Print medium and method for separating print medium

Abstract

The invention provides a printing medium and a printing medium separation method which can improve positioning accuracy relative to a tank member in a tank product manufacturing device. The printing medium constitutes a can product together with the can member, and the printing medium is provided with a sheet-like connected portion connected to the can member, a sheet-like remaining portion different from the connected portion, and a first connecting portion connecting the connected portion and the remaining portion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printed medium for canned products and a method for separating the printed medium. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a production apparatus for canned products such as badges to which a predetermined image is given. In Patent Document 1, there is disclosed a production apparatus for canned products such as badges that manufactures a badge by tightening a front cover to a back cover.

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-136210 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, in the above prior art, it is configured such that the user himself / herself places a transparent film for tightening together with the front cover relative to the back cover supported on the lower mold on the film placement surface of the lower mold. Therefore, the user himself / herself can enjoy the production by participating in the production of the badge, but the positioning accuracy of the transparent film may decrease.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a printed medium and a method for separating the printed medium that can improve the positioning accuracy relative to a can member in a can product production apparatus.

[0009] Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The printed medium of the present invention constitutes a canned product together with a can member, and the printed medium includes: a sheet-like connected portion connected to the can member; a sheet-like remaining portion different from the connected portion; and a first connecting portion connecting the connected portion and the remaining portion.

[0011] According to the present invention, by cutting the first connecting portion in the printed medium transported onto the can member, the remaining portion can be separated from the connected portion. Thereby, only the connected portion can be accurately positioned and arranged on the can member.

[0012] Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printed medium and a method for separating the printed medium that can improve the positioning accuracy relative to a can member in a can product production apparatus. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing a can product production apparatus using the printed medium of the present embodiment.

[0015] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a top view of a canned product manufacturing apparatus.

[0016] Figure 3 shows Figure 1 the structure of the control system of the canned product manufacturing apparatus.

[0017] Figure 4A a top view showing a print medium.

[0018] Figure 4B a top view showing a white film.

[0019] Figure 5 is Figure 4A an enlarged view of the area in

[0020] Figure 6 a perspective view showing the structure of a transport unit.

[0021] Figure 7 is Figure 6 a side view of the transport unit in

[0022] Figure 8 a top view showing a lower plate and an upper plate provided on a lower mold.

[0023] Figure 9A a perspective view of a pressing unit.

[0024] Figure 9B is from Figure 9A a different direction when observing the pressing unit.

[0025] Figure 10 a view showing the standby position of the pressing head of the pressing unit.

[0026] Figure 11 a view showing the pressing position of the pressing head of the pressing unit.

[0027] Figure 12 a flowchart showing the process of separating the remaining portion of the print medium from the connected portion and recovering the remaining portion.

[0028] Figure 13A a perspective view of a front side member and a back side member.

[0029] Figure 13B is Figure 13A a cross-sectional view of a canned product manufactured by connecting the front side member and the back side member in

[0030] Figure 14 a top view showing another example of the print medium. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Hereinafter, a print medium according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The print medium described below is merely one embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and additions, deletions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0032] (Overall Structure of Can Product Manufacturing Device)

[0033] First, while referring to the attached Figure 1 drawings, a can product manufacturing device that manufactures a can product having a print medium as one component will be described. Figure 1 FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a can product manufacturing device 100 using a print medium according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 It is Figure 1 a top view of the can product manufacturing device 100. Figure 3 FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the structure of a control system of the can product manufacturing device 100 shown in Figure 1 FIG. 11. The can product manufacturing device 100 is a device that connects a front-side member and a back-side member constituting a can product, for example, tightens the front-side member and the back-side member to manufacture a can product. As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 FIGS. 11 and 12, such a can product manufacturing device 100 includes a printing unit 1, a conveying unit 2, a die unit 3, a front-side member supply unit 4, a back-side member supply unit 5, a pressing unit 6, a taking-out unit 7, a recovery box 8, and a can product container 9. In Figure 1 and Figure 2 FIGS. 11 and 12, the directions orthogonal to each other are set as a first direction Dx, a second direction Dy, and a third direction Dz. In the present embodiment, for example, the first direction Dx is the front-rear direction of the can product manufacturing device 100, the second direction Dy is the left-right direction of the can product manufacturing device 100, and the third direction Dz is the up-down direction. In this case, the front side of the printing unit 1 is set as the front side, the back side is set as the back side, and the left and right when viewed from the front are set as the left side and the right side. In the following description, the Dx is referred to as the front-rear direction, the Dy is referred to as the left-right direction, and the Dz is referred to as the up-down direction.

[0034] The printing unit 1 is disposed below the die unit 3, the front-side member supply unit 4, the back-side member supply unit 5, the pressing unit 6, and the taking-out unit 7. The printing unit 1 is an inkjet printer that prints an image on a print medium W (such as a transparent film described later, Figure 4A ). The printing unit 1 prints on the print medium W. Specifically, the printing unit 1 has a print head 10, and performs printing by ejecting ink droplets from the print head 10 onto the print medium W. In addition, the printing unit 1 has a conveying motor 11 that drives the conveying rollers. It should be noted that the print head 10 can be a serial head type or a line head type.

[0035] In addition, the printing unit 1 includes a sheet holder that holds a plurality of media W to be printed and a plurality of white films F (not shown in the following Figure 4B ). The media W to be printed and the white films F are stacked alternately and held by the sheet holder. The white films F are not printed by the printing unit 1 and are supplied to the conveying unit 2, and the media W to be printed are printed with a prescribed image by the print head 10 of the printing unit 1 and then supplied to the conveying unit 2. The prescribed image is a reversed image that becomes a positive image when the user observes the image from the side of the media W opposite to the side on which the image is printed. It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, an example in which the printing unit 1 is an inkjet printer is given, but it is not limited thereto, and the printing unit 1 may also be other printers such as a laser printer or a thermal printer.

[0036] Regarding the conveying unit 2, a part of the conveying unit 2 is disposed in front of the printing unit 1 and the entire conveying unit 2 is disposed in front of the die unit 3. The conveying unit 2 conveys the media W to be printed and the white films F (not shown in the following) conveyed from the printing unit 1 along the conveying direction Dc1 toward the die unit 3 and supplies them to the following front-side member SE ( Figure 13A ) of the lower die 30 provided in the die unit 3. In addition, the conveying unit 2 will be described in detail later.

[0037] The die unit 3 is used for connecting the front-side member SE and the back-side member BE ( Figure 13A ) described later, for example, tightening the front-side member SE and the back-side member BE. The front-side member SE is formed of a magnetic material such as a tin-plated steel sheet. The back-side member BE is formed of a magnetic material such as a tin-plated steel sheet. The front-side member SE and the back-side member BE are included in the can member CE ( Figure 13B ) that constitutes the can product 200 ( Figure 13A ) described later. The die unit 3 includes a lower die 30, a lower die 31, a rotary support table 32, an upper die 33, an upper die lifting motor 34 ( Figure 3 ) and a lower die moving motor 140 ( Figure 3 ). The lower die 30 and the lower die 31 are circular in plan view and are supported by the rotary support table 32. The lower die 30 and the lower die 31 are arranged to face each other with the center of the rotary support table 32 as a reference. The upper die 33 moves up and down in the vertical direction Dz so as to approach or separate from either the lower die 30 or the lower die 31 based on the operation of the upper die lifting motor 34.

[0038] In addition, the rotary support table 32 rotates about the vertical direction Dz based on the operation of the lower die moving motor 140. By rotating the rotary support table 32, either the lower die 30 or the lower die 31 can be positioned at a position facing the upper die 33 in the vertical direction Dz (hereinafter referred to as the second die position). Hereinafter, the position facing the second die position in the front-rear direction Dx is referred to as the first die position. When the lower die 30 is in the first die position, the front-side member supply unit 4 supplies the front-side member SE to the lower die 30. After the white film F is transported onto the front-side member SE by the transport unit 2, the first cutting process and the first separation process described below are performed. As a result, only the connected portion Fb in the white film F is disposed on the front-side member SE. Next, after the printed medium W is transported onto the connected portion Fb on the front-side member SE by the transport unit 2, the second cutting process and the second separation process described below are performed. As a result, only the connected portion Wb in the printed medium W is disposed on the above-mentioned connected portion Fb. That is, the connected portion Fb and the connected portion Wb are sequentially disposed on the front-side member SE.

