JP2001113720A - Ink container for marking apparatus and solid ink - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink container capable of preventing a binder or a coloring agent in ink contained therein from being precipitated and of improving an energy efficiency of heating. SOLUTION: This ink container comprises a container body 2, a cover 3 for closing an opening of the container body 2, a heating plate 9 provided in the container 2, a heated plate 11 that is provided adjacent to the heating plate 9 with a space of a liquid tank 12 therebetween and has a solid ink W loaded thereon, a coil spring 18 that is provided to the cover 3 and urges the solid ink W against the heated plate 11, a temperature detector 20 that is inserted into the container body 2 through the wall thereof in order to detect the temperature of liquid ink in the liquid tank 12, a support body 16 for a position detecting sensor for detecting the position of the solid ink W which is inserted into the container body 2 along the longitudinal center axis thereof, and a pressurizing conveyance hole 5 that is formed on the wall of the container body 2 corresponding to the liquid tank 12 and introduces the melted ink to a jetting gun 4. Multiple holes 11a capable of passing the melted ink therethrough are provided on the heated plate 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an ink container and a solid ink for a marking device. For more information,
The present invention relates to an ink container for containing ink, melting the ink, and supplying the melted ink to an ink jetting gun mainly for marking, and a solid ink suitable for use in the ink container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, in the fields of iron and steel and non-ferrous metals, marking has been made on the position of a flaw detected by a destructive inspection of a metal material. This makes it easy to identify the flaw in the downstream process, and as a result, the flaw removal operation can be easily performed. In general, as a mark, identification of a damaged position, an OK mark when there is no damage, and an NG mark for disposal are appropriately selected.

[0003] As marking inks, water-soluble inks, solvent-type inks used by dissolving with an organic solvent,
Liquid inks such as hot melt type inks containing paraffin wax as a main component are also used.
The liquid ink is pressure-fed by a pump or the like, and is sprayed onto the target material. However, water-soluble inks dry slowly and are not suitable for steel and non-ferrous fields where the material transport speed is high. On the other hand, the solvent type is strictly regulated for its organic solvent, requires complete exhaust equipment, and requires attention to ignition.

[0004] Therefore, hot melt type inks have recently been preferred because of the simplicity and speed of the marking operation. However, since hot-melt type ink containing paraffin wax as a main component is a hot-melt type, it is necessary to dissolve the ink in a solid state after storing it in a container. Conventionally, the container is externally heated. as a result,
There is a problem that the ink inside is completely dissolved, the adhesive and the colorant contained in the ink are precipitated, and the quality of the ink is changed during use of the marking device. Further, since all the ink in the container is liquid, an expensive device such as a non-contact type ultrasonic sensor has to be employed for detecting the liquid surface position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and is intended to prevent the sedimentation of an adhesive or a coloring agent by sequentially supplying a hot-melt type ink which is dissolved in accordance with an amount used. It is intended to provide an ink container for the device. In addition, it is another object to provide a solid ink suitable for such an ink container.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided an ink container for a marking apparatus, comprising: a container body for containing solid ink; heating means disposed in the container body; and heating means provided in the container body. And a molten ink passage for guiding the ink formed near the installation position to the ejection gun, and is configured so that the solid ink can be stored in contact with the heating means.

Accordingly, the solid ink is sequentially melted from the side of the heating means, and the molten ink is guided to the ejection gun and ejected. Therefore, since the whole ink is not kept in a molten state as in the related art, the adhesive and the colorant are prevented from settling. Here, the solid ink has a meaning including a block shape, a powder shape, a granular shape, a pellet shape, and the like, and is an ink that is not a liquid in short.

In the above ink container, the heating means includes a heat generating means disposed near a bottom of the container body.
In the apparatus having a heating plate on which a solid ink can be placed, which is disposed above the heating means with a space therebetween, the solid ink is sequentially melted from the heating plate side end. The resulting liquid ink will fill the space. Therefore, the ink is kept in a liquid state in the most heated space sandwiched between the heating means and the heating plate, and the heating of the ink is minimized. As a result, the liquid portion of the ink is kept to a minimum, energy efficiency is improved, and direct measurement of the temperature of the ink is facilitated.

