JP3085159B2 - Wire marking method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for marking characters, figures, symbols and other marks on the surface of an electric wire.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, as a method of marking a surface of an electric wire in a manufacturing process, the following method is known.

For example, as shown in JP-A-3-20913, the surface of an electric wire is irradiated with a laser to change the irradiation position (laser marking method).

A print head having a large number of ink ejection ports is opposed to the surface of the electric wire, and ink is ejected from only a specific one of all the ink ejection ports toward the surface of the electric wire, so that a predetermined shape is formed on the surface of the electric wire. Mark (inkjet method).

A concave portion having a shape corresponding to a desired marking shape is engraved on the peripheral surface of the marking roller by etching or the like, and ink is embedded in the concave portion and transferred from the roller to the surface of the electric wire. Alternatively, thermal transfer is performed using a hot marker.

[0006]

In the method described above, the color of a member irradiated with a laser beam changes depending on its material. When this laser marking is used for marking of electric wires, the member to be irradiated with the laser, that is, the electric wire covering material is generally made of polyvinyl chloride, and when the laser is irradiated on the member, the irradiated portion turns almost brown.
Therefore, if the color of this wire covering material is yellow-brown such as red, brown, or orange, even if laser marking is applied, the color of the mark applied by this will be similar to the color of the wire surface, so clear marking There is an inconvenience that cannot be done.

In the ink-jet system, a special ink and its solvent must be used, so that the running cost increases. In addition, since quick drying ink is used, maintenance thereof is not easy, and there is also a disadvantage that a user requires considerable skill.

In the transfer method, there is a disadvantage that the marking requires a long time. In addition, since the transfer is performed by directly pressing a marking roller or the like against the electric wire, unless the contact pressure is accurately adjusted, good marking cannot be performed due to the lack of some marks. In addition, in order to change the marking shape, the marking roller itself must be replaced, and a flexible response cannot be made.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a simple configuration, which can quickly perform good marking on the surface of an electric wire and can freely set the marking shape and the marking color. It is an object to provide a method and an apparatus.

[0010]

As a means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a method for marking an electric wire for marking the surface of the electric wire, the method comprising: After forming the concave portion, ink is supplied to the surface including the concave portion to cause the ink to enter the concave portion,
The ink is removed from the electric wire surface while the ink remains in the recess.

Further, the present invention provides a laser marking means for forming a concave portion having a predetermined shape by irradiating a laser to the surface of the electric wire, and supplying ink to a surface including the concave portion formed by the laser marking means. And an ink removing means for removing ink adhering to the surface of the electric wire other than the concave portion while leaving the ink in the concave portion in order along the conveying direction of the electric wire. is there.

In these methods and apparatuses, the concave shape, that is, the marking shape is determined by the position at which the surface of the electric wire is irradiated with the laser, so that the desired marking shape can be obtained freely by setting the laser irradiation position.
In addition, since the marking color is determined by the ink supplied to the concave portion thereafter, the marking color can be freely determined by selecting the ink. In addition, since it is sufficient to supply the ink to at least the surface including the concave portion, unlike the case where the ink is ejected only to a predetermined position from the beginning of the supply like the ink jet, there is no need to use a special ink or a complicated device.

Therefore, according to the present invention, for example, even if the marking roller is always brought into contact with the surface of the electric wire to be conveyed and ink is applied over the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the electric wire, the ink in the unnecessary portion is thereafter removed. If removed by means, marking is possible. However, in this case, waste of ink is large and uneconomical. On the other hand, as the ink supply means, a wire holding member that contacts the wire, and moves between a contact position that contacts the surface of the wire and sandwiches the wire together with the wire holding member and a separated position that separates from the wire. A marking roller provided so as to be enabled, a roller operating means for moving the marking roller between the contact position and the separation position, and an ink supply head for supplying ink to a peripheral surface of the marking roller. By using the apparatus described above, the peripheral surface of the marking roller is brought into contact only with the portion of the surface of the electric wire to be conveyed where the concave portion is formed by the laser marking means and in the vicinity thereof, and the roller periphery is contacted. The ink supplied to the surface is attached to the surface of the electric wire, and the marking roller is separated from the portion where the concave portion is not formed. By so as not to deposit ink savings of ink can be reduced.

