 includes a conveying motor 11 that drives a conveying roller. The ejection head 10 may be of a serial head type or a line head type.
The printing unit 1 includes a sheet holder (not illustrated) that holds a plurality of sheets of printing media W and a plurality of sheets of white films F (Fig. 4B to be described later), and the printing media W and the white films F are held in the sheet holder as a bundle in which the printing media W and the white films F are alternately stacked. The white film F is fed to the conveying unit 2 without being printed by the printing unit 1, and the printing medium W is fed to the conveying unit 2 after a predetermined image is formed by the ejection head 10 of the printing unit 1. The predetermined image is an inverted image that becomes a normal image when a user views the image from a surface opposite to the surface on which the image is printed among the surfaces of the printing medium W. In the present embodiment, an example in which the printing unit 1 is an inkjet printer has been described, but the printing unit 1 is not limited thereto, and may be another printer such as a laser printer or a thermal printer.
Regarding the conveying unit 2, a part of the conveying unit 2 is disposed further frontward than the printing unit 1, and the entire conveying unit 2 is disposed further frontward than the die unit 3. The conveying unit 2 conveys the printing medium W and the white film F conveyed from the printing unit 1 onto a front member SE (Fig. 12A) included in a button member CE to be described later fed in advance to a lower die 30 provided in the die unit 3 along a conveying direction Dc1 toward the die unit 3. The conveying unit 2 will be described in detail later. The conveying direction Dc1 corresponds to the first direction, and a conveying direction Dc2 described later corresponds to the second direction.
As an example of connection between the front member SE and the back member BE (Fig. 12A) included in the button member CE to be described later, the die unit 3 performs, for example, caulking of the front member SE and a back member BE. The front member SE is formed of a magnetic material such as a tin-plated steel plate. The back member BE is formed of a magnetic material such as a tin-plated steel plate. The die unit 3 includes the lower die 30, a lower die 31, a rotation support table 32, an upper die 33, an upper die lifting motor 34, and a lower die moving motor 140. The lower die 30 and the lower die 31 are formed in a circular shape in a plan view, and are supported by the rotation support table 32. The lower die 30 and the lower die 31 are disposed so as to face each other with respect to a center of the rotation support table 32 as a reference. The upper die 33 moves up and down so as to approach or separate from either the lower die 30 or the lower die 31 in the up-down direction Dz based on an operation of the upper die lifting motor 34.
The rotation support table 32 pivots around the up-down direction Dz based on an operation of the lower die moving motor 140. By pivoting the rotation support table 32, either the lower die 30 or the lower die 31 can be positioned at a position (hereinafter, referred to as a second die position) facing the upper die 33 in the up-down direction Dz. A position facing the second die position in the front-rear direction Dx is hereinafter referred to as a first die position. When the lower die 30 is at the first die position, the front member SE is fed to the lower die 30 by the front member feeding unit 4. After the white film F is conveyed onto the front member SE by the conveying unit 2, first cutting processing and first separation processing to be described later are performed. Accordingly, only a later-described connected portion Fb of the white film F is disposed on the front member SE. Subsequently, after the printing medium W is conveyed onto the connected portion Fb on the front member SE by the conveying unit 2, second cutting processing and second separation processing to be described later are performed. Accordingly, only a later-described connected portion Wb of the printing medium W is disposed on the connected portion Fb. Therefore, the connected portion Fb and the connected portion Wb are disposed in this order on the front member SE.
Next, the lower die 30 at the first die position while supporting the front member SE is positioned at the second die position by pivoting the rotation support table 32. At this time, the lower die 31 in the second die position moves to the first die position. Then, the upper die 33 is lowered and is caused to hold the front member SE supported by the lower die 30. At this time, the back member BE is fed to the lower die 31 by the back member feeding unit 5. Subsequently, the lower die 31 in the first die position is positioned in the second die position by pivoting the rotation support table 32. Thereafter, the upper die 33 holding the front member SE is lowered toward the lower die 31 supporting the back member BE, whereby a button product 200 in which the front member SE is caulked to the back member BE is manufactured. Thereafter, the lower die 31 in the second die position is positioned in the first die position by pivoting the rotation support table 32. Then, the button product 200 supported by the lower die 31 moved to the first die position is taken out by the take-out unit 7.
The front member feeding unit 4 is disposed above the printing unit 1 and to the right of the die unit 3. The front member feeding unit 4 includes a pusher motor 46. The front member feeding unit 4 feeds the front member SE to the lower die 30 by a pusher (not illustrated) pushing out the front member SE based on an operation of the pusher motor 46.
The back member feeding unit 5 is disposed above the printing unit 1 and to the left of the die unit 3. The back member feeding unit 5 includes a pusher motor 56. The back member feeding unit 5 feeds the front member SE to the lower die 31 by a pusher (not illustrated) pushing out the back member BE based on an operation of the pusher motor 56.
The pressing unit 6 is disposed further frontward than the front member feeding unit 4 and the back member feeding unit 5 and to the left of the die unit 3. The pressing unit 6 includes a pressing motor 60. The pressing unit 6 presses the printing medium W and the white film F against the lower die 30 based on an operation of the pressing motor 60. Details of the pressing unit 6 will be described later.
The take-out unit 7 is disposed in front of the front member feeding unit 4. The take-out unit 7 includes a take-out motor 70. The take-out unit 7 takes out the button product 200 from the lower die 31 based on an operation of the take-out motor 70, and guides the button product 200 to the button product container 9 disposed further frontward of the take-out unit 7.
As illustrated in Fig. 3, the button product manufacturing device 100 further includes a control device 110, a first drive circuit 115, a second drive circuit 116, a third drive circuit 117, a fourth drive circuit 118, a fifth drive circuit 119, a sixth drive circuit 120, and a seventh drive circuit 150. The control device 100 includes an interface 111, a calculation unit 112, and a storage unit 113. The interface 111 receives various types of data such as image data as printing data from an external device 114 such as a computer, a camera, a communication network, a recording medium, a display, and a printer. The control device 110 may be implemented by a single device, or may have a configuration in which a plurality of devices are arranged in a distributed manner and cooperate with each other to perform the operation of the button product manufacturing device 100.
The storage unit 113 is a memory accessible from the calculation unit 112 and includes a RAM and a ROM. The RAM temporarily stores various types of data such as image data received from the external device 114 and data converted by the calculation unit 112. The ROM stores a button product manufacturing program for performing various types of processing, predetermined data, and the like. The button product manufacturing program may be stored in an external storage medium different from the storage unit 113 and accessible from the calculation unit 112, such as a CD-ROM.
The calculation unit 112 includes a processor such as a CPU, and at least one integrated circuit such as an ASIC. The calculation unit 112 controls each unit by executing the button product manufacturing program.
The control device 110 outputs a control signal to the first drive circuit 115. The first drive circuit 115 generates a drive signal based on the control signal and outputs the drive signal to the ejection head 10 of the printing unit 1. The ejection head 10 is driven in response to the drive signal, which causes ink droplets to be ejected from nozzles. In detail, the first drive circuit 115 causes the ejection head 10 to eject ink droplets onto the printing medium W while moving the ejection head 10 in a predetermined movement direction based on the image data acquired from the external device 114. The first drive circuit 115 drives the conveying motor 11 to convey the printing medium W in a conveying direction (not illustrated). In this way, the first drive circuit 115 alternately repeats the printing pass and the conveying operation, whereby an image based on the image data is printed on the printing medium W.
The control device 110 outputs a control signal to the second drive circuit 116. The second drive circuit 116 generates a drive signal based on the control signal and controls an operation of a conveying motor 23 provided in the conveying unit 2. In this case, the second drive circuit 116 controls the operation of the conveying motor 23 based on detection results of a first conveying sensor S1, a second conveying sensor S2, and a third conveying sensor S3 provided in the conveying unit 2. Details thereof will be described later.
The control device 110 outputs a control signal to the third drive circuit 117. The third drive circuit 117 generates a drive signal based on the control signal and controls operations of the upper die lifting motor 34 and the lower die moving motor 140 provided in the die unit 3. The control device 110 outputs a control signal to the fourth drive circuit 118. The fourth drive circuit 118 generates a drive signal based on the control signal and controls the operation of the pusher motor 46 provided in the front member feeding unit 4. Further, the control device 110 outputs a control signal to the fifth drive circuit 119. The fifth drive circuit 119 generates a drive signal based on the control signal and controls the operation of the pusher motor 56 provided in the back member feeding unit 5. The control device 110 outputs a control signal to the sixth drive circuit 120. The sixth drive circuit 120 generates a drive signal based on the control signal and controls the operation of the pressing motor 60 provided in the pressing unit 6. The control device 110 outputs a control signal to the seventh drive circuit 150. The seventh drive circuit 150 generates a drive signal based on the control signal and controls the operation of the take-out motor 70 provided in the take-out unit 7.