In the above ink container, wherein the heating means has at least one through hole through which the molten ink can pass, the molten liquid ink fills the space. Easier to do. Here, that the heating means has a through-hole means that a through-hole is formed in the heating means itself, and when the heating means is composed of a heating means and a heating plate, the heating means has a through-hole. It means that a through hole is formed.

An ink container having a heat generating means and a heating plate, wherein a temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature above the heat generating means is provided from outside through a wall of the container body, In the case where the temperature detecting section is configured to measure the temperature of the molten ink, the temperature of the ink can be directly measured. Usually, it is attached so that the temperature sensor part is located just at the liquid part of the ink. This also facilitates temperature control of the heating means.

Further, in the above ink container, a position sensor for detecting a position of solid ink, which is provided along a longitudinal center axis of the container body, is provided in the container body. In this case, a predetermined position of the solid ink can be directly measured inside the container body. Therefore, the measuring mechanism for measuring the remaining amount of the solid ink can be configured inexpensively and simply. Then, it is possible to accurately grasp the ink replenishment time. In this case, the position sensor directly detects the presence of the solid ink by directly acting on the solid ink, or the one in which an object to be detected is arranged on the solid ink and the object to be detected is detected. And so on.

In the above ink container, a lid member for closing an open end of the container main body, and a pressing plate arranged at an end of the solid ink housed in the container main body on the lid member side And an urging means attached to the inner surface of the lid member for urging the pressing plate toward the heating means, wherein the solid ink is directed toward the heating means. Can be energized. As a result, even if the solid ink contacts the inner peripheral surface of the container main body, the solid ink can be reliably brought into contact with the heating means by overcoming the resistance caused thereby. For example, the effect is sufficiently exerted even in a usage mode in which the container main body is placed sideways so to speak, and the solid ink is charged substantially in the horizontal direction.

[0013] The above ink container is provided with a heat insulating means for inhibiting heat transfer to a portion containing the solid ink and / or a cooling means for cooling an outer portion of the wall of the container main body. This is preferable in that the container body is not unnecessarily heated, so that the energy efficiency is improved and the necessary minimum amount of ink is melted. In addition, it is possible to cool a portion of the container body that is not desired to be heated. Therefore, it is preferable in melting the necessary minimum amount of ink.

[0014] The above-mentioned heat-insulating means includes, for example, those in which the above-mentioned container body is formed of a heat-insulating material in a portion above a portion corresponding to an upper portion close to a position where the heating means is provided, Alternatively, at least a portion corresponding to an upper portion close to the arrangement position of the heating means is formed of a heat insulating material. In addition, the cooling device having the cooling means is, for example, one in which the cooling gas injection means is disposed around the outer periphery of the container body above the position where the heating means is disposed.

The solid ink for a marking device of the present invention comprises:
A hot-melt solid ink used for marking, characterized in that it has an annular shape.

Therefore, the ink is optimal for the ink container of the present invention described above.

The solid ink can be formed, for example, entirely in a cylindrical shape, and both end surfaces thereof can be formed flat. In this case, the ink is suitable for minimum necessary melting and position detection inside the ink container.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an ink container and a solid ink of a marking device according to the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A is a front sectional view showing an embodiment of the ink container of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view of FIG.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a different cross section of the ink container of FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the ink container of FIG. 1 before assembling. FIG. 3 is a front sectional view schematically showing another embodiment of the ink container of the present invention.