In order to remove the ink on the surface of the wire, it is effective to press a felt or the like against the surface of the wire to be conveyed and to wipe off the ink on the surface of the wire. If the contact is made, the dirt on the contact portion advances quickly, and the ink wiping function is immediately reduced. Therefore, there is an inconvenience that the felt or the like must be frequently replaced. On the other hand, as the ink removing means, a solvent tank containing the solvent for the ink, a part of the inner surface is pressed against the electric wire surface, and at least a part of the part other than the pressed part is in the solvent tank. According to an apparatus including an ink wiping belt disposed so as to be immersed in a solvent, and belt driving means for driving the ink wiping belt in the longitudinal direction, the inner surface of the ink wiping belt and the surface of the electric wire are provided. By wiping the ink that adheres to the surface of the electric wire, the ink that adheres to the inner surface of the ink wiping belt is removed by washing with the solvent in the solvent tank, making it possible to use the ink wiping belt for a long time. Become. Further, since the ink wiping belt comes into contact with the surface of the electric wire while containing the solvent, the cleaning effect is increased by that amount.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The electric wire 10 shown in FIG. 1 is unreeled from an unillustrated unwinding device and wound up by a wind-up device, so that the electric wire 10 extends along its axial direction in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. ) Is conveyed while being given an appropriate tension. Along the transport direction of the electric wire 10, a laser marking unit 12, an ink supply unit 14, and an ink removal unit 16 are sequentially arranged.

The laser marking means 12 is exactly the same as a laser marking device conventionally used for marking electric wires, and irradiates a predetermined portion of the surface of the electric wire 10 with a laser so that a concave portion is formed at this irradiation position. Is formed.

The ink supply means 14 is for applying ink to a portion of the surface of the electric wire 10 including the concave portion, and is provided with a marking roller 17 for holding the electric wire 10 from above and below.
And an electric wire holding roller 18. An ink supply head 20 for attaching ink to the peripheral surface of the marking roller 17 is in contact with the peripheral surface of the marking roller 17, and the marking roller 17 and the ink supply head 20 are supported by the housing 22 so as to be able to move up and down.

FIG. 2 shows the details of the structure. The housing 22 extends up and down, and an air cylinder 24 is built in a bottom portion thereof in an upward state. A plurality (two in the figure) of piston rods 28 extend upward from a piston 26 of the air cylinder 24, and a support shaft 30 is fixed to the upper ends of the piston rods 28 in a horizontal state. The support shaft 30 is provided with a long hole 2 provided in a side wall of the housing 22.
Oa protrudes forward (to the right in FIG. 2), and the marking roller 17 is rotatably attached to its front end. The bracket 3 extends upward from the support shaft 30.
The ink supply head 20 is fixed to the tip of the bracket 32 in a state where the ink supply head 20 contacts the upper surface of the marking roller 17. Therefore, due to the expansion and contraction of the air cylinder 24, the contact position where the lower surface of the marking roller 17 is pressed against the upper surface of the electric wire 10 (the solid line position in FIG. 2),
The marking roller 17 and the ink supply head 20 are integrally moved up and down between a separation position (a position indicated by a two-dot chain line in the figure) where the marking roller 17 is separated upward from the electric wire 10.

