Non-shading ink-jet printing method, device and equipment for transparent curved surface object and storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a non-shading ink-jet printing method, device and equipment for a transparent curved-surface object and a storage medium, and relates to the technical field of digital ink-jet printing, and the method comprises the following steps: fixing the transparent curved-surface object and enabling the transparent curved-surface object to rotate around the axis of the transparent curved-surface object; and the spray head is controlled to move to the position above the transparent curved-surface object, the spray head synchronously performs ink-jet printing when the transparent curved-surface object rotates, the strong curing UV lamp is kept closed in the process, and the pre-curing lamp is turned on if necessary. By controlling the transparent curved surface object to rotate for multiple times, the conflict between the nozzle and the strong curing UV lamp is avoided, and the risk that the nozzle is damaged by UV light is effectively avoided. Compared with a traditional scheme, internal shading treatment is not needed, the manual material plugging and taking procedure is omitted, the cost is reduced, and the efficiency is improved; and color and structure limitation can be broken through, various transparent curved-surface objects can be adapted, and the core problems that printing efficiency is low, adaptability is poor and a spray head is prone to being damaged in the industry are successfully solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of digital inkjet printing technology, specifically to a method, apparatus, equipment, and storage medium for inkjet printing of transparent curved objects without light obstruction. Background Technology

[0002] Inkjet printing technology, with its advantages of being non-contact, high-resolution, and applicable to a wide range of materials, is widely used in various fields such as product surface decoration, marking and coding, and personalized customization. Currently, the printing technology for conventional cylinders has stabilized, but printing patterns on transparent cylinders still faces a key challenge: because transparent materials cannot block the light emitted by UV lamps, if a transparent curved surface is directly placed on existing inkjet printing equipment, the UV light will pass through the transparent object and directly shine on the printhead, likely causing printhead damage, thus affecting production progress and resulting in economic losses. To avoid this risk, the industry generally adopts the following two solutions: One method is masking printing, which involves stuffing dark-colored materials such as black foam or cloth inside a transparent curved object to block light before printing, in order to avoid damage to the printhead from UV light. Secondly, there is filter printing, which is used for transparent curved objects of special colors. A filter device is used to filter out the light source in the UV lamp that would damage the printhead, thereby enabling printing.

[0003] However, the aforementioned existing technologies have significant shortcomings: First, the masking printing method is cumbersome, time-consuming, and labor-intensive, increasing labor costs and reducing overall printing efficiency. More importantly, some specially structured transparent curved objects cannot be internally masked, and UV light can still damage the printhead, making printing impossible. Second, filter printing has significant limitations, only suitable for a few special-colored transparent curved objects. For other colorless or light-colored transparent curved objects, masking is still required, greatly restricting the range of printing orders that processing plants can accept and making it difficult to meet diverse production needs. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an inkjet printing control method that can directly print transparent curved objects without damaging the printhead, in order to overcome the current technological bottlenecks. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method, apparatus, equipment, and storage medium for inkjet printing of transparent curved objects without light obstruction, in order to solve the problems of easy printhead damage, high labor costs, narrow applicability, and low printing efficiency in existing transparent curved object printing.

[0005] In a first aspect, to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a method for inkjet printing of transparent curved objects without light obstruction, comprising the following steps: 1) Fix the transparent curved object and allow it to rotate around its own axis; 2) Control the printhead to move above the transparent curved object. When the transparent curved object rotates, the printhead will simultaneously perform inkjet printing. During this process, the strong curing UV lamp should be kept off, and the pre-curing lamp should be turned on if necessary. Specifically, regarding situations where the pre-curing lamp needs to be turned on: when the ink volume is large or the ink has excellent leveling properties, the pre-curing lamp needs to be turned on to prevent ink from spreading on the surface of transparent curved objects; otherwise, the pre-curing lamp does not need to be turned on. Furthermore, when the pre-curing lamp is not in use, it can prevent light from causing curing clogging damage to the printhead nozzles, thus protecting the printhead; on the other hand, it can reduce the overall energy consumption of the process, achieving energy-saving effects.

[0006] It should be noted that in the printing method of this invention, the light power of the pre-curing lamp is at a low power level, and its maximum power threshold is limited to prevent the ink at the nozzle from curing and clogging; and the light power of the strong curing UV lamp is at a high power level, and its minimum power threshold is limited to ensure that the ink attached to the surface of the transparent curved object is completely cured.