In the ink container 1 shown in FIG. 1, in order to reduce costs, the container main body 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a metal bottom except for a part described later. And the container body 2
A detachable lid 3 is attached to the upper open end of the cover. An ink jet gun 4 is provided on a lower outer surface of the container body 2. A pressure feed hole 5 for feeding molten ink to the ink jet gun 4 is formed in a lower wall of the container body 2. Although only one injection gun is shown in FIG. 1A, it is easy to attach two or more injection guns. In that case, the pressure feed holes 5 may be perforated in accordance with the number of the ejection guns, or only one pressure feed hole 5 may be provided in the wall of the container body 2 to branch off the ink passage outside. Instead of attaching the injection gun 4 directly to the container body 2 as shown in the figure, a flexible so-called heat hose (not shown) may be connected to the pressure feed hole 5 and the injection gun may be attached to the end of the heat hose. The heat hose is provided with a heating element such as a ribbon heater on the outer periphery of the hose, and its temperature is controlled by a thermostat or the like. Further, a heating type manifold member (not shown) having a plurality of connection ports may be attached to the end of the heat hose, and a plurality of injection guns may be attached to the manifold member. As described above, when the ejection gun is attached separately from the container body 2, a heating element should be provided also in the ink passage leading to the ejection gun.

On the other hand, a compressed air pipe 6 for pressurizing the ink is connected to the upper outer surface of the container body 2 inside the container body 2 after being provided with a pressure regulator 6a.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, a heat insulating plate 7 is laid at the bottom of the inside of the container body 2. The heating member 8 is disposed on the heat insulating plate 7 so as to overlap. The heating member 8 includes a heat generating plate 9 disposed adjacent to the heat insulating plate 7, a plurality of columnar spacers 10 screwed to the upper surface of the heat generating plate 9, and a plurality of And a heating plate 11 attached to the heating plate 11. That is, the spacer 10 is provided between the heating plate 9 and the heating plate 11.
The space 12 is formed by this. The most heated space 12 is a liquid tank section described later. Although only two spacers 10 are shown in FIG. 2, usually four or more spacers 10 are provided. The heating plate 9 to the heating plate 11 mainly include the spacer 10
Heat is conducted through.

The heating plate 11 has a plurality of holes 11a (FIG. 2). The heating plate 9 is inserted into the container body 2 by bolts B (FIG. 1 (a)) screwed from outside the bottom.
The heat insulating plate 7 is detachably attached to the bottom of the container body 2 so as to sandwich the heat insulating plate 7 therebetween. In FIG. 2, the bolt B and the bolt hole are omitted. On the inner peripheral surface of the container body 2,
A cylindrical heat conducting tube 13 is fitted from the bottom to a position corresponding to the heating plate 11. The heat conduction tube 13 is brought into contact with the heat generating plate 9 so that the heat from the heat generating plate 9 is transmitted to increase the temperature. For example, when the operation of the marking device is stopped and the operation is restarted, the temperature of the heat transfer cylinder 13 is increased, so that the ink that has solidified and adhered is quickly melted. That is, it is preferable to re-melt the ink.

Initially, three solid inks W are stacked and placed on the heating plate 11. The lowermost solid ink W is melted by the heating plate 11 from its lower end surface. The melted ink passes through the hole 11a of the heating plate 11 and accumulates in the lower liquid tank portion 12. Even if there is one hole 11a, the passage of the molten ink is possible. For example, heating plate 1
For example, one hole is formed in the center of 1, and a radial groove serving as a passage for the molten ink is formed toward the hole. Further, as the heating plate, a metal net may be used instead of the plate having the holes 11a as illustrated. When no holes are formed, a circular gap is formed between the heating plate 11 and the inner peripheral surface of the container body 2, and a radial groove serving as a passage for the molten ink is formed toward the gap. Is formed, the molten ink can be easily sent to the liquid tank section 12.

A pressing plate 14 is mounted on the upper surface of the uppermost ink W. The number of solid inks W to be mounted is not particularly limited to three, but may be one, two, four or more. This number depends on the size of the container body 2 and the solid ink W
Can be arbitrarily changed by changing the size.

