WO2020248221A1

WO2020248221A1 - Ink-jet printer and single-pass ink-jet printing method

Info

Publication number: WO2020248221A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/091249
Authority: WO
Inventors: 张原�; 张征宇
Original assignee: 北京美科艺数码科技发展有限公司; 张原�
Priority date: 2019-06-14
Filing date: 2019-06-14
Publication date: 2020-12-17
Also published as: CN113905889B; CN113905889A

Abstract

An ink-jet printer and a printing method therefor, which are used for printing an object, an image-and-text region to be printed of which is a cylinder or a cone. The printer comprises at least two groups of printing units arranged along a printing cross beam (5), i.e. the first direction, each group of printing units is provided with at least one printing spray head (7), the printing spray head in each group of printing units is arranged along its own length direction, i.e. the second direction, a conveying device (1) is provided below the printing spray heads; at least two objects (9) to be printed are arranged side by side in the first direction on the conveying device (1) and fixed in the second direction in a jig (2) on the conveying device (1), the upper surfaces of said objects (9) after fixed are parallel to the second direction, and when said objects (9) rotate and continuously pass below the printing units in the second direction, the printing spray heads (7) inject ink, and image and text of said objects are produced in a single pass. The printer has a compact structure, low costs, and high printing efficiency.

Description

Inkjet printer and one-pass inkjet printing method

Technical field

The invention relates to an inkjet printer and a one-pass ink-jet printing method, in particular to an ink-jet printer which prints a cylinder, a cone or a cylinder/cone with high efficiency, and a one-pass inkjet printing method.

Background technique

The simplest method among the methods of printing exquisite patterns and characters on curved surfaces in the prior art is to print on a flat carrier, and the carrier is combined with the target curved surface. This method is time consuming and laborious and the final effect cannot be guaranteed. Chinese patent CN94115805.5 discloses a pattern transfer method, a printing method for transferring patterns on the curved surface of a molded product. Silk tissue paper is used as the transfer paper, and the pattern is printed with high-temperature sublimation air dye ink. Treatment includes cleaning, applying primer, thermal curing of the primer, applying induction resin and hardening, and then applying a layer of induction adhesive on the transfer paper, which can be re-dissolved and completely adhered to the induction resin, and then paste the transfer paper On the curved surface, there is no need to use the mold to pressurize, and the high-temperature vaporization and sublimation reaction is used to make the pattern realistically transferred to the curved surface, which is aesthetic, durable and not easy to fall off.

Patent 200510045534.7 proposes a device for printing pictures and texts on the surface of a candle. The device includes an inkjet printing unit. The printing unit includes a printing support. A print head is arranged on the print support. The print head can reciprocate linearly relative to the support. The inkjet printing unit Two rotating shafts parallel to each other are arranged below, at least one rotating shaft is connected with the driving device, and the driving device and the inkjet printing unit are connected with the circuit board. The candle to be printed is placed on two mutually parallel rotating shafts. Since the device is not provided with a pressing mechanism, it is easy to cause insufficient driving force of the candle during the rotation. And during the printing process, the rotating shaft drives the candle to rotate step by step, and the ink droplets are ejected to adhere to the surface of the candle during the reciprocating movement of the print head. The printing speed using this printing method is slow and the printing efficiency is low.

Patent 201821191887.7 proposes a multi-cylindrical printing device. The printing cart moves along the frame. The printing cart is equipped with multiple sets of print heads, and multiple sets of transmission shafts are set to place the cylinder printing substrate, and each set of print heads is below it. Each group of drive shafts corresponds one to one. The nozzle setting direction of each group of print heads is perpendicular to the movement direction of the cylinder, which belongs to the scanning printing mode. Using this printing method, although multiple cylinders can be printed simultaneously and the printing efficiency is improved, the number of nozzles required is large. During the printing process, only the nozzle holes in the middle part close to the radial direction of the cylinder are used for inkjet, and the nozzle holes at the other ends do not ink, otherwise the printing quality cannot be guaranteed, so the nozzle utilization rate is low; and when the positioning bar 10 is worn After that, the printing accuracy will be affected. If the positioning bars 10 at different positions are worn to different degrees, the printing effects of the printing substrates 100 will be inconsistent; the device can only print cylinders, not cones.

technical problem

The prior art inkjet printing device on the surface of a cylinder that adopts inkjet printing technology has slow printing speed and low efficiency, or has a complicated structure, large space occupation and high cost. It is necessary to design a simple and compact structure A compact and efficient cylindrical printing device and method, and can be compatible with printing cones and other shapes and dimensions across larger objects to be printed to meet a wider range of personalized customization needs.

Technical solutions

In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer and one-pass inkjet that can not only ensure the printing accuracy, but also improve the utilization rate of the nozzle, increase the printing efficiency, reduce the footprint, and reduce the manufacturing cost. Printing method.