(Printing Medium and White Film)

Next, the printing medium W and the white film F conveyed from the printing unit 1 toward the lower die 30 by the conveying unit 2 will be described. Fig. 4A is a plan view illustrating the printing medium W, and Fig. 4B is a plan view illustrating the white film F.
The printing medium W constitutes, together with the button member CE (the front member SE and the back member BE), the button product 200, and is, for example, a transparent sheet. As illustrated in Fig. 4A, the printing medium W has a rectangular shape. The printing medium W has one end We1 in a direction D1 parallel to the conveying direction Dc1 when being conveyed toward the die unit 3 by the conveying unit 2, and the other end We2 opposite to the one end We1. In the conveying direction Dc1, the one end We1 of the printing medium W corresponds to a downstream end, and the other end We2 corresponds to an upstream end.
The printing medium W includes the sheet-shaped connected portion Wb connected to, by the die unit 3, the front member SE and the back member BE constituting the button product 200, a sheet-shaped remaining portion Wa different from the connected portion Wb, and a plurality of coupling portions Wc coupling the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa. The remaining portion Wa is disposed so as to surround the connected portion Wb. Accordingly, the remaining portion Wa has the one end We1 and the other end We2 in the direction D1. The printing medium W includes the plurality of coupling portions Wc and cut portions Wf each positioned between the adjacent coupling portions Wc at a boundary between the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa. Accordingly, the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa are cut and not connected between the adjacent coupling portions Wc. The connected portion Wb has, for example, a circular shape in a plan view and is positioned closer to the one end We1 than to the other end We2. That is, the connected portion Wb is unevenly distributed toward the one end We1 with respect to the remaining portion Wa. The connected portion Wb after the second cutting processing described later has a size the same as that of the connected portion Fb of the white film F or larger than that of the connected portion Fb.
The printing medium W further includes a linear weak portion Wd extending from an edge portion Wh on the one end We1 to the connected portion Wb. The coupling portion Wc and the linear weak portion Wd form weak portions having lower strength than the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa. Specifically, the combination of the coupling portion Wc and the cut portion Wf and the linear weak portion Wd are formed by partially cut perforations having the same thickness as the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa. Further, as another example, the coupling portion Wc and the linear weak portion Wd are recesses or the like having a thickness thinner than that of the connected portion Wb or the remaining portion Wa.
The coupling portion Wc includes coupling portions Wc1, coupling portions Wc2, and coupling portions Wc3. The coupling portion Wc1 couples the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa at a predetermined position Pw1 on the boundary between the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa. The coupling portion Wc2 couples the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa at a position Pw2 on the boundary different from the position Pw1. The coupling portion Wc3 couples the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa at a position Pw3 on the boundary different from the positions Pw1 and Pw2. The connected portion Wb is pressed against the lower die 30 by a first pressing portion 66e to be described later and a second pressing portion 66f to be described later of the pressing unit 6. In detail, a portion of the connected portion Wb at the position Pw1 is pressed toward the lower die 30 by the first pressing portion 66e, and a portion of the connected portion Wb at the position Pw2 is pressed toward the lower die 30 by the second pressing portion 66f. Details thereof will be described later. The position Pw1 corresponds to the first position, and the position Pw2 corresponds to the second position.
The coupling portion Wc is provided more at the predetermined position Pw3 on the boundary between the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa than at the position Pw1 and the position Pw2. That is, the number of the coupling portions Wc3 is larger than the total number of the coupling portions Wc1 and coupling portions Wc2. The two coupling portions Wc present on a straight line orthogonal to the conveying direction Dc1 and passing through a center Cw of the connected portion Wb may be included in the coupling portion Wc1 and the coupling portion Wc2, or may be included in the coupling portion Wc3.
A configuration of the white film F is basically the same as the configuration of the printing medium W. Together with the front member SE and the back member BE serving as the button member CE, the white film F, like the printing medium W, constitutes the button product 200. As illustrated in Fig. 4B, the white film F has a rectangular shape. The white film F has one end Fe1 in the direction D1 and the other end Fe2 opposite to the one end Fe1. In the conveying direction Dc1, the one end Fe1 of the white film F corresponds to a downstream end, and the other end Fe2 corresponds to an upstream end.
The white film F includes the sheet-shaped connected portion Fb connected to, by the die unit 3, the front member SE and the back member BE, a sheet-shaped remaining portion Fa different from the connected portion Fb, and a plurality of coupling portions Fc coupling the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa. The remaining portion Fa is disposed so as to surround the connected portion Fb. Accordingly, the remaining portion Fa has the one end Fe1 and the other end Fe2 in the direction D1. The white film F includes the plurality of coupling portions Fc and cut portions Ff each positioned between the adjacent coupling portions Fc at a boundary between the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa. Accordingly, the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa are cut and not connected between the adjacent coupling portions Fc. The connected portion Fb has, for example, a circular shape in a plan view and is positioned closer to the one end Fe1 than to the other end Fe2. That is, the connected portion Fb is unevenly distributed toward the one end Fe1 with respect to the remaining portion Fa.
The white film F further includes a linear weak portion Fd extending from the one end Fe1 to the connected portion Fb. The coupling portion Fc and the linear weak portion Fd form weak portions having lower strength than the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa. Specifically, the combination of the coupling portion Fc and the cut portion Ff and the linear weak portion Fd are formed by partially cut perforations having the same thickness as the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa. Further, as another example, the coupling portion Fc and the linear weak portion Fd are recesses or the like having a thickness thinner than that of the connected portion Fb or the remaining portion Fa.
The coupling portion Fc includes coupling portions Fc1, coupling portions Fc2, and coupling portions Fc3. The coupling portion Fc1 couples the remaining portion Fa and the connected portion Fb at a position Pf1 that is on the boundary between the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa and corresponds to the position Pw1. The coupling portion Fc2 couples the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa at a position Pf2 that is on the boundary and corresponds to the position Pw2. The coupling portion Fc3 couples the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa at a position Pf3 that is on the boundary and corresponds to the position Pw3. A portion of the connected portion Fb at the position Pf1 is pressed toward the lower die 30 by the first pressing portion 66e, and a portion of the connected portion Fb at the position Pf2 is pressed toward the lower die 30 by the second pressing portion 66f.
The coupling portion Fc is provided more at the predetermined position Pf3 on the boundary between the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa than at the position Pf1 and the position Pf2. That is, the number of the coupling portions Fc3 is larger than the total number of the coupling portions Fc1 and coupling portions Fc2. The two coupling portions Fc present on a straight line orthogonal to the conveying direction Dc1 and passing through a center Cf of the connected portion Fb may be included in the coupling portion Fc1 and the coupling portion Fc2, or may be included in the coupling portion Fc3.

