JP6041916B2 - Printing apparatus and printing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a printing method, an optical fiber, and an optical fiber cable.

  As a printing (marking) method for identifying an optical fiber ribbon, inkjet printing in which marking is performed using an inkjet printer is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  In inkjet printing, since there is a limit to high-speed printing with one inkjet printer, it is necessary to install several inkjet printers in series when increasing the optical fiber linear velocity. Further, in the marking by an ink jet printer, in order to print simultaneously with four or twelve optical fiber ribbons arranged at the same time, it is currently necessary to increase the number of ink jet printers, which increases the manufacturing cost.

  As another printing method, roll printing using a printing roll is known (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2005-123041 A JP 2011-011532 A

  However, it is difficult to perform marking with good visibility on a linear body having a diameter of 1 mm or less like an optical fiber core wire by roll printing. For this reason, roll printing was not performed with respect to a filament with a diameter of 1 mm or less.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus, a printing method, an optical fiber, and an optical fiber cable that can perform marking on an optical fiber at high speed and with high visibility.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, an ink tank that contains ink, a scraping roll that scrapes ink from the ink tank, and ink that is delivered from the scraping roll can be filled, and the mesh size is 75 mesh to 150 mesh. A printing roll for transferring the ink filled in the printing pattern to the surface of the traveling optical fiber, a doctor blade that pushes the ink into the printing pattern and scrapes off excess ink adhering to the printing roll surface; Is provided.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing pattern having a mesh size of 75 mesh to 150 mesh of the step of scraping ink from the ink tank using a scraping roll, and ink scraped by the scraping roll. Passing to the printing roll, pushing the ink into the printing pattern, scraping off excess ink adhering to the printing roll surface, and transferring the ink filled in the printing pattern to the traveling optical fiber surface A printing method is provided.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a step of scraping ink from the ink tank using a scraping roll, and a printing pattern having a mesh size of 75 mesh to 150 mesh are provided for the ink scraped by the scraping roll. A step of transferring the ink to the print roll, a step of pushing ink into the print pattern, a step of scraping off excess ink adhering to the surface of the print roll, and a step of transferring the ink filled in the print pattern to the surface of the optical fiber running An optical fiber manufactured using a printing method is provided.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a step of scraping ink from the ink tank using a scraping roll, and a printing pattern having a mesh size of 75 mesh to 150 mesh are provided for the ink scraped by the scraping roll. A step of transferring the ink to the print roll, a step of pushing ink into the print pattern, a step of scraping off excess ink adhering to the surface of the print roll, and a step of transferring the ink filled in the print pattern to the surface of the optical fiber running An optical fiber cable is provided, in which an optical fiber manufactured using a printing method including:

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus, a printing method, an optical fiber, and an optical fiber cable that can perform marking on an optical fiber at high speed and with high visibility.

It is sectional drawing (sectional drawing of the AA cut surface of FIG. 2) which shows an example of the printing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows an example of the printing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows an example of the printing pattern which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows an example of the optical fiber after the marking which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows an example of the printing pattern which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the BB cut surface of FIG. It is the schematic which shows another example of the printing pattern which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the CC cut surface of FIG. It is a table | surface showing the experimental result which concerns on the 1st Example of embodiment of this invention. It is a table | surface showing the experimental result which concerns on the 2nd Example of embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows an example of the printing roll which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the relationship between the thickness and the planar dimensions, the ratio of the thickness of each layer, and the like are different from the actual ones. Therefore, specific thicknesses and dimensions should be determined in consideration of the following description. Moreover, it is a matter of course that portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios are included between the drawings.

  Further, the embodiments described below exemplify apparatuses and methods for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the technical idea of the present invention includes the material, shape, structure, The layout is not specified as follows. The technical idea of the present invention can be variously modified within the scope of the claims.

(Printer)
A printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a printing apparatus that performs printing (marking) on a linear body having a diameter of 1 mm or less such as an optical fiber. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an ink tank 1 that contains ink I, and a scraping roll 2 that is partially immersed in the ink I in the ink tank 1. And a printing roll 3 disposed in the vicinity of the raking roll 2 and a doctor blade 4 in contact with the printing roll 3.

  During printing on the optical fiber 5, the ink roll I is swept up while the scraping roll 2 rotates in the direction of arrow A. On the other hand, the printing roll 3 rotates in the direction of arrow B opposite to the rotation direction of the scraping roll 2, and the ink I scraped by the scraping roll 2 is delivered. The doctor blade 4 scrapes off excess ink I adhering to the printing roll 3 and pushes the ink I into the printing patterns 31 to 36 provided on the printing roll 3. The ink I filled in the printing patterns 31 to 36 is transferred to the optical fiber 5 running on the printing roll 3 in the direction of arrow C, and marking is performed.

  The diameter of the optical fiber 5 to be marked is 1 mm or less, for example, about 0.25 mm. As the optical fiber 5, an optical fiber strand, an optical fiber core wire, an optical fiber tape core wire, or the like can be adopted. As the optical fiber ribbon, for example, an intermittently fixed type optical fiber ribbon can be used. In the embodiment of the present invention, the number, type, size and the like of the optical fiber 5 are not particularly limited. When there are a plurality of optical fibers 5, it is possible to perform marking in parallel with one printing roll 3. The traveling speed (linear speed) of the optical fiber 5 is about 100 m / min to 800 m / min. The optical fiber 5 is in contact with or not in contact with the printing roll 3, and travels so that the printing roll 3 does not squeeze the ink I from the printing roll 3.

  The viscosity of the ink I in the ink tank 1 is about 1 mPa · s to 2000 Pa · s (a range in which water and UV curable ink can enter). The diameters D1 and D2 of the raking roll 2 and the printing roll 3 are each about 100 m, and the widths W1 and W2 are about 50 mm, respectively. The scraping roll 2 and the printing roll 3 are arranged in a position where they are not in contact with each other and can transfer the ink I by surface tension. The rotational speed of the printing roll 3 is appropriately set corresponding to the traveling speed (linear speed) of the optical fiber 5. The rotation speed of the raking roll 2 may be slower than the rotation speed of the printing roll 3, and is set as appropriate.

  Printing patterns 31 to 33 are provided on the printing roll 3. The length L1 parallel to the rotation direction of the print patterns 31 to 33 is about 1 mm to 50 mm, and the width W3 orthogonal to the rotation direction is about 1 mm to 50 mm. The interval S1 between the print patterns 31 to 33 is about 1 mm to 50 mm. The shape of the print patterns 31 to 36 is not limited to a rectangle.

  As shown in FIG. 1, print patterns 34 to 36 having the same configuration as the print patterns 31 to 33 are provided at positions facing the print patterns 31 to 33 in the circumferential direction of the print roll 3. In addition, although FIG. 1 demonstrated the case where the three printing patterns 31 to 33 and the three printing patterns 34 to 36 were provided at positions facing each other on the printing roll 3, the number and size of the printing patterns 31 to 36, The arrangement position on the printing roll 3 is not particularly limited.

  The print pattern 31 is a mesh pattern as shown in FIG. 3, and includes convex portions 31a that intersect in a mesh pattern and rhombic (square) groove portions (concave portions) 31b. The depth of the groove 31b is, for example, about 5 μm to 50 μm. The ink I filled in the groove 31 b comes into contact with the surface of the optical fiber 5 and adheres to the optical fiber 5. The ink I attached to the surface of the optical fiber 5 flows on the surface of the optical fiber 5 and is connected to each other, so that ink layers 51 to 53 corresponding to the print patterns 31 to 33 are formed as shown in FIG. The print patterns 32 to 36 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 also have the same configuration as the print pattern 31 shown in FIG.

  As a formation method of the printing patterns 31 to 36, for example, the surface of the printing roll 3 may be pressed using a processing roll provided with a pattern for forming the printing patterns 31 to 36, and laser processing is performed. Alternatively, etching using a resist pattern as a mask may be performed.

  The mesh size of the printing patterns 31 to 36 is defined as 75 mesh to 150 mesh, and more preferably 75 mesh to 133 mesh. However, “mesh” represents the number of meshes per inch.

  FIG. 5 schematically shows the convex portion 31a of the print pattern 31 with a solid line, and shows the optical fiber 5 traveling in the direction of the arrow with a dotted line. In FIG. 5, the optical fiber 5 travels on the print pattern 31 so as to pass through the mesh intersection formed by the convex portions 31 a, but the travel position of the optical fiber 5 is not limited to this.

  When the mesh of the print pattern 31 is made coarse, the surface area of the ink I in one mesh increases as shown in FIG. 5, and the amount of ink attached to the optical fiber 5 increases due to surface tension. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the angle θ (hereinafter also referred to as “printing angle”) θ at which the ink layer 51 is formed in the circumferential direction of the optical fiber 5 is increased, and good visibility of the marking is obtained. It is done. However, when the mesh size is larger than 150 mesh, the ink I leaks from the print pattern 31, and the ink I adheres to a position other than the marking position of the optical fiber 5, and the visibility deteriorates.

  On the other hand, when the mesh size is reduced, the surface area of the ink I in one mesh is reduced, and the amount of ink attached to the optical fiber 5 is reduced. FIG. 7 shows a case where the mesh size is smaller than that in FIG. 5. The convex portion 31 a of the printing pattern 31 is schematically shown by a solid line, and the optical fiber 5 traveling in the direction of the arrow is shown by a dotted line. As the mesh size decreases, the printing angle θ decreases as shown in FIG. Here, if the mesh size is smaller than 75 mesh, the printing angle θ becomes too small, and the marking visibility deteriorates.

  Therefore, by setting the mesh size of the print patterns 31 to 36 to 75 mesh to 150 mesh, it is possible to obtain good marking visibility while preventing ink leakage from the print patterns 31 to 36.

(Printing method)
Next, an example of a printing method (marking method) for the optical fiber 5 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  (A) The ink roll is scraped by rotating the scraping roll 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in the direction of arrow A.

  (B) The printing roll 3 provided with the printing patterns 31 to 36 having a mesh size of 75 mesh to 150 mesh is rotated in the direction of arrow B, and the ink I is transferred from the raking roll 2 to the printing roll 3.

  (C) The doctor blade 4 pushes the ink I into the grooves 31b of the printing patterns 31 to 33 provided on the printing roll 3, and scrapes off the excess ink I adhering to the surface of the printing roll 3.

  (D) The ink I filled in the groove portions 31b of the printing patterns 31 to 33 provided on the printing roll 3 is transferred to the optical fiber 5 traveling in the direction of arrow C.

  According to the printing apparatus and the printing method according to the embodiment of the present invention, marking is performed on the optical fiber 5 by roll printing, and compared with inkjet printing without increasing the number as in the case of inkjet printing. Thus, marking can be performed at high speed.

  Furthermore, it is possible to perform marking in parallel on a plurality of optical fibers 5 in a lump without increasing the number as in the case of inkjet printing.

  Furthermore, the favorable visibility of marking can be obtained by using the printing roll 3 of the printing patterns 31-36 whose mesh sizes are 75 mesh-150 mesh.

(First embodiment)
As a first example, marking was performed on an optical fiber having a diameter of 250 μm using seven types of printing rolls having different mesh sizes and a printing roll having no mesh, and samples 1 to 8 were produced. The traveling speed of the optical fiber was 400 m / min. The diameter of the printing roll was 100 mm and the width was 15 mm. The ink used was a mixture of VS5990 and solvent VS1000 manufactured by Dainichi Chemical Industries Ltd. in a ratio of 2: 1.

  Using the produced samples 1 to 12, the printing angle was measured, and ink leakage and visibility were evaluated. FIG. 9 shows the experimental results. In FIG. 9, the printing angle indicates an angle marked on the circumference of the cross section of the optical fiber. For ink leakage, the samples 1 to 8 after marking are visually observed to determine the presence or absence of ink leakage. Visibility was determined as “◯” when 10 people confirmed that all the samples 1 to 8 could be easily identified by marking, and “X” was set otherwise. Furthermore, as a comprehensive judgment, a case where there is no ink leakage and the visibility is good is “◯”, and a case where there is ink leakage or the visibility is bad is “x”.

  From FIG. 9, it can be seen that the printing angle increases as the mesh size becomes coarser. And in the samples 1 and 2 whose mesh sizes are 175 mesh and 200 mesh, the printing angle became 20 ° or less, and the visibility deteriorated due to the narrow printing area. On the other hand, in Samples 7 and 8 having a mesh of 50 mesh and no mesh, ink leakage occurred, and marking was performed at a position other than the target position, resulting in poor visibility.

(Second embodiment)
As a second example, marking was performed by changing the traveling speed (linear speed) and the number of cores of an optical fiber having a diameter of 250 μm, and samples 1 to 12 were produced. The mesh size of the printing pattern was 133 mesh. The diameter of the printing roll was 100 mm and the width was 55 mm. The ink used was a mixture of VS5990 and solvent VS1000 of Dainichi Seika Kogyo Co., Ltd. in a ratio of 2: 1.

  Using the produced samples 1 to 12, ink leakage and visibility were evaluated in the same manner as in the first example. FIG. 10 shows the experimental results. As shown in FIG. 10, ink leakage did not occur in the range of 1 to 12 cores and the linear velocity was in the range of 100 m / min to 400 m / min, and good visibility was obtained.

(Other embodiments)
As described above, the present invention has been described according to the embodiment. However, it should not be understood that the description and drawings constituting a part of this disclosure limit the present invention. From this disclosure, various alternative embodiments, examples and operational techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

  For example, the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1, and may have at least the printing rolls 3 having the printing patterns 31 to 36 having a mesh size of 75 mesh to 150 mesh.

  Moreover, the rhombus of the groove part 31b of the printing patterns 31 to 36 is not limited to a square pattern with four corners of 90 °, and the four corners may be a combination of an acute angle and an obtuse angle. Moreover, although the rhombus which comprises the mesh of the printing patterns 31-36 showed the pattern whose each side is diagonal with respect to the rotation direction of the printing roll 3, it is not limited to this in particular. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the shape of the recess 31 c constituting the printing pattern 31 may be such that two sides facing the rotation direction of the printing roll 3 are parallel and the other two sides are orthogonal. Moreover, the recessed part 31a of the printing patterns 31-36 should just be a rhombus, and the three-dimensional shape of the recessed part 31a may be a square pole (cube or a rectangular parallelepiped), and may be a triangular prism.

  Moreover, the optical fiber cable mounted by covering the optical fiber 5 which concerns on embodiment of this invention with a jacket (sheath) can be manufactured. The type of the optical fiber cable is not particularly limited, and is applicable to a slotless optical fiber cable such as a slotless optical fiber cable, an SZ slot optical fiber cable, or a tape slot optical fiber cable.

  Further, instead of the optical fiber 5 according to the embodiment of the present invention, a wire body having a diameter of 1 mm or less such as a normal electric wire or wire can be used.

  Moreover, the printing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention can also print on sheets other than a linear body other than printing on a linear body, such as the optical fiber 5. FIG.

  As described above, the present invention naturally includes various embodiments not described herein. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is defined only by the invention specifying matters according to the scope of claims reasonable from the above description.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ink tank 2 ... Draft roll 3 ... Printing roll 4 ... Doctor blade 5 ... Optical fiber 7 ... Sample 31a ... Convex part 31b ... Groove part 31-36 ... Print pattern 51, 52, 53 ... Ink layer

Claims (6)

An ink tank for containing ink;
A scooping roll that scoops up ink from the ink tank;
A printing roll provided with a printing pattern capable of being filled with ink delivered from the scraping roll, and transferring the ink filled in the printing pattern to the surface of an optical fiber that travels; and
A doctor blade that pushes ink into the printing pattern and scrapes off excess ink adhering to the surface of the printing roll.
The optical fiber is not in contact with the printing roll;
The printing roll can set the rotation speed independently,
The raking roll and the printing roll are arranged in a non-contact manner,
A printing apparatus, wherein a rotation speed of the raking roll is slower than a rotation speed of the printing roll. An ink tank for containing ink;
A scooping roll that scoops up ink from the ink tank;
A printing roll provided with a printing pattern capable of being filled with ink delivered from the scraping roll, and transferring the ink filled in the printing pattern to the surface of an optical fiber that travels; and
A doctor blade that pushes ink into the printing pattern and scrapes off excess ink adhering to the surface of the printing roll.
The optical fiber is not in contact with the printing roll;
The printing roll can set the rotation speed independently,
The raking roll and the printing roll are arranged in a non-contact manner,
A printing apparatus, wherein a circumferential speed of the raking roll is slower than a circumferential speed of the printing roll. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing pattern has a mesh size of 75 mesh to 150 mesh. Scraping ink from inside the ink tank using a raking roll; and
The ink scraped by the scraping roll is disposed in a non-contact manner with the scraping roll, and is delivered to a printing roll provided with a printing pattern capable of being filled with ink;
Pushing ink into the printing pattern and scraping off excess ink adhering to the surface of the printing roll; and
Transferring the ink filled in the printed pattern to the surface of the running optical fiber, and
The optical fiber is not in contact with the printing roll;
The printing roll can set the rotation speed independently,
A printing method, wherein a rotation speed of the raking roll is slower than a rotation speed of the printing roll. Scraping ink from inside the ink tank using a raking roll; and
The ink scraped by the scraping roll is disposed in a non-contact manner with the scraping roll, and is delivered to a printing roll provided with a printing pattern capable of being filled with ink;
Pushing ink into the printing pattern and scraping off excess ink adhering to the surface of the printing roll; and
Transferring the ink filled in the printed pattern to the surface of the running optical fiber, and
The optical fiber is not in contact with the printing roll;
The printing roll can set the rotation speed independently,
A printing method, wherein a circumferential speed of the raking roll is slower than a circumferential speed of the printing roll. A printing method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein
The printing method, wherein the printing pattern has a mesh size of 75 mesh to 150 mesh.

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