Disclosure of Invention
In order to overcome the defects, the invention discloses an ink-jet printer which comprises a beam mechanism, a printing trolley, a material transferring module, a cup clamping jig and a curing device, wherein the beam mechanism is arranged in a first direction, the printing trolley is arranged on the beam mechanism, one end of the beam mechanism is provided with a driving mechanism which can drive the printing trolley to reciprocate in the first direction, a spray head is arranged below the printing trolley, the spray head sprays ink drops to an object to be printed below to form images and texts, the cup clamping jig is arranged below the beam mechanism and is used for mounting at least two objects to be printed, one end of the cup clamping jig is provided with a material transferring module, and the material transferring module is used for driving the object to be printed to rotate around a central shaft of the cup clamping jig.
The ink jet printer described above, wherein the object to be printed is a curved object having a convex portion.
In the above-mentioned inkjet printer, the difference between the angle of the curing device and the angle of the curing device in the horizontal direction is equal to or less than (180-DA)/(2), where DA represents the angle of the protruding portion of the object that is a dead zone that is avoided from the nozzle and cannot rotate.
According to the inkjet printer, the lifting mechanism is arranged below the material transferring module and drives the material transferring module and the cup clamping jig to ascend or descend along the vertical direction according to the size of an object to be printed, so that the upper surface of the object to be printed is adjusted to be at a proper printing distance from the spray head.
The ink-jet printer further comprises an ink scraping maintenance device, wherein the ink scraping maintenance device is arranged below one end of the beam mechanism and used for scraping a spray head arranged below the printing trolley to prevent spray holes from being blocked, and when the printer stops working, the ink scraping maintenance device is used for maintaining the spray head in a moisturizing mode.
The ink jet printer further comprises a protruding part detection module, wherein the protruding part detection module is arranged below the beam mechanism and used for detecting protruding parts of an object to be printed.
The invention also discloses a printing method used by the ink-jet printer, which comprises the following steps of a) driving the cup clamping jig to rotate unidirectionally for one circle along a rotation central shaft of an object to be printed, detecting position information of a protruding part of the object to be printed, b) controlling the object to be printed to rotate reciprocally by a control system, simultaneously controlling a spray head to spray ink downwards on the object to be printed to form an image and text, and performing pre-curing treatment on the object by a curing device, c) judging whether printing is completed by software, if not, continuing to perform the step b), if so, performing the step d), and performing a final curing flow.
In the printing method described above, the pre-curing process in step b) is that the first curing device and the second curing device move to the working positions according to the projection information of the object to be printed calculated by the software, and perform the pre-curing process on the object to be printed by using the low-energy curing level.
In the printing method, the step d) includes that the first curing device returns to the original position, the second curing device approaches to the object and starts the high-energy curing level, the material rotating shaft module rotates the object to be printed around the rotation central shaft of the material rotating shaft module, and the second curing device carries out final complete curing treatment on ink drops on the surface of the object.
According to the printing method, the angle difference between the curing device and the horizontal direction needs to be smaller than or equal to (180-DA)/2, wherein DA represents the included angle of a dead zone where the protruding part of the object is prevented from rotating because of avoiding the nozzle.
The ink-jet printer and the printing method thereof can detect the position of the protruding part of the object to be printed, can clamp one or more objects to be printed with the protruding parts by using the jig, can control the object to be printed to rotate reciprocally in the printing process so as to avoid collision with the spray head, can overcome the curing blind area by the ultraviolet curing device, can carry out effective complete drying treatment on the ink, and expands the application field of the ink-jet printer.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a beam mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a fixture for an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the positions of a first curing device and a second curing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the positions of a first bulge sensor and a second bulge sensor in one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a printing method in one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the positions of the nozzle, the object to be printed and the curing device during the pre-curing process according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the positions of the nozzle, the object to be printed and the curing device during the final curing process according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an correlation sensor detecting a protruding portion of an object to be printed in an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 10-12 are schematic diagrams of a sensor for detecting a raised portion of an object according to another embodiment of the present invention.
The serial numbers in the drawing are represented by a beam mechanism 1, a lifting mechanism 2, a material transferring module 3, a printing trolley 4, an ultraviolet curing module 5, a wiping maintenance device 6, a cup clamping jig 7, a convex part detection module 8, a first motor 11, a first direction guide rod 12, a first direction guide rail 13, a first direction slide block 14, a first direction grating 15, a structural steel beam 16, a steel beam support column 17, a first drag chain 18, a drag chain plate 19, a material transferring motor 31, a coupler 32, a material transferring shaft 33, a free top mandrel 34, a tail vertical plate 35, a material transferring shaft head end vertical plate 36, a material transferring module substrate 37, a material ejecting cylinder 38, a guide rail 39, a slide block 310, a first curing device 5a, a second curing device 5b, a first convex part sensor 81a, a second convex part sensor 81b and an object to be printed 0.