[0039] Next, by rotating the rotary support table 32, the lower die 30 that supports the front-side member SE and is in the first die position is positioned at the second die position. At this time, the lower die 31 in the second die position moves to the first die position. Then, the upper die 33 is lowered so that the upper die 33 holds the front-side member SE supported by the lower die 30. At this time, the back-side member supply unit 5 supplies the back-side member BE to the lower die 31. Next, by rotating the rotary support table 32, the lower die 31 in the first die position is positioned at the second die position. After that, the upper die 33 holding the front-side member SE is lowered toward the lower die 31 that supports the back-side member BE, thereby manufacturing the can product 200 in which the front-side member SE is tightened to the back-side member BE. After that, by rotating the rotary support table 32, the lower die 31 in the second die position is positioned at the first die position. Then, the can product 200 supported by the lower die 31 that has moved to the first die position is taken out by the taking-out unit 7 described below.

[0040] The front-side member supply unit 4 is disposed above the printing unit 1 and to the right of the die unit 3. The front-side member supply unit 4 includes a push rod motor 46 ( Figure 3 ). The front-side member supply unit 4 supplies the front-side member SE to the lower die 30 by pushing out the front-side member SE by a push rod (not shown) based on the operation of the push rod motor 46.

[0041] The back-side member supply unit 5 is disposed above the printing unit 1 and to the left of the die unit 3. The back-side member supply unit 5 includes a push rod motor 56 ( Figure 3 ). The back-side member supply unit 5 supplies the back-side member SE to the lower die 31 by pushing out the back-side member BE by a push rod (not shown) based on the operation of the push rod motor 56.

[0042] The pressing unit 6 is disposed at a position in front of the front-side member supply unit 4 and the back-side member supply unit 5 and to the left of the die unit 3. The pressing unit 6 has a pressing motor 60( Figure 3 ). Based on the operation of the pressing motor 60, the pressing unit 6 presses the medium to be printed W and the white film F against the lower die 30. In addition, the pressing unit 6 will be described in detail later.

[0043] The take-out unit 7 is disposed in front of the front-side member supply unit 4. The take-out unit 7 has a take-out motor 70( Figure 3 ). Based on the operation of the take-out motor 70, the take-out unit 7 takes out the canned product 200 from the lower die 31 and guides the canned product 200 to the canned product container 9 disposed in front of the take-out unit 7.

[0044] As Figure 3 shown, the canned product manufacturing apparatus 100 further includes a control device 110, a first drive circuit 115, a second drive circuit 116, a third drive circuit 117, a fourth drive circuit 118, a fifth drive circuit 119, a sixth drive circuit 120, and a seventh drive circuit 150. The control device 100 has an interface 111, an arithmetic unit 112, and a storage unit 113. The interface 111 receives various data such as image data from external devices 114 such as a computer, a camera, a communication network, a recording medium, a display, and a printer. It should be noted that the control device 110 may be constituted by a single device, or may be configured such that a plurality of devices are dispersedly arranged and cooperate with each other to perform the operation of the canned product manufacturing apparatus 100.

[0045] The storage unit 113 is a memory accessible from the arithmetic unit 112 and has a RAM and a ROM. The RAM temporarily stores various data such as image data received from the external device 114 and data transformed by the arithmetic unit 112. The ROM stores a canned product manufacturing program for performing various processes and prescribed data, etc. It should be noted that the canned product manufacturing program may also be stored in an external storage medium different from the storage unit 113 and accessible from the arithmetic unit 112, such as a CD-ROM, etc.

[0046] The arithmetic unit 112 includes at least one circuit such as a processor such as a CPU and an integrated circuit such as an ASIC. The arithmetic unit 112 controls each part by executing the canned product manufacturing program.

[0047] The control device 110 outputs a control signal to the first drive circuit 115. The first drive circuit 115 generates a drive signal based on the control signal and outputs the drive signal to the nozzle head 10 of the printing unit 1. The nozzle head 10 is driven according to the drive signal, and thus ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles. Specifically, the first drive circuit 115 moves the nozzle head 10 in a prescribed moving direction while ejecting ink droplets from the nozzle head 10 onto the print medium W based on the image data acquired from the external device 114. Further, the first drive circuit 115 transports the print medium W in a prescribed transport direction by driving the transport motor 11. In this way, the first drive circuit 115 prints an image based on the image data on the print medium W by alternately repeating the printing cycle and the transport operation.

[0048] The control device 110 outputs a control signal to the second drive circuit 116. The second drive circuit 116 generates a drive signal based on the control signal and controls the operation of the transport motor 23 included in the transport unit 2. In this case, the second drive circuit 116 controls the operation of the transport motor 23 based on the detection results of the first transport sensor S1, the second transport sensor S2, and the third transport sensor S3 included in the transport unit 2.

[0049] The control device 110 outputs a control signal to the third drive circuit 117. The third drive circuit 117 generates a drive signal based on the control signal and controls the operations of the upper die lifting motor 34 and the lower die moving motor 140 included in the die unit 3. Further, the control device 110 outputs a control signal to the fourth drive circuit 118. The fourth drive circuit 118 generates a drive signal based on the control signal and controls the operation of the pusher motor 46 included in the front-side member supply unit 4. Moreover, the control device 110 outputs a control signal to the fifth drive circuit 119. The fifth drive circuit 119 generates a drive signal based on the control signal and controls the operation of the pusher motor 56 included in the back-side member supply unit 5. Further, the control device 110 outputs a control signal to the sixth drive circuit 120. The sixth drive circuit 120 generates a drive signal based on the control signal and controls the operation of the pressing motor 60 included in the pressing unit 6. Further, the control device 110 outputs a control signal to the seventh drive circuit 150. The seventh drive circuit 150 generates a drive signal based on the control signal and controls the operation of the take-out motor 70 included in the take-out unit 7.

[0050] (Print Medium and White Film)

[0051] Next, the print medium W and the white film F transported from the printing unit 1 to the lower die 30 by the transport unit 2 will be described. Figure 4A is a top view showing the print medium W, Figure 4B is a top view showing the white film F. Further,Figure 5 is Figure 4A an enlarged view of the region Re in

[0052] The printed medium W and the can members CE (that is, the front side member SE and the back side member BE) together form a can product 200, which is, for example, a transparent sheet. As Figure 4A shown, the printed medium W has a rectangular shape. The printed medium W has one end We1 in a direction D1 (corresponding to a specified direction) parallel to the transport direction Dc1 when being transported by the transport unit 2 toward the die unit 3, and the other end We2 on the side opposite to the one end We1. In the transport direction Dc1, one end We1 of the printed medium W corresponds to the downstream end, and the other end We2 corresponds to the upstream end.

[0053] The printed medium W includes a sheet-like connected portion Wb connected to the front side member SE and the back side member BE by the die unit 3, a sheet-like remaining portion Wa different from the connected portion Wb, and a plurality of first connecting portions Wc connecting the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa. The remaining portion Wa is arranged so as to surround the connected portion Wb. Thus, the remaining portion Wa has the above-mentioned one end We1 and the other end We2 in the direction D1. In addition, the printed medium W has a first cut portion Wf between the above-mentioned plurality of first connecting portions Wc and adjacent first connecting portions Wc at the boundary between the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa. Thus, between adjacent first connecting portions Wc, the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa are cut and not connected. In addition, the connected portion Wb is, for example, circular in plan view and is located closer to the one end We1 than to the other end We2. That is, the connected portion Wb is biased toward the one end We1 with respect to the remaining portion Wa. The connected portion Wb after the second cutting process described later has the same size as or larger than the connected portion Fb of the white film F.

[0054] The printed medium W further includes a linear weak portion Wd extending from the edge Wh of the one end We1 to the connected portion Wb. The first connecting portions Wc and the linear weak portion Wd constitute a weak portion having a strength smaller than that of the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa. Specifically, the following cases can be exemplified: The combination of the first connecting portion Wc and the first cut portion Wf and the linear weak portion Wd have the same thickness as the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa, but are respectively formed by perforation lines that are locally cut. As another example, the following case can be exemplified: The first connecting portions Wc and the linear weak portion Wd are depressions or the like having a thickness thinner than that of the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa.

[0055] In the case where the linear weak portion Wd is formed by a perforation line, as Figure 5As shown, the linear weak portion Wd has a plurality of second connection portions Wd3 and a plurality of second cutting portions Wd4. The plurality of second connection portions Wd3 connect the portions of the remaining portions Wa located on both sides of the linear weak portion Wd as a reference in the direction D2 orthogonal to the above-described direction D1. At the plurality of second cutting portions Wd4, the portions of the remaining portion Wa are cut off from each other. In addition, the above-described first cutting portion Wf and the second cutting portion Wd4 are continuous. More specifically, the second cutting portion Wd4 located at the position closest to the first cutting portion Wf among the plurality of second cutting portions Wd4 is continuous with the first cutting portion Wf. Thus, in the region Re, the connected portion Wb is cut off from the remaining portion Wa in an inverted T shape. On the other hand, the linear weak portion Wd has a rim-side connection portion Wd1 connected to the rim Wh of the remaining portion Wa.