(Conveying Unit)

Next, the conveying unit 2 will be described. Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of the conveying unit 2. Fig. 6 is a side view of the conveying unit 2 illustrated in Fig. 5.
The conveying unit 2 conveys the remaining portion Wa of the printing medium W and the remaining portion Fa of the white film F to the collection box 8 along the conveying direction Dc2 that is a direction opposite to the conveying direction Dc1 described above. Accordingly, the remaining portion Wa of the printing medium W and the remaining portion Fa of the white film F are collected in the collection box 8 as discarded portions. In the present embodiment, film conveying processing is executed in which the white film F is conveyed by the conveying unit 2 so as to be placed on the front member SE held by the lower die 30 prior to the printing medium W. Since the conveying method of the printing medium W by the conveying unit 2 is the same as the conveying method of the white film F, the conveying of the printing medium W will be representatively described below.
As illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the conveying unit 2 includes support plates 20 and 22, a pair of conveying guides 21, a conveying motor 23, drive rollers Rk1 to Rk6, and endless drive belts Be1 to Be6.
The support plates 20 and 22 extend in the up-down direction Dz and are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction Dy. The support plate 20 and the support plate 22 are coupled by a plurality of plate coupling shafts 24 extending in the left-right direction Dy. The support plate 20 is provided with the conveying guide 21 that curves forward from a lower end rear portion of the support plate 20 and extends upward. The conveying guide 21 is also provided on the support plate 22. The conveying guide 21 includes a first guide body portion 21a and a second guide body portion 21b. A groove-shaped space is provided between the first guide body portion 21a and the second guide body portion 21b, and end portions of the printing medium W in the left-right direction Dy are inserted into the space during conveying. The first guide body portion 21a is bent or curved forward from the lower end rear portion of the support plate 20, extends upward, and is bent or curved rearward. The second guide body portion 21b is bent or curved forward from the lower end rear portion of the support plate 20 and extends upward. The first guide body portion 21a is disposed further rearward than the second guide body portion 21b as a whole.
The conveying motor 23 is provided on the support plate 22. A drive gear Ga1 is connected to a rotation shaft of the conveying motor 23. The drive rollers Rk1 to Rk6 are provided on the support plate 22. A drive gear Gb1 is connected to a rotation shaft of the drive roller Rk1. A drive gear Gb2 is connected to a rotation shaft of the drive roller Rk2. A drive gear Gb3 is connected to a rotation shaft of the drive roller Rk3. A drive gear Gb4 is connected to a rotation shaft of the drive roller Rk4. A drive gear Gb5 is connected to a rotation shaft of the drive roller Rk5. A drive gear Gb6 is connected to a rotation shaft of the drive roller Rk6. The drive rollers Rk1 to Rk6 are positioned on the left side of the support plate 22. The drive roller Rk1 is disposed further rearward and downward than the drive gear Ga1. The drive roller Rk2 is disposed further frontward than the drive roller Rk1 and further rearward than the drive gear Ga1 and further upward than the drive roller Rk1. The drive roller Rk3 is disposed further upward than the drive roller Rk2. The drive roller Rk4 is disposed further upward than the drive roller Rk3. The drive roller Rk5 is disposed further rearward and upward than the drive roller Rk4. The drive roller Rk6 is disposed further frontward than the drive roller Rk5. The drive belt Be1 is stretched around the drive gear Ga1 and the drive gear Gb1. The drive belt Be2 is stretched around the drive gear Gb1 and the drive gear Gb2. The drive belt Be3 is stretched around the drive gear Gb2 and the drive gear Gb3. The drive belt Be4 is stretched around the drive gear Gb3 and the drive gear Gb4. The drive belt Be5 is stretched around the drive gear Gb4 and the drive gear Gb5. The drive belt Be6 is stretched around the drive gear Gb5 and the drive gear Gb6. With such a configuration, the drive force of the conveying motor 23 is transmitted to the drive roller Rk1, the drive roller Rk2, the drive roller Rk3, the drive roller Rk4, the drive roller Rk5, and the drive roller Rk6 via the drive belts Be1 to Be6.
The first guide body portion 21a and the second guide body portion 21b are provided with cuts Ng corresponding to the drive rollers Rk2 to Rk4, respectively. The drive roller Rk1 includes a drive shaft Sa1 extending in the left-right direction Dy and a pair of drive-side rollers Ro1. A pair of driven-side rollers Ro2 are provided so as to face the pair of drive-side rollers Ro1, respectively. Each of the pair of driven-side rollers Ro2 is coupled to the driven shaft Sa2. The drive roller Rk2 includes a drive shaft Sa3 extending in the left-right direction Dy and a pair of drive-side rollers Ro3. A pair of driven-side rollers Ro4 are provided so as to face the pair of drive-side rollers Ro3, respectively. Each of the pair of driven-side rollers Ro4 is coupled to the driven shaft Sa4. The pair of drive-side rollers Ro3 are disposed in the cut Ng of the first guide body portion 21a, and the pair of driven-side rollers Ro4 are disposed in the cut Ng of the second guide body portion 21b. Each end portion of the printing medium W in the left-right direction Dy is sandwiched between the drive-side roller Ro3 and the driven-side roller Ro4. A configuration corresponding to the drive rollers Rk5 or Rk6 (that is, a pair of drive-side rollers, a pair of driven-side rollers, a drive shaft, and a driven shaft) is the same as the configuration corresponding to the drive roller Rk1, and thus the description thereof will be omitted. A configuration corresponding to the drive rollers Rk3 or Rk4 (that is, a pair of drive-side rollers, a pair of driven-side rollers, a drive shaft, and a driven shaft) is the same as the configuration corresponding to the drive roller Rk2, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.
When the conveying motor 23 is driven, the drive force of the conveying motor 23 is transmitted to the drive rollers Rk1 to Rk6. Accordingly, the printing medium W is conveyed to the lower die 30 by the rotation of the drive-side roller Ro1 and the driven-side roller Ro2, the rotation of the drive-side roller Ro3 and the driven-side roller Ro4, the rotation of the drive-side roller Ro5 and the driven-side roller Ro6, the rotation of the drive-side roller Ro7 and the driven-side roller Ro8, and the rotation of the drive-side roller Ro9 and the driven-side roller Ro10.