As shown in FIG. 1A, a through hole 15 for arranging a position sensor is formed at the bottom of the container body 2, at the center of the heat insulating plate 7, and at the center of the heating member 8, respectively. (See also FIG. 2). A position detection sensor support 16 for detecting the position of the solid ink W contained in the container body 2 is tightly fitted in the through hole 15 in the container body 2 with its upward direction. A proximity switch 16a is attached to the tip of the position detection sensor support 16. on the other hand,
A through hole 15 through which the position detection sensor support 16 can penetrate is also formed in the pressing plate 14, and a magnet 17 as an object to be detected by a proximity switch 16 a is attached near the through hole 15 on the upper surface of the pressing plate 14. Have been. When the position of the pressing plate 14 is lowered by the melting and consumption of the solid ink W, the proximity switch 16a is turned on by the magnet 1.
7, it is notified that the solid ink W is additionally stored. As shown in FIG. 1A, in this embodiment, the proximity switch 16a is located slightly below the upper end surface of the lowermost ink W. Therefore, when the last ink W is about to be consumed, it is notified. Of course, the arrangement position of the proximity switch 16a is not limited to the above. For example, the notification may be made when the ink in the container main body 2 is almost exhausted by being positioned further downward, or may be notified when the first one is almost exhausted by being positioned on the contrary. It may be. Position detection sensor support 1
6 can be set to an arbitrary position by changing the length.

Further, the position detecting sensor support 16 may not be provided upright from the bottom of the container body 2 but may be provided upright on the inner surface of the lid 3. Then, it is not necessary to form the through hole 15 for the sensor other than the pressing plate 14.

Further, as the ink position detecting mechanism, a mechanism for directly detecting ink without arranging a special object to be detected may be employed. For example, the reflection from the solid ink W is detected using a reflection type optical sensor or the like. Then, when the sensor relatively comes off from the central hole of the solid ink W, a change in the signal caused by that may be detected.

A frustoconical coil spring 18 as an urging means is interposed between the upper surface of the pressing plate 14 and the lower surface of the lid 3. The solid ink W is pressed downward via the pressing plate 14 by the truncated conical coil spring 18. As a result, even if the solid ink W contacts the inner peripheral surface of the container main body 2, the solid ink W is pressed against the heating plate 11 regardless of the resistance. Also, a frusto-conical coil spring 1
In the case of No. 8, the winding is substantially concentric when compressed, so that the ink storage space is not limited.

As described above, the solid ink W is supplied to the heating plate 11
The liquid tank 1 is placed below the heating plate 11.
2 is formed. The ink melted by the heating plate 11 fills the liquid tank 12 through the holes 11a. The melted ink (liquid ink) is blown from the ejection gun 4 to the target material through the pressure feed hole 5 by the compressed air introduced through the pressure regulator 6 to form a mark. On the other hand, the ink W above the heating plate maintains an almost solid state. As a result, the ink W in the container body 2 is not melted more than necessary,
There is no risk of precipitation of the adhesive and the colorant. Of course, the portion near the heating plate 11 of the ink W is softened and melted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom of the container body 2, the heat insulating plate 7 and the heat generating plate 9 are each provided with a mounting hole 19 for a temperature detector at a position deviated from the corresponding center. Then, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), each of the mounting holes 19 shown in FIG.
Are tightly fitted inside. The temperature detecting section at the tip of the temperature detector 20 is located exactly in the liquid tank section 12 and directly measures the temperature of the liquid ink. Two of the three temperature detectors 20 are used for a thermostat that detects the temperature of the liquid ink in the liquid tank section 12 and turns on and off a heater 21 (see FIGS. 1A and 2) described later. ,
The other is used to notify that the temperature of the liquid ink has reached a predetermined temperature. The number of the temperature detectors 20 is not particularly limited to three.

As shown in FIG. 2, a recess 22 for mounting a heater 21 is formed in the lower surface of the heating plate 9. Then, the heater 21 is fitted into the recess and screwed to the heat generating plate 9 via the mounting plate 23 (FIG. 2). The heater 21 has a heater cover 21a as shown in FIG.
The inside of which the electric resistor 21b is mounted generates Joule heat. The bottom of the container body 2 and the heat insulating plate 7 are formed with a mounting opening 24 for attaching and detaching the heater 21 to and from the recess 22 from outside the container body.