[0056] The first connection portion Wc includes a connection portion Wc1, a connection portion Wc2, and a connection portion Wc3. The connection portion Wc1 connects the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa within a specified range Pw1 at the boundary between the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa. The connection portion Wc2 connects the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa within a range Pw2 different from the range Pw1 at the above-described boundary. The connection portion Wc3 connects the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa within a range Pw3 different from the ranges Pw1 and Pw2 at the above-described boundary. The portion of the connected portion Wb within the range Pw1 is pressed against the lower die 30 by a later-described first pressing portion 66e provided in the pressing unit 6. The portion of the connected portion Wb within the range Pw2 is pressed against the lower die 30 by a later-described second pressing portion 66f. It should be noted that the range Pw3 corresponds to the first range, and the ranges Pw1 and Pw2 correspond to the second range.

[0057] The first connection portion Wc is provided in a larger amount in the specified range Pw3 at the boundary between the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa than in the ranges Pw1 and Pw2. That is, the number of the connection portions Wc3 is larger than the total number of the connection portions Wc1 and the connection portions Wc2. It should be noted that the two connection portions Wc existing on the straight line orthogonal to the transport direction Dc1 and passing through the center Cw of the connected portion Wb may be included in the connection portion Wc1 and the connection portion Wc2, or may be included in the connection portion Wc3.

[0058] Here, a mark portion MR is provided in the remaining portion Wa and is arranged on one side of the direction D2 with the center in the direction D2 as a reference. The mark portion MR can be, for example, three line segments extending in the direction D1 and arranged side by side in the direction D2.

[0059] The structure of the white film F is substantially the same as that of the printed medium W. The white film F, like the printed medium W, constitutes the can product 200 together with the can member CE. As Figure 4B shown, the white film F has a rectangular shape. The white film F has one end Fe1 in the direction D1 and the other end Fe2 on the side opposite to the one end Fe1. In the conveying direction Dc1, one end Fe1 of the white film F corresponds to the downstream end, and the other end Fe2 corresponds to the upstream end.

[0060] The white film F includes a sheet-like connected portion Fb connected by the die unit 3 to the front-side member SE and the back-side member BE, a sheet-like remaining portion Fa different from the connected portion Fb, and a plurality of first connecting portions Fc connecting the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa. The remaining portion Fa is arranged so as to surround the connected portion Fb. Thus, the remaining portion Fa has the above-mentioned one end Fe1 and the other end Fe2 in the direction D1. In addition, the white film F has the above-mentioned plurality of first connecting portions Fc and a first cutting portion Ff between adjacent first connecting portions Fc at the boundary between the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa. Thus, between adjacent first connecting portions Fc, the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa are cut and not connected. In addition, the connected portion Fb is, for example, circular in plan view and is located closer to the one end Fe1 than to the other end Fe2. That is, the connected portion Fb is biased toward the one end Fe1 with respect to the remaining portion Fa.

[0061] The white film F further includes a linear weak portion Fd extending from the one end Fe1 to the connected portion Fb. The first connecting portion Fc and the linear weak portion Fd constitute a weak portion having a smaller strength than the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa. Specifically, the following cases can be exemplified: The combination of the first connecting portion Fc and the first cutting portion Ff and the linear weak portion Fd and the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa have the same thickness, but are respectively formed by perforation lines that are locally cut. In addition, as another example, the following case can be exemplified: The first connecting portion Fc and the linear weak portion Fd are depressions or the like having a thickness thinner than that of the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa. It should be noted that the structure of the linear weak portion Fd in the case of being formed by a perforation line is the same as that of the Figure 5 linear weak portion Wd therein, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0062] The first connecting portion Fc includes a connecting portion Fc1, a connecting portion Fc2, and a connecting portion Fc3. The connecting portion Fc1 connects the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa within a range Pf1 corresponding to the range Pw1 at the boundary between the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa. The connecting portion Fc2 connects the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa within a range Pf2 corresponding to the range Pw2 at the above-mentioned boundary. The connecting portion Fc3 connects the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa within a range Pf3 corresponding to the range Pw3 at the above-mentioned boundary. The portion of the connected portion Fb within the range Pf1 is pressed against the lower die 30 by a first pressing portion 66e (described later) provided in the pressing unit 6, and the portion of the connected portion Fb within the range Pf2 is pressed against the lower die 30 by a second pressing portion 66f (described later).

[0063] The first connecting portion Fc has more of the specified range Pf3 at the boundary between the connected portion Fb and the remaining portion Fa than in the ranges Pf1 and Pf2. That is, the number of the connecting portions Fc3 is larger than the sum of the numbers of the connecting portions Fc1 and Fc2. It should be noted that the two connecting portions Fc existing on the straight line orthogonal to the conveying direction Dc1 and passing through the center Cf of the connected portion Fb may be included in the connecting portion Fc1 and the connecting portion Fc2, or may be included in the connecting portion Fc3.

[0064] A marking portion MR is provided in the remaining portion Fa and is arranged on one side of the direction D2 with reference to the center in the direction D2. The marking portion MR can be, for example, 3 line segments extending in the direction D1 and arranged side by side in the direction D2. It should be noted that the marking portion MR may also be arranged on the other side of the direction D2 with reference to the center of the remaining portion Fa in the direction D2.

[0065] (Conveying unit)

[0066] Next, the conveying unit 2 will be described. Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the structure of the conveying unit 2. Figure 7 is Figure 6 a side view of the conveying unit 2.

[0067] The transport unit 2 transports the remaining portion Wa of the print medium W and the remaining portion Fa of the white film F in the direction opposite to the above-described transport direction Dc1, that is, in the transport direction Dc2, to the recycling box 8. Thus, the remaining portion Wa of the print medium W and the remaining portion Fa of the white film F are recycled as waste portions into the recycling box 8. In the present embodiment, a film transport process is performed in which the white film F is transported by the transport unit 2 in such a manner that it is placed on the front-side member SE held by the lower die 30 prior to the print medium W. It should be noted that the transport method of the transport unit 2 for the print medium W and the transport method of the transport unit 2 for the white film F are the same. Therefore, the transport of the print medium W will be representatively described below.

[0068] As Figure 6 and Figure 7 shown, the transport unit 2 includes support plates 20, 22, a pair of transport guides 21, a transport motor 23, drive rollers Rk1 to Rk6, and annular drive belts Be1 to Be6.

[0069] The support plates 20, 22 extend in the vertical direction Dz and are arranged at intervals from each other in the horizontal direction Dy. The support plate 20 and the support plate 22 are connected by a plurality of plate connection shafts 24 extending in the horizontal direction Dy. A transport guide 21 that bends forward from the rear part of the lower end of the support plate 20 and extends upward is provided on the support plate 20. The transport guide 21 is similarly provided on the support plate 22. The transport guide 21 has a first guide main body portion 21a and a second guide main body portion 21b. A groove-shaped space is provided between the first guide main body portion 21a and the second guide main body portion 21b, and during transport, the end portions in the horizontal direction Dy of the print medium W are inserted into this space. The first guide main body portion 21a has a shape that bends or curves forward from the rear part of the lower end of the support plate 20, extends upward, and then bends or curves backward. The second guide main body portion 21b has a shape that bends or curves forward from the rear part of the lower end of the support plate 20 and extends upward. The first guide main body portion 21a is disposed as a whole at a position rearward of the second guide main body portion 21b.

[0070] The conveying motor 23 is provided on the support plate 22. A drive gear Ga1 is connected to the rotating shaft of the conveying motor 23. Drive rollers Rk1 to Rk6 are provided on the support plate 22. A drive gear Gb1 is connected to the rotating shaft of the drive roller Rk1. A drive gear Gb2 is connected to the rotating shaft of the drive roller Rk2. A drive gear Gb3 is connected to the rotating shaft of the drive roller Rk3. A drive gear Gb4 is connected to the rotating shaft of the drive roller Rk4. A drive gear Gb5 is connected to the rotating shaft of the drive roller Rk5. A drive gear Gb6 is connected to the rotating shaft of the drive roller Rk6. The drive rollers Rk1 to Rk6 are located to the left of the support plate 22. The drive roller Rk1 is arranged behind and below the drive gear Ga1. The drive roller Rk2 is arranged in front of the drive roller Rk1, behind the drive gear Ga1, and above the drive roller Rk1. The drive roller Rk3 is arranged above the drive roller Rk2. The drive roller Rk4 is arranged above the drive roller Rk3. The drive roller Rk5 is arranged behind and above the drive roller Rk4. The drive roller Rk6 is arranged in front of the drive roller Rk5. A drive belt Be1 is stretched between the drive gear Ga1 and the drive gear Gb1. A drive belt Be2 is stretched between the drive gear Gb1 and the drive gear Gb2. A drive belt Be3 is stretched between the drive gear Gb2 and the drive gear Gb3. A drive belt Be4 is stretched between the drive gear Gb3 and the drive gear Gb4. A drive belt Be5 is stretched between the drive gear Gb4 and the drive gear Gb5. A drive belt Be6 is stretched between the drive gear Gb5 and the drive gear Gb6. With such a structure, the driving force of the conveying motor 23 is transmitted to the drive rollers Rk1, Rk2, Rk3, Rk4, Rk5, and Rk6 via the drive belts Be1 to Be6.