As illustrated in Fig. 6, between the support plate 20 and the support plate 22, a conveying guide piece 25 is disposed further upward than the second guide body portion 21b and further frontward than the first guide body portion 21a as a whole. The conveying guide piece 25 has flexibility and is made of, for example, resin. A base end of the conveying guide piece 25 is fixed to the support plates 20 and 22, and a front end of the conveying guide piece 25 is a free end. The front end of the conveying guide piece 25 faces the first guide body portion 21a. A distance between the conveying guide piece 25 and the first guide body portion 21a decreases toward the rear, that is, toward the lower die 30. The printing medium W is guided toward the drive-side roller Ro9 and the driven-side roller Ro10 by the first guide body portion 21a and the conveying guide piece 25. Thereafter, the printing medium W is conveyed to the lower die 30 along the conveying direction Dc1 by the drive-side roller Ro9 and the driven-side roller Ro10. As described above, the first guide body portion 21a, the second guide body portion 21b, and the conveying guide piece 25 constitute a first conveying path Cp1 of the printing medium W toward the lower die 30 of the die unit 3.
The first conveying sensor S1, which is, for example, a contact sensor, is provided further rearward than the drive-side roller Ro1 and the driven-side roller Ro2. The second conveying sensor S2, which is, for example, a contact sensor, is provided between the first guide body portion 21a and the conveying guide piece 25. The second drive circuit 116 drives the conveying motor 23 when the printing medium W fed from the printing unit 1 is detected by the first conveying sensor S1. When the downstream end of the printing medium W is detected by the second conveying sensor S2, the second drive circuit 116 controls the driving of the conveying motor 23 based on a rotation amount of the conveying motor 23 detected by an encoder (not illustrated) immediately after the detection. Accordingly, the printing medium W is conveyed to a predetermined position of the die unit 3 with high accuracy.
A conveying guide 26 and a conveying guide piece 27 are provided between the drive-side roller Ro9 and the driven-side roller Ro10, and a drive-side roller Ro11 and a driven-side roller Ro12. The conveying guide 26 is positioned above the conveying guide piece 27. The conveying guide 26 extends in the front-rear direction Dx. A trailing end 26a (that is, an end portion on the lower die 30 side) of the conveying guide 26 is bent upward. Meanwhile, the conveying guide piece 27 has flexibility and is made of, for example, resin. The conveying guide piece 27 extends in the front-rear direction Dx. A trailing end 27a of the conveying guide piece 27 is positioned further frontward than the trailing end 26a of the conveying guide 26. The trailing end 27a of the conveying guide piece 27 is bent downward. The conveying guide piece 27 intersects the first conveying path Cp1 in a side view illustrated in Fig. 6. In such a configuration, the conveying guide 26 and the conveying guide piece 27 constitute a second conveying path Cp2 for the remaining portions Wa and Fa from the lower die 30 of the die unit 3 toward the collection box 8.
When the printing medium W is conveyed along the first conveying path Cp1, a lower surface of the conveying guide piece 27 is pressed by a downstream side end portion of the printing medium W and is bent upward. Accordingly, the conveying guide piece 27 allows conveying of the printing medium W from the drive-side roller Ro7 and the driven-side roller Ro8 to the drive-side roller Ro9 and the driven-side roller Ro10. When the printing medium W is conveyed in the conveying direction Dc1 and reaches a predetermined position of the lower die 30, an upstream side end portion of the printing medium W is in a state of being gripped by the drive-side roller Ro9 and the driven-side roller Ro10 and is in a state of being positioned on a downstream side with respect to the conveying guide piece 27 in the first conveying path Cp1. At this time, the conveying guide piece 27 returns to the state of intersecting the first conveying path Cp1 again due to its flexibility.
The printing medium W conveyed to the predetermined position of the lower die 30 as described above is cut by the pressing unit 6 into the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa. Thereafter, separation processing is performed in which the remaining portion Wa is separated from the connected portion Wb and only the remaining portion Wa is discarded. In the separation processing, the second drive circuit 116 reversely rotates the conveying motor 23 in a state in which the connected portion Wb is pressed against the front member SE disposed on the lower die 30 by the pressing unit 6. In this case, the drive force of the conveying motor 23 (that is, the drive force due to the reverse rotation) is transmitted to the drive roller Rk5 and the drive roller Rk6 via the drive rollers Rk1 to Rk4. As a result, the remaining portion Wa is separated from the connected portion Wb. The remaining portion Wa is conveyed in the conveying direction Dc2 after separation, is guided to the second conveying path Cp2 by coming into contact with an outer surface of the conveying guide piece 27, and is conveyed toward the drive-side roller Ro11 and the driven-side roller Ro12. In this case, since the trailing end 27a of the conveying guide piece 27 is bent downward, the remaining portion Wa is easily guided to the second conveying path Cp2. Thereafter, the remaining portion Wa is conveyed while the edge portion We2 of the remaining portion Wa is sandwiched between the drive-side roller Ro11 and the driven-side roller Ro12, and is collected in the collection box 8.
The third conveying sensor S3, which is, for example, a contact sensor, is provided further frontward than the drive-side roller Ro9 and the driven-side roller Ro10 and further rearward than the drive-side roller Ro11 and the driven-side roller Ro12. It is possible to determine whether the remaining portion Wa is conveyed to the collection box 8 based on a detection result obtained by the third conveying sensor S3. When the remaining portion Wa cannot be detected by the third conveying sensor S3 within a predetermined time after the second drive circuit 116 starts to reversely rotate the conveying motor 23, the control device 110 determines that a jam of the remaining portion Wa occurs. When the remaining portion Wa is still detected after a predetermined time after the remaining portion Wa is detected by the third conveying sensor S3, the control device 110 may determine that a jam of the remaining portion Wa occurs. When it is determined that a jam of the remaining portion Wa occurs, the control device 110 causes the second drive circuit 116 to stop the rotation of the conveying motor 23.

