JPH0752525A - Manufacture of ink jet decorated three-dimensional object - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a method for manufacturing an ink jet decorated three- dimensional object in which an arbitrary design can be simply formed on a surface of the three-dimensional object. CONSTITUTION:A three-dimensional object moving unit having an arm which includes a movable head, and a drive controller for controlling driving conditions of the arm and the head in response to a shape of a three-dimensional object, and an ink jet unit having an injection controller for controlling an injection nozzle and ink injection conditions from the nozzle in response to image information are used, the nozzle is first fixed, and the object is held at the head. Then, while the nozzle remains rested, the arm and/or the head is driven to inject the ink from a jet port of the nozzle while moving the object in an arbitrary direction to form a desired design on a surface of the object.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention is applicable to helmets and the like.
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object with an inkjet pattern, which allows an arbitrary pattern to be easily formed on the surface of the three-dimensional object.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A helmet or a cardboard box will be described below as an example of a three-dimensional object. Conventionally, there is a water transfer method as a method of forming a pattern on a helmet. In other words, a white undercoat is formed to hide the background color of the helmet, and then water transfer paper for forming the front pattern of the helmet, water transfer paper for forming the side pattern, and water transfer for forming the upper pattern. Prepare multiple sheets of water transfer paper for the part you want to form, such as paper, float each water transfer paper on the surface of the water, fix each transfer paper at a predetermined place on the helmet surface, and then let it dry naturally and bond the transfer paper. Then, a transparent overcoat is formed.

There is also a spray method. That is, a white undercoat is formed to hide the background color of the helmet, and then the helmet is fixed on the table, and then the pattern in which the desired pattern is cut out is fixed at a predetermined location on the helmet surface and sprayed. To create the desired single-color pattern,
This is a method of forming a multicolor pattern by repeating the required number of colors and then forming a transparent overcoat.

Further, conventionally, there is an ink jet method as a method of forming a pattern on a three-dimensional object such as a cardboard box in which two-dimensional planes are combined. That is, after fixing the cardboard box on the table, a desired pattern is formed by moving the jet nozzle along one plane of the cardboard box, and then the jet nozzle is moved to another plane of the cardboard box to obtain a desired pattern. In this method, a pattern is formed and then a transparent overcoat is formed.

[0005]

However, the water transfer method is
You have to prepare multiple sheets of water transfer paper, align each water transfer paper on the surface of the three-dimensional object, and remake the water transfer paper every time the pattern or helmet shape changes, so it is troublesome. take time.

[0006] In the spray method, it is necessary to prepare patterns of the same number of colors, fix different patterns on the surface of the helmet each time the color changes, and remake the patterns every time the pattern or helmet shape is changed. So it takes time and effort.

In the inkjet method, a cardboard box is fixed on a table, and spraying is performed while moving the jet nozzle along the surface of the cardboard box. However, there is a limit on the operating mechanism of the jet nozzle, so that the area within a narrow plane is limited. It can only be formed. For this reason, it is possible to form a pattern at a time on the entire surface of multiple flat surfaces connected at a steep angle such as a cardboard box, or on a wide range of a smooth curved surface with a curvature such as the surface of a helmet. Can not. For this reason,
For example, in the case of a cardboard box, when the pattern formation shifts from one side to the other side, the ink jet is temporarily interrupted, and the work such as moving the ink jet device from the one side to the other side and resetting is performed. It takes.

In the ink jet method, the jet nozzle is laid sideways or vertically depending on the orientation of the surface of the three-dimensional object, so that the jet nozzle does not move and be fixed during the formation of the pattern by the ink jet. For this reason, the ink ejection direction and the position where the pattern is formed are slightly deviated from each other depending on how the ejection nozzle moves. For example, when the ejection nozzle is vertically downward, the ejected ink draws a straight trajectory without being affected by gravity, so the ejection direction of the ink and the position where the pattern is formed are completely the same, but the ejection nozzle is horizontal. When turned sideways, the ink is influenced by gravity and draws a parabolic trajectory to fly, and the pattern formation position shifts.
In particular, when a multicolored pattern is formed on the surface of a three-dimensional object, the registration for each color may shift. Therefore, when the conventional inkjet method is applied to the surface of a three-dimensional object, only a distorted pattern or a defocused pattern can be formed.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a three-dimensional object moving is composed of an arm section having a movable head section and a drive control section for controlling drive conditions of the arm section and the movable head section according to the shape of the three-dimensional object. Using an apparatus and an inkjet apparatus including an ejection nozzle and an ejection control unit that controls ejection conditions of ink from the ejection nozzle according to image information,
While fixing the jet nozzle, hold the three-dimensional object in the movable head part, then, while keeping the jet nozzle stationary,
While driving the arm portion and / or the movable head portion to move the three-dimensional object in an arbitrary direction, ink is ejected from the ejection port of the ejection nozzle to form a desired pattern on the surface of the three-dimensional object.