[0071] In the first guide member main body portion 21a and the second guide member main body portion 21b, cutouts Ng are respectively provided corresponding to the drive rollers Rk2 to Rk4. The drive roller Rk1 has a drive shaft Sa1 extending in the left-right direction Dy and a pair of drive-side rollers Ro1. And, a pair of driven-side rollers Ro2 are provided so as to face the pair of drive-side rollers Ro1 respectively. The pair of driven-side rollers Ro2 are respectively connected to a driven shaft Sa2. In addition, the drive roller Rk2 has a drive shaft Sa3 extending in the left-right direction Dy and a pair of drive-side rollers Ro3. And, a pair of driven-side rollers Ro4 are provided so as to face the pair of drive-side rollers Ro3 respectively. The pair of driven-side rollers Ro4 are respectively connected to a driven shaft Sa4. The pair of drive-side rollers Ro3 are disposed in the cutout Ng of the first guide member main body portion 21a, and the pair of driven-side rollers Ro4 are disposed in the cutout Ng of the second guide member main body portion 21b. And, both end portions of the print medium W in the left-right direction Dy are clamped by the drive-side roller Ro3 and the driven-side roller Ro4. It should be noted that the structure corresponding to the drive rollers Rk5, Rk6 (that is, a pair of drive-side rollers, a pair of driven-side rollers, a drive shaft, and a driven shaft) is the same as the above-described structure corresponding to the drive roller Rk1, and thus the description thereof is omitted. In addition, the structure corresponding to the drive rollers Rk3, Rk4 (that is, a pair of drive-side rollers, a pair of driven-side rollers, a drive shaft, and a driven shaft) is the same as the above-described structure corresponding to the drive roller Rk2, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0072] When the conveyance drive motor 23 is driven, the driving force of the conveyance drive motor 23 is transmitted to the drive rollers Rk1 to Rk6. Thereby, the print medium W is conveyed to the lower die 30 by the rotation of the drive-side roller Ro1 and the driven-side roller Ro2, the rotation of the drive-side roller Ro3 and the driven-side roller Ro4, the rotation of the drive-side roller Ro5 and the driven-side roller Ro6, the rotation of the drive-side roller Ro7 and the driven-side roller Ro8, and the rotation of the drive-side roller Ro9 and the driven-side roller Ro10.

[0073] Here, as Figure 7As shown, a transport guide piece 25 is provided between the support plate 20 and the support plate 22, which is disposed above the second guide piece main body portion 21b and in front of the first guide piece main body portion 21a as a whole. The transport guide piece 25 has flexibility and is made of resin, for example. The proximal end of the transport guide piece 25 is fixed to the support plates 20 and 22, and the front end of the transport guide piece 25 is a free end. The front end of the transport guide piece 25 faces the first guide piece main body portion 21a. The farther rearward, that is, the closer to the lower die 30, the smaller the distance between the transport guide piece 25 and the first guide piece main body portion 21a. The printed medium W is guided by the first guide piece main body portion 21a and the transport guide piece 25 toward the driving side roller Ro9 and the driven side roller Ro10. Thereafter, the printed medium W is transported by the driving side roller Ro9 and the driven side roller Ro10 along the transport direction Dc1 to the lower die 30 of the die unit 3. As described above, the first transport path Cp1 of the printed medium W to the lower die 30 of the die unit 3 is constituted by the first guide piece main body portion 21a, the second guide piece main body portion 21b, and the transport guide piece 25.

[0074] A first transport sensor S1, which is a contact sensor, for example, is provided rearward of the driving side roller Ro1 and the driven side roller Ro2. In addition, a second transport sensor S2, which is a contact sensor, for example, is provided between the first guide piece main body portion 21a and the transport guide piece 25. The second drive circuit 116 drives the transport motor 23 when the first transport sensor S1 detects the printed medium W supplied from the printing unit 1. In addition, when the second transport sensor S2 detects the downstream end of the printed medium W, the second drive circuit 116 controls the drive of the transport motor 23 based on the rotation amount of the transport motor 23 obtained by an encoder (not shown) immediately after the detection. Thus, the printed medium W is transported to a specified position of the die unit 3 with high precision.

[0075] A transport guide member 26 and a transport guide piece 27 are provided between the driving side roller Ro9 and the driven side roller Ro10 and the driving side roller Ro11 and the driven side roller Ro12. The transport guide member 26 is located above the transport guide piece 27. The transport guide member 26 extends in the front-rear direction Dx. The rear end (that is, the end portion on the lower die 30 side) 26a of the transport guide member 26 is formed to bend upward. On the other hand, the transport guide piece 27 has flexibility and is made of resin, for example. The transport guide piece 27 extends in the front-rear direction Dx. The rear end 27a of the transport guide piece 27 is located in front of the rear end 26a of the transport guide member 26. The rear end 27a of the transport guide piece 27 is formed to bend downward. The transport guide piece 27 intersects the first transport path Cp1 when viewed in side view as shown. In such a structure, the second transport path Cp2 of the remaining portions Wa and Fa from the lower die 30 of the die unit 3 to the recycling box 8 is constituted by the transport guide member 26 and the transport guide piece 27. Figure 7 As shown, it intersects the first transport path Cp1 when viewed in side view. In such a structure, the second transport path Cp2 of the remaining portions Wa and Fa from the lower die 30 of the die unit 3 to the recycling box 8 is constituted by the transport guide member 26 and the transport guide piece 27.

[0076] When the conveyance guide piece 27 is being conveyed while the print medium W is being conveyed along the first conveyance path Cp1, the lower surface is lifted by the downstream end portion of the print medium W and flexed upward. Thereby, the conveyance guide piece 27 allows the print medium W to be conveyed from the drive-side roller Ro7 and the driven-side roller Ro8 to the drive-side roller Ro9 and the driven-side roller Ro10. When the print medium W is conveyed in the conveyance direction Dc1 and reaches a specified position of the lower die 30, its upstream end portion is in a state of being held by the drive-side roller Ro9 and the driven-side roller Ro10 and is in a state of being located on the downstream side of the first conveyance path Cp1 with respect to the conveyance guide piece 27. At this time, the conveyance guide piece 27 returns to a state of intersecting the first conveyance path Cp1 again due to its flexibility.

[0077] The print medium W conveyed to the specified position of the lower die 30 as described above is subjected to a cutting process of the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa by the pressing unit 6 described later. After that, a separation process is performed in which the remaining portion Wa is separated from the connected portion Wb and only the remaining portion Wa is discarded. In the separation process, while the connected portion Wb is pressed against the surface-side member SE disposed on the lower die 30 by the pressing unit 6, the second drive circuit 116 reverses the conveyance motor 23. In this case, the driving force of the conveyance motor 23 (that is, the driving force based on the reverse rotation) is transmitted to the drive roller Rk5 and the drive roller Rk6 via the drive rollers Rk1 to Rk4. Thereby, the remaining portion Wa is separated from the connected portion Wb. The remaining portion Wa is conveyed in the conveyance direction Dc2 after separation, contacts the outer side surface of the conveyance guide piece 27, and is guided to the second conveyance path Cp2, and is conveyed toward the drive-side roller Ro11 and the driven-side roller Ro12. In this case, since the rear end 27a of the conveyance guide piece 27 is bent downward, the remaining portion Wa is easily guided to the second conveyance path Cp2. After that, the edge portion We2 of the remaining portion Wa is clamped and conveyed by the drive-side roller Ro11 and the driven-side roller Ro12, and the remaining portion Wa is recovered into the recovery box 8.

