JP5346565B2 - Inkjet printing device for donut type (ring type) articles - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly and efficiently perform high quality printing by a full-color inkjet printing apparatus to a printing article whose printing surface is not flat and which ink does not infiltrate well. <P>SOLUTION: For the apparatus 1, a carry-in part 2, an inversion part 3, a print part 4 and a carry-away part 5 are installed in the order, a conveyance chain CV is installed to the respective parts respectively and overlapped at the boundary part. A tire T carried into the carry-in part 2 is centered there, made to pass through the inversion part 3, and after printing a surface in the print part 4, carried reversely to the inversion part 3, and inverted to turn the back surface upward. It is carried to the print part 4, the back surface is printed, and it is carried away from the carry-away part 5. In the print part 4, after performing the cleaning of the tire T and base coating (two or more times), while the vicinity of the outer diameter is brought into press contact by an upper pressing roller to flat the printing surface, the tire T is rotated, and prescribed printing (two or more times) is performed by inkjet heads (5 pieces) from a prescribed position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet printing apparatus that prints on an outer surface of a donut-shaped (ring-shaped) article, for example, an automobile tire.

Conventionally, when printing is performed on the outer surface of a donut-shaped (ring-shaped) article, for example, an automobile tire, the printed surface is not flat like a curved surface, and the material is also penetrable with ink such as rubber and plastic. It was low, and good print quality could not be obtained by a normal printing method.
As a method of printing on the automobile tire or the like, there is a method of printing printed characters or symbols on the outer surface of the tire by transfer, and as one of them, the printed characters or symbols or the like are recessed on a flat surface. Ink is then filled into the intaglio indentation (ink filling process), and then a silicone rubber pad is applied to the surface of the intaglio to transfer the ink in the depression to the surface of the silicone rubber pad (dislocation process), and the ink is dislocated. There is a printing method (for example, refer to Patent Document 1) in which the silicon rubber pad thus pressed is pressed against the printing surface of the tire side pad and the ink on the silicon rubber pad is transferred to the printing surface of the tire.

As another transfer printing method, there is a method of printing a mark by placing a liquid ink for forming a mark on a transfer surface of a transfer body and transferring the liquid ink of the transfer body to the outer surface of a tire (for example, (See Patent Document 2).
As another transfer method, a predetermined print pattern is printed on a label, the print label is heated, and then the label is pressed against the print target product to transfer the predetermined print pattern to the print target product. There was also.

  However, these printing methods for printing a product to be printed have unevenness in the product to be printed, or if the material has low ink permeability, shading and blurring occur, and good print quality cannot be obtained. There was a problem. Furthermore, there is a problem that the transfer body needs to be changed each time the size of the product to be printed and the print pattern are changed. Furthermore, in the printing method on the product to be printed by transfer, there is a problem that it is not possible to print a complicated print pattern or a plurality of color prints.

JP-A-10-329402 JP-A-10-202765

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to adopt a printing method by ink jet (IJP) ink jetting so that the printing surface of a tire or the like is not flat like a curved surface but has irregularities. Alternatively, even with a material having a flat printing surface, unevenness, and low ink permeability, clear and high-quality printing with no shading and clearness can be performed quickly and efficiently (yield).

  An object of the present invention is to perform printing quickly and accurately (with high yield) in response to a change in the size or print pattern of an article to be printed (for example, a tire).

  The present invention is to perform full-color printing quickly and accurately (with high yield).

(1) The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and has an outer shape of a donut shape (ring shape), a printed surface that is not flat, such as a curved surface, and has fine irregularities, and rubber, plastic, etc. For a donut-shaped (ring-shaped) article in which a predetermined printing pattern is printed by a plurality of inkjet (IJP) heads on the printing surface on the outer surface orthogonal to the central axis of the article to be printed made of a material having low ink permeability The inkjet printing apparatus includes a printing unit, and cleans the print surface of the print target article by a cleaning unit while rotating the grip target article by gripping and rotating the inner diameter by the rotation / inner diameter gripping unit. (Operation) and primer (underlayer) application (operation) by primer (underlayer) application means, and printing the article to be printed while rotating similarly Overlap that repeatedly prints a predetermined print pattern by a plurality of inkjet (IJP) heads while flattening the printing surface by pressing the outer vicinity of the outer diameter portion at a plurality of equal angular intervals and flattening the printing surface This is an inkjet printing apparatus for donut type (ring type) articles that performs printing and cures and fixes the ink by an ink curing / fixing means.

( 2 ) The present invention is a material whose outer shape is a donut shape (ring shape), the printed surface is not flat like a curved surface but has fine irregularities, and has low ink permeability such as rubber and plastic. An ink jet printing apparatus for a donut type (ring type) article that prints a predetermined print pattern on a printing surface on an outer surface orthogonal to a central axis of an article to be printed using a plurality of ink jet (IJP) heads, The printing apparatus includes a carry-in unit, a reversing unit, a print unit, and a carry-out unit, a control unit that controls the operation of each unit, and a print control unit that controls the print operation of the print unit. Installed in the order of carry-in part, reversing part, printing part, and carry-out part, each having two sets of independent transport chains, and the adjacent part of the transport chains are overlapped The article to be printed is marked with a mark indicating that the outer surface is the front (or front) surface or the rear surface and the print start position is provided with the front (front) surface facing upward. The carry-in unit is centered by the centering means so that the center of the print target article is the center of the transport chain, and then the print target article is conveyed to the reversing unit. The reversing unit does not perform the reversing operation on the print target article. The printing unit is conveyed to the printing unit as it is, and the printing unit has the front (front) surface facing upward, while rotating and gripping the inner diameter by the rotation / inner diameter gripping means. The printing surface on the side is cleaned (operation) by the cleaning means, and the primer (underlayer) is applied (operation) by the primer (underlayer) application means, and is rotated outside in the same manner. Near diameter part Are printed by a plurality of uniform angular intervals and pressed by a holding means to flatten the printing surface, and a plurality of ink jet (IJP) heads are used to repeatedly print a predetermined print pattern, and perform overprinting. Front side printing (operation) for curing and fixing the ink by the fixing unit, the article to be printed is conveyed in the reverse direction to the reversing unit, and the reversing unit reverses the front and back of the article to be printed by the reversing unit. transported to, the printing unit to the print target article facing upward backside, subjected to the same reverse side printing (operation) and the front side printing (operation), it transports the printed article unloading unit, the unloading unit This is an inkjet printing apparatus for donut-type (ring-type) articles that carries an article to be printed out.