In the present invention, the surface of the three-dimensional object may be a curved surface.

In the present invention, an undercoat for hiding the background color of the three-dimensional object may be formed before forming the ink jet pattern on the surface of the three-dimensional object.

In the present invention, the transparent overcoat may be formed after the ink jet pattern is formed on the surface of the three-dimensional object.

The method for producing a three-dimensional object with an ink jet pattern according to the present invention will be described in detail below. First, a three-dimensional object moving device and an inkjet device are prepared.

The three-dimensional object moving device comprises an arm section having a movable head section and a drive control section. As the arm portion having the movable head portion, there is a general-purpose industrial robot such as one in which a plurality of arm portions are flexibly connected horizontally and vertically via joints. There are also horizontal articulated robots, vertical articulated robots, and orthogonal robots. The movable head part has a hand mechanism in which a plurality of fingers move from the outside to the inside to sandwich the three-dimensional object, or a plurality of fingers move from the inside to the outside to tighten the cavity inside the three-dimensional object. Some include a hand mechanism that is attached to the end of the arm.

The drive control unit performs programming according to the shape information of the three-dimensional object input by a computer CAD or a keyboard of a computer, and the driving conditions of the arm section and the movable head section, for example, an ink jet ejection nozzle and a three-dimensional object. Calculate the distance interval and angle with, the speed to move the surface of the three-dimensional object, etc.
And a part for issuing a command to drive the arm part.

The ink jet device comprises an ejection nozzle and an ejection control section. The ejection nozzle is a portion that ejects ink of a color corresponding to the ejection amount and ejection pressure calculated by the ejection control unit or the color adjustment toward the surface of the three-dimensional object.

The ejection control unit controls the color of the print image, the photographic film, the printed matter, the hand-drawn manuscript, etc. by using the scanner, the camera, etc., and the image information by the computer keyboard, etc. After performing operations such as editing, calculate the ink ejection conditions from the ejection nozzles, such as the ejection amount and ejection pressure, and in the case of a color image, issue a command to eject ink from three or four or more color nozzles. It is the part to put out.

Using the above three-dimensional object moving device and the ink jet device, an ink jet patterned three-dimensional object is manufactured. First, the injection nozzle is fixed. The ejection nozzle is preferably fixed so that the ejection direction is vertically downward so that the ejected ink is not affected by gravity. Also, the movable head unit holds a three-dimensional object. When the three-dimensional object is an object such as a helmet, it is preferable that the movable head portion is thrust into the portion of the helmet into which the person's head is inserted and mechanically fixed. This is effective because the surface to which the pattern is to be attached is not hidden by the movable head portion, and it is not necessary to re-hold the three-dimensional object.

Next, with the injection nozzle still,
While driving the arm part and / or the movable head part to move the three-dimensional object in an arbitrary direction, ink is ejected from the ejection port of the ejection nozzle to form a desired pattern on the surface of the three-dimensional object. As the ink for inkjet, it is preferable to use a mixture of a pigment having excellent light resistance, a fluorescent pigment, or a dye.

The arbitrary direction is a direction in which the three-dimensional object is moved in a linear motion, a curvilinear motion, a rotary motion, or the like in an alternative or in an appropriate combination, and an arbitrary position on the surface of the three-dimensional object is jetted. It is a direction to maintain a predetermined positional relationship with the ejection port of the nozzle. In order to draw the outline of the inkjet design neatly, it is preferable to draw the outline of the design first, and then drive in such a direction that the three-dimensional object can move so as to fill the contents.

The driving of the arm section and / or the movable head is performed based on a command from a drive control section incorporated in the three-dimensional object moving device. In other words, information about the shape and size of a three-dimensional object to which a picture is to be attached is previously input to the drive control unit,
The distance and angle between the jet nozzle of the inkjet and the three-dimensional object, the speed at which the surface of the three-dimensional object is moved, and the like are calculated, and a command to drive the arm portion and / or the movable head is issued.