Detailed Description
The following describes the invention in detail by way of examples.
Fig. 1 shows an inkjet printing apparatus according to the present invention. The inkjet printing device comprises a beam mechanism 1, a lifting mechanism 2, a material transferring module 3, a printing trolley 4, an ultraviolet curing module 5, an ink scraping maintenance device 6, a cup clamping jig 7 and a protruding part detection module 8. The beam mechanism 1 is arranged along a first direction, the first direction is defined as an X-axis direction, the printing trolley 4 is arranged on the beam mechanism 1, a driving mechanism is arranged at one end of the beam mechanism 1, and the driving mechanism can drive the printing trolley 4 to reciprocate along the first direction (the X-axis direction). The print carriage 4 may be provided with an ink cartridge for accommodating ink and a corresponding negative pressure control system, a nozzle bottom plate is disposed below the print carriage 4, a nozzle is mounted on the nozzle bottom plate, the nozzle ejects ink droplets on an object to be printed to form graphics context, the ink may include magenta ink (M), yellow ink (Y), cyan ink (C), black ink (K), white ink (W), pre-treatment ink (P) or some spot color ink, and the ink used by the print nozzle in this embodiment is UV ink. The lower part of the beam mechanism 1 is provided with a cup clamping jig 7, the cup clamping jig 7 is used for installing a plurality of objects to be printed, the objects to be printed are curved surfaces and are provided with protruding parts, such as cups, one end of the cup clamping jig 7 is provided with a material transferring module 3, and the material transferring module 3 is used for driving the objects to be printed on the cup clamping jig 7 to rotate around the central shaft of the cup clamping jig. The lifting mechanism 2 is arranged below the material transferring module 3, the lifting mechanism 2 drives the material transferring module 3 to ascend or descend along the vertical direction according to the size of an object to be printed, so that the upper surface of the object to be printed is adjusted to reach a proper printing distance from the spray head, the ultraviolet curing modules 5 are respectively arranged below two sides of the material transferring module 3, and the ultraviolet curing modules 5 are used for curing the sprayed ink. The ink scraping maintenance device 6 is arranged below one end of the beam mechanism 1, the ink scraping maintenance device 6 is used for scraping a spray head arranged below the printing trolley 4 to prevent spray holes from being blocked, and when the printer stops working, the ink scraping maintenance device 6 can also be used for maintaining the spray head in a moisturizing mode to prevent the dry and solidified ink in the spray holes, avoid damaging the spray holes and ensure the spray drawing quality. In addition, below the other end of the beam mechanism 1, on the opposite side of the wiping maintenance device 6, a protruding part detection module 8 is installed, and the protruding part detection module 8 is used for detecting the protruding part of the object to be printed, and when the object to be printed is a cup, the handle of the cup is detected.
As shown in fig. 2, the beam mechanism 1 includes a first motor 11, a first direction guide bar 12, a first direction guide rail 13, a first direction slider 14, a first direction grating 15, a structural steel beam 16, and a steel beam support column 17. One end of the beam mechanism 1 is provided with a first motor 11, an output shaft of the first motor 11 is connected with a first direction guide rod 12, the first direction guide rod 12 is connected with the printing trolley 4, a structural steel beam 16 is arranged below the first direction guide rod 12, the structural steel beam 16 is arranged along the first direction, the structural steel beam 16 is supported by a steel beam supporting column 17 which is symmetrical left and right along the vertical direction, a first direction guide rail 13 is arranged on the inner side wall of the structural steel beam 16, the first direction guide rail 13 is matched with a first direction sliding block 14 for use, a first direction grating 15 is further arranged below the first direction guide rod 12 along the first direction, and the first direction grating 15 is used for recording and feeding back real-time position information of the printing trolley 4. During printing, the control system controls the first motor 11 to drive the printing trolley 4 to reciprocate along a first direction (X-axis direction) at a substantially constant speed, the first direction sliding block 14 is arranged at the rear of the printing trolley 4, the first direction sliding block 14 is matched with the first direction guide rail 13 above the structural steel beam 16 to restrict the movement direction, the beam mechanism 1 further comprises a first drag chain 18, the first drag chain 18 is arranged on the drag chain plate 19, and the first drag chain 18 reciprocates along the first direction (X-axis direction) along with the printing trolley 4. During the movement of the carriage 1 in the first direction (X-axis direction), the control system also controls the nozzles below it to eject ink droplets onto the object to be printed.
Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a cup holder for an inkjet printer mounted in a transfer module. The jig for the ink-jet printer comprises a material transferring module 3 and a cup clamping jig 7, wherein the cup clamping jig 7 is in a modularized design and is used for clamping a plurality of objects to be printed with protruding parts, the objects to be printed are arranged on the material transferring module 3 at one time, and the material transferring module 3 controls the cup clamping jig 7 and the objects to be printed arranged on the cup clamping jig to perform reciprocating rotary motion.