[0078] A third transport sensor S3, which is a contact sensor for example, is provided in front of the drive-side roller Ro9 and the driven-side roller Ro10 and behind the drive-side roller Ro11 and the driven-side roller Ro12. It is possible to determine the presence or absence of the conveyance of the remaining portion Wa to the collection box 8 based on the detection result of the third transport sensor S3. When the third transport sensor S3 cannot detect the remaining portion Wa within a specified time after the second drive circuit 116 starts the reverse rotation of the transport motor 23, the control device 110 determines that a jam of the remaining portion Wa has occurred. In addition, the control device 110 may also determine that a jam of the remaining portion Wa has occurred when the remaining portion Wa is still detected after a specified time has elapsed after the third transport sensor S3 detects the remaining portion Wa. When the control device 110 determines that a jam of the remaining portion Wa has occurred, the control device 110 causes the second drive circuit 116 to stop the rotation of the transport motor 23.

[0079] (Pressing unit)

[0080] Next, the pressing unit 6 will be described. Figure 8 It is a top view showing the lower plate Mp1 and the upper plate Mp2 provided on the lower die 30. Figure 9A It is a perspective view of the pressing unit 6, Figure 9B It is from the same direction as Figure 9A A perspective view of the pressing unit 6 when viewed from a different direction. Figure 10 It is a view showing the standby position Psa of the pressing head 66 of the pressing unit 6, Figure 11 It is a view showing the pressing position Psb of the pressing head 66 of the pressing unit 6.

[0081] As described above, the pressing unit 6 presses the printing medium W and the white film F against the lower die 30. Specifically, the pressing unit 6 performs a cutting process (first cutting process) of cutting at least a part of a plurality of connecting portions Fc of the white film F of the front-side member SE held on the lower die 30. Similarly, the pressing unit 6 performs a cutting process (second cutting process) of cutting at least a part of a plurality of first connecting portions Wc of the printing medium W disposed on the connected portion Fb (that is, the connected portion Fb after the first cutting process) disposed on the front-side member SE. Through the first cutting process and the second cutting process, a state is achieved in which the connected portion Fb and the connected portion Wb are stacked on the front-side member SE held on the lower die 30. Since the first cutting process and the second cutting process are basically the same, the second cutting process performed by the pressing unit 6 will be described below as a representative example.

[0082] As Figure 8As shown, the pressing unit 6 has a lower plate Mp1 disposed on the lower die 30 and an upper plate Mp2 disposed on the lower plate Mp1. The lower plate Mp1 has a lower plate main body 121 in a substantially rectangular plate shape and guide side walls 122 erected from the left and right side edge portions of the lower plate main body 121 respectively. The distance between the rear ends of the left guide side wall 122 and the right guide side wall 122 is smaller than the distance between the front ends of the left guide side wall 122 and the right guide side wall 122. The distance between the rear ends of the left guide side wall 122 and the right guide side wall 122 is the same as or slightly larger than the left-right dimension (i.e., the width dimension) of the printed medium W and the left-right dimension of the white film F. Through such guide side walls 122, it is easy to position the printed medium W and the white film F transported from the transport unit 2 relative to the front-side member SE held by the lower die 30.

[0083] A rectangular cutout 123 that opens at the front portion of the lower plate main body 121 and a cutout 124 that opens adjacent to the rear end of the cutout 123 and is convex and semi-circular toward the rear are provided in the lower plate main body 121. The diameter dimension of the cutout 124 is substantially the same as the diameter dimension of the concave portion (i.e., the holding portion of the front-side member SE) of the lower die 30. Bearing walls 125 are erected from the left and right side edge portions of the front portion of the lower plate main body 121 respectively. Bearing holes are formed in each bearing wall 125, and a plate support shaft 126 extending in the left-right direction is inserted through each bearing hole. Thus, the lower plate Mp1 can swing up and down with the bearing walls 125 as a base point via the plate support shaft 126. In addition, a guide portion Bt1 ( Figure 7 ) that bends downward is provided at the front end of the lower plate main body 121. Moreover, guide pieces 127 that extend rearward and whose rear ends bend upward are provided at the left and right portions of the rear end of the lower plate main body 121 respectively. Through the guide pieces 127, when the lower dies 30 and 31 rotate, the lower plate Mp1 smoothly moves onto the upper surfaces of the lower dies 30 and 31, and thus, it is easy to position the lower plate Mp1 relative to the lower dies 30 and 31.

[0084] A rectangular cutout 128 that opens at the rear end of the upper plate Mp2 and a semi-circular cutout 129 that opens adjacent to the front end of the cutout 128 are provided in the upper plate Mp2. The diameter dimension of the cutout 128 is substantially the same as the diameter dimension of the concave portion (i.e., the holding portion of the front-side member SE) of the lower die 30. As described above, since the rear portion of the upper plate Mp2 is cut, the rear portion of the lower plate main body 121 is exposed at the rear portion.

[0085] Bearing walls 130 are respectively erected on the left and right side edge portions of the front part of the upper plate Mp2. Each bearing wall 130 is arranged inside the corresponding bearing wall 125. Bearing holes are formed in each bearing wall 130, and the above-mentioned plate support shaft 126 is inserted through each bearing hole. Thus, the upper plate Mp2 can swing up and down with the bearing wall 130 as a base point via the plate support shaft 126. In addition, a guiding portion Bt2 that bends upward is provided at the front end of the upper plate Mp2. The guiding portion Bt2 and the above-mentioned guiding portion Bt1 smoothly guide the printed medium W and the white film F transported from the transport unit 2 between the lower plate Mp1 and the upper plate Mp2.

[0086] The upper plate Mp2 and the lower plate Mp1 are stacked on top of each other vertically. In the state where the upper plate Mp2 and the lower plate Mp1 are stacked, the semicircular cutout 124 of the lower plate Mp1 and the semicircular cutout 129 of the upper plate Mp2 are combined together, thereby forming a circular opening for exposing the concave portions of the lower dies 30 and 31.

[0087] The pressing unit 6 also has the following components. As Figure 9A and Figure 9B shown, the pressing unit 6 includes a pressing motor 60, a pair of support plates 61, a connecting shaft 62, a rocker arm 63, a support block 64, a remaining part pressing head 65, and a pressing head 66 that presses against the printed medium W.

[0088] The pressing motor 60 is fixed to one support plate 61. The rotating shaft of the pressing motor 60 is inserted through one support plate 61 in a rotatable manner. A plurality of drive gears Ga2, Ga31, Ga32, Ga41, Ga42, and Ga5 are provided between one support plate 61 and the other support plate 61. The drive gear Ga2 is connected to the rotating shaft of the pressing motor 60. The drive gear Ga2 meshes with the drive gear Ga31. The drive gear Ga32 is arranged coaxially with the drive gear Ga31. The drive gear Ga32 meshes with the drive gear Ga41. The drive gear Ga42 is arranged coaxially with the drive gear Ga41. The drive gear Ga42 meshes with the drive gear Ga5. In the drive gear Ga5, a connecting shaft 62 is provided coaxially with the drive gear Ga5 and penetrates through the drive gear Ga5. The base end of the rocker arm 63 is connected to the drive gear Ga5 by the connecting shaft 62. For example, a protrusion is provided on the drive gear Ga5, and the protrusion fits into a recess at the base end of the rocker arm 63. In such a structure, if the pressing motor 60 is driven to rotate, its driving force is transmitted to the drive gears Ga2, Ga31, Ga32, Ga41, Ga42, and Ga5.

[0089] A support block 64 is connected to the top end of the rocker arm 63. The support block 64 supports the pressing head 66. If the pressing motor 60 is driven to rotate and the drive gear Ga5 rotates, the rocker arm 63 is in Figure 10rotate in the rotation direction Dr1. Specifically, if the drive gear Ga5 rotates forward, for example, the rocker arm 63 rotates from the position where the pressing head 66 waits, i.e., the standby position Psa ( Figure 10 ) to the position where the pressing head 66 presses the connected portion Wb, i.e., the pressing position Psb ( Figure 11 ). On the other hand, if the drive gear Ga5 rotates backward, for example, the rocker arm 63 rotates from the pressing position Psb to the standby position Psa.

[0090] The remaining part of the pressing head 65 has a support shaft 65a, a head main body portion 65b, and a spring 65c. The base end of the support shaft 65a is connected to the spring 65c. As Figure 11 shown, when the pressing head 66 is in the pressing position Psb, the support shaft 65a extends along the conveying direction Dc2. In addition, the head main body portion 65b is connected to the top end of the support shaft 65a. When the pressing head 66 is in the pressing position Psb, the head main body portion 65b is located on the downstream side of the pressing head 66 in the conveying direction Dc2. When the head main body portion 65b of the pressing head 66 is in the pressing position Psb, the spring 65c applies a force to the head main body portion 65b in the direction of pressing the remaining part Wa of the printing medium W sandwiched between the lower plate Mp1 and the upper plate Mp2. Thereby, the head main body portion 65b presses the remaining part Wa toward the rear end center portion 121a of the lower plate main body 121.