(Pressing Unit)

Next, the pressing unit 6 according to the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 7 is a plan view illustrating a lower plate Mp1 and an upper plate Mp2 provided above the lower die 30. Fig. 8A is a perspective view of the pressing unit 6, and Fig. 8B is a perspective view of the pressing unit 6 viewed from a direction different from that of Fig. 8A. Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a standby position Psa of a pressing head 66 of the pressing unit 6, and Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating a pressing position Psb of the pressing head 66 of the pressing unit 6. Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating the pressing position Psb of the pressing head 66 viewed from a direction different from that of Fig. 10. In Fig. 11, the printing medium W disposed on the lower die 30 is not illustrated in order to clearly illustrate the pressing position Psb of the pressing head 66 with respect to the lower die 30.
The pressing unit 6 presses the printing medium W and the white film F against the lower die 30. Specifically, the pressing unit 6 performs the cutting processing (the first cutting processing) of cutting at least a part of the plurality of coupling portions Fc in the white film F disposed on the front member SE held by the lower die 30. Similarly, the pressing unit 6 performs the cutting processing (the second cutting processing) of cutting at least a part of the plurality of coupling portions Wc in the printing medium W disposed on the connected portion Fb disposed on the front member SE (that is, the connected portion Fb after the first cutting processing). By the first cutting processing and the second cutting processing, the connected portion Fb and the connected portion Wb are overlapped on the front member SE held by the lower die 30. Since the first cutting processing is basically the same as the second cutting processing, the second cutting processing for the printing medium W by the pressing unit 6 will be described below as a representative example.
As illustrated in Fig. 7, the pressing unit 6 includes the lower plate Mp1 disposed above the lower die 30 and the upper plate Mp2 disposed above the lower plate Mp1. The lower plate Mp1 includes a lower plate body 121 having a substantially rectangular plate shape and guide side walls 122 erected from left and right side edge portions of the lower plate body 121. A distance between a trailing end of the left guide side wall 122 and a trailing end of the right guide side wall 122 is smaller than a distance between a front end of the left guide side wall 122 and a front end of the right guide side wall 122. The distance between the trailing end of the left guide side wall 122 and the trailing end of the right guide side wall 122 is equal to or slightly larger than a dimension of the printing medium W in the left-right direction (that is, a width dimension) and a dimension of the white film F in the left-right direction. Such guide side walls 122 facilitate positioning of the printing medium W and the white film F conveyed from the conveying unit 2 with respect to the front member SE held by the lower die 30.
The lower plate body 121 is provided with a rectangular cut 123 that opens at a front portion of the lower plate body 121, and a cut 124 that opens adjacent to a trailing end of the cut 123 and protrudes rearward and has a semicircular shape. The diameter of the cut 124 is substantially the same as the diameter of a recess of the lower die 30 (that is, the holding portion of the front member SE). Bearing walls 125 are erected on left and right side edge portions of a front portion of the lower plate body 121. A bearing hole is formed in each bearing wall 125, and a plate support shaft 126 extending in the left-right direction is inserted into each bearing hole. Accordingly, the lower plate Mp1 is vertically swingable about the bearing wall 125 via the plate support shaft 126. A guide portion Bt1 (Fig. 6) bent downward is provided at a front end of the lower plate body 121. Further, guide pieces 127 extending rearward and having trailing ends curved upward are provided at left and right portions of a trailing end of the lower plate body 121. The guide piece 127 allows the lower plate Mp1 to smoothly ride on the upper surface of the lower dies 30 and 31 when the lower dies 30 and 31 is pivoted, thereby facilitating positioning of the lower plate Mp1 with respect to the lower dies 30 and 31.
The upper plate Mp2 is provided with a rectangular cut 128 opened at the trailing end of the upper plate Mp2 and a semicircular cut 129 opened adjacent to the front end of the cut 128. The diameter of the cut 128 is substantially the same as the diameter of the recess of the lower die 30 (that is, a holding portion of the front member SE). Since a rear portion of the upper plate Mp2 is cut out as described above, the rear portion of the lower plate body 121 is exposed at the rear portion.
Bearing walls 130 are erected on left and right side edge portions of a front portion of the upper plate Mp2. Each bearing wall 130 is disposed further inward than the corresponding bearing wall 125. A bearing hole is formed in each bearing wall 130, and the plate support shaft 126 is inserted into each bearing hole. Accordingly, the upper plate Mp2 is vertically swingable about the bearing wall 130 via the plate support shaft 126. A guide portion Bt2 bent upward is provided at a front end of the upper plate Mp2. The guide portion Bt2, together with the guide portion Bt1, smoothly introduces the printing medium W and the white film F conveyed from the conveying unit 2 between the lower plate Mp1 and the upper plate Mp2.
The upper plate Mp2 and the lower plate Mp1 are disposed to overlap each other in the up-down direction. In a state in which the upper plate Mp2 and the lower plate Mp1 are disposed to overlap each other, the semicircular cut 124 of the lower plate Mp1 and the semicircular cut 129 of the upper plate Mp2 are combined with each other to form a circular opening for exposing the recess of the lower dies 30 and 31.
The pressing unit 6 further includes the following components. As illustrated in Figs. 8A, 8B, 9, and 11, the pressing unit 6 includes the pressing motor 60, a pair of support plates 61, a coupling shaft 62, a swing arm 63, a support block 64, a remaining portion pressing head 65, and the pressing head 66 that presses the printing medium W.
The pressing head 66 is provided with pressing ends 66a, 66b, 66c, and 66d, the first pressing portion 66e, and the second pressing portion 66f that press the connected portion Wb of the printing medium W against the lower die 30, and a cutting portion 67 that cuts the linear weak portion Wd of the printing medium W. The first pressing portion 66e, the second pressing portion 66f, and the cutting portion 67 are made of, for example, resin. However, the material for the first pressing portion 66e, the second pressing portion 66f, and the cutting portion 67 is not limited to resin.
In the pressing head 66, the first pressing portion 66e and the second pressing portion 66f are integrally connected to each other. That is, the first pressing portion 66e and the second pressing portion 66f are provided in a state of not being separated from each other. In addition, the cutting portion 67 is integrally formed by being connected to the first pressing portion 66e and the second pressing portion 66f. That is, the cutting portion 67 is provided in a state of not being separated from the first pressing portion 66e and the second pressing portion 66f.