Further, O-rings 25 are provided near the outer periphery between the heat generating plate 9 and the heat insulating plate 7 and between the heat insulating plate 7 and the bottom surface of the container body 2 respectively. O-ring grooves (not shown) are formed on the lower surface of the heat generating plate 9 and the lower surface of the heat insulating plate 7. In addition, since the position detection sensor support 16 and the temperature detector 20 are each attached in a liquid-tight manner by an O-ring or the like (not shown), the liquid ink does not leak from the liquid tank 12 to the attachment opening 24.

With this configuration, maintenance and replacement of the heater 21 can be performed from the bottom of the container body 2 without disassembling the container 1.

The lower portion of the container body 2, that is, the portion 2a substantially containing the heating member 8 and the upper portion 2b are both made of metal. However, a heat insulating member 2c such as a synthetic resin is interposed between the two 2a and 2b, and is fixed by a known clamp member such as a bolt (not shown). Therefore, the container main body 2 can be disassembled from individual parts. With this configuration, high heat is not easily transmitted to the upper portion 2b of the container body. Solid ink W
Is not melted unnecessarily. of course,
Only the lower portion 2a may be made of metal, and the other portions may be made of a heat insulating material such as a synthetic resin. The entire container body 2 may be made of a synthetic resin. With the above configuration, the heat of the heater 21 is efficiently used for melting the ink by mounting the heat insulating plate 7 described above. Therefore, the rise time for melting the ink, in other words, the time until the start of the actual operation of the marking device is shortened. Of course, if a certain amount of heat energy loss is allowed, the heat insulating plate 7 need not be mounted.
In that case, the heater 21 can be attached to the bottom of the container body 2.

The compressed air pipe 26 formed in a circular shape is provided at a slight distance from the outer peripheral surface of the container body 2 so as to surround the outer periphery of the intermediate portion in the height direction of the container body 2.
Are arranged. Small holes (not shown) for ejecting compressed air are formed at equal intervals on the inner peripheral side of the compressed air pipe 26, that is, on the portion facing the outer peripheral surface of the container body 2. As a result, compressed air is blown to the opposing portion around the container body 2 to be cooled. As a result, the temperature distribution in the height direction of the wall of the container main body 2 is reduced at the portion facing the compressed air pipe 26, and the wall of the container main body 2 above it becomes difficult to be heated.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, the solid ink W has a thick cylindrical shape. The upper and lower ends are flattened. Therefore, the ink container 1 is suitable for a container in which a position detection sensor is provided at the center, such as the ink container 1. Further, this ink is easily mounted on the heating plate, and the pressing plate is easily mounted on the ink. Furthermore, since it is cylindrical, it is easy to grasp, and it is convenient to carry and handle. In addition, compared to powder or particulate matter, unnecessary space is not generated when stored in a container, and space is not wasted. As described above, a plurality of containers can be accommodated in the container, so that they can be replenished at almost any time. If it is a big one, it cannot be replenished unless it is completely consumed.
In addition, by making the ink solid in such a shape, it becomes easy to use it while melting it as necessary.

Of course, in addition to the block-shaped solid ink, so-called solid ink such as pellets, powders, and granules can be applied to the ink container 1. In particular, the present invention can be easily applied to a mode in which the ink is charged into the container body from above to below. In the case of non-block-shaped ink, the size of the hole 11a of the heating plate 11 may be determined so as to conform to the shape of the ink. For example, the number of holes may be increased by reducing the hole diameter, or a mesh having small eyes may be used. When the operation of the marking device is started, the ink containing portion is also heated to some extent, so that the inks in the form of pellets, powders, granules, etc. are in close contact with each other and adhere to each other, so that there is no problem since the form is close to a block. .

In the above embodiment, the type in which the ink is charged from the upper side to the lower side of the container body 2 is taken as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this type.
For example, it includes a container in which the container body 2 is arranged sideways so to speak.