A solenoid valve 34 is fixed to the back of the housing 22. An air supply source is connected to the primary port of the solenoid valve 34, and two secondary ports are connected to the piping 3 respectively.
The air cylinder 24 is connected to the head-side chamber and the rod-side chamber of the air cylinder 24 via 5, 36. And the above-mentioned solenoid valve 3
When a control signal is appropriately input to 4, the high-pressure air from the air supply source is introduced into the head-side chamber through the solenoid valve 34 and the pipe 35, and the air in the rod-side chamber is released to the atmosphere through the pipe 36. In a state (ie, a state in which the support shaft 30 is raised), high-pressure air from the air supply source is introduced into the rod-side chamber through the solenoid valve 34 and the pipe 36, and air in the head-side chamber is released to the atmosphere through a pipe difference. (That is, the support shaft 30)
(A state in which is lowered).

The air cylinder 24 has a cylinder switch 37 for detecting that the piston 26 has reached the lowermost position (that is, the marking roller 17 has reached the contact position), and the piston 26 is at the uppermost position. And a cylinder switch 38 for detecting that the marking roller 17 has reached the uppermost separation position. These detection signals are input to the controller 40. The controller 40 inputs a control signal to the laser marking means 12 appropriately to irradiate a laser at a predetermined position on the surface of the electric wire 10, and inputs a control signal to the electromagnetic valve 34 at an appropriate timing to input the control signal to the marking roller 17. The lifting and lowering control is performed. The timing of raising and lowering the marking roller 17 is such that the marking roller 17 is lowered when the laser-irradiated portion (that is, the concave portion forming portion) and the vicinity thereof on the surface of the electric wire 10 are substantially below the marking roller 17. The timing is set such that the portion is brought into contact with the above-mentioned portion, and when the portion passes through the marking roller 17, the marking roller 17 is floated and separated from the electric wire 10.

The ink removing means 16 has an ink wiping belt 42 as shown in FIGS. The ink wiping belt 42 is formed by laminating a toothed belt 44 outside a belt body 43. The belt main body 43 is formed of a material (for example, felt) suitable for wiping ink, and an upper inner surface thereof is in contact with the electric wire 10. The toothed belt 44 is formed of a material having elasticity and relatively high strength (for example, hard rubber), and has a number of teeth 45 protruding from an outer peripheral surface thereof.

The lower part of the ink wiping belt 42 is
It is immersed in a solvent 48 contained in a solvent tank 46. The solvent 48 is a solvent (for example, methyl ethyl ketone) for the ink used in the ink supply unit 14.
It serves as a cleaning solution. In the solvent tank 46,
A support shaft 49 protrudes in the horizontal direction, and an ink wiping belt 42 is stretched between the support shaft 49 and the electric wire 10. When the holding member 62 is pressed upward, an appropriate tension is applied to the ink wiping belt 42 between the electric wire 10 and the support shaft 49.

A rotary shaft 50 parallel to the electric wire 10 is rotatably supported below the solvent tank 46.
Further, a gear 52 that meshes with the toothed belt 44 is fixed. Similarly, a rotating shaft 54 parallel to the electric wire 10 is rotatably supported above the ink wiping belt 42 by a support member (not shown), and a gear 56 that meshes with the toothed belt 44 is fixed to the rotating shaft 54. The output shaft of a belt drive motor (belt drive means) 58 is connected to both rotating shafts 50 and 54 via a drive transmission mechanism (not shown). Then, by the operation of the belt drive motor 58,
The rotating shaft 50 and the gear 52 and the rotating shaft 54 and the gear 56 rotate synchronously, and the entire ink wiping belt 42 meshing with the gears 52 and 56 is driven in its longitudinal direction (see the arrow in FIG. 3). ).

Next, a marking method performed by using this apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the laser marking means 12 which has received the control signal from the controller 40 irradiates a predetermined portion of the wire 10 being conveyed with a laser so that the portion as shown in FIGS. A concave portion (a concave groove in the illustrated example) 66 having a predetermined shape is formed.

When the concave groove 66 and the vicinity thereof reach a position substantially below the marking roller 17 in the ink supply means 14, the marking roller 17 together with the electric wire holding roller 18 reaches a contact position for sandwiching the electric wire 10 from above and below. The marking roller 17 descends, and when this portion passes the marking roller 17, the marking roller 17 resurfaces. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the ink 68 is formed only on a predetermined portion including the concave groove 66 on the surface of the electric wire 10.
Is applied, and the ink 68 enters the concave groove 66.