( 3 ) The present invention is an object to be printed which has an outer shape of a donut shape (ring shape), a printing surface which is flat and has fine irregularities, and is made of a material having low ink permeability such as rubber or plastic. A donut-type (ring-type) article inkjet printing apparatus that prints a predetermined printing pattern on a printing surface on an outer surface orthogonal to the central axis of a plurality of inkjet (IJP) heads. The reversing unit, the printing unit, and the carry-out unit, a control unit that controls the operation of each unit, and a print control unit that controls the printing operation of the printing unit. The printing section and the unloading section are installed in this order, and each has two independent sets of transport chains, and the adjacent transport chains are overlapped and installed in the carry-in section. An article to be printed on which the outer side surface is marked with the mark indicating the front (front) surface or the back side and the print start position is carried in with the front (front) surface facing upward, After centering by the centering means so that the center of the print target article becomes the center of the transport chain, the print target article is transported to the reversing unit, and the reversing unit transports the print target article as it is to the printing unit without performing the reversing operation. The printing unit prints the front side of the print target article while rotating the front side of the print target article while rotating and gripping the inner diameter with the rotation / inner diameter gripping means. The surface is cleaned (operation) by the cleaning means, and the primer (underlayer) application (operation) is performed by the primer (underlayer) application means, and predetermined printing is performed by the plurality of inkjet (IJP) heads while rotating in the same manner. Overprinting is performed by repeating multiple pattern printings, front side printing (operation) is performed to cure and fix the ink by the ink curing / fixing means, and the article to be printed is conveyed in the reverse direction to the reversing unit. after inverting the front and back by the reversing means an object article, it conveyed to the printing unit, the printing unit to the print target article facing upward back surface, similar to the back side printing and the front side printing (operation) (act) This is an inkjet printing apparatus for a donut type (ring type) article that carries out and conveys an object to be printed to an unloading unit and unloads the object to be printed from the unloading unit.

( 4 ) According to the present invention, the printing unit includes an upper restraining unit, and the upper restraining unit, the cleaning unit, and the primer (underlayer) coating unit of the printing unit use a roller that rotates according to the rotation of the article to be printed. The width of the roller of the means and the primer (underlayer) coating means is substantially the same as the printing width of the printing surface of the article to be printed, and the material of these rollers is that the roller of the upper restraining means is made of hard rubber, and the cleaning means The roller is made of a soft and porous sponge-like rubber or resin, and the primer (underlayer) coating means roller is made of a porous sponge-like rubber or resin that is moderately hard and has good ink impregnation properties. The inkjet printing apparatus for donut type (ring type) articles according to any one of (1) to ( 3 ).

( 5 ) In the present invention, the printing unit raises the loaded print target article by the print target article lifting / lowering means (lifter), and during the cleaning operation of the print target article, the clamping operation, that is, the print target article rotating device The inner diameter gripping means (inner diameter clamp) having four gripping portions installed at the lower end and equiangular (equal intervals) is lowered and the gripping portion is expanded (opened) to grip the inner diameter of the object to be printed. Then, the printing object is rotated by rotation of the printing object rotating device and the inner diameter gripping means (inner diameter clamp), and this rotation is continued during each of the cleaning operation, the primer application, and the printing operation, and the printing operation. After the end, the unclamping operation, that is, the printing object lifting / lowering means (lifter) rises to receive the printing object, and the inner diameter gripping means (inner diameter clamping) grips. And to open the (closed) printed article printed article said to be transferred to the printed article lifting means (lifter) (1) to (3) donut-shaped according to any one of (Ring Type) inkjet printing apparatus for articles.

( 6 ) In the present invention, when the overprinting in the printing unit is color printing including full color printing other than white, after performing printing with white ink, each color printing is overprinted. 3 ) The inkjet printing apparatus for donut type (ring type) articles according to any one of 3 ).

( 7 ) The present invention provides the ink curing / fixing means according to any one of (1) to ( 3 ), wherein the ink ejected from an inkjet (IJP) head is an ultraviolet curable ink. An ink jet printing apparatus for donut type (ring type) articles according to any one of the above.

( 8 ) The present invention provides a far infrared irradiation device, a near infrared irradiation device, or a heater when the ink curing / fixing means is a thermosetting ink or a paint-based ink when the ink ejected from an inkjet (IJP) head is used. The inkjet printing apparatus for donut type (ring type) articles according to any one of (1) to ( 3 ).

( 9 ) In the present invention, the centering means of the carry-in part moves the two gripping parts inward from the outside of the print target article to grip the outer diameter part of the print target article, so that the center is predetermined. The inkjet printing apparatus for donut type (ring type) article according to the above ( 2 ) or ( 3 ), which is positioned (centered) so as to be a reference position.

( 10 ) In the present invention, the reversing unit moves down the reversing device after the printing target article lifting / lowering means (lifter) rises and stops receiving the printing target article on the conveying chain of the reversing unit. Moves from outside to inside from the outer diameter part of the object to be printed, grips the outer diameter part, and rises by the height dimension (1/2 of outer diameter + width) necessary for reversing the object to be printed. The printing object is reversed by rotating the gripping part by 180 °, and transferred to printing object lifting / lowering means (lifter) with the back side facing up (back side), and the printing object carrying the printing object The doughnut-shaped (ring-type) article inkjet printing apparatus according to ( 2 ) or ( 3 ), wherein the article lifting means (lifter) is lowered to lift down an article to be printed onto a transport chain.