[0091] The pressing head 66 of the pressing unit 6 presses the pressing head 66 against a position below the placement surface of the lower die 30 (that is, the support surface of the connected portion Wb) closer to the inner bottom surface during the second cutting process. Such a pressing head 66 has pressing ends 66a, 66b, 66c, 66d, a first pressing portion 66e, and a second pressing portion 66f that press the connected portion Wb in the printed medium W against the lower die 30. The pressing ends 66a, 66b, 66c, 66d, the first pressing portion 66e, and the second pressing portion 66f face the connected portion Wb of the printed medium W when the pressing head 66 is in the pressing position Psb. The pressing end 66a and the pressing end 66b are located on the left and right sides in the left-right direction Dy when the pressing head 66 is in the pressing position Psb. The pressing ends 66c and 66d are located in the front and rear in the front-rear direction Dx when the pressing head 66 is in the pressing position Psb. The first pressing portion 66e is located between the pressing end 66a and the pressing end 66c. The first pressing portion 66e presses the first position Pw1 of the connected portion Wb when the pressing head 66 is in the pressing position Psb. The second pressing portion 66f is located between the pressing end 66b and the pressing end 66c. The second pressing portion 66f presses the second position Pw2 of the connected portion Wb when the pressing head 66 is in the pressing position Psb. It should be noted that, among the portions of the pressing head 66 that face the connected portion Wb when the pressing head 66 is in the pressing position Psb, the portions other than the above-mentioned pressing ends 66a, 66b, 66c, 66d, the first pressing portion 66e, and the second pressing portion 66f have a spherical shape that is recessed upward. Thereby, it is possible to make the above-mentioned portions conform to the surface shape of the front-side member SE.

[0092] The first pressing portion 66e is formed to be located below the second pressing portion 66f when the pressing head 66 is in the pressing position Psb. Thus, when the swing arm 63 rotates and the pressing head 66 is disposed at the pressing position Psb during the second cutting process, the control device 110 causes the first pressing portion 66e to press the first position Pw1 of the connected portion Wb prior to the second pressing portion 66f. That is, during the second cutting process, the control device 110 causes the first pressing portion 66e to press the first position Pw1 of the connected portion Wb, and after causing the first pressing portion 66e to press the first position Pw1 of the connected portion Wb, causes the second pressing portion 66f to press the second position Pw2 of the connected portion Wb. Through such a second cutting process, at least the connecting portion Wc1 and the connecting portion Wc2 among the connecting portion Wc1, the connecting portion Wc2, and the connecting portion Wc3 of the print medium W are cut. After the second cutting process, the control device 110 performs the following second separation process of cutting all of the connecting portion Wc3 in the first connecting portion Wc and separating the remaining portion Wa from the connected portion Wb. It should be noted that the first separation process of cutting all of the connecting portion Fc3 in the first connecting portion Fc and separating the remaining portion Fa from the connected portion Fb after the first cutting process is substantially the same as the second separation process. Therefore, the second separation process will be described below as a representative example.

[0093] The pressing unit 6 further includes a cutting portion 67. The cutting portion 67 is provided at the pressing end 66d. The cutting portion 67 has a triangular shape. When the first pressing portion 66e is pressed against the connected portion Wb within the range Pw1 and the second pressing portion 66f is pressed against the connected portion Wb within the range Pw2, the cutting portion 67 is located downstream of the downstream end of the linear weak portion Wd of the print medium W in the transport direction Dc2 in the transport direction Dc2. When the first pressing portion 66e is pressed against the connected portion Wb within the range Pw1 and the second pressing portion 66f is pressed against the connected portion Wb within the range Pw2, the cutting portion 67 is positioned such that the apex of the triangle is on the upstream side in the transport direction Dc2.

[0094] In the second separation process, as described above, in a state where the connecting portion Wb is pressed by the first pressing portion 66e and the second pressing portion 66f, the control device 110 causes the transport unit 2 to transport the printed medium W in the transport direction Dc2. As a result, by cutting all the connecting portions Wc3, the remaining portion Wa is separated from the connected portion Wb. At this time, in a state where the remaining portion Wa is pressed against the lower plate main body 121 by the head main body portion 65b, the cutting portion 67 cuts the linear weak portion Wd starting from the end portion Wd2 on the other end We2 side in the direction D1 in the linear weak portion Wd. After that, the remaining portion Wa is transported to the recycling box 8 by the transport unit 2. That is to say, if the remaining portion Wa is only separated from the connected portion Wb, it is in a state of surrounding the pressing head 66, and if it is transported in the transport direction Dc2 as it is, it will be hooked on the pressing head 66. However, the remaining portion Wa has a linear weak portion Wd, and this linear weak portion Wd is cut, so it is divided into a right end and a left end with the linear weak portion Wd as a boundary. And, while the remaining portion Wa is divided into a right end and a left end with the linear weak portion Wd as a boundary, it passes through the pressing head 66. As a result, the remaining portion Wa is not hooked on the pressing head 66 and is transported and recycled to the recycling box 8.

[0095] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the process of a printed medium separation method for separating the remaining portion Wa of the printed medium W from the connected portion Wb and recycling the remaining portion Wa. As Figure 12 shown, the front side member supply unit 4 supplies the front side member SE of the can member CE to the lower die 30 (step S1). Next, the transport unit 2 transports the printed medium W onto the front side member SE (step S2). Then, the connected portion Wb in the printed medium W is pressed against the lower die 30 by the pressing unit 6, thereby cutting at least a part of the first connecting portion Wc (step S3).

[0096] Next, when the remaining portion Wa of the printed medium W is transported in the transport direction Dc2 by the transport unit 2 in a state where the connected portion Wb is pressed, the cutting portion 67 cuts the linear weak portion Wd starting from the end portion Wd2 on the other end We2 side in the direction D1 in the linear weak portion Wd. And, the remaining portion Wa after the linear weak portion Wd is cut is continuously transported in the transport direction Dc2 by the transport unit 2 and recycled to the recycling box 8 (step S4).

[0097] Figure 13A is a perspective view of the front side member SE and the back side member BE, Figure 13B is through Figure 13A a cross-sectional view of the can product 200 produced by the connection of the front side member SE and the back side member BE.

[0098] The front side member SE and the back side member BE are each circular in plan view. AsFigure 13A and Figure 13B As shown in Figure 13B , the front-side member SE is a member with a peripheral portion SEa protruding downward, and the back-side member BE is a member with a peripheral portion BEa protruding upward. The canned product 200 is formed by connecting, specifically, tightening the front-side member SE held at intervals by the upper die 33, the connected portion Wb of the printed medium W, and the back-side member BE. The canned product 200 is, for example, a badge. With the peripheral portion Fg of the connected portion Fb disposed on the front-side member SE and the peripheral portion Wg of the connected portion Wb bent and held between the peripheral portion SEa and the peripheral portion BEa, the peripheral portion SEa and the peripheral portion BEa are tightened. Thereby, the canned product 200 is produced.

[0099] Here, instead of the above-described printed medium W, a printed medium Wz described below may be used. Figure 14 is a top view showing the printed medium Wz according to another example of the above-described printed medium W. It should be noted that in Figure 14 , the same reference numerals are given to the structures of the printed medium Wz that are the same as those of the printed medium W in Figure 4A , and the description thereof is omitted except in special cases.

[0100] As Figure 14 shown, the printed medium Wz, like the printed medium W, constitutes the canned product 200 together with the can member CE and is, for example, a transparent sheet. The printed medium Wz has a rectangular shape.

[0101] The printed medium Wz includes a sheet-like connected portion Wb connected to the front-side member SE and the back-side member BE by the die unit 3, a sheet-like remaining portion Wa different from the connected portion Wb, and an adhesive portion Ws provided on the remaining portion Wa and adhesively bonding the remaining portion Wa to the connected portion Wb in a manner that allows the remaining portion Wa to be separated from the connected portion Wb.

[0102] The remaining portion Wa is arranged so as to surround the connected portion Wb. The remaining portion Wa has the above-described one end We1 and the other end We2 in the direction D1. The remaining portion Wa has a circular hole portion Wah, and the hole portion Wah has substantially the same size as the connected portion Wb. The connected portion Wb is located in the hole portion Wah of the remaining portion Wa. A plurality of adhesive portions Ws are provided on the print medium Wz. Specifically, the adhesive portion Ws has a first adhesive portion Ws1 provided on one side of the connected portion Wb in the direction D1 and a second adhesive portion Ws2 provided on the other side of the connected portion Wb. The first adhesive portion Ws1 and the second adhesive portion Ws2 are composed of a release paper and an adhesive layer provided on the release paper, except for non-adhesive portions Wm1 and Wm2 described later. The first adhesive portion Ws1 and the second adhesive portion Ws2 are spaced apart in the direction D1. At least a part of the region Rw between the first adhesive portion Ws1 and the second adhesive portion Ws2 overlaps the connected portion Wb in a plan view. Thus, a part of the connected portion Wb on one side in the direction D1 is connected to the remaining portion Wa via the first adhesive portion Ws1, and a part of the connected portion Wb on the other side in the direction D1 is connected to the remaining portion Wa via the second adhesive portion Ws2.