To achieve the objective, the present invention proposes an inkjet printer, which is used to print a cylinder/cone or an object to be printed with a cylinder/cone in the graphic area to be printed. It is characterized in that the printing beam is the first At least two groups of printing units are arranged in the direction, the bottom surfaces of the at least two groups of printing units are in the same plane, and each group of printing units is equipped with at least one printing nozzle, and the printing nozzles in each group of printing units are arranged along the first direction perpendicular to the first direction. Two directions (longitudinal direction), a conveying device is arranged under the print head, the conveying device conveys the object to be printed in the second direction, and the object to be printed is fixed to the fixture on the conveying device along the second direction. The upper surface of the object to be printed is fixed Parallel to the second direction, at least two objects to be printed are arranged side by side along the first direction. The conveying device continuously conveys the objects to be printed in the second direction and passes under the printing unit. When the objects to be printed continue to pass under the printing unit, the nozzle ejects ink , After the object to be printed passes through, the image and text are formed. During the printing process, the object to be printed rotates around its central axis at a uniform speed.

In the above inkjet printer, the number of the printing units is the same as the number of jigs, the number of the printing units is the same as the number of objects to be printed installed on the conveying device, and the at least two objects to be printed are synchronized during the printing process Rotate and transfer.

In the above inkjet printer, the graphics and text printed on the object to be printed may be the same or different.

In the above-mentioned inkjet printer, the at least two groups of printing units can be arranged on a printing carriage; or each group of printing units can be independently arranged on a printing carriage. In this case, at least two printing carriages are arranged in the first direction and can be arranged along the first direction. Movement in one direction.

In the above-mentioned inkjet printer, the nozzles of each group of printing units can be provided with color inks and white/transparent/primer coating inks.

The present invention provides a one-pass inkjet printing method, which is characterized in that at least two sets of printing units are arranged along the printing beam, that is, the first direction, and the bottom surfaces of the at least two sets of printing units are parallel to the first direction and in the same plane. , Each group of printing units is provided with at least one printing nozzle, the printing nozzles in each group of printing units are arranged along a second direction (longitudinal direction) perpendicular to the first direction, a conveying device is arranged under the printing nozzles, and a treatment device is arranged on the conveying device The installation of at least two objects to be printed includes the following steps:

In the first step, the object to be printed is placed on the jig, the object to be printed is fixed in the second direction, and the upper surface is parallel to the second direction, and at least two objects to be printed are arranged in sequence along the first direction;

In the second step, the conveying device synchronously and continuously conveys at least two objects to be printed along the second direction at the same speed and passes under the printing unit;

In the third step, when the at least two objects to be printed pass under the at least two sets of printing units, the nozzles in each group of printing units eject ink synchronously, and the objects to be printed form graphics and texts after passing through the printing process. The printed object rotates at a uniform speed around its own central axis;

In the fourth step, after the printing of the at least two objects to be printed in the third step is completed, the conveying device continues to synchronously transmit the objects to be printed for subsequent operations.

In the above-mentioned one-pass inkjet printing method, the printing process in the third step may also include performing a curing operation on the object to be printed at the same time.

In the above-mentioned one-pass inkjet printing method, the subsequent operations in the fourth step may include fully curing the object to be printed, inspecting, or unloading.

In the above-mentioned one-pass inkjet printing method, the first step further includes adjusting the vertical distance between the upper surface of the object to be printed and the plane where the nozzle of the nozzle is located to the most suitable printing distance, usually 1-3 mm.

In the above-mentioned one-pass inkjet printing method, the graphics and text formed by each printing unit in the third step may be the same or different; before the formal printing, it also includes software for inkjet data for errors generated after the nozzle is mechanically installed Calibration, the nozzles in each group of printing units eject ink droplets according to the calibrated inkjet data.

Beneficial effect

The beneficial effects of the design of the present invention are:

1. The printer designed by the present invention has a compact and ingenious structure, saves space and cost compared with an industrial assembly line printing device, and is suitable for customers with high customization requirements. And when printing multiple objects to be printed at the same time, the images printed by each object to be printed can be the same or different, which is more flexible.

2. In the present invention, multiple objects to be printed rotate synchronously and synchronously print, which saves time and improves printing efficiency. At the same time, an encoder is used to detect the number of rotations of the object to be printed, and a computer and a motherboard are used to control the printing, simplifying control and convenient maintenance.

3. The multiple sets of nozzles of the present invention are arranged on the same plane, which is convenient for moisturizing and maintaining each nozzle, and will not cause the inconvenience of ink scraping and moisturizing due to the angle between the nozzles, and the design of the ink scraping maintenance device can prevent different printing When the nozzles of the color ink scrape the ink, cross color occurs.

4. The application of the present invention has a wide range of objects to be printed, which can be used to print cylinders and cones, and can also print special-shaped objects whose areas to be printed are cylinders or cones, such as printing wine bottles and cosmetics. Bottles, etc., in addition, the printing quality can be ensured for objects of different sizes to be printed.

5. The printer design of the present invention can make the object to be printed form a complete printing pattern after one continuous pass, improving work efficiency and ensuring the printing effect.

Description of the drawings

Figure 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an inkjet printer in an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a front view of the inkjet printer in FIG. 1 behind the front baffle 41 of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the printing carriage in an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a schematic diagram of the ink scraping maintenance device corresponding to the printing carriage shown in FIG. 3 of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a front view of an inkjet printer in another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a jig part fixing a cone in another embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 7 is a flowchart of an inkjet printing method in an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 8 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an inkjet printer in still another embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 9 is a flow chart of the work of the inkjet printer of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an inkjet printer in another embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 11 is a front view of Figure 10 of the present invention.

