JP2007005097A - Cable and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thin and light cable which can be formed in a free shape even if the number of core wires increases. <P>SOLUTION: This method for manufacturing a cable by gravure printing comprises a step printing an overcoat material as a lower covering material to a basal surface (S10), a step printing conductive ink as a core wire (S11), a step printing insulating ink around the conductive ink (S12), and a step printing the overcoat material as an upper covering material (S14) to cover the conductive ink and the insulating ink. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cable such as an electric wire and a manufacturing method thereof, and particularly to a cable suitable for a light and thin electronic device and a manufacturing method thereof.

Conventionally, cables such as electric wires are covered with an insulator such as vinyl or rubber, which is a metal wire such as copper wire, and the outer periphery is covered again with vinyl and rubber as many as necessary. It is manufactured as a single cable (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-10-134647

  However, a conventional cable having a metal core is heavy and has a fixed shape, which has become a major obstacle in the future IT era.

  In other words, in the recent information era, while development of ultra-small electronic devices such as wearable computers is progressing, images, sounds, power supplies, etc. are often connected with cables, and if the amount of information increases As the number increases, the number of cores of the cable increases, and the conventional cable has a problem that the cross-sectional diameter of the cable becomes very large, and its weight exceeds the holding power of human beings and cannot be used at all.

  Further, in a conventional cable, as the cross-sectional diameter increases, the hardness increases and it becomes difficult to form a free shape. This has become a major obstacle in the IT era.

  In addition, the total length of cables used indoors is also increasing year by year, and the number of cables required is also increasing at the same time. In conventional cables, the length of the cable is restricted due to the relationship between the cross-sectional diameter and the reel.

  Furthermore, conventional cables have many round cables in cross-sectional shape, and are extremely difficult to mount when wiring to ordinary homes, buildings, and bodies.

  Therefore, the present invention solves such problems, and it is possible to make the cable suitable for the IT era in the future, that is, light and thin, and to have a free shape even if the number of core wires increases. It is an object to provide a simple cable and a method for manufacturing the same.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a cable manufacturing method suitable for manufacturing a required length in a required amount.

  In order to achieve the above object, a cable manufacturing method according to the present invention is characterized by manufacturing a cable structure such as a core wire, an insulating material, and a covering material by gravure printing. Thus, by using an ink base as a material and applying thin film printing technology, it is possible to produce multi-core cables, electric wires, and the like that are thin, light, and can be bent freely. Moreover, by applying the gravure printing technique, a long cable can be continuously produced. Furthermore, the cross section of a cable can be made into a free shape, for example, round or square.

  That is, the cable according to the present invention and the method for manufacturing the same according to the present invention include an increase in weight when a conventional multi-core cable is used by using an ink-based material for a cable such as an electric wire that has been conventionally formed of a metal and an inorganic substance. In addition to completely solving the disadvantage of increasing the diameter, it is possible to manufacture only the required amount of free length.

More specifically, the above-described problem is solved by performing multilayer printing of a conductive ink material by a continuous multilayer printing technique that applies gravure printing as a printing technique. The specific manufacturing process is as follows.
(A) An insulating overcoat material is printed on the base surface as a lower covering material.
(B) Conductive ink is printed on the upper surface (or inside) of the lower covering material as a current path (core wire).
(C) Insulating ink is printed so as to fill a gap (or cover the conductive ink) on the upper surface (or inside) of the lower covering material and around the conductive ink. To do.
(D) Finally, as an upper covering material, an overcoat material is printed on the upper surface (and side surfaces) of the conductive ink and the insulating ink so as to cover the conductive ink and the insulating ink together with the lower covering material. To do.

  The present invention can be realized not only as a cable manufacturing method but also as a cable manufactured by such a characteristic manufacturing method.

  The production process according to the present invention facilitates the production of electric wires and information-related cables, and the cables are very light and more flexible in shape than conventional cables. A thin cable having a free length can be manufactured.

  That is, in the present invention, the diameter, the cross-sectional shape, and the number of conductive wires to be included can be freely set by using a printing technique.

  As a result, in the recent IT era, the spread of ultra-small electronic devices such as wearable computers and the reduction in size and weight of various electronic devices are facilitated, and cable wiring in the home or company is facilitated. Value is extremely high.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the steps of the cable manufacturing method according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the process. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a cable manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present embodiment.

  The cable manufacturing method in the present embodiment is characterized in that each component of the cable is manufactured by printing various inks by a thin film printing technique by the gravure printing machine 2.