The ink is ejected from the ejection nozzle based on a command from an ejection control unit incorporated in the ink jet device. In other words, information of a desired pattern is input in advance to the ejection control unit, and after performing operations such as color adjustment and editing, the ink ejection amount, ejection pressure, etc. are calculated, and the ejection command of the ejection nozzle is issued. To

Before forming the ink jet pattern on the surface of the three-dimensional object, an undercoat for hiding the background color of the three-dimensional object may be formed. The undercoat may be formed by an inkjet method, a printing method, or a coating method using a white paint or a white ink having good adhesion to the inkjet ink.

A transparent overcoat may be formed after the ink jet pattern is formed on the surface of the three-dimensional object. The overcoat may be formed by an inkjet method, a printing method, or a coating method using a coating material or an ink that is made of a thermosetting resin, an ultraviolet curable resin, an electron beam curable resin, or the like that blocks ultraviolet rays.

[0025]

According to the present invention, an ink jet pattern is formed on a three-dimensional three-dimensional object by using an ink ejection control device and a three-dimensional object drive control device. Therefore, the image information of the pattern and the information of the three-dimensional object shape are individually controlled. Only by inputting to the device, the layout of the pattern and the formation of the pattern are automatically performed by computer control. Further, when the design or the three-dimensional object is changed, it is only necessary to re-input the image information of the design and the shape information of the three-dimensional object into each control device.

Further, since the ink jet pattern is formed on the surface of the three-dimensional solid object while the jet nozzle is fixed and stationary, the jet nozzle is connected at a steep angle regardless of the operation limit of the jet nozzle. A pattern can be continuously formed on any surface of a three-dimensional object, such as the entire surface of a plurality of flat surfaces or a wide range of a curved surface having a curvature such as the surface of a helmet.

Further, since the ink jet pattern is formed with the jet nozzle fixed and stationary, the trajectory of the jetted ink is always constant regardless of the orientation of the surface of the three-dimensional object.

[0028]

Since the present invention has the above-described structure and operation, the following effects can be obtained. That is, simply by inputting the image information of the pattern and the information of the shape of the three-dimensional object to each control device, the layout of the pattern and the formation of the pattern are automatically performed by computer control, so a plurality of water transfer papers are prepared. It does not take time and effort to adjust the positions of the patterns on each water transfer paper, or to prepare the pattern and spray it. Further, even when the shape or the shape of the three-dimensional object is changed, it can be easily dealt with by simply changing the information input to the control device.

In addition, the entire surface of a plurality of flat surfaces connected at a steep angle such as a cardboard box, or a wide range of a smooth curved surface having a curvature such as the surface of a helmet,
Since it is possible to continuously form a pattern on any part of the surface of a three-dimensional object, it is possible to continuously form an inkjet pattern at one time over a wide area of a curved surface or the entire surface of a plurality of flat surfaces that are connected at a steep angle. It does not take time and labor to move the entire device.

Furthermore, since the trajectory of the ejected ink is constant, a distorted pattern is not obtained. In particular, when a multicolored pattern is formed on the surface of a three-dimensional object, since the registration for each color does not deviate, a focused and accurate multicolored pattern can always be formed on the surface of the three-dimensional object.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A three-dimensional object moving device comprising an arm section having a movable head section, and a drive control section for controlling drive conditions of the arm section and the movable head section according to the shape of the three-dimensional object.
Using an inkjet device comprising an ejection nozzle and an ejection control unit that controls ejection conditions of ink from the ejection nozzle according to image information, first, while fixing the ejection nozzle, hold a three-dimensional object in the movable head unit, Next, while the ejection nozzle is stationary, the arm portion and / or the movable head portion is driven to move the three-dimensional object in an arbitrary direction, and ink is ejected from the ejection port of the ejection nozzle to a desired surface of the three-dimensional object. A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object with an inkjet pattern, which comprises forming a pattern. 2. The method for producing a three-dimensional object with an inkjet pattern according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the three-dimensional object is a curved surface. 3. The method for producing a three-dimensional object with an inkjet pattern according to claim 1, wherein an undercoat for hiding the background color of the three-dimensional object is formed before forming the inkjet pattern on the surface of the three-dimensional object. 4. A transparent overcoat is formed after forming an inkjet pattern on the surface of a three-dimensional object.
3. The method for producing a three-dimensional object with an inkjet pattern according to any one of 3 above.