( 11 ) In the present invention, the reversing unit includes a printing target article lifting / lowering unit (lifter), and the printing target article lifting / lowering unit (lifter) is disposed inside a pair of transport chains of the reversing unit and the printing unit. In order to raise and lower the placement plate on which the article to be printed is placed, two sets of left and right structural members provided with a rotating shaft member at the intersection of two bar-shaped members intersecting in an “X” shape are provided. The above-mentioned mounting plate is installed on the upper part (two sets of four places) of a pair of two rod-shaped members crossed in an “X shape”, and the two ones crossed in the “X shape”. The doughnut-shaped (ring-shaped) article ink jet printing according to ( 2 ), ( 3 ) or ( 10 ), wherein the mounting plate descends when the pair of rod-shaped members open in the horizontal direction and rises when closed in the horizontal direction. Device.

( 12 ) The present invention is the inkjet printing apparatus for donut type (ring type) article according to any one of (1) to (11) , wherein the article to be printed is a tire.

  The present invention adopts a printing method by ink jet (IJP) ink jet, performs cleaning and primer (primary) coating before printing, and makes the printing surface flat by printing the printing surface of the article to be printed at the time of printing. Clear and high-quality prints with no shading on the object to be printed (for example, tires, etc.) made of materials that are not flat or uneven, such as curved surfaces, or are flat and uneven and have low ink permeability. Quality printing can be performed quickly and accurately (with high yield).

  According to the present invention, it is possible to quickly and accurately (with high yield) perform printing that quickly and flexibly responds to changes in the size and print pattern of an article to be printed (for example, a tire).

  The present invention can perform full color printing quickly and accurately (with high quality).

  The present invention relates to an ink jet printing apparatus for donut-type (ring-type) articles, and the outer shape is a donut-type (ring-type), and the printing surface is not flat like a curved surface but has fine irregularities, or the printing surface is flat and fine. In addition, it is intended for printing with high unevenness and with high ink quality, such as rubber, plastic, etc., which has poor ink permeability. .

  As an example, an automobile tire has been described as an example of a donut-shaped (ring-shaped) article that is an object to be printed, but it can be applied to other articles as long as they have the same shape and material. .

Printing is performed on the front and back printing surfaces, which are side surfaces of the tire T (printing object) that is the printing target article, and the tire T has an arrow mark that indicates the printing origin position of the tire. Applied. The direction of the arrow differs 180 ° between the front and back surfaces of the tire.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inkjet printing apparatus 1 for donut type (ring type) article of the present invention includes a carry-in unit 2, a reversing unit 3, a printing unit 4, a carry-out unit 5, and a control unit 6 that controls them. And the printing control unit 42 that controls the printing operation of the printing unit 4. The carry-in unit 2 to the carry-out unit 5 are installed in the order of the carry-in unit 2, the reversing unit 3, the printing unit 4, and the carry-out unit 5.
Each of the carry-in unit 2, the reversing unit 3, the printing unit 4, and the carry-out unit 5 is provided with a pair of transport chains CV1, transport chains CV2, transport chains CV3, and transport chains CV4 that are independently installed in two rows. In the part they are installed to overlap.

First, the front surface of the tire T is faced upward and is manually carried into the carry-in unit 2.
As shown in FIG. 7, the tire T is conveyed from the carry-in unit 2 to the reversing unit 3, passes through the reversing unit 3 as it is, and is conveyed to the printing unit 4, and is printed on the front (front) surface by the printing unit 4. After that, it is reversely conveyed to the reversing unit 3 in the opposite direction, the tire T is reversed, the back surface is directed upward, the printing unit 4 is printed, the back surface is printed by the printing unit 4, the conveying unit 5 is conveyed, and the unloading unit 5 Take it out.
As described above, the tire T, which is an object to be printed, is transferred from the carry-in unit 2 to the reversing unit 3, from the reversing unit 3 to the printing unit 4, from the printing unit 4 to the reversing unit 3, and from the reversing unit 3 to the printing unit 4. When transporting from the printing unit 4 to the unloading unit 5, in order to smoothly deliver the tire T, which is an object to be printed, at the boundary of each unit, the transport speed of the transport chain on the passing side and the transport of the transport chain on the receiving side Set the speed to the same transport speed.

The details of the operation will be described below.
The carry-in unit 2 is installed so that the surface (printing surface) of the tire T (article to be printed) is directed upward at the time of carry-in. As shown in FIG. 3, the tire T carried into the carry-in part 2 is moved by moving the two gripping parts from the outside of the tire T to the inside by the centering device 21 to grip the outer diameter part of the tire T. Then, after positioning (centering) so that the center becomes a predetermined reference position, it is conveyed to the reversing unit 3.
In the reversing unit 3, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 7, the tire T conveyed from the carry-in unit 2 passes (passes) the reversing unit 3 as it is without performing a reversing operation, and the printing unit 4 Transport to.
In the printing unit 4, after predetermined printing is performed on the printing surface of the tire surface, the tire T is reversely conveyed to the reversing unit 3.
In the reversing unit 3, as shown in FIG. 4, the front and back of the tire T reversely conveyed from the printing unit 4 is reversed by the tire reversing device 31 so that the back surface faces upward, and then conveyed to the printing unit 4.
In the printing unit 4, predetermined printing is performed on the printing surface on the back surface of the tire T conveyed from the reversing unit 3, and then conveyed to the carry-out unit 5. In the carry-out unit 5, the tire T is manually carried out from the carry-out unit 5.

  Further, as another installation order of the apparatus 1, it is possible to install in the order of the carry-in unit 2, the printing unit 4, the reversing unit 3, and the carry-out unit 5. In this case, the conveyance order of the tires is as shown in Example 2 in FIG. 7: carry-in unit 2 → printing unit 4 → reversing unit 3 → printing unit 4 (conveying in the reverse direction) → reversing unit 3 (passing: pass) → Transported in the order of the unloading unit 5.

Details of the carry-in unit 2, the reversing unit 3, the printing unit 4, and the carry-out unit 5 that constitute the doughnut-type (ring-type) article inkjet printing apparatus 1 will be described below.
The carry-in unit 2 sets the tire T carried manually by placing the front (front) surface (printing surface) upward. The tire T is provided with an arrow mark indicating the print origin position of the tire. The direction of the arrow differs 180 ° between the front and back surfaces of the tire. The conveyance chains CV1 to CV4 are conveyed by controlling the inverter motor.
As shown in FIG. 3, according to a preset outer diameter dimension, by moving the two gripping portions of the centering device 21 from the outside of the tire T to the inside and gripping the outer diameter portion of the tire T, Positioning (centering) is performed so that the center is a predetermined reference position. After centering, the tire T is transported to the reversing unit 3 by the transport chain CV1.

As shown in FIG. 7, the reversing unit 3 conveys the tire T conveyed from the carry-in unit 2 to the printing unit 4 by the conveyance chain CV2 without performing a reversing operation (pass: pass). After the printing on the surface is completed, the tire T is transported to the reverse portion 3 in the reverse direction by the transport chain CV3. As shown in FIG. 4, the tire T conveyed to the reversing unit 3 is lifted above the upper surface of the conveyance chain CV3 by the lifter L. Then, after the tire reversing device 31 descends from above, the two gripping portions move from the outer diameter portion of the tire T toward the inside from the outer side to grip the outer diameter portion of the tire T, and then the tire reversal is performed. By lifting the required height dimension (1/2 of the tire outer diameter + tire width) and rotating the gripping part by 180 °, the tire T is inverted and the back surface thereof is directed upward (back surface placement). Transfer. Thereafter, the lifter L on which the tire T is placed is lowered, the tire T is lifted down onto the transport chain CV2, and the tire T is transported to the printing unit 4 by the transport chain CV2. An arrow mark is attached to the tire, and the direction of the arrow mark is, for example, a clockwise direction on the front and a counterclockwise direction on the back, and the arrow mark is identified by the identification camera D (see FIG. 6). Determine the reverse side.
The reversing unit 3 performs positioning control for positioning the center of the tire T at the center position of the reversing unit 3 before the lift-up by the lifter L. An encoder for generating positioning pulses on the rotary shaft of a variable speed motor such as an inverter motor or a servo motor that drives the transport chain CV2 of the reversing unit 3 (a ring encoder E installed on the rotary shaft of a tire rotating device 43 described later) And a mechanism that rotates with the rotation of the motor to generate pulses with a fixed period (not shown). Positioning control is performed so that the center of the tire T coincides with the center position of the reversing portion 3 in accordance with the preset outer diameter of the tire T. That is, when the number of positioning pulses corresponding to the outer diameter of the tire T (the distance that the center of the tire T transports from the tip of the reversing part to the center position of the reversing part) is reached, the transportation chain CV2 is stopped, The center of the tire T is positioned at the center of the inversion portion. Then, it is confirmed by a photoelectric sensor (not shown) that the center of the tire T is positioned at the center of the reversing unit 3.
The positioning control is a control operation similar to the positioning control of the center of the tire T and the center position of the printing unit 4 in the printing unit 4 described later.

The details of the lifter L are shown below.
The lifter L is installed inside a pair of two conveying chains CV2, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, in order to raise and lower the mounting plate on which the tire T is mounted, 2 Two sets of left and right structural members (as viewed from the direction from the carry-in part 2 to the carry-out part 5) in FIG. It is a structure in which the above-mentioned mounting plate is installed on the upper part (two sets of four locations) of a set of rod-shaped members, and the two sets of rod-shaped members crossed in the “X-shape” are horizontally arranged When it is opened, the mounting plate descends, and when it is closed in the horizontal direction, it rises. The lifter L having the same structure is installed at the same position on the printing unit 4.
The structure of the lifter L is an example thereof, and any structure can be used as long as it can accurately lift and lower a mounting plate on which the tire T is mounted.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 7, the printing unit 4 performs printing (surface printing) a plurality of times (overlapping printing) on the surface of the tire T that is conveyed from the carry-in unit 2 and passes through the reversing unit 3 as it is. (The reverse chain 3 is transported to the reversing unit 3 by the transport chain CV3, and the front and back surfaces of the tire T are reversed by 180 ° by the reversing unit 3). ) A plurality of times (overlapping printing), and the tire T is transported to the unloading section 5 by the transport chain CV3.

  The carry-out unit 5 carries in the printed tire T from the printing unit 4 by the conveyance chain CV4, takes out the tire T, stops at a predetermined position, and carries the tire out of the apparatus manually.

Details of the printing operation in the printing unit 4 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5, 6, and 8 to 11.
An encoder (not shown) that generates positioning pulses is installed on the rotary shaft of a variable speed motor such as an inverter motor or a servo motor that drives the conveyance chain CV3 of the printing unit 4. Positioning control is performed so that the center of the tire T and the center position of the printing unit 4 coincide with each other according to the preset outer diameter of the tire T. That is, the transport chain CV3 is stopped when the number of positioning pulses corresponding to the outer diameter of the tire T (the distance at which the center of the tire T transports from the front end of the printing unit to the central position of the printing unit 4) is reached. The center of the tire T is positioned at the center of the printing portion. Then, it is confirmed by a photoelectric sensor (not shown) that the center of the tire T is positioned at the center of the printing unit 4.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the lifter L installed under the transport chain CV3 is raised, the tire T is lifted upward from the transport chain CV3, and the upper surface level of the tire T is stopped at a predetermined position. Position. The tire rotation device 43 is installed above the conveyance chain CV3, and in this state (position), an inner diameter clamp C having four gripping portions installed at equal angles (equal intervals) at the lower end of the tire rotation device 43. However, in accordance with the set outer diameter, inner diameter and width of the tire T, the tire descends to the tire inner diameter space and stops at a predetermined position. Thereafter, the four gripping portions of the inner diameter clamp C expand outward by a predetermined dimension to grip the tire T with the inner diameter portion, and the inner diameter clamp C rises slightly to raise the print level on the upper surface of the tire T (up and down of the print surface). The vertical position of the tire T is determined. Thereafter, the lifter L descends and performs a cleaning operation P1 and a primer application operation P2.

In the cleaning operation P1 and the primer application operation P2 in the printing unit 4, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the tire T gripped by the inner diameter clamp C of the tire rotating device 43 rotates (clockwise). At the same time, the three upper restraining rolls R1 installed at least at equal angles (equal intervals) simultaneously press (suppress) the vicinity of the outer diameter (the area between the outer diameter and the printing surface) of the upper surface of the tire T from above. The cleaning roll R2 and the primer application roll R3 are also pressed against a predetermined position of the tire T, and the cleaning operation and the primer application operation P1 are performed by the rotation of the tire T. The upper restraining roll R1, the cleaning roll R2, and the primer application roll R3 rotate passively as the tire T rotates. The identification camera D identifies an arrow mark (origin) on the tire (outer surface), and starts the cleaning operation P1 and the primer application operation P2 from a predetermined position calculated from the arrow mark (origin).
At the time of printing, the printing surface of the tire T is flattened by pressing (suppressing) the vicinity of the outer diameter of the upper surface of the tire T (the region between the outer diameter and the printing surface) from above with the upper restraining roll R1 (the tire T The height level (thickness or width) is made constant), and good print quality can be obtained during printing.

Details of the cleaning operation P1 and the primer application operation P2 will be described below with reference to FIGS.
As pre-processing for the printing operation P3, a cleaning operation P1 for cleaning the printing surface of the tire T and a primer application operation P2 for applying a primer (undercoat layer) to the printing surface of the tire T are performed.
In the cleaning operation P1, the cleaning roll (roller) R2 having substantially the same width as the printing surface of the tire T descends and presses against the printing surface, and the cleaning roll R2 rolls by the rotation of the tire T to clean the printing surface. The cleaning roll R2 rises and separates from the tire T with the end of the cleaning operation P1.
The primer application operation P2 is for applying an alcohol-based primer to the printing portion of the tire T before the printing operation in order to improve the familiarity between the tire T and the printing ink after the cleaning operation. The primer application roll (roller) R3 (the roller is impregnated with the primer) having the same width descends and comes into pressure contact with the printing surface, rolls by rotation of the tire T, and applies the primer to the printing surface. With the completion of the primer application operation, the primer application roll R3 rises and separates from the tire T. The cleaning roll R2 is installed on the front side of the primer application roll R3.
For example, in the first rotation, the cleaning roll R2 and the primer coating roll R3 descend, come into contact with the printing surface of the tire, clean the printing surface of the tire T with the cleaning roll R2, and then apply the primer with the primer coating roll R3. . After two rotations, the cleaning roll R2 is pulled up, and only the primer application roll R3 contacts the printing surface of the tire T, and the primer is applied two or more times in accordance with the set number of times. A drying operation may be performed as necessary after the cleaning operation P1 and the primer application operation P2.

Details of the printing operation P3 in the printing unit 4 will be described below with reference to FIGS.
The printing operation P3 is performed by an IJP (inkjet) printing apparatus. By adopting a printing method using ink jet ink jetting, it is possible to absorb unevenness on the printing surface and perform clear printing with no shading and blurring of printing.
After the primer application operation P2, the setting data set by the five IJP (inkjet) heads, that is, the outer diameter and inner diameter of the tire T, the number of times of primer (undercoat) application, the number of times of printing, the printing speed, and the printing drop are set. IJP (inkjet) printing a predetermined printing pattern at the printing position on the printing surface of a predetermined tire T according to various data necessary for printing such as the number, the quality judgment level of the printing quality, the printing start position, the printing pattern (characters or figures), etc. To do. IJP (inkjet) printing is overprinted at the fourth, fifth and sixth rotations of the tire. Effect curing and fixing of the ink by UV (ultraviolet) irradiation lamp U each time each time the printing of the previous SL overprinting. The number of times of repeated printing in which the predetermined printing pattern is repeatedly printed can be changed as appropriate. In the case of performing color printing including full color other than white, after performing printing with white ink, the overprinting is performed by overprinting each color printing, and in the case of white printing, by overprinting with white ink. A higher quality product can be obtained.
The curing and fixing of the ink may be performed for each overlap printing before the end of the overlap printing depending on the print quality. In the above embodiment, the ink curing / fixing means uses an ultraviolet curable ink. However, when a thermosetting ink or a paint-based ink is used, a far-infrared irradiation device is used as the ink curing / fixing means. Use a near infrared irradiation device or a heater.
After the overprinting and ink curing / fixing, for example, at the seventh rotation of the tire T, the identification camera D reads the printing pattern (characters or figures) printed on the tire T and prints it for each printing. The quality is inspected and the quality is judged. If the print quality inspection fails, this is indicated by the lighting of the lamp. The print quality inspection may be performed only after the overprinting is completed.
The identification camera D recognizes a printing origin mark (arrow mark), generates a printing origin signal, and discriminates the front and back of the tire in addition to checking the print quality.

At the time of the printing operation P3, the tire T rotates (clockwise) while gripping the inner diameter by the rotation and gripping of the tire rotating device 43 and the inner diameter clamp C. At that time, at least three upper restraining rolls (rollers) R1 installed at equal angles (equal intervals) are pressed against the vicinity of the outer diameter of the upper surface of the tire T (the area between the outer diameter and the printing surface) from above (pressing) By doing so, the printing surface of the tire T is flattened (the height level (thickness or width) of the tire T is made constant), and good print quality can be obtained during printing. As the tire T is rotated by the tire rotating device 43, the upper restraining roll R1 rotates passively. When the tire T rotates and reaches the printing start position, the five IJP heads H start printing operations sequentially from the head IJP head H. The IJP head H includes five heads C (cyan), Y (yellow), M (magenta), K (black), and W (white). The IJP head H is a module in which a plurality of heads are installed.
The ink is cured and fixed by irradiation of the UV lamp U for each printing in the printing operation P3.

  The upper restraining roll (roller) R1 is a donut-shaped (ring-shaped) outer diameter like a tire, and the printing surface is flattened in the case of an object to be printed having a non-flat shape such as a curved surface. However, in the case of an article to be printed having a flat print surface, it is not necessary to install the upper restraining roll (roller) R1. Therefore, when the upper restraining roll (roller) R1 is omitted, the apparatus has an outer diameter of a donut shape (ring shape), a printing surface is flat, and the object to be printed is uneven. It is possible to perform clear and high-quality printing that is clear and free of defects and quickly (with high yield).

The material of the upper restraining roll R1, the cleaning roll R2 and the primer coating roll R3 is such that the upper restraining roll R1 is made of hard rubber, and the cleaning roll R2 is made of soft and porous sponge-like rubber or resin and has dust on its outer periphery. A long wound adhesive tape (not shown) is loaded, and the adhesive primer coating roll R3 is a porous sponge-like roll having a medium hardness and good ink impregnation property. It consists of rubber or resin, and a primer (underlying layer) solution is replenished by a transfer roller (not shown).
The cleaning roll R2 needs to be cut or replaced depending on the degree of adhesion of dust or the like on the adhesive tape. The primer application roll R3 also needs to be replenished with a primer (underlayer) solution. Accordingly, the cleaning or cutting of the adhesive tape of the cleaning roll R2 and the replenishment of the primer (primary layer) solution of the primer coating roll R3 are time periods when the cleaning roll R2 and the primer coating roll R3 are not operating, that is, printing targets. This is performed when the tire T, which is an article, is in an area other than the printing unit 4 or is not carried into the apparatus.

  The tire rotation device 43 is located at the upper part of the conveyance chain CV3, and a ring encoder E is installed on the rotation shaft of the tire rotation device 43. For example, 1 micron / one pulse is sent to the print control unit 42 and the inkjet printing device (IJP) 4. Output.

The identification camera D recognizes the print origin mark (arrow mark) of the tire T, and after the print origin mark is recognized, the print control unit 42 sets the predetermined pulse number of the rotation pulses generated by the ring encoder E as the print start position, By transmitting a print start signal to each IJP head and ejecting ink from each IJP head H, a predetermined print pattern is printed at a predetermined print position of the tire T. The number of pulses (number of origin pulses) from the print origin mark (arrow mark) is preset in the control unit 6 and the print control unit 42 according to the tire size from the data setting unit 7.
The arrow mark, which is the print origin mark, is used as the tire origin, and the control unit 6 determines how many pulses from the arrow mark the print start position according to the tire size set in the setting unit 6A of the control unit 6 (origin pulse Number) to set. The identification camera D recognizes the printing origin mark (arrow mark) and generates a printing origin signal, and the control unit 6 or the printing control unit 42 generates a predetermined pulse (a rotation pulse generated by the ring encoder E) from the generation of the printing origin signal. ) Output a print start signal after the number of passes.

For the rotation of the tire T in the cleaning operation P1, the primer application operation P2, and the printing operation P3I, the tire rotation device 43 and the operation P4 of the inner diameter clamp C as a part thereof are indispensable. Will be described.
The operation P4 of the inner diameter clamp C includes a clamp operation P41 and an unclamped (reverse) clamp operation P42.
The clamping operation P41 carries the tire T into the printing unit 4, raises the tire T by the lifter L, starts the clamping operation P41 during the cleaning operation P1 of the tire T, that is, is installed at the lower end of the rotating device 43, and is equiangular ( The inner diameter clamp C having four grip portions installed at equal intervals is lowered, the grip portion of the inner diameter clamp C is expanded (opened), and the inner diameter of the tire T is gripped. At this point, the lifter L is lowered. Then, the tire T rotates by the rotation of the tire rotating device 43 and the inner diameter clamp C (continues during each of the cleaning operation P1, the primer application P2, and the printing operation P3).
Un (reverse) clamping operation P42 starts after the printing operation P3, and the un (reverse) clamping operation P42 starts, that is, the lifter L rises, receives the tire T, and the gripping portion of the inner diameter clamp C contracts (closes). ) The tire T is opened, and the tire T is transferred to the lifter L. Then, the inner diameter clamp C is raised. Thereafter, after the lifter L rises and holds the tire T, the lifter L holding the tire T descends, and the tire T is transferred to the transport chain CV3. Then, the tire T is transported to the unloading unit 5 by the transport chain CV3.

  As described above, the inner diameter clamp C has four gripping portions installed at equal angles (equal intervals) at the lower end portion of the tire rotating device 43. The grip portion preferably has an “L” -shaped structure as shown in FIG. 5 so that the inner diameter of the tire T can be securely gripped.

The operations of the control unit 6 and the print control unit 42 will be described below.
In the setting unit 6A of the control unit 6, the outer and inner diameters of the tire T, the number of primer (undercoat layer) coatings, the number of printings, the printing speed, the number of printing drops, the print quality pass / fail judgment level, the print start position, the print pattern (characters) Or various data necessary for printing (by a key or other data setting means) and confirming (monitoring) the setting contents and the operation state of the apparatus on the display unit 6B of the control unit 6. . Hardware and software for controlling each device according to the setting content are included. Of the setting data set in the control unit 6, data necessary for the print control unit 42 is transferred from the control unit 6 to the print control unit 42.

