KR102203327B1 - Pad printing apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pad printing device and a pad printing method, which can easily realize printing of various image patterns on an object to be printed by using an inkjet printing method and increase work efficiency over the entire pad printing. The device comprises: a flat plate; a printing unit having a plurality of inkjet heads; a pad unit; and a pad cleaning unit. A flat type far infrared heater unit for correcting temperature uniformity of the flat plate by emitting a far infrared ray is arranged in a lower portion of the flat plate.

Description

Pad printing apparatus and method {PAD PRINTING APPARATUS AND METHOD}

The present invention relates to a pad printing apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a pad printing apparatus capable of easily realizing printing of various image patterns on an object to be printed by using an inkjet printing method and improving work efficiency throughout the pad printing. And a method.

In general, pad printing is a printing method using a pad part made of a silicone material, and has the advantage of being able to print even when the shape of a printing object such as a resin product or a metal product is a flat surface, an inclined surface, a right angle surface or a curved surface.

In the pad printing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 7, an image pattern 22 is formed by applying ink from the ink cup 10 to the image plate 20 (shape or character is etched in an intaglio). A process, a process of transferring an image pattern to the silicon pad section 30, a process of transferring the image pattern 22 from the silicon pad section 30 to the object 40 to be printed. Printing is performed by transferring the silicone pad portion 30 onto an adhesive tape roll (cleaning portion) 50 to clean the silicone pad portion 30. Here, the adhesive tape roll 50 is configured to be conveyed by a predetermined amount after cleaning of the silicone pad part 30.

However, the conventional pad printing apparatus has the following problems.

-Only monochrome (black and white) output is possible, color output is not possible

-To change the image pattern, the image plate must be replaced.

-As the ink amount of the ink cup is limited, the replacement cycle of the ink cup is short and manual cleaning of the ink cup is required.

-Precise close contact management between the ink cup and the image plate is required

-When replacing ink, because the ink cup and the image plate are in close contact with each other, it is removed/installed from the device, so contamination may occur due to ink leakage.

-Continuous movement of the ink cup is required to prevent the ink in the ink cup from hardening, and if it exceeds 1 to 2 days, the ink cures and must be disposed

KR 10-2508-0097808 A1

An object of the present invention is to provide a pad printing apparatus and method capable of easily realizing printing of various image patterns on an object to be printed using an inkjet printing method and increasing work efficiency throughout the pad printing.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be described below, and will be understood by examples of the present invention. Further, the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by means and combinations indicated in the claims.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pad printing apparatus, comprising: a flat plate having a fine lattice groove-shaped upper surface; A printing unit including a plurality of inkjet heads for forming an image pattern on the flat plate by using inkjet printing; A transfer silicon pad part transferring the image pattern formed on the flat plate and transferring the transferred image pattern to the printing object by contacting the transferred image pattern with the printing object mounted on the mounting jig; And a pad cleaning unit for cleaning the transferred silicon pad portion, wherein a flat-type far-infrared heater portion is disposed under the flat plate to emit far-infrared rays to correct temperature uniformity of the flat plate.

In addition, it characterized in that it further comprises a protective layer generating unit for creating a protective layer by applying a protective paint of a transparent material on the image pattern transferred to the printing object.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pad printing method, comprising: forming an image pattern on a flat plate having a fine lattice groove-shaped top surface by using inkjet printing by a printing unit including a plurality of inkjet heads; Transferring the image pattern formed on the flat plate by the silicon pad unit and then transferring the transferred image pattern to the printing object by contacting the transferred image pattern with the printing object mounted on the mounting jig; And cleaning, by a pad cleaning unit, the silicon pad part, wherein a flat-type far-infrared heater part disposed under the plane plate emits far-infrared rays to correct temperature uniformity of the plane plate.

In addition, the protective layer generating unit may further include a step of creating a protective layer by applying a protective paint of a transparent material on the image pattern transferred to the printing object.

In addition, the silicone pad part is made of a buffer member that provides a cushioning force when the pad support part and the object to be printed are in contact with each other, but the buffer member has a high density elasticity having a density of 250 to 350 kg/m 3 and an outermost outer layer. A layer, and a low-density elastic layer having a density of 70 to 150 kg/m 3, wherein the low-density elastic layer includes a plurality of air layers as empty spaces.