The serial numbers in the figure are specifically represented as: conveying device 1, jig 2, support seat 3, shell part 4, beam 5, printing trolley 6, nozzle 7, scraping maintenance device 8, object to be printed 9, encoder 21, top Tightening part 22, guide rail 23, slider 24, tail top block 25, parallel adjustment part 26, front baffle 41, first nozzle 71, second nozzle 72, third nozzle 73, fourth nozzle 74, fifth nozzle 75 , The sixth nozzle 76, the first wiper 81, the second wiper 82, the third wiper 83, the fourth wiper 84, the fifth wiper 85, the sixth wiper 86, the ink tray 87, the first standby Printing object 91, second object to be printed 92, cone 93, first fixture 211, second fixture 212, third fixture 213, A fixture 214, B fixture 215, first conveying device 11, The second conveying device 12, the third conveying device 13, the A conveying device 14, and the B conveying device 15.

The best mode of the invention

The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments.

Example one

Figures 1 and 2 respectively show a perspective view and a front view of the inkjet printer in this embodiment (the front view with the front baffle 41 hidden). As shown in Figures 1-2, the inkjet printer in this embodiment includes transport The device 1, the fixture 2, the support base 3, the shell part 4, the beam 5 and the printing cart 6. The conveying device 1 is arranged above the support base 3, and a jig 2 is arranged above the conveying device 1 to install the object 9 to be printed. On the jig 2, two objects 9 to be printed can be arranged side by side along the X axis, that is, the first direction. In the embodiment, the two to-be-printed objects 9 are two cylinders, which are respectively defined as a first to-be-printed object 91 and a second to-be-printed object 92. The to-be-printed object 9 is arranged along the Y-axis, that is, the second direction, that is, it is installed and fixed. The central axis/top surface is parallel to the Y axis, that is, the second direction (when the object to be printed is a cone, the top surface of the cone after installation is parallel to the Y axis, that is the second direction), the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, The first to-be-printed object 91 and the second to-be-printed object 92 are connected to the same motor (not shown in the figure), and the motor can control the first to-be-printed object 91 and the second to-be-printed object 92 to rotate synchronously around its own central axis of rotation, and transmit The device 1 can synchronously transport two objects 9 to be printed back and forth along the Y axis, that is, the second direction. A cross beam 5 is arranged above the jig 2, which is arranged along the X axis, that is, the first direction. A printing carriage 6 is installed on the cross beam 5. The printing carriage 6 of this embodiment is provided with two sets of nozzle printing units, and two sets of nozzle printing units They are arranged side by side in the same plane along the X axis, that is, the first direction, and each group of print head printing units are arranged below the corresponding object to be printed for printing the corresponding object to be printed. The nozzles 7 arranged in two directions (the length of the nozzles themselves) are arranged in series (when only one printing nozzle is set for each group of nozzle printing units, the nozzles are set along the length of the nozzles), theoretically the nozzle holes of each group of nozzles printing unit are downward The ejected ink drop trajectory passes through or approaches the radial direction of the corresponding object to be printed below. As can be seen from the bottom view of the printing cart as shown in Figure 3, each group of nozzle printing units in this embodiment are arranged in series along the Y axis, that is, the second direction, three nozzles are arranged in series, and the first nozzle printing unit is sequentially connected in series with the first nozzle 71. The second nozzle 72 and the third nozzle 73. The first nozzle 71, the second nozzle 72 and the third nozzle 73 are used to print graphics and text on the first object 91 to be printed below; the second nozzle printing unit is connected in series in sequence The fourth nozzle 74, the fifth nozzle 75 and the sixth nozzle 76, and the fourth nozzle 74, the fifth nozzle 75 and the sixth nozzle 76 are used to print graphics and text on the second object to be printed 92 below. Each print head printing unit can include printing color ink (cyan ink C, magenta ink M, yellow ink Y, black ink K, light cyan ink LC, light magenta ink LM or other spot color ink) or coated ink (White ink W, transparent ink V or primer ink P, etc.), each nozzle can spray one color or multiple colors of ink, the actual printing color depends on the demand, the present invention does not limit the printing ink of each nozzle The number of colors and the arrangement of different color inks. A squeegee maintenance device 8 is installed at one end of the beam 5 (has been blocked by the housing part 4). The specific structure of the squeegee maintenance device 8 is shown in Figure 4. Two sets of squeegee units are provided for the two sets of nozzle printing units. The squeegee units are arranged side by side along the X axis, that is, the first direction. The first group of squeegee units includes a first wiper 81, a second wiper 82, and a third wiper 83 that are serially connected along the Y axis, that is, the second direction. The first wiper blade 81, the second wiper blade 82, and the third wiper blade 83 are used to wipe the ink of the above-mentioned first nozzle printing unit. Specifically: the printing carriage passes through the wiper maintenance device 8 along the X axis, that is, the first direction. When the first wiper blade 81 wipes the first nozzle 71, the second wiper 82 wipes the second nozzle 72, and the third wiper 83 wipes the third nozzle 73; the second group of wiper units includes the Y The axis is the fourth wiper 84, the fifth wiper 85, and the sixth wiper 86 serially connected in the second direction. The fourth wiper 84, the fifth wiper 85 and the sixth wiper 86 are used to The second nozzle printing unit performs ink scraping. Specifically: when the printing carriage passes through the scraping maintenance device 8 along the X axis, that is, the first direction, the fourth scraper 84 scrapes the fourth nozzle 74, and the fifth scraper 85 scrapes the ink. The fifth nozzle 75 wipes ink, and the sixth wiper blade 86 wipes the sixth nozzle 76 ink. In addition, the ink squeegee maintenance device 8 can still perform squeegee maintenance operations when one or two nozzles are installed in each group of nozzle printing units; when each group of nozzle printing units are connected in series with four or more nozzles, each group The wiper unit is also provided with the same number of wiper blades, and the principle is the same. When the wiper blade wipes the nozzle holes of the nozzle, the waste ink flows into the ink receiving tray 87 and is discharged. The design of the scraping maintenance device 8 can cooperate with two sets of nozzle printing units in the same plane, while quickly scraping the nozzles (the nozzle scraping movement range is reduced), and can also prevent the nozzles that print different colors of ink from happening between each other. Cross color. When printing is completed and the nozzle needs to be moisturized, the printing carriage 6 moves along the X axis, that is, the first direction, to the top of the squeegee maintenance device 8, and drives the squeegee maintenance device 8 to rise along the Z axis, that is, the vertical direction, and snap the cover on the nozzle floor The nozzle can be moisturized and maintained to prevent the nozzle from drying out and clogging. At this time, the scraper is placed in the groove on the left side of the nozzle (not shown in the figure). The outside of the printer is wrapped by the shell part 4, which is convenient for the appearance of the machine.

