KR20100043978A - Ink curing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An ink curing apparatus is provided to improve curing quality and cure ink injected to an object to be printed within a short time. CONSTITUTION: An ink curing apparatus comprises a case(10), a transport part(20), an ultraviolet ray curing part(40), and a first thermosetting part(30). The case has an object inlet(12), an object outlet(14) and an inner space. The internal space is connected to the outside through the inlet and the outlet. The transport part, the ultraviolet ray curing part, and the first thermosetting part are installed inside the case. The transport part transfers the object from the inlet to the outlet. The ultraviolet ray curing part irradiates ultraviolet ray on ultraviolet radiation curable ink. The first thermosetting part heats the object.

Description

Ink curing apparatus {Ink curing apparatus}

The present invention relates to an ink curing apparatus.

Recently, inkjet printing technology is expected to be the most competitive process technology in the organic EL field, and is actively being applied to applications such as LCD, PDP, and FED. In particular, the inkjet technology has the advantage of being able to form fine patterns in terms of time and space and cost reduction by eliminating intermediate processes and printing desired images on desired portions.

Inks used in such an inkjet printing system can be roughly divided into a polymer ink and a conductive ink. Among these, an ultraviolet photocuring machine or a thermosetting machine is used in order to harden a polymer ink.

However, due to the characteristics of various inks, it is difficult to obtain a degree of curing by UV curing or thermal curing alone, and a problem that requires a long time for the curing process occurs.

The present invention provides an ink curing apparatus that performs a curing process in a short time with high curing quality.

According to an aspect of the present invention, in the ink curing apparatus for curing the ultraviolet curable ink sprayed on the to-be-printed object, an inlet through which the to-be-printed object is input is formed on one side and an outlet through which the to-be-printed object is formed, the inlet and the outlet It is installed inside the case, the inner space formed in communication with the outside through the case, the transfer unit for transferring the printout from the inlet to the outlet, the inside of the case, the ultraviolet curing unit for irradiating the ultraviolet curable ink with ultraviolet rays, and the inside of the case. An ink curing apparatus including a first thermosetting portion for heating a to-be-printed object is provided.

At this time, the second thermosetting unit which is installed inside the case and heats the to-be-printed object may be further included, and the first heat-curing unit, the ultraviolet curing unit, and the second thermosetting unit may be sequentially installed along the transport path of the to-be-printed object.

In addition, the first thermosetting unit may include an infrared lamp installed in the case to heat the to-be-printed object.

In addition, the first thermosetting part may include a heating coil for heating the air in the case.

In addition, the transfer unit may include a plate for supporting the object to be printed, and the first thermosetting unit may be installed in the transfer unit to heat the plate.

On the other hand, the ultraviolet curing unit may be installed in the case may include an ultraviolet lamp for irradiating ultraviolet light to the ultraviolet curable ink.

The display device may further include a blocking film positioned between the ultraviolet curing part and the first thermosetting part and openable to isolate the ultraviolet curing part and the first thermosetting part.

The gas injection unit may further include a gas injection unit communicating with the internal space to inject gas into the internal space of the case, and a gas discharge unit communicating with the internal space to discharge the gas from the internal space of the case.

The ink sprayed on the substrate can be cured in a short time, and the curing quality can be improved.

As the invention allows for various changes and numerous embodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the written description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, it should be understood to include all transformations, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention. In the following description of the present invention, if it is determined that the detailed description of the related known technology may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms "comprise" or "have" are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and one or more other features. It is to be understood that the present invention does not exclude the possibility of the presence or the addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, components, or a combination thereof.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the ink curing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding components are given the same reference numerals and duplicated thereto The description will be omitted.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing an ink curing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the to-be-printed object 5, the case 10, the inlet 12, the outlet 14, the transfer unit 20, the plate 22, the nut 24, the screw 26, and the first Thermal curing unit 30, heating coil 34, fan 36, ultraviolet curing unit 40, the second thermal curing unit 50, the barrier film 60, gas injection unit 70, gas discharge unit 72 Is shown.

In the ink curing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, an inlet 12 through which the to-be-printed object 5 is inserted is formed at one side, and an outlet 14 through which the to-be-printed object 5 is formed is formed at the inlet 12. And a case 10 having an internal space communicating with the outside through the outlet 14 and the case 10, the transfer part 20 installed inside the case 10 and transferring the to-be-printed object 5 from the inlet 12 to the outlet 14. ), An ultraviolet curing unit 40 installed inside the case 10 and irradiating ultraviolet rays to the ultraviolet curable ink, and a first thermosetting unit 30 installed inside the case 10 and heating the to-be-printed object 5. By doing so, the ink sprayed onto the to-be-printed material 5 may be cured within a short time and the curing quality may be improved.