The following specifically describes the structural design of the lower material transferring module 3 and the cup clamping jig 7, wherein the material transferring module 3 comprises a material transferring head end driving rotating module, a material transferring head end moving module, a material transferring tail end module and a material transferring module substrate 37, and the material transferring module substrate 37 is arranged at the lowest part of the material transferring module 3 and used as a reference surface.
One side above the material transferring module substrate 37 is provided with a material transferring head end driving rotating module, the material transferring head end driving rotating module comprises a material transferring motor 31, a coupler 32 and a material transferring shaft 33, the output end of the material transferring motor 31 is connected with the material transferring shaft 33 through the coupler 32, the material transferring shaft 33 is connected with the cup clamping jig 7, the cup clamping jig 7 is arranged as a detachable integrated clamping module, a plurality of objects to be printed are arranged in the cup clamping jig 7, and the material transferring motor 31 drives the material transferring shaft 33 to drive the cup clamping jig 7 to rotate forwards or reversely around the rotating central shaft of the cup clamping jig 7.
A material transferring head end moving module is arranged below the material transferring head end driving rotating module, the material transferring head end moving module comprises a material transferring head end vertical plate 36, a material ejecting cylinder 38, a guide rail 39 and a sliding block 310, the material transferring head end vertical plate 36 is connected with a material transferring motor 31 through a connecting plate, the sliding block 310 is connected to the lower end of the material transferring head end vertical plate 36, the sliding block 310 is matched with a sliding rail 39 arranged along a first direction, the material ejecting cylinder 38 is connected to the outer side of the bottom of the material transferring head end vertical plate 36, and the material transferring head end vertical plate 36 and the material transferring head end driving rotating module connected with the material ejecting cylinder 38 move along the guide rail 39 along the first direction through pushing or retreating of the material ejecting cylinder 38, so that the cup clamping jig 7 is tightly fixed in a propping mode.
A material transferring tail end module is arranged above the material transferring module base plate 37 and opposite to the material transferring head end driving rotation module, the position of the material transferring tail end module is fixed, the material transferring tail end module comprises a free top mandrel 34 and a tail vertical plate 35, the tail vertical plate 35 is arranged above the material transferring module base plate 37, and a free top mandrel 34 is arranged on the inner side of the tail vertical plate 35 and used for clamping and fixing the cup clamping fixture 7 on the material transferring module 3.
A first curing device 5a and a second curing device 5b (shown in fig. 4) are respectively arranged at two sides of the material transferring module 3 and obliquely below the cup clamping jig 7, and the first curing device 5a and the second curing device 5b are used for performing primary curing and drying treatment on the ejected ink. The first curing device 5a and the second curing device 5b of the present invention are composed of a plurality of UV-LED bead modules for irradiating ultraviolet rays, which are arranged in a first direction (X-axis), and each UV-LED bead module can independently control its on-off and energy output value. A first convex part sensor 81a and a second convex part sensor 81b are respectively arranged at the front and the back of one end of the beam mechanism 1, and the first convex part sensor 81a and the second convex part sensor 81b are used for detecting the position information of the convex part of the object to be printed arranged on the cup clamping jig 7.
The first curing device 5a and the second curing device 5b are respectively installed on the material rotating shaft module substrate 37, the first curing device 5a and the second curing device 5b are respectively provided with an independent motor, a transmission mechanism and a guide mechanism, and the independent motors can drive the first curing device 5a and the second curing device 5b to respectively approach or separate from an object to be printed along the radial direction of the device.
Fig. 6 is a flowchart of a printing process of the ink jet printer according to the present invention, after an operator installs a plurality of objects to be printed on the cup clamping jig 7, the cup clamping jig 7 is fixed on the material transferring module 3, and clicks the start button to start printing, the material transferring module 3 drives the cup clamping jig 7 to rotate unidirectionally along the rotation center axis of the objects to be printed for one round, the process detects the position information of the protruding parts of the objects to be printed through the first protruding part sensor 81a and the second protruding part sensor 81b, and software calculates the printing area according to the position information of the two end parts of the protruding parts fed back by the first protruding part sensor 81a and the second protruding part sensor 81b, and limits the reciprocating rotation range of the objects to be printed.
The control system controls the object to rotate reciprocally, and simultaneously controls the spray head to spray ink downwards on the object to be printed to form an image text, the curing device performs pre-curing treatment on the object, specifically, the first curing device 5a and the second curing device 5b move from the origin of the UV axis to the working position according to the information of the protruding part of the object to be printed calculated by software, at this time, the positions of the first curing device 5a and the second curing device 5b are pre-curing positions for printing the image text, and in the printing process, the first curing device 5a and the second curing device 5b control the light source section switch of the curing device and the output energy level of ultraviolet light according to the control system, and at this time, the first curing device 5a and the second curing device 5b are preset to be low-energy curing levels.