Example two

Figure 5 is a front view of an inkjet printer in another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, three groups of nozzle printing units are arranged on the printing carriage 6, and each group of nozzle printing units are arranged side by side along the X axis, that is, the first direction, and are arranged In the same plane, each group of nozzle printing units is provided with at least one nozzle, and the nozzles in each group of nozzle printing units are arranged along the Y axis, which is the second direction (the length of itself). When each group of nozzle printing units are set with two or more When the nozzles are arranged in series along the Y axis, that is, the second direction (the length direction of their own). Corresponding to each group of print heads, three objects 9 (cylinders) to be printed are respectively fixed on the conveying device 1 underneath the printing unit. The central axis of rotation of the three objects 9 (cylinders) to be printed is also the same as the Y axis, which is the second The directions are parallel, and the three objects 9 to be printed are arranged side by side along the X axis, that is, the first direction. In theory, the ink droplet trajectory ejected downward from the nozzle nozzles of each group of nozzle printing units passes or approaches the diameter of the corresponding object to be printed below. To the direction. The other structural design, motion control mode, and ink-wiping maintenance mode of the printer are the same as those in the first embodiment above, and will not be repeated here.

Example three

6 is a schematic diagram of a jig 2 used to fix a cone in another embodiment of the present invention. The jig 2 includes an encoder 21, a tightening part 22, a guide rail 23, a slider 24, a tail top block 25, and a parallel adjustment part 26 and supporting parts. A guide rail 23 is installed on the bottom support plate of the jig 2 along the Y axis, that is, the second direction. The sliding block 24 and the guide rail 23 can cooperate to slide along the guide rail, that is, the second direction. The sliding block 24 is connected with the upper tightening part 22, thereby Drive the tightening part 22 to slide in the second direction, and then control the tail top block 25 on the tightening part 22 to abut against the bottom of the object to be printed (cone 93) and fix it tightly, along the Y axis that is the second On the opposite side of the tightening part 22, a driving motor (not shown in the figure) and an encoder 21 are provided. The driving motor is used to drive the two cones 93 to be printed to rotate synchronously around their central axis. The encoder 21 is used to record the number of rotations or angles of the two cones 93 to be printed, and feedback the information to the control system for controlling the ink printing of the object to be printed. A parallel adjustment part 26 is also provided under the jig, The parallel adjusting portion 26 is used to adjust the upper surface of the side wall of the cone 93 installed above to be parallel to the plane where the nozzle hole is located, that is, to be parallel to the Y axis, that is, the second direction. When printing cones, software is also required to calculate the ink data at different densities corresponding to different diameters. The difference from the printer shown in the first embodiment is that in the first embodiment, two cylinders of the same size are installed, while in this embodiment, two cones 93 of the same size are installed, and other printers have the same setting principles.

In summary, in addition to the above three embodiments, the present invention does not limit the number of print head printing unit groups in the printing cart. One or more print heads can be set. The number of print heads is the same as the number of objects to be printed on the lower conveyor. can. In addition, in addition to the above implementation of setting a printing carriage and multiple sets of print head printing units on the printing carriage, multiple printing carriages can also be set, and the printing carriage can be independently adjusted along the X axis, that is, the first direction. At the same time, the position of the corresponding object to be printed below can also be adjusted along the X axis, that is, the first direction. Through both adjustments, the trajectory of the ink drop ejected downward from the nozzle orifice of the nozzle printing unit on each print carriage can pass or approach The radial direction of the object to be printed corresponding to the bottom.

In the above embodiments, the object to be printed can be a cylinder or a cone, and can also be a special-shaped object with a cylinder or a cone in the printing area, such as wine bottles, cosmetic bottles, etc., with different fixtures. In addition, the object to be printed whose outline size can be changed can ensure good printing quality.

In addition, the present invention does not limit the number of nozzles provided in each group of printing units. In the first embodiment, each group of nozzles and printing units are connected in series along the Y-axis, that is, the second direction, three nozzles in series, or only one nozzle or Connect two/four/multiple nozzles in series in sequence, design, install and control the inkjet according to actual printing requirements.