[0007] 3) After the transparent curved object completes a single inkjet by rotating one full circle, keep the rotation state unchanged and control the printhead to move to a non-printing obstruction area; 4) After the printhead is moved into place, turn on the strong curing UV lamp to cure the pattern printed on the surface of the transparent curved object. 5) After curing, turn off the UV curing lamp and repeat the above steps until the 360° full-circumference precision pattern printing of the transparent curved object is completed; Throughout the printing process, no light-blocking filling is required inside the transparent curved object.

[0008] Preferably, the nozzle direction of the spray head is parallel to the axis of the transparent curved object, the spray head moves in a direction parallel to the axis of the transparent curved object, and the number of spray heads is ≥1.

[0009] Preferably, the non-printing shielding area is provided with a light-blocking plate, which is used to isolate the irradiation of the strong curing UV lamp.

[0010] Preferably, the rotation speed of the transparent curved object, the moving speed of the nozzle, and the start-stop sequence of the pre-curing lamp and the strong curing UV lamp are controlled collaboratively by the printing software program.

[0011] Preferably, the transparent curved object includes a transparent cylinder and other transparent objects with a 360° rotatable curved surface.

[0012] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a digital inkjet printing apparatus for transparent curved objects, the apparatus comprising: The beam is parallel to the axis of the transparent curved surface to be printed; The machine head is slidably connected to the crossbeam and can move along the direction of the crossbeam; A printhead module, mounted on the printhead, includes at least one printhead, and the nozzle direction of all printheads is parallel to the axis of the transparent curved object, and can spray at least one type of ink; A clamping device used to fix a transparent curved object and allow the object to rotate about its own axis; A light-blocking plate is placed on the nozzle's moving path to block the UV lamp from irradiating the nozzle during the curing stage. Pre-curing lamps are used to assist in curing during the inkjet printing stage; High-intensity UV lamps are used to cure patterns after inkjet printing. The control module is used to control the rotation of transparent curved objects, the movement of the print head and nozzles, and the start and stop of the pre-curing lamp and the strong curing UV lamp, so as to realize the coordinated operation of the printing process.

[0013] Preferably, the control module can adjust the rotation speed of the transparent curved object, the nozzle movement speed, and the curing lamp irradiation time to adapt to the printing needs of transparent curved objects of different materials.

[0014] Preferably, the clamping device is an axial positioning structure, which can be adapted to transparent curved objects of different sizes.

[0015] Thirdly, the present invention provides a light-free inkjet printing device for transparent curved objects, comprising: at least one processor, at least one memory, and computer program instructions stored in the memory, wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by the processor, the method described in the first aspect is implemented.

[0016] Fourthly, the present invention provides a storage medium storing computer program instructions thereon, characterized in that, when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the method described in the first aspect above is implemented.

[0017] Due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the technical progress achieved by this invention compared to the prior art is as follows: This invention achieves transparent printing by controlling the multiple rotations of a transparent curved object, preventing conflict between the printhead and the high-intensity UV curing lamp, thus avoiding the risk of damage to the printhead caused by UV light penetrating the transparent object. Compared to traditional light-shielding or filter printing solutions, this invention eliminates the need for any light-shielding treatment inside the transparent curved object, saving the tedious manual filling and unloading processes, significantly reducing labor costs and operation time, and improving overall printing efficiency. Furthermore, this invention overcomes the color limitations of filter printing, enabling stable printing on colorless, light-colored, or special-colored transparent curved objects, as well as internally enclosed transparent curved workpieces, greatly expanding its applicability. Therefore, this invention successfully solves the core problems in the industry: low printing efficiency, poor adaptability, and easy printhead damage in transparent curved object printing.

[0018] Furthermore, this invention, through the collaborative control of the object's rotation speed, nozzle movement speed, and curing lamp start-stop sequence by the printing software program, can ensure the accuracy of pattern printing and curing effect, and achieve high-quality printing of 360° full-circle precision patterns on transparent curved objects. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the method for printing transparent curved objects in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the printing process of a transparent curved object in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the first arrangement of the nozzle module in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a second arrangement of the nozzle module in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the third arrangement of the nozzle module in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to embodiments: Example