And if not, the final curing process is carried out, specifically, the first curing device 5a is retracted to the original position of the UV axis-5a shaft, the second curing device 5b approaches to the object along the UV axis-5b according to the preset distance of the program until reaching the final curing position and starting the high-energy curing grade, the material rotating shaft module 3 rotates the object around the rotating central shaft by a certain angle, the rotating angle is determined by the printing area on the surface of the object, the second curing device 5b carries out the final complete curing process on the ink drops on the surface of the object, the object can be reciprocally rotated for a plurality of times according to the angle until the ink drops are completely dried, and the printing is finished.
The design principle of the printing and pre-curing process of the object to be printed 0 will be described in detail with reference to fig. 7, wherein the object to be printed 0 cannot rotate 360 degrees due to the protruding portion of the object to be printed 0, such as the cup handle portion, or otherwise collides with the spray head. The protruding part of the object to be printed 0 is a avoiding nozzle and can reciprocate in the printing process, when one side of the protruding part is close to the nozzle, the protruding part reversely rotates, when the protruding part reversely rotates to the position where the protruding part is close to the nozzle, the direction of the protruding part is changed, the protruding part reversely rotates to the position where the protruding part is close to the nozzle, and the protruding part reversely rotates again, so that the printing process is repeated. According to the above reciprocating rotation method, if a curing device LA is provided, since the object 0 to be printed cannot rotate 360 degrees, a blind area which cannot be irradiated by the unique curing device will occur when the graphics on the object is cured, so that a second curing device LB needs to be provided at a symmetrical position to compensate an area which cannot be irradiated by the curing device, according to the simulation calculation of the blind area, the angle difference LP between the curing device and the horizontal direction needs to be less than or equal to (180-DA)/2, where LP is an included angle between the outer edge of the horizontal line L passing through the center of the object to be printed and the horizontal line L, where DA represents a blind area included angle where the protruding part of the object is a nozzle, and cannot rotate. In addition, since the protruding portion has a certain height HD, the first curing device LA and the second curing device LB should be located at positions where the radial distance from the surface of the object to be printed 0 is required to be greater than HD, and the capability of curing the ink is weak, which is defined as a preliminary pre-curing process.
When the image and text is printed on the object to be printed 0, the pre-curing process which is synchronously carried out with the object to be printed 0 is also completed, and then the final curing process is carried out. As shown in fig. 8, the image and text on the surface of the object 0 to be printed is printed, the print carriage is retracted to the initial printing position along the first direction (X-axis direction), so as to avoid collision by the protruding portion of the object 0 to be printed, and at the same time, a curing device moves close to the object 0 to be printed along the radial direction of the object, in this embodiment, a second curing device LB moves close to the object 0 to be printed along the radial direction of the object, and the control system controls the object 0 to be printed to reciprocate in a manner of avoiding the second curing device LB, so that in the reciprocation process, the capability of curing ink is strong, and the curing device LB performs final curing treatment on ink drops on the surface of the object.
Next, a brief description will be given of the acquisition of positional information of the height HD of the projecting portion of the object to be printed, which is the blind area angle DA where the projecting portion of the object to be printed is not rotatable for avoiding the head. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of detecting the height of the protruding portion of the object to be printed, in this embodiment, the object to be printed is a mug, a set of correlation sensors are disposed at two ends of the beam mechanism 1, and the height of the protruding portion of the object to be printed is detected by the correlation sensors, so that the height of the cup clamping jig 7 for fixing the object to be printed in the vertical direction is controlled, and the distance between the two curing devices and the object to be printed in the printing process is determined.
Fig. 10-12 are schematic diagrams of detecting a protruding portion of an object by a sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention, in fig. 10, the protruding portion of the object to be printed is located right below, a left sensor LS is installed on the left side, a right sensor RS is installed on the right side, the control system controls the object to be printed to rotate clockwise, when the outer edge of the protruding portion is close to the nozzle, as shown in fig. 11, the left sensor LS detects an encoder position signal P1 corresponding to the protruding portion at this time, then the control system controls the object to be printed to rotate counterclockwise again, when the outer edge of the other side of the protruding portion is close to the other side of the nozzle, as shown in fig. 12, the right sensor RS detects an encoder position signal P2 corresponding to the protruding portion at this time, and at this time, software can calculate the length of a print area rotated by avoiding the nozzle, the length is (P2-P1)/(number of lines×2r of one turn of the encoder, and R represents the radius of the object to be printed. According to the position signals P1 and P2 fed back after the sensor is triggered, the reciprocating motion track of the object to be printed can be controlled, and the printing effect that the protruding part automatically avoids the spray head is achieved.