The printers in the various embodiments described above are implemented through the following steps. As shown in FIG. 7, first, the objects to be printed are placed in the jig 2, and at least two objects to be printed are placed side by side along the X axis, that is, the first direction. The printing object is placed along the Y axis, and the upper surface of the object to be printed is parallel to the Y axis, that is, the second direction. The distance between the upper surface of the object to be printed and the nozzle hole on the printing carriage is adjusted to the most suitable distance for printing. Usually 1-3 mm; then turn on the start button, the conveyor 1 drives at least two objects to be printed on the jig 2 to be synchronously transported along the Y axis, that is, the second direction, and the transport process continues without pause; when the objects to be printed are printed When the unit is underneath, the nozzles in each group of printing units in turn eject ink to the objects to be printed that enter the printing area below to form graphics and texts, and the graphics and texts on the objects to be printed are simultaneously formed, such as the printer in the first embodiment, the first nozzle The first nozzle 71, the second nozzle 72, and the third nozzle 73 connected in series in the printing unit sequentially perform inkjet printing on the area required to be printed by the first object to be printed 91 conveyed below, and at the same time, the second nozzle printing unit The fourth nozzle 74, the fifth nozzle 75, and the sixth nozzle 76 connected in series in the middle of the second to-be-printed object 92 conveyed to the lower area need to be printed sequentially. During the printing process, the first to-be-printed object Both 91 and the second to-be-printed object 92 rotate around their central axis at a constant speed, and the rotation speed is the same. When the to-be-printed object continues to pass the printing cart once, the required graphics and text are printed. During this printing process, the ejected ink droplets can also be pre-cured or directly completely cured, depending on the specific conditions such as image requirements and ink characteristics (the present invention does not specifically limit this); After the printed objects are printed at the same time, they can be subjected to subsequent full curing operations or image printing quality inspection operations, etc. (the specific operation process is carried out according to actual needs). When the required operations are completed, the conveying device 1 will print each The object is conveyed to the initial loading position along the Y axis, that is, the second direction, and the operator performs unloading operations on it. Then determine whether there are still objects to be printed that need to be printed. If so, repeat the above steps to load, print, and follow-up operations on the new objects to be printed; if not, the entire printing is completed, and you can perform moisturizing maintenance operations on the nozzles of the printing cart. At this time, the printing carriage moves to one side of the beam along the X-axis, that is, the first direction, and the ink scraping maintenance device below is buckled on the nozzle to keep it moist, preventing the nozzle holes from becoming dry and clogged.

It should be noted that the graphics and texts printed on each object to be printed (the first object to be printed 91 and the second object to be printed 92) may be the same or different. Due to the mechanical manufacturing error of the bottom plate of the nozzle or the error generated when the nozzle is installed, the nozzle arrangement in each group of nozzle printing units is not completely consistent. Before the formal printing, the objects to be printed at each position need to be tested and printed separately. As a result, error calibration is performed on the ink discharge data of each group of nozzle printing units, and then the calibrated data is used to control the print job of the nozzles.

This printing method uses one (or more) motors to synchronously control two or more objects to be printed to rotate synchronously, use the same encoder to feed back at least two rotational angle information of the objects to be printed, and use a computer and a motherboard to control printing , There are two nozzle control boards, and each nozzle control board receives data from the main board to control different nozzles to eject ink droplets.