This ink-coated portion corresponds to the ink removing means 16.
Reaches the pressure contact portion of the ink wiping belt 42 with the main body belt 4 of the ink wiping belt 42.
In 3, the portion in pressure contact with the electric wire 10 wipes off the ink 68 attached to the surface of the electric wire 10. At this time, since the main body belt 43 comes into contact with the surface of the electric wire while containing the solvent 48, the wiping effect is higher than when the main body belt 43 comes into contact with the surface of the electric wire in a dry state. By wiping the ink 68 as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), only the ink 68 embedded in the groove 66 remains in the electric wire 10 and the groove 6
6 and a mark of the same color as the color of the ink 68 is obtained (marking completed).

In this method and apparatus, as in the conventional laser marking, the shape of the groove 66, that is, the marking shape is determined by the position where the surface of the electric wire 10 is irradiated with the laser. Various marking shapes can be freely obtained with the device described above. Moreover,
Thereafter, the marking color can be freely set by selecting the ink to be supplied to the concave portion. By setting the marking color to a color that can be clearly distinguished from the surface color of the electric wire 10, clear marking can be reliably performed. it can.
Further, it is not necessary to supply the ink only to a portion having a specific shape as in the conventional ink jet.
Since the shape of the supply region is not particularly limited as long as the ink 66 is supplied even to a portion including the above, no complicated device is required.

The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this,
For example, the following form may be used.

(1) In the present invention, for example, even if the marking roller 17 is always brought into contact with the surface of the electric wire 10 and ink is adhered over the entire area of the electric wire 10 in the longitudinal direction, the unnecessary portion of the ink is thereafter removed. Enables marking. However, as described above, the marking roller 17 is configured to be able to contact and separate from the electric wire 10,
If the peripheral surface of the marking roller 17 is brought into contact with only the portion of the surface of the electric wire 10 to be conveyed where the concave groove 66 is formed and the vicinity thereof, the ink 68
This has the advantage of reducing waste and running costs. If the color of the portion developed by the laser irradiation is a color that is in contrast to the color of the surface of the electric wire and it is not particularly necessary to apply ink, the marking roller 17 is connected to the electric wire 1.
It is also possible to perform control such as to keep it at a position away from zero.

(2) FIG. 2 shows an apparatus for moving the marking roller 17 toward and away from the electric wire 10 by expansion and contraction of the air cylinder 24. However, instead of the air cylinder 24, a servomotor and a drive by this servomotor are used. The marking roller 17 may be moved in combination with a feed screw mechanism to provide a servo controller and a positioning unit. In this case, the marking roller 17
Position can be set freely, so that even if the diameter of the electric wire 10 is changed, the marking roller 17 can always be brought into contact with the surface of the electric wire 10 with an appropriate pressure in a flexible manner, and good marking can be stably performed. There are advantages that can be done.

(3) As the ink removing means of the present invention, a simple wiping felt or the like may be simply pressed against the surface of the conveyed electric wire. However, in this case, since the progress of the stain of the felt or the like is fast and the ink wiping function is immediately reduced, there is an inconvenience that the felt and the like need to be frequently replaced, but as shown in FIG. An ink wiping belt 42 is stretched between the electric wire 10 and the solvent tank 46, a part of the belt 42 is immersed in the ink solvent 48 in the solvent tank 46, and the ink wiping belt 42 is driven in the longitudinal direction. The cleaning with the ink solvent 48 has an advantage that the belt 42 can be used for a long time.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention, a concave portion having a predetermined shape is formed by irradiating a laser to the surface of an electric wire, ink is supplied to a surface including the concave portion, and the ink is caused to enter the concave portion.
Since the ink is removed from the surface of the electric wire while the ink remains in the concave portion, a mark having a desired shape and color can be attached to the surface of the electric wire with a simple configuration, and clear marking can be quickly and quickly performed. There is an effect that can be performed reliably.