[0021] like Figures 1-2 As shown, the present invention provides a method for inkjet printing of transparent curved objects without light obstruction, comprising the following steps: 1) Fix the transparent curved object with a clamping device, and make the clamping device able to drive the transparent curved object to rotate around its own axis; The transparent curved object includes a transparent cylinder and other transparent objects with a 360° rotatable curved surface; and after the transparent curved object is fixed, no light-blocking filler needs to be placed inside; 2) Control the machine head to move the nozzle module above the transparent curved object; When the clamping device rotates the transparent curved object, the printhead module can synchronously perform inkjet printing according to the preset path. During this process, the strong curing UV lamp is kept off. If necessary, the pre-curing lamp can be turned on to pre-cur the initially printed pattern. Wherein, the number of nozzles in the nozzle module is ≥1, the nozzles of the nozzle module move along a direction parallel to the axis of the transparent curved object, and the nozzle direction of the nozzle module is parallel to the axis of the transparent curved object. Regarding situations where the pre-curing lamp needs to be turned on: when the ink volume is large or the ink has excellent leveling properties, the pre-curing lamp needs to be turned on to prevent ink from spreading on the surface of transparent curved objects; otherwise, the pre-curing lamp does not need to be turned on. Furthermore, when the pre-curing lamp is not in use, it can prevent light from causing curing clogging damage to the printhead nozzles, thus protecting the printhead; on the other hand, it can reduce the overall energy consumption of the process, achieving energy-saving effects.

[0022] It should be noted that in the printing method of this invention, the light power of the pre-curing lamp is at a low power level, and its maximum power threshold is limited to prevent the ink at the nozzle from curing and clogging; and the light power of the strong curing UV lamp is at a high power level, and its minimum power threshold is limited to ensure that the ink attached to the surface of the transparent curved object is completely cured. 3) After the transparent curved object completes one rotation and finishes a single inkjet, the transparent curved object remains in a rotating state. The control head moves the printhead module to a non-printing obstruction area, i.e., a light-blocking plate is provided in the non-printing obstruction area. The light-blocking plate is used to isolate the printhead module from the strong curing UV lamp and prevent the printhead from being damaged by the strong curing UV light. 4) After the printhead is moved into place, turn on the strong curing UV lamp. The strong curing UV lamp is directed towards the surface of the transparent curved object to cure the pattern printed on the surface of the transparent curved object. 5) After curing, turn off the UV curing lamp and repeat the above steps until the 360° full-circumference precision pattern printing of the transparent curved object is completed; Throughout the printing process, no light-blocking filling is required inside the transparent curved object.

[0023] In this embodiment, the rotation speed of the transparent curved object, the moving speed of the nozzle, and the start-stop sequence of the pre-curing lamp and the strong curing UV lamp are controlled collaboratively by the printing software program.

[0024] In summary, the light-free inkjet printing method for transparent curved objects proposed in this invention is based on a core design that separates printing and curing processes and staggers the operation of the printhead and the UV curing lamp. This fundamentally avoids the risk of damage to the printhead from the UV curing light and eliminates the tedious manual processes of inserting and removing ink. Compared to traditional processes, printing time is reduced by approximately 50%, while significantly lowering labor costs and improving printing efficiency. This method effectively addresses the industry pain points in printing transparent curved objects, is suitable for printing various 360° rotatable transparent curved substrates such as transparent cylinders, and has broad application prospects. Example

[0025] like Figure 2 As shown, the present invention provides an inkjet printing device for transparent curved objects without light obstruction, the device comprising: The beam is parallel to the axis of the transparent curved surface to be printed; The machine head is slidably connected to the crossbeam and can move along the direction of the crossbeam; The printhead module is fixedly mounted on the machine head via a printhead base plate. The printhead module includes at least one printhead, and the nozzle direction of all printheads is parallel to the axis of the transparent curved object, and it can spray at least one type of ink. A clamping device used to fix a transparent curved object and allow the object to rotate about its own axis; A light-blocking plate is placed on the printhead's moving path to block the strong curing UV lamp from irradiating the printhead during the curing stage. The light-blocking plate can be made of a UV-blocking material to completely shield the direct light from the strong curing UV light source and prevent the inkjet components of the printhead module from being damaged by UV radiation. Pre-curing lamps are used to assist in curing during the inkjet printing stage; High-intensity UV lamps are used to cure patterns after inkjet printing. The control module is used to control the rotation of transparent curved objects, the movement of the print head and nozzles, and the start and stop of the pre-curing lamp and the strong curing UV lamp, so as to realize the coordinated operation of the printing process.

[0026] Although the above-mentioned structures are not illustrated in this paper, they are conventional structures in the field and can be well known and applied by those skilled in the art. This solution will not elaborate on them further.

[0027] In this embodiment, the control module can adjust the rotation speed of the transparent curved object, the nozzle movement speed, and the curing lamp irradiation time to adapt to the printing needs of transparent curved objects of different materials.

[0028] In this embodiment, the clamping device is an axial positioning structure, which can be adapted to transparent curved objects of different sizes, enhancing the versatility and applicability of the device.

[0029] In this embodiment, the device also includes a precision compensation module for compensating printing accuracy. This module can calculate and generate corresponding precision compensation data based on the curvature parameters, rotational angular velocity, and inkjet frequency of the transparent curved object, and perform real-time dynamic correction on the original printing data accordingly. Through this closed-loop control method, it is possible to ensure that the pattern proportions of different areas of the transparent curved surface remain consistent, effectively improving the forming accuracy and pattern uniformity of curved surface inkjet printing.