Example four

Figure 8 shows a perspective view of an inkjet printer in another embodiment. The inkjet printer in this embodiment includes a first fixture 211, a second fixture 212, a third fixture 213, a first conveying device 11, and a second conveying device. The device 12, the third conveying device 13, the support base 3, the shell part 4, the beam and the printing carriage (have been blocked by the shell part 4 in the figure). The first conveying device 11, the second conveying device 12, and the third conveying device 13 are arranged side by side above the support base 3 along the X-axis, that is, the first direction. A first jig 211 is provided above the first conveying device 11 to install two waiting devices. To print objects, a second jig 212 is provided above the second conveying device 12 to install two objects to be printed, and a third jig 213 is provided above the third conveying device 13 to install two objects to be printed, two on each jig The objects to be printed are arranged side by side along the X axis, that is, the first direction. Each object to be printed 9 is installed and fixed along the Y axis, that is, the second direction. The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction. The rotation center of each object to be printed 9 before printing The axis is parallel to the Y axis, the second direction (if the object to be printed is a cone, the upper surface of the cone is parallel to the Y axis, the second direction), and each conveying device can transport it back and forth along the Y axis, the second direction The object to be printed can be driven by a motor to rotate synchronously around its central axis; a beam is set above the fixture, and the beam is set along the X axis, which is the first direction, and a printing trolley is installed on the beam. It can move back and forth along the X axis, that is, the first direction. In this embodiment, the printing carriage is equipped with two sets of nozzle printing units. The two sets of nozzle printing units are arranged side by side along the X axis, that is, the first direction. Each group of nozzle printing units corresponds to the printing fixture. For an object to be printed, each set of print heads is provided with print heads arranged in series along the Y axis, that is, the second direction (when only one print head is required, the print heads are set along their own length). In theory, each set of print heads print units The trajectory of the ink droplets ejected downward from the nozzles of the nozzles passes through or is close to the radial direction of the corresponding object to be printed below. Refer to the bottom view of the printing cart as shown in Figure 3, and the printing units of each group of nozzles are sequentially along the Y axis, which is the second direction. Three nozzles are arranged in series, that is, the first group of nozzle printing units are sequentially connected in series with the first nozzle 71, the second nozzle 72 and the third nozzle 73. The first nozzle 71, the second nozzle 72 and the third nozzle 73 are used for matching The object to be printed on the left side of the lower jig performs graphic printing. The second set of nozzle printing units are connected in series with the fourth nozzle 74, the fifth nozzle 75 and the sixth nozzle 76, the fourth nozzle 74, the fifth nozzle 75 and the sixth nozzle. The nozzle 76 is used to print graphics and text on the object to be printed on the right side of the lower jig. Each group of nozzle printing units can be set with one, two, three or more nozzles, and each group of nozzle printing units can also print color inks (cyan ink C, magenta ink M, yellow ink Y, black ink K, light Cyan ink LC, light magenta ink LM or other spot color ink) or coated ink (white ink W, transparent ink V or primer ink P), each nozzle can eject one color or multiple colors, actual printing The color situation is determined according to requirements, and the present invention does not limit the printing color of the nozzle and the arrangement of different color inks. A squeegee maintenance device (not shown in the figure) is installed at one end of the beam. The specific structure of the squeegee maintenance device is shown in Figure 4. Two sets of squeegee units are set corresponding to the two sets of nozzle printing units. The first set of squeegee units corresponds to The first group of nozzle printing units perform squeegee, and the second group of squeegee units correspond to the second group of nozzle printing units to squeegee ink. When printing is completed and the print head needs to be moisturized, move the print carriage along the X axis, that is, the first direction, to the top of the squeegee maintenance device, drive the squeegee maintenance device to rise along the Z axis, that is the vertical direction, and buckle the cover on the nozzle floor. The nozzle can be maintained with moisture to prevent the nozzle holes from becoming dry and clogged. The working mode and principle are the same as the first embodiment.

In the actual work process, the operator is located in front of the printer. Due to the compact structure of the printing device, one operator can separately load the three positions of the first jig 211, the second jig 212 and the third jig 213. Unloading operation. An example of operation is given below for illustration. The workflow is shown in Figure 9, but it is not limited to this operation mode: the operator first installs two objects to be printed on the second jig 212; after the installation is completed, the second transmission The device 12 continuously conveys the two objects to be printed along the Y axis, that is, the second direction, and passes under the printing beam, and the motor controls the two objects to be printed on it to synchronously rotate around its own central axis, and the control system controls the printing trolley to move along the beam, that is, the first direction. To the top of the second conveying device 12, when the two objects to be printed on the second conveying device 12 continue to pass under the printing carriage, the nozzle prints the two objects to be printed. After one pass, the graphic printing is completed. During the transfer and printing process of the second jig 212, the operator installs the other two objects to be printed on the first jig 211; when the printing trolley finishes printing the two objects to be printed on the second jig 212, The beam moves above the first conveying device 11 in the first direction. The first conveying device 11 continuously conveys the two objects to be printed along the Y-axis or the second direction. The motor controls the two objects to be printed on it to rotate synchronously around its central axis. When the two objects to be printed on the first conveying device 11 continue to pass under the printing carriage, the nozzle prints the two objects to be printed. After one pass, the graphic printing is completed, and the printing on the second jig 212 is completed. The object is fully cured (after the curing is completed and then transferred back to the initial loading position), at the same time the operator continues to install two objects to be printed on the third jig 213; when the printing trolley is completed, the first jig 211 is waiting for two After the print job of the printed object, it moves along the beam, that is, the first direction, to the top of the third conveying device 13. The third conveying device 13 continuously conveys the two to-be-printed objects along the Y-axis, that is, the second direction, and the motor controls the two to-be-printed objects to synchronize. Rotating around its own central axis, when the two objects to be printed on the third conveying device 13 continue to pass under the printing cart, the nozzle prints the two objects to be printed. After one pass, the graphics and text are printed. The printed object on the jig 211 is fully cured (after the curing is completed, it is transported back to the initial loading position), and the operator unloads the printed and cured objects on the second jig 212 that is transported back to the initial position. The object to be printed is installed and a new object to be printed is installed; when the printing carriage completes the printing operation on the two objects to be printed on the third jig 213, it moves along the beam, that is, the first direction to above the second conveying device 12, the second conveying device 12 Again, the two objects to be printed are continuously transported along the Y-axis, that is, the second direction, and the two objects to be printed on the motor control the two objects to be printed to rotate around their own central axis synchronously. When the two objects to be printed on the second transport device 12 continue to pass under the printing carriage , The nozzle prints the two objects to be printed, and after one pass, the graphics and text are printed. At the same time, the printed objects on the third jig 213 are fully cured (after the curing is completed, they will be sent back to the initial loading Position), at the same time the operator unloads the two printed and cured objects to be printed on the first jig 211 which is transferred back to the initial position and Install the new object to be printed; when the printing carriage completes the printing operation of the two objects to be printed on the second jig 212, it moves along the beam, that is, the first direction to the top of the first conveying device 11, and the first conveying device 11 will wait for both The printing object is continuously conveyed along the Y-axis, the second direction, and the two objects to be printed on it are controlled by the motor to rotate around its own central axis synchronously. When the two objects to be printed on the first conveying device 11 continue to pass under the printing carriage, the nozzles wait for both The printed object performs the printing job, and the graphic printing is completed after one pass. At the same time, the printed object on the second jig 212 is fully cured (after curing is completed, it is transferred back to the initial feeding position), and the operation is performed at the same time Remove the two objects to be printed and install the new objects to be printed on the third jig 213, which is transferred back to the initial position; when the printing carriage completes the printing of the two objects to be printed on the first jig 211 After the job, move along the beam, that is, the first direction to the top of the third conveying device 13. The third conveying device 13 continuously conveys the two to-be-printed objects along the Y-axis, that is, the second direction. When the two objects to be printed on the third conveying device 13 continue to pass under the printing carriage, the nozzle prints the two objects to be printed. After one pass, the graphics and text are printed, and the first jig 211 The printed object is fully cured (after the curing is completed, it is transferred back to the initial loading position), and the operator removes the printed and cured two objects to be printed on the second jig 212 that is transferred back to the initial position and Install a new object to be printed; ... repeat the cycle until it is judged that there is no object to be printed, and wait for all processes to be completed.