Further, as the ink supply means, a wire holding member in contact with the wire, a contact position in contact with the surface of the wire and holding the wire together with the wire holding member, and a separating position in which the wire is separated from the wire. A marking roller provided so as to be movable, a roller operating means for moving the marking roller between the contact position and the separation position, and an ink supply head for supplying ink to a peripheral surface of the marking roller. According to the apparatus provided, by supplying the ink by bringing the marking roller into contact with only a necessary portion of the electric wire, the ink can be saved and the running cost can be reduced.

As the ink removing means, a solvent tank containing the solvent for the ink, a part of the inner surface is pressed against the surface of the electric wire, and at least a part other than the pressed part is in the solvent tank. According to the apparatus provided with the ink wiping belt disposed so as to be immersed in the solvent of the above, and a belt driving means for driving the ink wiping belt in the longitudinal direction, the inner surface of the ink wiping belt and the electric wire By cleaning and removing the inner surface of the belt with the solvent in the solvent tank while wiping the ink by contact with the surface, there is an effect that the ink wiping belt can be used continuously for a long period of time. Further, since the ink wiping belt can be brought into contact with the surface of the electric wire in a state in which the solvent is contained in the ink wiping belt, the wiping effect can be enhanced accordingly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall front view of a marking device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of an ink supply unit provided in the marking device.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional side view of an ink removing unit provided in the marking device.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the ink removing unit.

5A is a plan view showing a state in which a concave groove is formed on the surface of the electric wire, and FIG. 5B is a partial cross-sectional front view showing the state.

FIG. 6A is a plan view showing a state where ink is applied to a portion including the concave groove, and FIG. 6B is a partial cross-sectional front view showing the same state.

FIG. 7A is a plan view showing a state where the ink on the surface of the electric wire has been wiped, and FIG. 7B is a partial cross-sectional front view showing the same state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electric wire 12 Laser marking means 14 Ink supply means 16 Ink removing means 17 Marking roller 18 Electric wire holding roller (Electric wire holding member) 20 Ink supply head 24 Air cylinder (Roller operation means) 42 Ink wiping belt 46 Solvent tank 48 Ink solvent 58 Belt Drive motor (belt drive means)

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] An electric wire marking method for marking a surface of an electric wire, wherein the surface of the electric wire is irradiated with a laser to form a concave portion having a predetermined shape, and then ink is supplied to a surface including the concave portion. A method for marking a wire, comprising injecting the ink into a recess and removing the ink from the surface of the wire while the ink remains in the recess. 2. An electric wire marking device for marking a surface of an electric wire conveyed in an axial direction, comprising: a laser marking means for forming a concave portion having a predetermined shape by irradiating a laser to the electric wire surface; Ink supply means for supplying ink to the surface including the concave portion formed by the laser marking means and allowing this ink to enter the concave portion, and removing ink attached to the surface of the electric wire other than the concave portion while leaving the ink in the concave portion A marking device for an electric wire, wherein the ink removing means is provided in order along the conveying direction of the electric wire. 3. The wire marking device according to claim 2, wherein the ink supply means includes a wire holding member that contacts the wire, and a contact position that contacts the surface of the wire and sandwiches the wire together with the wire holding member. A marking roller provided so as to be movable between the contact position and the separated position; a roller operating means for moving the marking roller between the contact position and the separated position; An electric wire marking device, comprising: an ink supply head for supplying ink to a surface. 4. The electric wire marking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the ink removing means includes a solvent tank containing a solvent of the ink, and a part of an inner surface of the tank is pressed against the surface of the electric wire. An ink wiping belt disposed so that at least a part of the portion other than the pressure contact portion is immersed in the solvent in the solvent tank, and a belt driving means for driving the ink wiping belt in a longitudinal direction thereof. An electric wire marking device, characterized in that: