JPH0418353A - Printing of molded product - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make possible the adjustment of time difference between the molding process and the printing process of a keytop by supplying the keytop to a fixture for positioning a printing machine in a state that the keytop is stored in a storage case, then printing the keytop, extracting it as it is stored in the storage case when printing process is completed, and transporting it. CONSTITUTION:A work to supply a keytop T to a printing machine 9 is completed by engaging a storage case 1 containing the keytop T with a fixture 6 fixed on the work table of the printing macine 9. Next, a transfer sheet 11 positioned by holding of a holding member 10 is brought to come in contact with the top surface (u) of the keytop T, then a heating head 12 is pressed to the transfer sheet 11 from above. Consequently, the transfer sheet 11 is heated at a specified temperature for a specified duration of time and characters or a figure printed reversely on the transfer sheet 11 are transferred to the keytop T as a material to be printed for printing. The keybop T which has been printed is detached from teh fixture 6 with the storage case 1 and is sent to a next process.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method for printing synthetic resin molded products, and in particular to a method for printing predetermined symbols and characters on key tops attached to keyboards for operating electronic devices. Regarding the method.

[Conventional technology]

Keyboards are used as operating means for various electronic devices such as word processors, computers, and various machine tools. This keyboard is equipped with a set of many groups of keys, such as alphabet keys, numeric keys, cursor movement keys, control keys, etc., according to their functions.

The key tops are molded using a resin such as PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), and the size, shape, and angle of inclination vary depending on the arrangement position. The outer shape of this key top is a hollow body of a truncated quadrangular pyramid, the top surface is a concave curved surface that can be touched by a fingertip, and the periphery is a quadrangular pyramid with a widening base. The top and bottom surfaces are not parallel (it is trapezoidal, with the front section being high and the rear section being low).

Each key top has letters and figures written on it to indicate its role at that position. Traditionally, multi-color molding was used to write letters and figures, but this method was complicated and costly, and recently transfer printing (printing on synthetic resin products by sublimating dye) has been used. , a printing method in which a disperse dye having a melting temperature lower than the melting temperature of the synthetic resin is infiltrated into a heated synthetic resin product in a molten state has come into use.

In the printing process, a large number of key tops are mounted at predetermined positions on a jig provided on a printing machine, and transfer paper on which reverse letters and reverse circular shapes are printed is placed on top of the key tops.
A heated head is pressed from above the transfer paper to transfer the printing on the transfer paper to the key top side.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

As mentioned above, the inclination angle, shape, size, etc. of the key tops differ depending on the position in which they are arranged, and in addition, the key tops placed in a certain position must have predetermined characters or figures printed on them. .

Previously, the method used for this printing was to manually fit the keycaps directly into a jig that was set on the printing press, but this meant that a large number of jigs had to be prepared depending on the type of keyboard. The problem is that the work of checking each key top's dimensions and shape while attaching it to a jig is extremely complicated, and even if it is not a case of mass production, it is difficult to produce a large number of products in small quantities and the production period is limited. In such cases, we cannot respond at all.

In order to solve the above problem, a method has been adopted in which a storage case is prepared, the key tops are stored in the storage case in the same way as the keyboard layout, and the key tops are transferred to a jig during the printing process. During the process, the key tops can be arranged in the same way as a keyboard, which greatly improves work efficiency.

However, this method also has serious problems.

That is, when arranging the key tops in the storage case, the key tops are arranged with their surfaces facing up, similar to the arrangement of a keyboard. However, when attaching a key top to the positioning member of a jig that is set on a printing press, the key top stored in the storage case must be manually taken out and transferred to the positioning member of the jig while being fitted. Must be.

As a method of omitting this manual work, a reversing jig is stacked on top of the storage case in which the key tops are stored, and by reversing both, the key tops are transferred to the reversing jig.

In this case, the key tops are turned upside down. Then, by placing a jig to be loaded into a printing press on top of this face-down key top and then turning it over again, the key top is set in the jig in the normal state.

As described above, the method of manually fitting the key top into a predetermined position on the jig is extremely complicated. In addition, although the method using a reversing jig has improved workability compared to the manual method, it requires reversing work and also requires the use of storage cases, reversing jigs, printing jigs, etc. There is a problem in that a jig is required and therefore a considerably large storage space is required.

On the other hand, there are a wide variety of electronic devices equipped with keyboards, and at present, the number of them produced is not very large. With the diversification of electronic devices, keyboard layouts have also become diverse. In other words, the problem is how efficiently small-volume, high-mix production can be carried out.

The present invention has been achieved in order to solve the problems of the prior art, and is capable of storing jigs from storage to printing processes, and even subsequent processes such as transportation, without replacing or reversing the jig. The object is to provide a printing method that can be processed using a case.

[Means to solve the problem]

To achieve the above object, the present invention includes a step of providing a positioning part for holding the printing material inside a frame and loading the printing material into a storage case having an opening formed on the back surface of the printing material; A step of placing the printing material in the storage case on a positioning jig of a printing press and supporting the printing material with a positioning member protruding from the jig, and a step of placing transfer paper on the surface of the key tongs. A method for printing a molded article comprising the steps of: printing by pressing a heated hand over the transfer paper; and removing the printed material after printing from the printing machine together with the storage case.

[For production]

The printing material, ie, the key top, is stored in a storage case and transferred to a printing process as necessary. In this printing process, the key tops are supplied to a positioning jig of a printing machine while stored in the storage case, and printed, and then the printed key tops can be taken out and transported while still in the storage case.

Furthermore, after printing is completed, the electronic device can be transported to the electronic device assembly process while being stored in the storage case, and then assembled into the keyboard in an orderly manner, which is extremely efficient.

〔Example〕

Next, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side sectional view of the key top storage case, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Beam portions 3, 3a are arranged vertically and horizontally, and a positioning portion 4 is arranged at the intersection of the beam portions 3.3a and on the inner surface of the frame 2.

This positioning member 4 is a member that supports the four corners of the key top T, and moves within the support section defined by this positioning member 4 so that the key top T can be easily fitted into the positioning member for the printing process. A gap is formed. An opening 5 is provided between the beams 3.3a.

This opening 5 has an important function in the printing process to be described later, and is designed so that a positioning member for the printing press can be projected from this opening 5 and fitted onto the back surface of the key top T. It has become.

In other words, the storage case used in the present invention is a case with a hole that passes through the positioning member of the printing machine, and can be supplied to the printing machine as it is, and after printing is finished, it can be transported with the printed material stored therein. It is something that can be done.

Further, the frame 2 is composed of an upper frame 2a and a lower frame 2b smaller in size than the upper frame 2a, and when the storage cases 1 are stacked, the lower frame 2b overlaps the upper frame 2a.
It is designed to be fitted inside.

Note that the storage case 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is as follows:
This is an example of the basic structure, and the key top T (
Various shapes and structures are adopted depending on the shape of the printing material), the positioning jig to be loaded into the printing machine, and the type of printing machine.

In the molding process of the keyed knob T, a set of predetermined key tops T is produced according to the keyboard layout of the electrical device. The key top T produced in this manner is fitted into a predetermined position of the storage case 1, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In addition, in this state,
The front surface f and the rear surface r of the key top T are aligned to face a certain direction, and the top surface S is inclined in the operating direction of the keyboard. Furthermore, the stored state of the key tops T is simply that they are aligned, and they are not yet in a position that allows printing.

The storage case 1 with the key top T fitted in the predetermined position as described above is stored in a storage shelf or the like by fitting the top and bottom of the frame portion 2 together and stacking them, as shown in FIG.

In response to a customer's request, the key top T stored as described above is transported to the printing process while being stored in the storage case l.

FIG. 4 shows the main parts of the printing press, and 6 is a positioning jig fixed on the workbench of the printing press. A positioning piece 7 is fixed to this jig 6 with screws 8. This piece 7 is provided with positioning members such as a protrusion 8 and a part that holds the hem of the key top T in accordance with the shape of the back side of the key top T, and when the key top T is in the state shown in FIG. The top surface U of the top T is held flat so that it can be printed, and its center is aligned with the position of characters and figures printed on transfer paper (not shown).

FIG. 5 shows the printing process. After the key top T is supplied to the positioning jig 6 together with the storage case l and positioned as described above, this jig 6 is mounted on the workbench of the printing machine 9.

The actual printing preparation work is carried out by fitting the storage case 1 containing the key tops T to the jig 6 fixed on the workbench of the printing machine 9. supply work is completed.

Next, the transfer paper 11 held and positioned by the gripping member 10
is brought into contact with the top surface U of the key top T, and the heating pad 12 is pressed from above in the direction of the arrow to heat the transfer paper 11 at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time. The characters and figures that were printed in the orientation are printed on the key top T.
Transfer to and print. The key top T is printed not only on the top surface U but also on the front surface f if necessary, and may also be printed on the side surfaces.

The key top T, which has been printed as described above, is removed from the jig 6 together with the storage case 1 and transported to the next process. The next process is the assembly process of the keyboard, the storage shelf that is a temporary storage place before being transported to this assembly process, and the storage case where a large number of storage cases are placed in cardboard boxes to be transported to a long distance. 1 may be stored.

The key tops T that have been printed as described above and transported together with the storage case 1 may be manually fitted onto the keyboard shaft during the keyboard assembly process, or may be assembled into multiple pieces at the same time using a suction device. It will be processed according to the method adopted in the factory line, such as the method of supplying it to the keyboard all at once and fixing it.

6 and 7 show the details of the printing process. Rails 6a are provided on the surface of the positioning jig 6 to protrude in parallel, and this determines the position of the positioning piece 7 in the front and back direction. There is.

Then, the port 8 is made to protrude from the hole provided in the positioning jig 6, and the positioning piece 7 is fixed at a predetermined position. The upper surface 74 of this positioning piece 7 is sloped in the opposite direction to match the slope of the key top T, and by placing the key top T on top of this, the top surface S of the key top T is held almost horizontally. become.

Further, on the upper surface 74 of the positioning piece 7, vertical positioning protrusions 71.71 and horizontal positioning protrusions '72. '12 is formed protrudingly, and these protrusions are formed with an inclined surface toward the center, and the key top T is formed on these protrusions.
When these are fitted, the hem of the key top T is positioned by the hem of the protrusion. Furthermore, a groove 73 is formed along the protrusion 71 between the protrusions 71 and 72.

On the other hand, a positioning beam part 3b is provided inside the upper frame 2a of the storage case 1 along the beam part 3, and when the storage case 1 is fitted onto the positioning jig 6, the beam part 3b
fits into the groove 73.

When the beam portion 3b provided on the storage case 1 is fitted into the groove portion 73 as described above, the key top T supported on the storage case 1 is automatically moved onto the positioning piece 7 and is no longer supported. and will be positioned.

The following printing and conveyance steps are as described above.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The method for printing a molded article according to the present invention includes the steps of: providing a positioning part for holding the printing material inside a frame; loading the printing material into a storage case having an opening formed on the back surface of the printing material; A step of placing the storage case on a positioning jig of a printing machine and supporting the printing material with a positioning member protruding from the jig, and a step of placing transfer paper on the surface of the key top. , a process of printing by pressing a heating head onto the transfer paper, and a process of removing the print material after printing from the printing machine together with the storage case, and can achieve the following effects.

(1) The completed moldings, especially the key tops, can be stored in the storage case and stored in this state.
Even if there is a time difference between the key top molding process and the printing process, this can be adjusted.

In general, keycap molding manufacturers and keyboard assembling manufacturers are different, but molding manufacturers mold keycaps according to the production schedule of electronic devices and store them in storage cases. put. After waiting for an order from the assembly manufacturer, the key tops are transported to the assembly manufacturer while being stored in the storage case.

(2) In the printing process, the work of supplying the key tops to the printing machine and the work of taking out the key tops after printing are extremely simplified.

The key tops manufactured by the molding manufacturer as described above and transported together with the storage case to the assembly manufacturer are supplied as they are to the positioning jig of the printing machine, where they are printed.
It is then taken out and stored in a warehouse. Then, according to the usage schedule of the assembler, the product is sent out together with the storage case and used by the assembler.

As mentioned above, in the conventional technology, the case for housing the molded product and the case for transporting the printed molded product are separated, or they are inverted, or the individual molded products are placed on a positioning jig during the printing process. However, the present invention has the advantage that such operations are not required at all, and is an extremely advantageous method in terms of process control.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figures show an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 is a side sectional view of a storage case, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a case in which key tops are stored in a storage case and the cases are stacked. It is a side sectional view showing a state. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the key tops are fixed together with the storage case on a positioning jig of a printing press, and FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing the printing process. 6 and 7 are a sectional view and a perspective view showing details of the storage case and the positioning jig. 1... Storage case 2a... Upper frame portions 3, 3a, 3b... Beam portion 5... Opening 7... Positioning piece 71.72... Positioning protrusion 74... Top surface. 2... Frame part 2b... Lower frame part 4... Positioning part 6... Positioning jig 8... Screw. 73...Groove

Claims (1)

[Claims] A step of loading the printing material into a storage case in which a positioning part for holding the printing material is provided inside the frame and an opening formed on the back side of the printing material, and a positioning jig for the printing machine while the storage case remains A step of supporting the printing material with a positioning member placed on the key top and protruding from the jig, a step of placing a transfer paper on the surface of the key top, and a step of pressing a heating head from above the transfer paper. A method for printing a molded article, which comprises a step of printing, and a step of removing the printed material together with the storage case from the printing machine after printing has been completed.