[0103] The print medium Wz further has a linear weak portion Wd extending from the edge portion Wh of the one end We1 to the connected portion Wb. The strength of the linear weak portion Wd is smaller than the strengths of the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa.

[0104] Here, the first adhesive portion Ws1 does not overlap the linear weak portion Wd in a plan view. Specifically, the first adhesive portion Ws1 includes a first separated adhesive portion Wsd1 arranged on one side in the direction D2 and a second separated adhesive portion Wsd2 spaced apart from the first separated adhesive portion Wsd1 and arranged on the other side in the direction D2. The linear weak portion Wd is arranged between the first separated adhesive portion Wsd1 and the second separated adhesive portion Wsd2. The first separated adhesive portion Wsd1 has, for example, a trapezoidal shape having an upper base parallel to the linear weak portion Wd on the side of the linear weak portion Wd, and the second separated adhesive portion Wsd2 has, for example, a trapezoidal shape having an upper base parallel to the linear weak portion Wd on the side of the linear weak portion Wd. In addition, the second adhesive portion Ws2 has, for example, a rectangular shape or a square shape.

[0105] The first separation and adhesion portion Wsd1 has a first cut Nt1 provided on the other end side in the direction D1. The second separation and adhesion portion Wsd2 has a second cut Nt2 provided on the other end side in the direction D1. The first cut Nt1 is cut in such a way that it moves away from the linear weak portion Wd toward the side of the direction D2 as it goes in the conveying direction Dc2, and the second cut Nt2 is cut in such a way that it moves away from the linear weak portion Wd toward the other side of the direction D2 as it goes in the conveying direction Dc2. That is, the first interval It1 in the direction D2 between the end portion on the other end side in the direction D1 of the first cut Nt1 and the end portion on the other end side in the direction D1 of the second cut Nt2 is larger than the second interval It2 in the direction D2 between the end portion on the one end side in the direction D1 of the first cut Nt1 and the end portion on the one end side in the direction D1 of the second cut Nt2.

[0106] Here, when separating the remaining portion Wa from the connected portion Wb in the printed medium Wz, the connecting portion Wb is pressed by the pressing head 66 in the same manner as the above-described second cutting process. Thereby, the adhesion between the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa by the second adhesion portion Ws2 is released. Then, when the remaining portion Wa is conveyed in the conveying direction Dc2 by the conveying unit 2 in the same manner as the above-described second separation process, the adhesion between the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa by the first adhesion portion Ws1 (that is, the first separation and adhesion portion Wsd1 and the second separation and adhesion portion Wsd2) is released. Through such a process, in the printed medium Wz, the remaining portion Wa is separated from the connected portion Wb.

[0107] A non-adhesive portion Wm1 without an adhesive layer is provided on the downstream side in the conveying direction Dc2 in the first separation and adhesion portion Wsd1, and a non-adhesive portion Wm2 without an adhesive layer is provided on the downstream side in the conveying direction Dc2 in the second separation and adhesion portion Wsd2. That is, the non-adhesive portions Wm1, Wm2 are portions composed only of backing paper. Thereby, the first separation and adhesion portion Wsd1 does not adhere the connected portion Wb at the non-adhesive portion Wm1, and the second separation and adhesion portion Wsd2 does not adhere the connected portion Wb at the non-adhesive portion Wm2. By providing such non-adhesive portions Wm1, Wm2, when the remaining portion Wa is conveyed in the conveying direction Dc2 to separate it from the connected portion Wb, the first separation and adhesion portion Wsd1 and the second separation and adhesion portion Wsd2 can be easily conveyed over the pressing head 66 respectively. It should be noted that the structure of the printed medium Wz described above is also applied to the white film that constitutes the can product 200 together with the printed medium Wz.

[0108] As described above, for the printed media W and Wz according to the present embodiment, by cutting the first connecting portion Wc of the printed media W transported onto the front-side member SE, the remaining portion Wa can be easily separated from the connected portion Wb. Thus, only the connected portion Wb can be accurately positioned and arranged on the front-side member SE.

[0109] In addition, in the present embodiment, the first connecting portion Wc is provided in a larger amount in a specified range Pw3 at the boundary between the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa than in the ranges Pw1 and Pw2. That is, the number of the connecting portions Wc3 is larger than the total number of the connecting portions Wc1 and Wc2. Thus, in the second cutting process of cutting the first connecting portion Wc of the printed media W, the connecting portions Wc3 in the range Pw3 are more difficult to cut than the connecting portions Wc1 and Wc2 in the ranges Pw1 and Pw2. That is, it is possible to avoid cutting all the first connecting portions Wc in the second cutting process. Thus, it is possible to avoid the pressing of the pressing head 66 on the connected portion Wb from affecting the entire connected portion Wb, and thus the deformation of the connected portion Wb caused by the pressing can be suppressed.

[0110] In addition, in the present embodiment, the connected portion Wb is located closer to one end We1 of the remaining portion Wa than to the other end We2 of the remaining portion Wa. That is, the connected portion Wb is biased toward the one end We1 side with respect to the remaining portion Wa. Thus, the length of the linear weak portion Wd that should be cut by the cutting portion 67 in the second separating process of separating the remaining portion Wa from the connected portion Wb can be shortened. Thus, it is easy to cut the remaining portion Wa into a right end and a left end with the linear weak portion Wd as a boundary.

[0111] In addition, in the present embodiment, the strength of the linear weak portion Wd is smaller than the strengths of the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa. Thus, when the remaining portion Wa is transported in the transport direction Dc2 by the transport unit 2 in the second separating process, the linear weak portion Wd can be easily cut by the cutting portion 67.

[0112] In addition, in the present embodiment, the linear weak portion Wd has a rim-side connecting portion Wd1 connected to the rim Wh of the remaining portion Wa. Thus, before performing the second cutting process and the second separating process (for example, during transportation), the linear weak portion Wd is difficult to be cut by external pressure. Thus, the printed media W can be transported while maintaining its shape.

[0113] Further, in the present embodiment, the first cutting portion Wf and the second cutting portion Wd4 are continuous. That is, in the region Re, the connected portion Wb is cut in an inverted T shape with respect to the remaining portion Wa. As a result, after the linear weak portion Wd is cut by the cutting portion 67 in the second separation process, it is easy to divide the remaining portion Wa into a right end and a left end with respect to the connected portion Wb.

[0114] Further, in the present embodiment, the marking portion MR disposed on one side in the direction D2 with reference to the center in the direction D2 is provided on the remaining portion Wa. As a result, when the medium W to be printed is housed in the sheet holder of the printing unit 1 by the user, it is difficult to misidentify the front and back and the arrangement orientation of the medium W to be printed.

[0115] Further, in the medium Wz to be printed according to the present embodiment, in the medium Wz transported onto the front-side member SE, the adhesion between the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa by the second adhesive portion Ws2 is released, and the adhesion between the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa by the first adhesive portion Ws1 is released. As a result, the remaining portion Wa can be easily separated from the connected portion Wb. Therefore, only the connected portion Wb can be accurately positioned and arranged on the front-side member SE.

[0116] Further, in the present embodiment, a plurality of adhesive portions Ws are provided on the medium Wz to be printed. Specifically, the adhesive portion Ws has a first adhesive portion Ws1 provided on one side of the connected portion Wb in the direction D1 and a second adhesive portion Ws2 provided on the other side of the connected portion Wb. At least a part of the region Rw between the first adhesive portion Ws1 and the second adhesive portion Ws2 overlaps the connected portion Wb in a top view. As a result, it is possible to avoid providing the adhesive portion on the entire surface of the connected portion Wb, and thus it is possible to suppress the deformation of the connected portion Wb caused by the provision of the adhesive portion.

[0117] Further, in the present embodiment, the first adhesive portion Ws1 does not overlap the linear weak portion Wd in a top view. The linear weak portion Wd is disposed between the first separation adhesive portion Wsd1 and the second separation adhesive portion Wsd2. As a result, it is possible to avoid the cutting of the linear weak portion Wd by the cutting portion 67 from being difficult due to the presence of the adhesive portion when the remaining portion Wa is transported in the transport direction Dc2 by the transport unit 2.