  First, an overcoat material (for example, acrylic ink) is printed from the transfer roller 2d as the lower covering material 1d on the surface on which the cable is laid or the base surface as a work table (step S10). At this time, regarding the printing shape and range, the engraving on the roll plate (gravure plate) 2c, the supply of the overcoat material from the ink supply unit 2a (acrylic material can also be supplied), and the unnecessary overcoat scraping by the doctor blade 2b By taking off, the overcoat material is printed to a controlled thickness (for example, any thickness in the range of 1 μ to 30 μ). That is, the roll plate 2c is previously engraved on a concave shape or the like that matches the shape of the lower covering material 1d. Thereafter, simple drying (drying by heat, UV, air blowing, natural state, etc.) is performed.

  Next, by the same process, conductive ink 1c (for example, silver and copper paste ink) is printed as a current path (core wire) on the upper surface (or inside) of the lower covering material 1d (step S11). . Also at this time, the conductive ink 1c is printed to a controlled thickness (for example, any thickness in the range of 1 μ to 30 μ) by the roll plate 2c, the ink supply unit 2a, and the doctor blade 2b. That is, the roll plate 2c is previously engraved on a concave shape or the like that matches the shape of the core wire. Thereafter, simple drying (drying by heat, UV, air blowing, natural state, etc.) is performed.

  Subsequently, an insulating property is provided so as to fill a gap (or cover the conductive ink 1c) on the upper surface (or inside) of the lower covering material 1d and around the conductive ink 1c. Ink 1b is printed (step S12). Also at this time, the insulating ink 1b has a controlled thickness (for example, within a range of 1 μ to 30 μm) by the roll plate 2c, the ink supply unit 2a, and the doctor blade 2b engraved in a printing shape (for example, a concave shape). Print). Thereafter, simple drying (drying by heat, UV, air blowing, natural state, etc.) is performed.

  Next, when the shape of the core wire is complicated and when a cable having a multilayer structure is manufactured, the above steps S11 and S12 are repeated as many times as necessary (step S13). That is, by repeating the printing of the conductive ink 1c and the printing of the insulating ink 1b alternately as many times as necessary, a core wire having a circular cross section is formed, or a multi-core cable having core wires stacked in multiple layers is manufactured. Can do.

  Finally, as the upper covering material 1a, the upper surface (and side surfaces) of the conductive ink 1c and the insulating ink 1b are overcoated so as to cover the conductive ink 1c and the insulating ink 1b together with the lower covering material 1d. The material is printed (step S14). Also at this time, the printing shape and range are controlled by the roll plate 2c, the ink supply unit 2a (which can also supply acrylic material), and the doctor blade 2b. The thickness is printed). Thereafter, each ink is completely dried (for drying, heat suitable for the material, UV, air blowing, natural state, etc.). After that, it is completed through inspection (inspection of continuity, scratch, shape, etc.).

  The cable manufactured by such a process has a light and thin structure. Therefore, it can be bent into a free shape. In addition, since the printing technique is used, a cable having an arbitrary length or a continuous long cable can be easily manufactured. Furthermore, by changing the marking on the roll plate or repeating the printing process, the cross section of the cable can be made into an arbitrary shape such as a circle or a square, or a cable with a multi-core structure can be manufactured.

  The present invention relates to a cable such as an electric wire and a method for manufacturing the same, and particularly a cable suitable for a light and thin electronic device and a method for manufacturing the same. For example, wiring in a very small electronic device such as a wearable computer and wiring between electronic devices Available as cable.

The flowchart which shows the process of the cable manufacturing method in embodiment of this invention Conceptual diagram explaining the process Cross section of cable manufactured by the same process

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cable 1a Upper coating material 1b Insulating ink 1c Conductive ink 1d Lower coating material 2 Gravure printing machine 2a Ink supply part 2b Doctor blade 2c Roll plate 2d Transfer roller

Claims (7)

A cable manufacturing method comprising:
A method for manufacturing a cable, comprising: a conductive ink printing step of printing conductive ink as a core wire by gravure printing. The method for manufacturing the cable further includes:
The method of manufacturing a cable according to claim 1, further comprising an insulating ink printing step of printing an insulating ink around the conductive ink. The method for manufacturing the cable further includes:
Prior to the conductive ink printing step, a lower covering material printing step for printing an overcode material as a lower covering material on the base surface;
An upper covering material printing step of printing an overcoat material as an upper covering material so as to cover the conductive ink and the insulating ink after the insulating ink printing step. The manufacturing method of the cable of description. The cable manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein in the conductive ink printing step, a cable having a multi-core structure is manufactured by printing the conductive ink at a plurality of locations. The cable manufacturing method according to claim 2, wherein a cable having a multilayer structure is manufactured by repeating the conductive ink printing step and the insulating ink printing step.   The cable manufactured by the manufacturing method of any one of Claims 1-6. A first printing surface on which conductive ink is printed;
And a second printing surface on which insulating ink is printed so as to cover the first printing surface.

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