Specifically, the control unit 6 includes a transport chain CV1 (installed in the carry-in unit 2), a transport chain CV2 (installed in the reversing unit 3), a transport chain CV3 (installed in the printing unit 4), and a transport chain CV4 (installed in the carry-in unit 2). Control of the tire T in the installation), control of the centering device 21 of the carry-in unit 2, control of the lifter L and the reversing device 31 of the reversing unit 3, and printing operation of the printing unit 4 (controlled by the printing control unit 42). Control of other operations (for example, control of lifter L, rotating device 43 (ring encoder E, inner diameter clamp C), upper restraining roll R1, cleaning roll R2, primer coating roll R3, identification camera D, UV light U, etc.) . The print control unit 42 controls the movement of five inkjet (IJP) heads and the ejection of ink.
The control unit 6 holds various setting data and control software for controlling the operation of each unit of the apparatus. Examples of the control software include control of the tire T conveying operation, control of the centering device 21 of the carry-in unit 2, control of the lifter L and the reversing device 31 of the reversing unit 3, and printing operation of the printing unit 4 (printing control unit 42). Control software other than the control.

  In addition, as a control function of the printing control part 42, a part of control function which the said control part 6 takes charge of, for example, the rotation apparatus 43 (ring encoder E, internal diameter clamp C), the upper restraining roll R1, the cleaning roll R2, and the primer application roll You may make it give control of R3, the identification camera D, UV light U, etc.

It is a block diagram (plan view) of the inkjet printing apparatus 1 for donut type (ring type) articles of the present invention. It is a lineblock diagram (side view) of ink jet printer 1 for donut type (ring type) articles of the present invention. It is a block diagram (front view) of the carrying-in part 2 in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 for donut type (ring type) articles | goods of this invention. It is a block diagram (front view) of the inversion part 3 in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 for donut type (ring type) articles | goods of this invention. It is a block diagram (front view) of the printing part 4 in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 for donut type (ring type) articles | goods of this invention. It is a lineblock diagram (plan view) of printing part 4 in ink-jet printer 1 for donut type (ring type) articles of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the conveyance operation procedure of the tire T in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 for donut type (ring type) articles | goods of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement procedure of the printing part 4 in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 for donut type (ring type) articles | goods of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement procedure of the cleaning operation | movement of the printing part 4, and primer application | coating operation | movement P1 in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 for donut type | mold (ring type | mold) articles | goods of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement procedure of the printing operation P2 of the printing part 4 in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 for donut type | mold (ring type | mold) articles | goods of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement procedure of the internal diameter clamp operation | movement P3 of the printing part 4 in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 for donut type (ring type) articles | goods of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Donut type (ring type) inkjet printer for goods 2 Carry-in part CV1 Carrying chain (carry-in part)
21 Centering device 3 Reversing part CV2 Conveying chain (reversing part)
31 Reversing device 4 Printing section CV3 Conveying chain (printing section)
41 Printing device H IJP head 42 Printing control unit 43 Rotating device E Ring encoder C Inner diameter clamping device R1 Upper restraining roll R2 Cleaning roll R3 Primer coating roll D Identification camera U UV light 5 Unloading unit CV4 Conveying chain (unloading unit)
T tire L lifter 6 control unit 6A setting unit 6B display unit P1 cleaning operation P2 primer application operation P3 printing operation P4 inner diameter clamping operation P41 clamping operation P42 un (reverse) clamping operation

Claims (12)

The center of the article to be printed, which has a donut shape (ring shape), a printed surface that is not flat, such as a curved surface, and fine irregularities, and is made of a material with low ink permeability such as rubber or plastic. An inkjet printing apparatus for a donut type (ring type) article that prints a predetermined printing pattern on a printing surface on an outer surface orthogonal to an axis by a plurality of inkjet (IJP) heads, wherein the inkjet printing apparatus includes a printing unit while rotating grips the inner diameter by the rotation-Internal gripping means the printed article, the printing clean printing surface by cleaning means target object (work) and primer (undercoat layer) primers according to the coating device (underlayer ) Applying (operating) and rotating the same part around the outer diameter outside the printing surface of the article to be printed at a plurality of equal angular intervals In addition, the printing surface is flattened by press-contacting with a restraining means, and a plurality of ink jet (IJP) heads are used to repeatedly perform printing of a predetermined printing pattern by a plurality of times, and ink curing / fixing means is used to cure and fix the ink. An ink jet printing apparatus for donut-type (ring-type) articles. The center of the article to be printed, which has a donut shape (ring shape), a printed surface that is not flat, such as a curved surface, and fine irregularities, and is made of a material with low ink permeability such as rubber or plastic. An inkjet printing apparatus for a donut type (ring type) article that prints a predetermined printing pattern by a plurality of inkjet (IJP) heads on a printing surface on an outer surface orthogonal to an axis, wherein the inkjet printing apparatus is a carry-in part, a reversal A printing unit, a printing unit, and a carry-out unit, a control unit that controls the operation of each unit, and a print control unit that controls the printing operation of the printing unit. Installed in the order of the part and the carry-out part, each of which has a set of two independent transport chains, and the adjacent parts of the transport chains are overlapped and installed in the carry-in part, The article to be printed, which is marked on the outer side surface of the front (front) surface or back surface and marked to indicate the printing start position, is loaded with the front (front) surface facing upward, After centering by the centering means so that the center of the print target article becomes the center of the transport chain, the print target article is transported to the reversing unit, and the reversing unit transports the print target article as it is to the printing unit without performing the reversing operation. The printing unit prints the front side of the print target article while rotating the front side of the print target article while rotating and gripping the inner diameter with the rotation / inner diameter gripping means. The surface is cleaned (operation) by the cleaning means, and the primer (underlayer) application (operation) is performed by the primer (underlayer) application means, and a plurality of portions near the outer diameter outside the printing surface of the article to be printed are rotated in the same manner. Equal angle A plurality of ink jet (IJP) heads repeatedly print a predetermined print pattern repeatedly while pressing the surface by means of press-up means arranged at intervals to flatten the printing surface, and the ink is cured by the ink curing / fixing means. And the front side printing (operation) to be fixed is performed, and the print target article is conveyed in the reverse direction to the reversing unit. The reversing unit reverses the front and back of the print target article by the reversing unit, and then conveys the print target article to the printing unit. for the printed article facing upward backside, subjected to the same reverse side printing (operation) and the front side printing (operation), it transports the printed article discharge portion, outside the printing target object from the carry-out unit An ink jet printing apparatus for a donut type (ring type) article characterized by being carried out. The outer shape is donut-shaped (ring-shaped), the printing surface is flat and has fine irregularities, and the outer surface perpendicular to the central axis of the article to be printed is made of a material with low ink permeability such as rubber or plastic. An inkjet printing apparatus for a donut type (ring type) article that prints a predetermined printing pattern on a printing surface on a side surface with a plurality of inkjet (IJP) heads, wherein the inkjet printing apparatus includes a carry-in section, a reversing section, a printing section, and A carry-out unit, a control unit that controls the operation of each unit, and a print control unit that controls the printing operation of the printing unit. The carry-in unit to the carry-out unit include a carry-in unit, a reversing unit, a printing unit, and a carry-out unit. They are installed in order, each having two sets of independent transport chains, and the adjacent parts of the transport chains are installed in an overlapping manner on the outer surface of the carry-in portion. The object to be printed is marked with the mark indicating the front or back side and the mark indicating the printing start position, and the front (front) surface is turned upward, and the carry-in part is connected to the object to be printed by the centering means. After centering so that the center is the center of the transport chain, the article to be printed is conveyed to the reversing unit, the reversing unit conveys the article to be printed directly to the printing unit without performing the reversing operation, and the printing unit is The surface to be printed is cleaned by the cleaning means while the surface to be printed is rotated while the inner diameter is gripped by the inner diameter gripping means and rotated. Operation) and primer (underlayer) application (operation) by the primer (underlayer) application means, and printing a predetermined printing pattern by the plurality of inkjet (IJP) heads while rotating in the same manner. Repeatedly perform multiple overprinting, perform front side printing (operation) to cure and fix the ink by ink curing / fixing means, transport the print target article in the reverse direction to the reverse section, and the reverse section after inverting the front and back by the reversing means, and conveyed to the printing unit, the printing unit to the print target article facing upward backside, subjected to the same reverse side printing (operation) and the front side printing (operation), the printing An inkjet printing apparatus for a donut type (ring type) article, wherein the object article is conveyed to an unloading unit, and the printing object is unloaded from the unloading unit. The printing unit includes an upper restraining unit, and the upper restraining unit, the cleaning unit, and the primer (underlayer) coating unit of the printing unit use a roller that rotates according to the rotation of the article to be printed, and the cleaning unit and the primer (underlayer). The roller width of the coating means is substantially the same as the printing width of the printing surface of the article to be printed, and the material of these rollers is that the upper restraining means roller is made of hard rubber, and the cleaning means roller is soft and porous. The roller of the primer (underlying layer) application means is made of a porous sponge rubber or resin having a medium hardness and good ink impregnation property. toroidal (ring) article inkjet printing apparatus according to any one of 1 to 3. The printing unit raises the conveyed print target article by a print target article lifting / lowering means (lifter), and is installed at the lower end of the print target article rotation device during the cleaning operation of the print target article. The inner diameter gripping means (inner diameter clamp) having four gripping portions installed at (equal intervals) is lowered, the gripping portion is expanded (opened) to grip the inner diameter of the print target article, and the print target article By rotating the rotating device and the inner diameter gripping means (inner diameter clamp), the printing target article is rotated, and this rotation is continued during each of the cleaning operation, the primer application, and the printing operation. ) Clamping operation, that is, the printing object lifting / lowering means (lifter) is raised to receive the printing object, and the gripping portion of the inner diameter gripping means (inner diameter clamp) is contracted (closed). Opens the target object, the printing target object to be printed article lifting means donut according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that for transferring the (lifter) (ring) jet article Printing device. Overprinting is in the printing unit, in the case of color printing, including full-color printing other than white, after printing by the white ink, any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that overprinted color printing each The inkjet printing apparatus for donut type (ring type) articles | items as described in one. The cured ink-fixing means, described when ink ejected from the ink jet (IJP) head of the ultraviolet curable ink is any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that an ultraviolet irradiation device Ink-jet printing apparatus for donut-type (ring-type) articles. The ink curing / fixing means is a far-infrared irradiation device, a near-infrared irradiation device, or a heater when the ink ejected from the ink jet (IJP) head is a thermosetting ink or a paint-based ink. The inkjet printing apparatus for donut type (ring type) articles | goods as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3 . The centering means of the carry-in part is positioned so that the center is at a predetermined reference position by moving the two gripping parts from the outside of the print target article to the inside and gripping the outer diameter part of the print target article. The inkjet printing apparatus for donut type (ring type) articles according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein the centering is performed. In the reversing unit, after the printing object lifting / lowering means (lifter) rises and stops receiving the printing object on the conveying chain of the reversing unit, the reversing device descends, and the two gripping parts are the outer diameters of the printing object. The outer diameter portion is moved from the outer side to the inner side to grip the outer diameter portion, and is raised by a height dimension (1/2 of outer diameter + width) necessary for reversing the article to be printed. By rotating, the print target article is reversed, and the back surface thereof is directed upward (back side placement) and transferred to the print target article lifting / lowering means (lifter). The print target article lifting / lowering means (lifter) carrying the print target article is provided. 4. The inkjet printing apparatus for donut type (ring type) article according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein the article to be printed is lifted down onto a conveying chain. The reversing unit includes printing target article lifting / lowering means (lifter), and the printing target article lifting / lowering means (lifter) is installed inside a pair of transport chains of the reversing unit and the printing unit. In order to raise and lower the mounting plate to be mounted, two sets of left and right structural members provided with rotating shaft members are provided at the intersections of two bar-shaped members crossed in an “X” shape, and crossed in an “X” shape. The above-mentioned mounting plate is installed on the upper part (two sets of four locations) of the two sets of rod-shaped members, and the two sets of rod-shaped members crossed in the “X” shape are horizontal. open the mounting plate in the direction is lowered, donut (ring) article inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 2, 3 or 10, characterized in that rises close to the horizontal direction. The inkjet printing apparatus for donut type (ring type) article according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the article to be printed is a tire.

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