In addition, a pressing member that operates according to the supply of electric energy is provided in the high-density elastic layer, and the pressing member includes a graphene layer for storing electric energy, and is mounted on the graphene layer and when electric energy is supplied from a power source. It characterized in that it comprises a plurality of memory metal members that are rigid to provide a pressing force.

According to the pad printing apparatus and method of the present invention, it is possible to easily realize printing of various image patterns on a printing object by using an inkjet printing method, and there is an effect of increasing work efficiency throughout the pad printing.

1 is a diagram schematically showing an operating state of a pad printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram of a pad printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a schematic view showing a top structure of a flat plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing the configuration of a pad unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 and 6 are diagrams schematically showing a driving state of a pad unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram schematically showing an operating state of the pad printing apparatus according to the prior art.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the presented embodiments, and those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention can add, change, or delete other elements within the scope of the same idea. Other embodiments included within the scope of the inventive concept may be easily proposed, but it will be said that this is also included within the scope of the inventive concept.

In addition, components having the same function within the scope of the same idea shown in the drawings of each embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail through the accompanying drawings showing preferred embodiments.

In describing the present invention, when it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a view schematically showing an operating state of a pad printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a pad printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is the present invention It is a view schematically showing the upper surface structure of the flat plate according to an embodiment of, Figure 4 is a view showing the configuration of the pad portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, the pad printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a flat plate 120 having a fine lattice groove shape on an upper surface; A printing unit 110 including a plurality of inkjet heads 112 and head cleaning units 114 for forming an image pattern 122 on the flat plate 120 by using inkjet printing; After transferring the image pattern 122 formed on the flat plate 120, the transferred image pattern 122 is brought into contact with the printing object 140 mounted on the mounting jig 150 to the printing object 140. A silicon pad part 130 to be transferred; And a pad cleaning unit 160 for cleaning the silicon pad part 130.

A flat plate-type far-infrared heater 124 may be disposed below the flat plate 120 to correct temperature uniformity of the flat plate 120 by emitting far-infrared rays.

The flat-type far-infrared heater unit 124 may increase the transfer force of the image pattern 122 when contacting and separating the silicon pad unit 130 by correcting the temperature uniformity of the flat plate 120 within a predetermined range.

As an example, the flat-type far-infrared heater unit 124 may be horizontally fixed to the lower portion of the flat plate 120 and may include a plurality of side reflectors 124a. Here, the reflective plate 124a is preferably formed to be slidable and detachable.

Therefore, in the present invention, the side reflecting plate 124a is formed in the edge region of the flat-type far-infrared ray heater 124 so that heat energy is not radiated through the side at the edge, so that heat is concentrated only in the central region and the temperature is high in the center. It prevents the occurrence of a heat island phenomenon, where the temperature decreases toward the edge.

3 is a schematic view showing a top structure of a flat plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 3, the top surface of the flat plate 120 may be formed in the form of a fine grating groove to facilitate printing of the image pattern 122. Here, the grating groove is a checkerboard (FIG. 3A) or a honeycomb (FIG. 3b) may be formed, but is not limited thereto.

As shown in Fig. 3c, the cross section of the grating groove can be divided into a grating groove spacing, a grating groove depth, and a wall maintaining the grating groove spacing, wherein the grating groove spacing is in the range of 0.005 to 0.2 mm, and the grating groove The depth is in the range of 0.001 to 0.05 mm, and the wall is preferably in the range of 0.001 to 0.01 mm.

3D shows the shape of the image in which the image pattern is printed on the lattice groove, and it can be seen that the image pattern is clearly printed with little distortion.

In addition, the pad printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention creates a protective layer that creates a protective layer (not shown) by applying a protective paint made of a transparent material on the image pattern 122 transferred to the printing object 140 It may further include a unit 170.

The protective layer functions to enhance crack and scratch resistance of the transferred image pattern 122. The material of such a protective layer is not particularly limited, and its structure is a transparent thin film structure (a low refractive index film with a refractive index of 1.46 or less to ensure transparency), which has excellent durability due to its hard (pencil hardness of 2H or more), and excellent fairness even in inkjet processes. It is enough if it can maintain

Referring to FIG. 4, the silicone pad part 130 may include a pad support part 132 that can be lifted and a buffer member 134 that provides a cushioning force when the object 140 is in contact with each other.

The buffer member 134 may be coupled to the lower surface of the pad support part 132 by an adhesive layer (not shown).

As the adhesive layer, an epoxy adhesive or a urethane adhesive may be used. Preferably, a urethane-based adhesive is used for the adhesive layer according to the present embodiment, and since the urethane-based adhesive has better adhesive strength than the epoxy adhesive and can be bonded at high temperature, the curing time for the adhesive portion can be shortened.

The buffer member 134 includes an outermost outer skin layer 131, a high density elastic layer 133 of high density polyethylene (HDPE), and a low density elastic layer 135 of low density polyethylene (LDPE).

The outer skin layer 131 forms the outer shell of the buffer member 134, and the surface thereof is plasma or electrically surface-treated to have hydrophilicity, so that the image pattern 122 can be easily transferred to the printing object 140. .

Preferably, the high density elastic layer 133 has a high density of 250 to 350 kg/㎥, and the low density elastic layer 135 has a low density of 70 to 150 kg/m 3 compared to the high density elastic layer 133. Can be configured.

The HDPE is a rigid polyethylene made by a low-pressure method or a medium-pressure method, has excellent moisture-proof properties, and has a higher melting point than that of a low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which will be described later, and thus has relatively excellent heat resistance.

The LDPE is a soft polyethylene manufactured at high pressure and has a low density, has excellent flexibility, and has a lower melting point than the high-density polyethylene, and thus has excellent thermal adhesion.

In particular, the low-density elastic layer 135 is formed with a plurality of air layers 135a, which are empty spaces, so that a cushioning force or a buffering force may be increased.

In addition, an auxiliary air layer 135b made of a soft material having a closed internal space may be further provided inside the plurality of air layers 135a, thereby having a two-layer structure.

In addition, in the high-density elastic layer 133, specifically, a pressing member 136 that operates according to the supply of electric energy may be provided in a part of the high-density elastic layer 133 on the lower side.

The pressing member 136 includes a graphene layer 137 storing electrical energy, and a plurality of memory metal members 139 that are mounted on the graphene layer 137 and are rigid when supplying electrical energy from a power source to provide a pressing force. ) Characterized in that it includes.

The graphene of the graphene layer 137 is a material having an atomic-sized honeycomb structure made of carbon atoms, and is made of graphite as a raw material.

In addition, graphene has a very thin thickness of 0.2 nm, so it has high transparency and can transmit 100 times more current than silicon at room temperature, 100 times faster than silicon, and its thermal conductivity is more than twice that of diamond, and its mechanical strength is 200 times higher than that of steel. It is more than twice as strong, but it has a good elasticity that does not lose its electrical conductivity even when it is stretched or folded.

As another embodiment, the silicon pad part 130 may be configured to increase the transfer efficiency of the image pattern 122 to the printing object 140 by providing a pressing force that is periodically increased or decreased to the mounting jig 150 have.

The following [Table 1] is a chart comparing the pressure ratio when the silicon pad unit 130 periodically changes the pressing force and when the pressing force is kept constant.

[Table 1]

As shown in Table 1, when the pressing force of the silicon pad part 130 is periodically varied, it can be seen that the maximum pressure ratio is improved by about 20% (≒ 0.34) compared to the case where the pressing force is fixed.

5 and 6, a vision unit 118 is disposed on the printing object 140 to detect a central portion of the printing object 140.

In this case, the controller 180 calculates the coordinates of the central point of the printing object 140 using the vision unit 10, and through this, the pad unit 130 determines the distance to be moved by the driving unit 116. It can be accurately determined (Fig. 5A).

The silicon pad unit 130 is moved by the driving unit 116 to the coordinates of the central point of the printing object 140 detected using the vision unit 118. At this time, electrical energy is not supplied to the pressing member 136 from power (FIG. 5B).

The silicon pad part 130 presses the upper surface of the printing object 140 while descending by the driving part 116. At this time, electrical energy is supplied to the pressing member 136 from a power source, and accordingly, a plurality of memory metal members 139 are stiffened to further press the upper surface of the printing object 140 (FIG. 5C).

Therefore, since the adhesion between the silicon pad part 130 and the printing object 140 is greatly improved, the image pattern 122 transfer to the printing object 140 mounted on the mounting jig 150 is performed efficiently. .

On the other hand, looking at the pad printing method according to the present invention, a printing unit 110 including a plurality of inkjet heads 112 is provided on a flat plate 120 in the form of a lattice groove having a fine top surface, and an image pattern using inkjet printing. Forming (122); After the pad part 130 transfers the image pattern 122 formed on the flat plate 120, the transferred image pattern 122 is brought into contact with the printing object 140 mounted on the mounting jig 150. Transferring to the printing object 140; And a step of cleaning the silicon pad part 130 by the pad cleaning unit 160, and emitting far-infrared rays under the flat plate 120 to correct the temperature uniformity of the flat plate. It characterized in that the portion 124 is disposed.

In addition, the protective layer generating unit 170 may further include a step of applying a protective paint of a transparent material on the image pattern 122 transferred to the printing object 140 to generate a protective layer (not shown). have.

In the above, the configuration and features of the present invention have been described based on the embodiments according to the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various changes or modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and therefore, such changes or modifications are found to belong to the appended claims.

110: printing unit 112: inkjet head
120: flat plate 122: image pattern
130: silicone pad part 140: object to be printed
150: mounting jig 124: flat-type far-infrared heater unit

Claims (8)

A flat plate having a fine lattice groove shape on the top surface;
A printing unit including a plurality of inkjet heads for forming an image pattern on the flat plate by using inkjet printing;
A silicon pad part transferring the image pattern formed on the flat plate to the printing object by contacting the transferred image pattern with the printing object mounted on the mounting jig; And
And a pad cleaning unit for cleaning the silicon pad part,
A flat plate-type far-infrared heater part is disposed below the flat plate to correct the temperature uniformity of the flat plate by emitting far-infrared rays,
The silicone pad portion is made of a buffer member that provides a cushioning force when the pad support portion and the printing object contact,
The buffer member,
It includes an outermost skin layer, a high-density elastic layer having a density of 250 to 350 kg/㎥, and a low-density elastic layer having a density of 70 to 150 kg/m 3,
The pad printing apparatus, characterized in that a plurality of air layers, which are empty spaces, are formed in the low-density elastic layer. delete delete The method of claim 1,
In the high-density elastic layer, a pressing member that operates according to the supply of electric energy is provided, and the pressing member is mounted on a graphene layer that stores electrical energy, and is mounted on the graphene layer, and is rigid when electric energy is supplied from a power source. Pad printing apparatus comprising a plurality of memory metal members providing a pressing force. Forming an image pattern on a flat plate having a lattice groove shape having a fine upper surface by a printing unit having a plurality of inkjet heads by using inkjet printing;
Transferring the image pattern formed on the flat plate by the silicon pad unit and then transferring the transferred image pattern to the printing object by contacting the transferred image pattern with the printing object mounted on the mounting jig; And
The pad cleaning unit includes cleaning the silicon pad part,
A flat plate-type far-infrared heater disposed under the flat plate to emit far-infrared rays to correct the temperature uniformity of the flat plate,
The silicone pad portion is made of a buffer member that provides a cushioning force when the pad support portion and the printing object are in contact,
The buffer member,
It includes an outermost skin layer, a high-density elastic layer having a density of 250 to 350 kg/㎥, and a low-density elastic layer having a density of 70 to 150 kg/m 3,
The pad printing method, characterized in that a plurality of air layers, which are empty spaces, are formed in the low-density elastic layer. delete delete The method of claim 5,
In the high-density elastic layer, a pressing member that operates according to the supply of electric energy is provided, and the pressing member is mounted on a graphene layer that stores electrical energy, and is mounted on the graphene layer, and is rigid when electric energy is supplied from a power source. Pad printing method comprising a plurality of memory metal members to provide a pressing force.

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