The operator performs the loading and unloading operations on each jig, and the printing trolley moves back and forth to the top of each conveying device to perform a one-pass printing operation on the objects to be printed that continue to pass underneath. The curing operation is required after the graphics and texts are completed. , The curing operation takes a long time (for example, when the transparent ink is sprayed to make the printed image have a bright effect, it needs a long time to cure, the visual effect of long time curing is far better than that of short time curing), in order to make the printing car fully work Waste time (that is, the printing trolley continues to work and does not wait in place), three fixture positions and three corresponding conveying devices are set up to ensure that the object to be printed at a certain fixture position is always ready for printing. In turn, the working efficiency of the printer is improved.

It should be noted that the loading and unloading of the object to be printed in the above embodiment is performed manually by the operator, or it can also be achieved through automation.

The above is only a specific example. In actual operation, the order in which the operator places the object to be printed on the first jig 211, the second jig 212, and the third jig 213 at the beginning can be interchanged arbitrarily, and the principle remains unchanged.

Before printing a color image job, in addition to the loading operation, it can also include preprocessing operations (such as spraying primer ink, etc.). After the printing is completed, you can also perform other operations such as print quality inspection, imitating the above principles and staggering synchronously. Without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention, in the printing process, the UV curing operation can also be performed while printing the graphics and text.

Example five

Figures 10-11 are still another embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the fourth embodiment is that the printer of this embodiment includes two fixtures: A fixture 214 and B fixture 215, which are located below A fixture 214 A conveying device 14 is provided for conveying A jig 214, and a B conveying device 15 is provided under B jig 215 for conveying B jig 215, A jig 214 and B jig 215 are respectively used to install two objects to be printed 9 The setting mode and structural principle are the same as those in the fourth embodiment, and will not be repeated here. A beam 5 is installed above the jig. The beam 5 is arranged along the X axis, that is, the first direction. A printing cart 6 is installed on the beam 5. The printing cart 6 can move back and forth along the X axis, that is, the first direction. It is set at one end of the beam 5 A squeegee maintenance device. The squeegee maintenance device is blocked by the machine housing part 4. The nozzle arrangement and printing method on the printing carriage 6 and the structure and working principle of the squeegee maintenance device are the same as those described in the fourth embodiment above the same.

In the actual work process, the operator is located in front of the printer, first installs two objects to be printed on the B jig 215, and then presses the start button of the station, the B conveying device 15 transfers the B jig 215 and the two objects installed on it. The object to be printed is continuously transported under the beam 5 along the Y-axis, that is, the second direction, and the two objects to be printed on it are controlled to rotate synchronously around its own central axis by the motor, and the printing trolley 6 is controlled to move along the beam 5 to the corresponding upper side of the B conveyor 15 The position, as shown in Figure 10, when the two objects to be printed on the B jig 215 continue to pass under the printing carriage 6, the nozzles on the printing carriage 6 perform synchronous printing operations on the two objects to be printed below, and they will be printed after one pass After the printing of graphics and text is completed, the curing process can be performed while printing, or it can be cured separately after the printing is completed. After the curing is completed, the two objects to be printed are transferred back to the original position of the loading material in the opposite direction of the Y axis. After the operator installs the two objects to be printed on the B jig 215 and the objects are being transported and printed, the operator continues to install the other two objects to be printed on the A jig 214. When the printing carriage 6 finishes the B treatment After the printing job of the two objects to be printed on the 215 moves along the beam 5 to above the conveyor A, the conveyor A 14 continuously conveys the two objects to be printed along the Y axis, that is, the second direction, and the motor controls the two objects to be printed around The central axis of its own rotates synchronously. When the two objects to be printed on the A conveyor 14 continue to pass under the printing carriage, the nozzle prints the two objects to be printed. After one pass, the graphics and text are printed. It can be cured, or it can be cured separately after the printing is completed. After curing, the two objects to be printed are transferred back to the original position of the loading material along the opposite direction of the Y axis. After the above-mentioned B jig 215 is transferred back to the initial position, the operator removes the printed and solidified object and installs another two new objects to be printed, and re-transmits, prints, and solidifies the two on the B jig 215. For the new object to be printed, similarly, after the above-mentioned A jig 214 is returned to the initial position, the operator removes the printed and solidified object and installs another two new objects to be printed, and re-transmits, prints, and The two new objects to be printed on the fixture A 214 are cured... the operator alternately operates in this way, and the cycle repeats until all the objects to be printed are printed.