[0118] Moreover, in the present embodiment, a first interval It1 in a direction D2 between the other end side end portions in the direction D1 of the first cut Nt1 and the other end side end portions in the direction D1 of the second cut Nt2 is larger than a second interval It2 in the direction D2 between the one end side end portions in the direction D1 of the first cut Nt1 and the one end side end portions in the direction D1 of the second cut Nt2. Thereby, it becomes easy to divide the remaining portion Wa into a right end and a left end with the linear weak portion Wd as a boundary after the linear weak portion Wd is cut by the cutting portion 67. Thereby, the divided remaining portion Wa is conveyed and recovered in the conveying direction Dc2 without interfering with the pressing unit 6.

[0119] (Modification example)

[0120] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modification examples can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, it is as follows.

[0121] In the above embodiment, the connected portion Wb is circular in a plan view, but it is not limited thereto, and it may be other shapes such as an elliptical shape.

[0122] In addition, in the above embodiment, the respective connecting portions Wc1 and the respective connecting portions Wc2 are arranged at equal intervals, but it is not limited thereto, and they may be arranged at unequal intervals. In addition, although the respective connecting portions Wc3 are arranged at unequal intervals, it is not limited thereto, and they may be arranged at equal intervals.

[0123] In addition, in the above embodiment, two adhesive portions, i.e., a first adhesive portion Ws1 and a second adhesive portion Ws2, are provided in the direction D1, but it is not limited thereto, and three or more adhesive portions may be provided.

[0124] In addition, in the above embodiment, the shapes of the first separation adhesive portion Wsd1 and the second separation adhesive portion Wsd2 are trapezoidal in a plan view, and the shape of the second adhesive portion Ws2 is rectangular or square in a plan view, but it is not limited thereto. As long as the adhesion between the connected portion Wb and the remaining portion Wa can be achieved, the shapes of the first separation adhesive portion Wsd1, the second separation adhesive portion Wsd2, and the second adhesive portion Ws2 are not particularly limited and can be arbitrarily determined.

[0125] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, in the remaining portion Wa of the print media W and Wz, the marking portion MR is disposed on one side in the direction D2 with the center in the direction D2 as a reference, but it is not limited thereto. The marking portion MR may also be disposed on the other side in the direction D2 with the center of the remaining portion Wa as a reference in the direction D2. Note that, in order to further improve the visual confirmation by the user, the marking portion MR is preferably disposed in a region with more space in the remaining portion Wa (that is, a region far from the region where the connected portion Wb and the connecting portion Wc are provided).

[0126] Moreover, instead of driving the conveyance motor 23 by the second drive circuit 116 when the print media W is detected by the first conveyance sensor S1, the control device 110 may cause the second drive circuit 116 to drive the conveyance unit 2 after the print unit 1 prints an image on the print media W. Alternatively, instead of driving the conveyance motor 23 by the second drive circuit 116 when the print media W is detected by the first conveyance sensor S1, the control device 110 may cause the second drive circuit 116 to drive the conveyance unit 2 before the print unit 1 prints an image on the print media W. Alternatively, instead of driving the conveyance motor 23 by the second drive circuit 116 when the print media W is detected by the first conveyance sensor S1, the control device 110 may cause the second drive circuit 116 to drive the conveyance unit 2 while the print unit 1 is printing an image on the print media W.

[0127] Description of Reference Numerals

[0128] 30 Lower die;

[0129] 67 Cutting portion;

[0130] 100 Can product manufacturing apparatus;

[0131] 200 Can product;

[0132] BE Backside member;

[0133] CE Can member;

[0134] D1, D2 Directions;

[0135] Dc1, Dc2 Conveyance directions;

[0136] It1 First interval;

[0137] It2 Second interval;

[0138] MR Marking portion;

[0139] Nt1 First cut;

[0140] Nt2 Second cut;

[0141] Ranges of Pw1, Pw2, and Pw3;

[0142] Rw Region between the first adhesive part and the second adhesive part;

[0143] SE Table-side member;

[0144] W, Wz Printed medium;

[0145] Wa Remaining part;

[0146] Wb Connected part;

[0147] Wc First connection part;

[0148] Wd Linear weak part;

[0149] Wd1 Edge-side connection part;

[0150] Wd2 Other-end side end part of the linear weak part;

[0151] Wd3 Second connection part;

[0152] Wd4 Second cutting part;

[0153] We1 One end of the remaining part;

[0154] We2 Other end of the remaining part;

[0155] Wf First cutting part;

[0156] Wh Edge of the remaining part;

[0157] Ws Adhesive part;

[0158] Ws1 First adhesive part;

[0159] Ws2 Second adhesive part;

[0160] Wsd1 First separated adhesive part;

[0161] Wsd2 Second separated adhesive part.

Claims

1. A printed medium that, together with a can member, forms a can product, wherein, the printed medium has: a sheet-like connected portion that is connected to the can member; a sheet-like remaining portion that is different from the connected portion; and a first connecting portion that connects the connected portion and the remaining portion.

2. The printed medium according to claim 1, wherein, at the boundary between the connected portion and the remaining portion, there are a plurality of the first connecting portions and a first cutting portion between adjacent first connecting portions. The first connecting portions are provided more in a first range than in a second range. The first range is a range on the boundary, and the second range is a range on the boundary that is different from the first range.

3. The printed medium according to claim 1, wherein, the remaining portion is arranged so as to surround the connected portion and has one end and the other end in a specified direction, the connected portion is located closer to the one end than to the other end.

4. The printed medium according to claim 3, wherein, the printed medium further has a linear weak portion that extends from the edge portion of the one end to the connected portion, and the strength of the linear weak portion is smaller than the strength of the connected portion and the remaining portion.

5. The printed medium according to claim 4, wherein, the linear weak portion has an edge portion side connecting portion connected to the edge portion of the remaining portion.

6. The printed medium according to claim 4, wherein, the linear weak portion has a second connecting portion and a second cutting portion. The second connecting portion connects the remaining portions to each other, and at the second cutting portion, the remaining portions are cut, the first cutting portion and the second cutting portion are continuous.

7. The printed medium according to claim 3, wherein, a marking portion is provided on the remaining portion, and the marking portion is arranged on one side of the cross direction with the center in the cross direction intersecting the specified direction as a reference.

8. A printed medium that, together with a can member, forms a can product, wherein, the printed medium includes: a sheet-like connected portion that is connected to the can member; a sheet-like remaining portion that is different from the connected portion; and an adhesive portion provided on the remaining portion that adhesively attaches the remaining portion to the connected portion in a manner that can be separated from the connected portion.

9. The printed medium according to claim 8, wherein, a plurality of the adhesive portions are provided.

10. The printed medium according to claim 8, wherein, the remaining portion is arranged so as to surround the connected portion, the adhesive portion has a first adhesive portion provided on one side of the connected portion in a specified direction and a second adhesive portion provided on the other side of the connected portion.

11. The printed medium according to claim 10, wherein, at least a part of the region between the first adhesive portion and the second adhesive portion overlaps the connected portion in a top view.

12. The printed medium according to claim 11, wherein, The remaining portion has one end and the other end in the specified direction and is arranged so as to surround the connected portion. The printable medium further includes a linear weak portion that extends from the edge portion on the one end side to the connected portion, and the strength of the linear weak portion is smaller than the strength of the connected portion and the remaining portion. The first adhesive portion does not overlap the linear weak portion in a plan view.

13. The printable medium according to claim 12, wherein, the first adhesive portion includes a first separated adhesive portion arranged on one side in a cross direction intersecting the specified direction and a second separated adhesive portion spaced apart from the first separated adhesive portion and arranged on the other side in the cross direction. The first separated adhesive portion has a first cut provided on the other end side in the specified direction. The second separated adhesive portion has a second cut provided on the other end side in the specified direction. A first interval in the cross direction between the other end side end portions in the specified direction of the first cut and the other end side end portions in the specified direction of the second cut is larger than a second interval in the cross direction between the one end side end portions in the specified direction of the first cut and the one end side end portions in the specified direction of the second cut.

14. A method for separating a printable medium, which separates the remaining portion from the connected portion in the printable medium according to claim 4 or 5. wherein, feeding the front side member of the front side member and the back side member of the can member downward to the lower die. transporting the printable medium onto the front side member. pressing the connected portion in the printable medium against the lower die to cut at least a part of the first connecting portion. when transporting the remaining portion of the printable medium in the specified direction in a state where the connected portion is pressed, using a cutting portion to cut the linear weak portion starting from the other end side end portion in the specified direction in the linear weak portion. transporting the remaining portion after the linear weak portion is cut in the specified direction.

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