The pressing motor 60 is fixed to one support plate 61. A rotation shaft of the pressing motor 60 is rotatably inserted into the one support plate 61. A plurality of drive gears Ga2, Ga31, Ga32, Ga41, Ga42, and Ga5 are provided between the one support plate 61 and the other support plate 61. The drive gear Ga2 is connected to the rotation shaft of the pressing motor 60. The drive gear Ga2 meshes with the drive gear Ga31. The drive gear Ga32 is provided coaxially with the drive gear Ga31. The drive gear Ga32 meshes with the drive gear Ga41. The drive gear Ga42 is provided coaxially with the drive gear Ga41. The drive gear Ga42 meshes with the drive gear Ga5. The drive gear Ga5 is provided with the coupling shaft 62 coaxially with the drive gear Ga5 and penetrating the drive gear Ga5. In such a configuration, when the pressing motor 60 is rotationally driven, the drive force is transmitted to the drive gears Ga2, Ga31, Ga32, Ga41, Ga42, and Ga5.
The swing arm 63 pivots about a fulcrum Fu on one end side, and is provided with the pressing head 66 on the other end side. In detail, a base end of the swing arm 63 is coupled to the drive gear Ga5 by the coupling shaft 62. In this case, for example, a boss is provided on the drive gear Ga5, and a recess at the base end of the swing arm 63 is fitted into the boss. Meanwhile, the support block 64 is connected to a distal end of the swing arm 63. The support block 64 supports the pressing head 66.
When the pressing motor 60 is rotationally driven to rotate the drive gear Ga5, the swing arm 63 pivots in a pivot direction Dr1 illustrated in Fig. 9. In detail, for example, when the drive gear Ga5 rotates forward, the swing arm 63 pivots from the standby position Psa (Fig. 8) which is a position where the pressing head 66 stands by to the pressing position Psb (Fig. 9) which is a position where the connected portion Wb is pressed by the pressing head 66. Meanwhile, for example, when the drive gear Ga5 reversely rotates, the swing arm 63 pivots from the pressing position Psb to the standby position Psa.
The remaining portion pressing head 65 includes a support shaft 65a, a head body portion 65b, and a spring 65c. A base end of the support shaft 65a is connected to the spring 65c. As illustrated in Fig. 10, the support shaft 65a extends along the conveying direction Dc2 when the pressing head 66 is at the pressing position Psb. The head body portion 65b is connected to a distal end of the support shaft 65a. The head body portion 65b is positioned on the downstream side of the pressing head 66 in the conveying direction Dc2 when the pressing head 66 is at the pressing position Psb. When the head body portion 65b of the pressing head 66 is at the pressing position Psb, the spring 65c biases the head body portion 65b in a direction of pressing the remaining portion Wa of the printing medium W sandwiched between the lower plate Mp1 and the upper plate Mp2. Accordingly, the head body portion 65b presses the remaining portion Wa toward a trailing end central portion 121a of the lower plate body 121.
The pressing head 66 presses the connected portion Wb to a lower position closer to an inner bottom surface than a placement surface of the lower die 30 (that is, a support surface of the connected portion Wb) in the second cutting processing. The pressing ends 66a, 66b, 66c, and 66d, the first pressing portion 66e, and the second pressing portion 66f face the connected portion Wb of the printing medium W when the pressing head 66 is at the pressing position Psb. The pressing end 66a and the pressing end 66b are positioned on the left side and the right side in the left-right direction Dy when the pressing head 66 is at the pressing position Psb. The pressing end 66c and the pressing end 66d are positioned forward and rearward in the front-rear direction Dx when the pressing head 66 is at the pressing position Psb. The first pressing portion 66e is positioned between the pressing end 66a and the pressing end 66c. The first pressing portion 66e presses the position Pw1 of the connected portion Wb when the pressing head 66 is at the pressing position Psb. The second pressing portion 66f is positioned between the pressing end 66b and the pressing end 66c. The second pressing portion 66f presses the position Pw2 of the connected portion Wb when the pressing head 66 is at the pressing position Psb. Of the portions of the pressing head 66 facing the connected portion Wb when the pressing head 66 is at the pressing position Psb, a portion excluding the pressing ends 66a, 66b, 66c, and 66d, the first pressing portion 66e, and the second pressing portion 66f form a spherical shape recessed upward. Accordingly, the portion can have a shape along a surface shape of the front member SE.
The first pressing portion 66e is formed to be positioned further downward than the second pressing portion 66f when the pressing head 66 is at the pressing position Psb. Accordingly, the second pressing portion 66f presses the position Pw2 of the connected portion Wb after the first pressing portion 66e presses the position Pw1 of the connected portion Wb. That is, when the swing arm 63 pivots and the pressing head 66 is disposed at the pressing position Psb in the second cutting processing, the control device 110 causes the first pressing portion 66e to press the position Pw1 of the connected portion Wb prior to the second pressing portion 66f. That is, in the second cutting processing, the control device 110 causes the first pressing portion 66e to press the position Pw1 of the connected portion Wb, and causes the second pressing portion 66f to press the position Pw2 of the connected portion Wb after causing the first pressing portion 66e to press the position Pw1 of the connected portion Wb. By such second cutting processing, at least the coupling portion Wc1 and the coupling portion Wc2 among the coupling portion Wc1, the coupling portion Wc2, and the coupling portion Wc3 of the printing medium W are cut. Then, after the second cutting processing, the control device 110 executes the following second separation processing of cutting all of the coupling portions Wc3 of the coupling portion Wc to separate the remaining portion Wa from the connected portion Wb. After the first cutting processing, the first separation processing of cutting all of the coupling portions Fc3 of the coupling portion Fc to separate the remaining portion Fa from the connected portion Fb is basically the same as the second separation processing. Therefore, the second separation processing will be described below as a representative example.
Here, the first pressing portion 66e has a first surface Sf1 that contacts the position Pw1 of the connected portion Wb, and the second pressing portion 66f has a second surface Sf2 that contacts the position Pw2 of the connected portion Wb. Accordingly, the position Pw1 of the connected portion Wb can be pressed by the first surface Sf1 of the first pressing portion 66e, and the position Pw2 of the connected portion Wb can be pressed by the second surface Sf2 of the second pressing portion 66f. The pressing head 66 of the pressing unit 6 further has a first inclined surface Ip1 forming an acute angle with the first surface Sf1 on the downstream side of the first pressing portion 66e in the conveying direction Dc1, and a second inclined surface Ip2 forming an acute angle with the second surface Sf2 on the downstream side of the second pressing portion 66f in the conveying direction Dc1. Functions of the first inclined surface Ip1 and the second inclined surface Ip2 of the pressing head 66 will be described later.
The pressing unit 6 includes the cutting portion 67 as described above. The cutting portion 67 is provided at the pressing end 66d of the pressing head 66. The cutting portion 67 is positioned between the first inclined surface Ip1 and the second inclined surface Ip2. The cutting portion 67 has, for example, a triangular shape. When the first pressing portion 66e is pressed against the position Pw1 of the connected portion Wb and the second pressing portion 66f is pressed against the position Pw2 of the connected portion Wb, the cutting portion 67 is positioned downstream of a downstream end of the linear weak portion Wd of the printing medium W in the conveying direction Dc2. When the first pressing portion 66e is pressed against the position Pw1 of the connected portion Wb and the second pressing portion 66f is pressed against the position Pw2 of the connected portion Wb, the cutting portion 67 is positioned such that the vertex of the triangular shape is on the upstream side in the conveying direction Dc2.