Each jig in the fourth and fifth embodiments described above is equipped with two objects to be printed, and it can also be designed as a jig for installing one or more objects to be printed, which is not specifically limited in the present invention.

In the actual application process, the specific need to set the number of conveying devices and corresponding fixtures is related to the time of the printing job and the time of the non-printing job. The ultimate goal is to keep the printing trolley in the ideal state of the printing job as long as possible. The time cost is wasted. The general formula is summarized as: Set the number of conveying devices N≥ (T non-printing ÷ T printing) +1, and the number of conveying devices N takes the smallest integer that satisfies the above formula. T printing represents the inkjet printing of the nozzle Job time, T non-printing means the processing time of the object to be printed other than the nozzle inkjet printing job, including the processing time before printing and the processing time after printing. The processing time before printing includes the loading time of the object to be printed and the object to be printed. The preprocessing time of the object to be printed, the transmission time of the object to be printed, etc.; the processing time after printing includes the complete curing time of the image and text on the object to be printed, the image and text detection time, and the blanking time. In addition to the two conveying devices or three conveying devices in the above embodiments, a larger number of conveying devices can also be set according to actual conditions, which is not specifically limited in the present invention.

It should be pointed out that any modification made according to the specific embodiments of the present invention does not depart from the spirit of the present invention and the scope of the claims.

Claims

An inkjet printer for printing a cylinder/cone or an object to be printed whose graphic area to be printed is a cylinder/cone. It is characterized in that at least two sets of printing units are arranged along the printing beam, that is, the first direction. The bottom surfaces of the at least two groups of printing units are in the same plane, each group of printing units is provided with at least one printing nozzle, and the printing nozzles in each group of printing units are arranged along a second direction (the length direction of itself) perpendicular to the first direction, A conveying device is arranged under the print head. The conveying device conveys the object to be printed in the second direction. The object to be printed is fixed to the jig on the conveying device in the second direction. After the fixed object is fixed, the upper surface of the object is parallel to the second direction, along the first direction. At least two to-be-printed objects are arranged side by side in the direction, the conveying device continuously conveys the to-be-printed objects in the second direction and passes under the printing unit. When the to-be-printed objects continue to pass under the printing unit, the nozzle ejects ink, and the image is formed after the objects to be printed pass through. Text, the object to be printed rotates around its own central axis at a uniform speed during printing.
The inkjet printer of claim 1, wherein the number of the printing units is the same as the number of the objects to be printed installed on the conveying device, and the at least two objects to be printed are synchronously rotated and conveyed during the printing process.
8. The inkjet printer of claim 1, wherein the graphics and text printed on the object to be printed can be the same or different.
The inkjet printer of claim 1, wherein the at least two groups of printing units can be arranged on a printing carriage; or each group of printing units can be independently arranged on a printing carriage. Arranged in the first direction and movable in the first direction.
8. The inkjet printer of claim 1, wherein the nozzles of each group of printing units can be provided with color inks and white/transparent/primer coating inks.
A one-pass inkjet printing method, characterized in that at least two sets of printing units are arranged along a printing beam, that is, a first direction, and the bottom surfaces of the at least two sets of printing units are parallel to the first direction and in the same plane, and each set The printing unit is provided with at least one printing nozzle, and the printing nozzles in each group of printing units are arranged along a second direction (the length direction of its own) perpendicular to the first direction. A conveying device is arranged under the printing nozzles, and a jig is installed on the conveying device at least Two objects to be printed include the following steps:

In the first step, the object to be printed is placed on the jig, the object to be printed is fixed in the second direction, and the upper surface is parallel to the second direction, and at least two objects to be printed are arranged in sequence along the first direction;

In the second step, the conveying device synchronously and continuously conveys at least two objects to be printed along the second direction at the same speed and passes under the printing unit;

In the third step, when the at least two objects to be printed pass under the at least two sets of printing units, the nozzles in each group of printing units eject ink synchronously, and the objects to be printed form graphics and texts after passing through the printing process. The printed object rotates at a uniform speed around its own central axis;

In the fourth step, after the printing of the at least two objects to be printed in the third step is completed, the conveying device continues to synchronously transmit the objects to be printed for subsequent operations.
7. The one-pass inkjet printing method according to claim 6, wherein the printing process in the third step may further include performing a curing operation on the object to be printed at the same time.
7. The one-pass inkjet printing method according to claim 6, wherein the subsequent operations in the fourth step may include performing a complete curing operation, an inspection operation, or a discharge operation on the object to be printed.
The one-pass inkjet printing method according to claim 6, wherein the first step further comprises adjusting the vertical distance between the upper surface of the object to be printed and the plane where the nozzle of the nozzle is located to the most suitable printing distance , Usually 1-3 mm.
The one-pass inkjet printing method of claim 6, wherein the graphics and text formed by each printing unit in the third step may be the same or different; before the formal printing, it also includes the mechanical installation of the nozzle The resulting errors are calibrated by software for inkjet data, and the nozzles in each group of printing units eject ink droplets according to the calibrated inkjet data.