[0030] like Figure 3 As shown, the nozzle module contains four nozzles. In the first arrangement, the four nozzles are arranged at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the nozzle base plate.

[0031] like Figure 4 As shown, the nozzle module contains four nozzles. As a second arrangement, the four nozzles are arranged at equal intervals along the horizontal direction of the nozzle base plate.

[0032] like Figure 5 As shown, the nozzle module contains four nozzles. As a third arrangement, the four nozzles are arranged in a "T" shape on the nozzle base plate.

[0033] The present invention also proposes a transparent curved object light-free inkjet printing device, characterized in that it includes: at least one processor, at least one memory, and computer program instructions stored in the memory, wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by the processor, any one of the transparent curved object light-free inkjet printing methods in the above embodiments is implemented.

[0034] The present invention also proposes a storage medium storing computer program instructions, characterized in that, when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, any one of the above embodiments of the method for printing transparent curved objects without light obstruction is implemented.

[0035] It should be noted that, in the description of this disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joint" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this disclosure according to the specific circumstances.

[0036] The present invention has been described in detail above. However, modifications or improvements can be made to it, which will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, any modifications or improvements that do not depart from the spirit of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for inkjet printing transparent curved objects without light obstruction, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: 1) Fix the transparent curved object and allow it to rotate around its own axis; 2) Control the printhead to move above the transparent curved object. When the transparent curved object rotates, the printhead will simultaneously perform inkjet printing. During this process, the strong curing UV lamp should be kept off, and the pre-curing lamp should be turned on if necessary. 3) After the transparent curved object completes a single inkjet by rotating once, keep the rotation state unchanged, control the printhead to move to a non-printing obstruction area, and block the printhead by blocking the light; 4) After the printhead is moved into place, turn on the strong curing UV lamp to cure the pattern printed on the surface of the transparent curved object. 5) After curing, turn off the UV curing lamp and repeat the above steps until the 360° full-circle precision pattern printing of the transparent curved object is completed.

2. The method for printing transparent curved objects without light obstruction according to claim 1, characterized in that, The nozzle direction of the spray head is parallel to the axis of the transparent curved object, the spray head moves in a direction parallel to the axis of the transparent curved object, and the number of spray heads is ≥1.

3. The method for printing transparent curved objects without light obstruction according to claim 1, characterized in that, The non-printing shielding area is equipped with a light-blocking plate, which is used to isolate the irradiation of the strong curing UV lamp.

4. The method for printing transparent curved objects without light obstruction using inkjet printing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotation speed of the transparent curved object, the moving speed of the nozzle, and the start-stop sequence of the pre-curing lamp and the strong curing UV lamp are controlled collaboratively by the printing software program.

5. The method for non-shading inkjet printing of transparent curved objects according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transparent curved surface objects include transparent cylinders and other transparent objects with 360° rotatable curved surfaces.

6. A digital inkjet printing device for transparent curved objects, characterized in that, The device includes: The beam is parallel to the axis of the transparent curved surface to be printed; The machine head is slidably connected to the crossbeam and can move along the direction of the crossbeam; A printhead module, mounted on the printhead, includes at least one printhead, and the nozzle direction of all printheads is parallel to the axis of the transparent curved object, and can spray at least one type of ink; A clamping device used to fix a transparent curved object and allow the object to rotate about its own axis; A light-blocking plate is placed on the nozzle's moving path to block the UV lamp from irradiating the nozzle during the curing stage. Pre-curing lamps are used to assist in curing during the inkjet printing stage; High-intensity UV lamps are used to cure patterns after inkjet printing. The control module is used to control the rotation of transparent curved objects, the movement of the print head and nozzles, and the start and stop of the pre-curing lamp and the strong curing UV lamp, so as to realize the coordinated operation of the printing process.

7. The transparent curved surface object light-free inkjet printing device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The control module can adjust the rotation speed of the transparent curved object, the nozzle movement speed, and the curing lamp irradiation time to adapt to the printing needs of transparent curved objects of different materials.

8. The transparent curved surface object light-free inkjet printing device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The clamping device is an axial positioning structure that can be adapted to transparent curved objects of different sizes.

9. A light-shielding inkjet printing device for transparent curved objects, characterized in that, include: At least one processor, at least one memory, and computer program instructions stored in the memory, which, when executed by the processor, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-5.

10. A storage medium storing computer program instructions thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the method as described in any one of claims 1-5 is implemented.

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