The case 10 forms an internal space for curing, and the transfer unit 20, the first and second thermal curing units 30 and 50, the ultraviolet curing unit 40, and the like are installed in the internal space. At this time, the inner space of the case 10 communicates with the outside through the inlet 12 through which the to-be-printed object 5 is inserted and the outlet 14 through which the to-be-printed object 5 is discharged. Accordingly, the curing process is made in the inner space of the case 10, it is possible to prevent the ink is contaminated. In addition, by minimizing the leakage of heat and ultraviolet rays required for curing to the outside can increase the efficiency of curing. Referring to Figure 1, the case 10 of the present embodiment is box-shaped, the inlet 12 is formed on the right, the outlet 14 is formed on the left.

The transfer unit 20 transfers the to-be-printed object 5 introduced into the inner space of the case 10 from the inlet 12 to the outlet 14. In this case, a series of curing processes may be performed via a place where thermosetting and ultraviolet curing are performed. Therefore, various processes necessary for curing the ink are continuously performed, and the time required for the curing process is shortened.

Referring to Figure 1, the conveying part 20 of the present embodiment, the threaded and rotatable screw 26, coupled with the nut 24, the nut 24 for converting the rotational movement of the screw 26 to linear movement It consists of the plate 22 which supports the to-be-printed object 5. Accordingly, the hardening process may be performed by rotating the screw 26 to move the to-be-printed object 5 from the inlet 12 to the outlet 14. In addition, in the present embodiment, a straight line transfer machine is provided as the transfer unit 20, but includes all transfer devices applicable to those skilled in the art, such as a conveyor belt.

The ultraviolet curing unit 40 is installed inside the case 10 in order to cure the ultraviolet curable ink injected onto the to-be-printed object 5, and irradiates the ink with ultraviolet rays. When the to-be-printed object 5 is moved by the transfer part 20 to the place where the ultraviolet-ray hardening part 40 is located, the ultraviolet-ray hardening part 40 irradiates an ultraviolet-ray toward the ultraviolet curable ink sprayed on the to-be-printed object 5, and hardens | cures it. The process can be carried out.

In this case, the ultraviolet curing unit 40 may include an ultraviolet lamp 42 installed in the case 10 to irradiate ultraviolet curable ink with ultraviolet rays. Referring to FIG. 1, ultraviolet curable ink is sprayed on the upper surface of the to-be-printed object 5 of the present embodiment, and an ultraviolet lamp 42 is provided on the ceiling of the case 10 opposite thereto. Therefore, when the to-be-printed object 5 is moved below the ultraviolet lamp 42 by the transfer part 20, ultraviolet rays can be irradiated to harden the ink.

The first thermosetting unit 30 is installed inside the case 10 in order to increase the efficiency of the curing process, and heats the ink before / after or simultaneously with the ultraviolet curing process. Depending on the type of ultraviolet curable ink, curing of the ink can be achieved by heating the ink before, after or simultaneously with irradiating ultraviolet light. Therefore, in consideration of the properties of the ultraviolet curable ink, the ink can be heated at an appropriate time to increase the efficiency of curing.

4 to 5, a circuit pattern of a substrate that has undergone a curing process including a thermal curing step and an ultraviolet curing step as shown in FIG. 5 has a higher precision than a circuit pattern of a substrate that has undergone only an ultraviolet curing step as shown in FIG. 4. You can see that with. In addition, the circuit pattern that has undergone the thermal curing step and the ultraviolet curing step is 20-30% higher in curing degree than the circuit pattern that has undergone the ultraviolet curing step only.

In particular, the second thermal curing unit 50 is installed inside the case 10 and heats the to-be-printed object 5 so as to selectively heat-cure at a pre- and post-UV curing stage. The first thermosetting unit 30, the ultraviolet curing unit 40, and the second thermosetting unit 50 may be sequentially installed along the conveying path of the first thermosetting unit 30. Referring to FIG. 1, in the ink curing apparatus of the present embodiment, the to-be-printed object 5 transferred from the inlet 12 to the outlet 14 by the transfer unit 20 includes a first thermosetting unit 30 and an ultraviolet curing unit 40. ), And are formed to sequentially pass through the second thermosetting unit 50. Accordingly, the efficiency of curing can be improved by selectively heating the ink before and after ultraviolet curing according to the type of ink used.

In this case, the first thermosetting unit 30 may include an infrared lamp installed in the case 10 to heat the to-be-printed object 5. For the heat curing of the ink, an infrared lamp for directly heating the to-be-printed object 5 with radiant heat can be used. Referring to FIG. 1, the ink curing apparatus of this embodiment is provided with the first and second infrared lamps on the ceiling of the case 10 facing the to-be-printed object 5, and directly irradiates the to-be-printed object 5 with infrared rays. Heat the ink.

In addition, the first thermosetting unit 30 may include a heating coil 34 for heating the air in the case 10. For heat curing of the ink, air around the space in which the to-be-printed object 5 is located can be heated to transfer heat to the to-be-printed object 5 in convection. Referring to FIG. 2, the ink curing apparatus of the present embodiment installs a heating coil 34 on the ceiling of the case 10 facing the object 5 and receives the air heated by the heating coil 34 from the object 5. ), A fan 36 to be sent can be provided to indirectly heat the to-be-printed object 5.

Moreover, the 1st thermosetting part 30 can be provided in the conveyance part 40 and can heat the plate 22. Referring to FIG. 3, the heating coil 34 is installed on the plate 22 supporting the to-be-printed object 5, and the to-be-printed object 5 is used by using the plate 22 of the transfer unit 20 as a hot plate in the curing process. Can be heated.

On the other hand, the ink curing apparatus is located between the ultraviolet curing unit 40 and the first thermal curing unit 30, the blocking film 60 that can be opened and closed to isolate the ultraviolet curing unit 40 and the first thermal curing unit 30. It may include. In this case, the blocking layer 60 may extend from one wall surface of the inner space toward the other wall surface to face the ultraviolet curing unit 40 and the first thermal curing unit 30 as necessary.

Accordingly, in consideration of the characteristics of each type of ultraviolet curable ink, it is possible to perform the thermosetting and ultraviolet curing together or separately. In addition, when heat curing, the first curing unit is blocked to minimize the leakage of heat, and when the ultraviolet curing UV curing unit 40 to minimize the leakage of ultraviolet rays, each step can maximize the efficiency of curing. have. Referring to FIG. 1, the ink curing apparatus of the present embodiment is positioned between the first thermosetting unit 30 and the ultraviolet curing unit 40, and between the second thermosetting unit 50 and the ultraviolet curing unit 40, and the case ( 10) By installing a blocking film 60 installed on the ceiling and extending to the floor, it is possible to block the interference of each curing process.

On the other hand, the ink curing apparatus may further include a gas injection unit for injecting gas into the inner space of the case 10, a gas discharge unit for discharging the gas from the inner space of the case 10. The ink sprayed on the to-be-printed object 5 may be oxidized or contaminated in air. In order to prevent this, the curing process may be performed in an inert gas and a mixed gas including the same. To this end, the ink curing apparatus of the present embodiment, the gas injection unit 70 and the gas discharge unit 72 in communication with the inner space of the case 10 in order to control the injection and discharge of the inert gas and mixed gas in the curing process It may include.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It will be understood that the invention may be varied and varied without departing from the scope of the invention.

Many embodiments other than the above-described embodiments are within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing an ink curing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a first thermosetting portion including a heating coil of the ink curing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing a first thermosetting unit installed in the transfer unit of the ink curing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a plan view showing a substrate cured ink according to the prior art.

5 is a plan view showing a substrate cured ink by the ink curing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

5: object 10: case

12: inlet 14: outlet

20: transfer part 22: plate

24: nut 26: screw

30: first heat curing unit 34: heating coil

36: fan 40: ultraviolet curing unit

50: second heat curing unit 60: blocking film

70: gas injection unit 72: gas discharge unit

Claims (8)

An ink curing apparatus for curing an ultraviolet curable ink sprayed onto a to-be-printed object, A case in which an inlet through which the to-be-printed object is input is formed at one side, and an outlet through which the to-be-printed object is discharged is formed, and a case having an inner space communicating with the outside through the inlet and the outlet; A transfer part installed inside the case and transferring the to-be-printed object from the inlet to the outlet; An ultraviolet curing unit installed inside the case and irradiating ultraviolet rays to the ultraviolet curable ink; And An ink curing apparatus installed inside the case, the ink curing apparatus including a first heat curing portion for heating the to-be-printed object. The method of claim 1, Is installed inside the case, further comprises a second thermosetting portion for heating the to-be-printed, And the first thermosetting part, the ultraviolet curing part, and the second thermosetting part are sequentially installed along a transport path of the to-be-printed object. The method of claim 1, And the first thermosetting part is installed in the case and includes an infrared lamp for heating the to-be-printed object. The method of claim 1, The first thermosetting unit, the ink curing apparatus comprising a heating coil for heating the air in the case. The method of claim 1, The transfer unit includes a plate supporting the to-be-printed object, And the first thermosetting part is installed in the conveying part to heat the plate. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The ultraviolet curing unit, the ink curing device, characterized in that it comprises an ultraviolet lamp installed in the case to irradiate the ultraviolet curable ink with ultraviolet light. The method of claim 1, And a blocking film positioned between the ultraviolet curable part and the first thermosetting part and capable of opening and closing to isolate the ultraviolet curable part and the first thermosetting part. The method according to claim 1 or 2, A gas injection unit communicating with the inner space to inject gas into the inner space of the case; And And a gas discharge part communicating with the inner space to discharge the gas from the inner space of the case.

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