For example, as shown schematically in FIG. 3, an ink container 31 of a type in which solid ink is charged in a substantially horizontal direction may be used. In that case, it is useful to provide an urging means such as the coil spring 18 described above.
This is because the ink is pressed against the heating plate 32 and is sequentially melted as needed. It is more preferable to dispose the liquid tank portion 12 adjacent to the heating plate 32 slightly below the ink charging portion because the molten ink is accumulated in the liquid tank portion 12 by its own weight. Further, if the heating plate 32 is arranged to be inclined toward the liquid tank section 12 as shown in the figure, it becomes more preferable. When the heating plate 32 is inclined, the cylindrical solid ink W may also have both end surfaces inclined with respect to the center axis thereof in accordance with the inclination of the heating plate 32, and the pressing plate 34 An inclined surface as shown in the drawing may be formed so as to appropriately contact the inclined end surface of the solid ink W. In this container 31, a position detection sensor support 36 is attached to the lid. The heating plate 33 is the heating plate 3
Although it is inclined so as to follow the inclination of No. 2, it may be constituted perpendicularly to the central axis of the container 31 without being inclined. The other configuration is the same as that of the container 1 (FIGS. 1 and 2), and thus the illustration and description are omitted.

[0041]

According to the present invention, the solid ink contained in the container is sequentially melted from the lower end thereof, and the molten ink is guided to the ejection gun and ejected toward the target material. Therefore, since the whole ink is not kept in a molten state as in the related art, the adhesive and the colorant are prevented from settling. Further, energy efficiency related to heating is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a front sectional view showing an embodiment of an ink container of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view of a main part showing a different cross section of the ink container of FIG. 1A. It is.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of the ink container of FIG. 1 before assembly.

FIG. 3 is a front sectional view schematically showing another embodiment of the ink container of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ink container 2 ... Container main body 2a ... Lower part (of container main body) 2b ... Upper part (of container main body) 2c ... Heat insulation member 3 ... Lid 4 ... · Injection gun 5 ··· Pressure feed hole 6 ··· Compressed air piping 6a ··· Pressure regulator 7 ··· Insulating plate 8 ··· Heating member 9 ··· Heating plate 10 ··· · Spacer 11 ··· Heating plate 11a ··· Hole 12 ··· Liquid tank 13 ··· Heat conduction cylinder 14 ··· Pressing plate 15 ··· Through hole 16 ··· Detection sensor support 17 Magnet 18 Truncated conical coil spring 19 Mounting hole 20 Temperature detector 21 Heater 21a Heater cover 21b ..Electrical resistor 22 ... Recess 23 ... Mounting plate 24 ... Mounting opening 25 ... O-ring 26 ··· Compressed air tube 31 ··· Ink container 32 ··· Heating plate 33 ··· Heating plate 34 ··· Press plate 36 ··· Position detection sensor support B ··· Bolt W ... solid ink

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A container body for accommodating solid ink, a heating means disposed in the container body, and a melt for guiding ink formed in the container body in the vicinity of the position of the heating means to an ejection gun. An ink container for a marking device, comprising: an ink passage; and configured to be able to store the solid ink in contact with the heating means. 2. The heating device according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit is disposed near the bottom of the container body, and a heating plate disposed above the heating unit with a space between the heating unit and the solid ink. The ink container of the marking device according to claim 1, comprising: 3. The ink container according to claim 1, wherein the heating means has at least one through hole through which the molten ink can pass. 4. A temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature above the heat generating means is provided through the wall of the container body from outside, and a temperature detecting part of the temperature detecting means can measure the temperature of the molten ink. The ink container of the marking device according to claim 2, wherein the ink container is configured as follows. 5. A container according to claim 1, wherein a position sensor for detecting a position of the solid ink, which is provided along a longitudinal center axis of the container body, is provided in the container body. An ink container for the marking device according to any one of the above items. 6. A lid member for closing an open end of the container main body, a pressing plate disposed at a lid member side end of the solid ink accommodated in the container main body, and an inner surface of the lid member. The ink container of the marking device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a biasing unit attached to bias the pressing plate toward the heating unit. 7. The container according to claim 1, further comprising a heat insulating means for inhibiting heat transfer to a portion containing the solid ink and / or a cooling means for cooling an outer portion of the wall of the container body. An ink container for the marking device according to any one of the above items. 8. A solid ink for a marking device, which is a hot-melt type solid ink used for marking, wherein the solid ink has a ring shape.