In the second separation processing, the control device 110 causes the conveying unit 2 to convey the printing medium W in the conveying direction Dc2 in a state in which the connected portion Wb is pressed by the first pressing portion 66e and the second pressing portion 66f as described above. Accordingly, all of the coupling portions Wc3 are cut, and the remaining portion Wa is separated from the connected portion Wb. At this time, in a state in which the remaining portion Wa is pressed against the lower plate body 121 by the head body portion 65b, the linear weak portion Wd is cut by the cutting portion 67 with an end portion Wd2 of the linear weak portion Wd on the other end We2 side in the direction D1 as a starting point. Accordingly, the upstream side portion of the remaining portion Wa in the conveying direction Dc2 is divided into one portion and the other portion with the cut linear weak portion Wd as a boundary. Subsequently, when the remaining portion Wa is conveyed in the conveying direction Dc2, the one portion of the remaining portion Wa rides on the first inclined surface Ip1 of the pressing head 66, and the other portion of the remaining portion Wa rides on the second inclined surface Ip2 of the pressing head 66. Accordingly, the upstream side portion of the remaining portion Wa in the conveying direction Dc2 smoothly passes over the pressing head 66. Thereafter, the remaining portion Wa is conveyed to the collection box 8 by the conveying unit 2.
As described above, the remaining portion Wa of the printing medium W is in a state of surrounding the pressing head 66 only by being separated from the connected portion Wb, and is caught by the pressing head 66 when being conveyed in the conveying direction Dc2 as it is. Therefore, when the printing medium W is conveyed in the conveying direction Dc2, the linear weak portion Wd of the remaining portion Wa is cut by the cutting portion 67. Accordingly, the upstream side portion of the remaining portion Wa in the conveying direction Dc2 can be separated into the one portion and the other portion with the linear weak portion Wd as a boundary. Thereafter, the remaining portion Wa smoothly passes over the pressing head 66, and is conveyed to and collected in the collection box 8 without being caught by the pressing head 66.
Fig. 12A illustrates perspective views of the front member SE and the back member BE, and Fig. 12B is a cross-sectional view of the button product 200 manufactured by connecting the front member SE and the back member BE illustrated in Fig. 12A.
The front member SE and the back member BE each have a circular shape in a plan view. As illustrated in Figs. 12A and 12B, the front member SE is a member in which a peripheral edge portion SEa protrudes downward, and the back member BE is a member in which a peripheral edge portion BEa protrudes upward. The button product 200 is formed by connecting, specifically caulking, the front member SE and the connected portion Wb of the printing media W, which are held apart from each other by the upper die 33, and the back member BE. The button product 200 according to the present embodiment is, for example, a button badge. However, the button product 200 is not limited to a button badge. In a state in which a peripheral edge portion Fg of the connected portion Fb and a peripheral edge portion Wg of the connected portion Wb disposed on the front member SE are bent and sandwiched between the peripheral edge portion SEa and the peripheral edge portion BEa, the peripheral edge portion SEa and the peripheral edge portion BEa are caulked. Thus, the button product 200 is manufactured.
As described above, according to the pressing unit 6 of the present embodiment, after the printing medium W is conveyed to the front member SE, the connected portion Wb of the printing medium W is pressed against the lower die 30 by the pressing unit 6, whereby the coupling portion Wc of the printing medium W is cut. This makes it possible to automatically position only the connected portion Wb of the printing medium W on the front member SE. Therefore, the connected portion Wb of the printing medium W can be disposed on the front member SE with high accuracy, which makes it possible to manufacture the button product 200 with high accuracy.
In the present embodiment, the pressing head 66 has the first inclined surface Ip1 and the second inclined surface Ip2. Accordingly, when the remaining portion Wa is conveyed in the conveying direction Dc2, the one portion of the remaining portion Wa cut by the cutting portion 67 rides on the first inclined surface Ip1, and the other portion rides on the second inclined surface Ip2. Accordingly, the upstream side portion of the remaining portion Wa in the conveying direction Dc2 smoothly passes over the pressing head 66. Therefore, the remaining portion Wa can be smoothly conveyed to the collection box 8.
In the present embodiment, the cutting portion 67 is positioned between the first inclined surface Ip1 and the second inclined surface Ip2. That is, the first inclined surface Ip1 is disposed on one side with the cutting portion 67 as a reference, and the second inclined surface Ip2 is disposed on the other side with the cutting portion 67 as a reference. With such a configuration, the one portion of the remaining portion Wa obtained by cutting the linear weak portion Wd by the cutting portion 67 can be caused to ride on the first inclined surface Ip1, and the other portion can be caused to ride on the second inclined surface Ip2.
In the present embodiment, the first pressing portion 66e and the second pressing portion 66f are integrally connected to each other. In addition, the cutting portion 67 is integrally formed by being connected to the first pressing portion 66e and the second pressing portion 66f. Accordingly, the rigidity of the first pressing portion 66e, the second pressing portion 66f, and the cutting portion 67 can be ensured.
In the present embodiment, the first pressing portion 66e and the second pressing portion 66f are made of resin. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce or prevent damage to the connected portion Wb when the connected portion Wb is pressed. Further, since the cutting portion 67 is also made of resin like the first pressing portion 66e and the second pressing portion 66f, the cutting portion 67 can be integrally formed with the first pressing portion 66e and the second pressing portion 66f.
In the present embodiment, the swing arm 63 pivots about the fulcrum Fu on the one end side, and is provided with the pressing head 66 on the other end side. For example, when a configuration is adopted in which a pressing head that presses the connected portion Wb is raised and lowered in the up-down direction, the pressing force applied to the connected portion Wb is less likely to be dispersed in the connected portion Wb. Therefore, the connected portion Wb may be damaged due to the excessive pressing force. Meanwhile, by adopting the swing arm 63 that pivots around the fulcrum Fu on the one end side, it is possible to press with a time difference to each position of the connected portion Wb as described above. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the pressing force against the connected portion Wb from becoming excessive, and thus it is possible to reduce or prevent the connected portion Wb from being damaged.
Further, in the present embodiment, in the second separation processing, the printing medium W is conveyed by the conveying unit 2 in the conveying direction Dc2 in a state in which the connected portion Wb is pressed by the first pressing portion 66e and the second pressing portion 66f. Accordingly, the coupling portion Wc3 that is not cut in the preceding second cutting processing for reducing the pressing force against the connected portion Wb can be cut in the second separation processing. Therefore, the remaining portion Wa can be satisfactorily separated from the connected portion Wb.

(Modifications)

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and modifications can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the present invention is modified as follows.
In the above embodiment, the connected portion Wb of the printing medium W has a circular shape in a plan view, but the shape is not limited thereto, and may be another shape such as an elliptical shape.
In the above embodiment, the coupling portions Wc1 and the coupling portions Wc2 are arranged at equal intervals, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the coupling portions Wc1 and the coupling portions Wc2 may be arranged at unequal intervals. The coupling portions Wc3 are arranged at unequal intervals, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the coupling portions Wc3 may be arranged at equal intervals.
In the above embodiment, the cutting portion 67 is made of resin like the first pressing portion 66e and the second pressing portion 66f, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The cutting portion 67 may be made of another material such as metal. Accordingly, the cutting force for the linear weak portion Wd of the printing medium W can be increased.
In the above embodiment, the first pressing portion 66e, the second pressing portion 66f, and the cutting portion 67 are integrally connected to each other, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The first pressing portion 66e, the second pressing portion 66f, and the cutting portion 67 may be implemented separately and independently.
In the above embodiment, the conveying unit 2 and the control device 110 are implemented separately and independently from the pressing unit 6, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the pressing unit 6 may include the conveying unit 2 and the control device 110.
In the above embodiment, a mark portion may be disposed on one side in a direction D2 with respect to the center in the direction D2 as a reference in the remaining portion Wa of the printing medium W. Accordingly, when a user accommodates the printing medium W in the sheet holder of the printing unit 1, the front and back surfaces and the arrangement orientation of the printing medium W are less likely to be wrong. In order to further improve the visibility of the user, it is desirable to provide the mark portion in an area having a relatively large space in the remaining portion Wa (that is, an area away from the area where the connected portion Wb and the coupling portion Wc are provided).
Further, instead of causing the second drive circuit 116 to drive the conveying motor 23 when the printing medium W is detected by the first conveying sensor S1, the control device 110 may cause the second drive circuit 116 to drive the conveying unit 2 after an image is printed on the printing medium W by the printing unit 1. The control device 110 may cause the second drive circuit 116 to drive the conveying unit 2 before the printing unit 1 prints an image on the printing medium W instead of causing the second drive circuit 116 to drive the conveying motor 23 when the printing medium W is detected by the first conveying sensor S1. The control device 110 may cause the second drive circuit 116 to drive the conveying unit 2 when an image is printed on the printing medium W by the printing unit 1, instead of causing the second drive circuit 116 to drive the conveying motor 23 when the printing medium W is detected by the first conveying sensor S1.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

2: conveying unit
6: pressing unit
30: lower die
63: swing arm
66: pressing head
66e: first pressing portion
66f: second pressing portion
67: cutting portion
100: button product manufacturing device
110: control device
200: button product
BE: back member
Dc1, Dc2: conveying direction
Fu: fulcrum
Ip1: first inclined surface
Ip2: second inclined surface
Pw1, Pw2: position
SE: front member
Sf1: first surface
Sf2: second surface
W: printing medium
Wa: remaining portion
Wb: connected portion
Wc: coupling portion

Claims

A pressing unit configured to press a connected portion of a printing medium against a lower die, the printing medium including: the connected portion having a sheet shape and configured to be connected to a front member and a back member constituting a button product; a remaining portion having a sheet shape and different from the connected portion; and a coupling portion coupling the connected portion and the remaining portion, the pressing unit comprising:
a first pressing portion configured to press the connected portion against the lower die; and

a second pressing portion configured to press the connected portion against the lower die,

wherein the second pressing portion is configured to press, after the first pressing portion presses a first position of the connected portion, a second position different from the first position of the connected portion.
The pressing unit according to claim 1,
wherein the first pressing portion has a first surface configured to contact the first position of the connected portion, and the second pressing portion has a second surface configured to contact the second position of the connected portion, and

wherein the pressing unit includes: a first inclined surface on a downstream side of the first pressing portion in a conveying direction of the printing medium, the first incline surface forming an acute angle with the first surface; and a second inclined surface on a downstream side of the second pressing portion in the conveying direction, the second inclined surface forming an acute angle with the second surface.
The pressing unit according to claim 2, further comprising:
a cutting portion positioned between the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface.
The pressing unit according to claim 3,
wherein the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion are integrally connected to each other.
The pressing unit according to claim 4,
wherein the cutting portion is integrally connected to the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion.
The pressing unit according to claim 5,
wherein the first pressing portion, the second pressing portion, and the cutting portion are made of resin.
The pressing unit according to claim 3, further comprising:
a pressing head in which the first pressing portion, the second pressing portion, and the cutting portion are provided; and

a swing arm configured to pivot around a fulcrum on one end side and provided with the pressing head on the other end side.
The pressing unit according to claim 3, further comprising:
a conveying unit configured to convey the printing medium in a first direction or a second direction which is a direction opposite to the first direction; and

a control device,

wherein the control device is configured to convey the printing medium in the second direction by the conveying unit in a state in which the connected portion is pressed by the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion.