An aluminum foil coding device and method

Abstract

The present invention discloses an aluminum foil coding device and method, in which an ink coding component and a first laser coding component are relatively arranged on the upper and lower sides of an operating table, so that the present invention can code the aluminum foil film at the upper and lower sides at the same time, and the first visual detection component and the second visual detection component simultaneously detect the ink coding and the laser coding. Due to the characteristics of ink coding, the ink coding is difficult to be repaired by re-printing and coding. Therefore, when the ink coding is unqualified or the laser coding is deformed and has no repair value, the second laser coding component can print and cover the laser coding area, leaving an obvious destructive mark for the subsequent quality inspection and rejection process; the second visual detection component detects whether the laser coding has repair value. If the laser coding is just not clear enough or the first laser coding component has a leakage phenomenon, the second laser coding component can re-code and complete the repair work.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of aluminum foil marking, and in particular to an aluminum foil coding device and method. Background Art

[0002] In the food and medicine industry, as people's awareness of the safety of certain bottle and box caps increases, users have an increasing demand for production information traceability of such caps. The existing outer cap coding can no longer meet the anti-counterfeiting requirements, which requires marking the front and back of the aluminum foil inside such caps for anti-counterfeiting and production information traceability.

[0003] The aluminum foil inside the cover needs to be coded at the incoming material stage. In order to achieve better actual display effects while controlling costs, the aluminum foil adopts a coding solution with ink coding on the upper side and laser coding on the lower side. However, many existing coding equipment can only provide single-side coding functions and lack the ability to simultaneously perform different types of coding on both sides.

[0004] Existing coding equipment is easily affected by environmental factors during the production process, resulting in unqualified coding. For example, when coding with ink, insufficient ink may occur, resulting in unclear coding. When coding with laser, smoke will be generated. If there is a lot of dust in the environment, it is easy to contaminate the lens, causing the laser spot to become weaker and worse, resulting in unclear coding. Or the galvanometer scanning head of the laser coding equipment may distort the printing, resulting in pillow or barrel-shaped distortion in the coding. In order to control the coding quality and prevent unqualified coded products from entering the sales and circulation stage, existing coding equipment usually uses visual recognition equipment to inspect the coded products, and then uses mechanical equipment to reject the unqualified coded products. However, it is impossible to destructively mark the rejected products, and there is still a possibility of confusion and reuse.

[0005] When coding aluminum foil, it is necessary to code the same roll of aluminum foil multiple times, and then cut the roll into sections. This means that the rejection operation must be carried out after the entire roll of aluminum foil has been coded. If unqualified codes cannot be destructively marked during the first inspection, the codes will need to be re-tested when they are rejected, and the destroyed unqualified codes can be easily discovered by quality inspectors or visual recognition equipment.

[0006] At the same time, when the existing coding equipment encounters unqualified coding, it can only take the solution of rejecting the coding and lacks the ability to repair the coding, which will lead to an increase in overall production costs. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an aluminum foil coding device and method to address the problems existing in the prior art.

[0008] To achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0009] A device and method for coding aluminum foil, the device comprising a laser marking cabinet, a material conveying mechanism being provided on both sides of the laser marking cabinet, an operating table being provided within the laser marking cabinet, a first coding mechanism and a second coding mechanism being provided on both sides of the operating table, the first coding mechanism comprising an ink jet coding component and a first visual detection component, the second coding mechanism comprising a first laser jet coding component, a second visual detection component and a second laser jet coding component, the second visual detection component being located between the first and second laser jet coding components, the ink jet coding component and the first laser jet coding component being arranged opposite each other, and the first and second visual detection components being arranged opposite each other;

[0010] The aluminum foil coding method comprises the following steps:

[0011] S1, the conveying mechanism delivers the aluminum foil film to the operating table, and then the ink jet coding component and the first laser jet coding component simultaneously print codes on both sides of the aluminum foil film;

[0012] S2, the conveying mechanism moves the aluminum foil along the operating table, so that the first visual inspection component and the second visual inspection component detect the coding quality;

[0013] S3. If both the first visual inspection component and the second visual inspection component pass the inspection, the conveying mechanism recycles the aluminum foil film; if either the first visual inspection component or the second visual inspection component fails the inspection, the conveying mechanism delivers the aluminum foil film to the second laser coding component;

[0014] S4. If the second visual inspection component determines that the coding cannot be repaired or the first visual inspection component fails the inspection, the second laser coding component will cover the coding on the aluminum foil film; if the second visual inspection component determines that the coding can be repaired, the second laser coding component will re-print the coding at the coding location on the aluminum foil film.

[0015] The present invention arranges the ink jet coding assembly and the first laser jet coding assembly relatively on the upper and lower sides of the operating table, so that the present invention can simultaneously code the upper and lower sides of the aluminum foil film, and the codes are different;

[0016] The first and second visual inspection components simultaneously inspect ink and laser coding. Due to the characteristics of ink coding, ink coding is difficult to repair by reprinting. Therefore, when the ink coding is unqualified or the laser coding is deformed and cannot be repaired, the second laser coding component can print over the laser coding area, leaving a clear destructive mark for the subsequent quality inspection and rejection process.

[0017] The second visual inspection component detects whether the laser coding is worth repairing. If the laser coding is simply not clear enough or the first laser coding component has a leakage phenomenon, the second laser coding component can re-code to complete the repair work.

[0018] Preferably, the detection process of the first visual detection component is as follows: the first visual detection component photographs and scans the coding on one side of the aluminum foil film. When the coding cannot be read, the first visual detection component determines that the coding detection is unqualified.

[0019] Preferably, the detection process of the second visual detection component is as follows: the second visual detection component photographs and scans the coding on one side of the aluminum foil film. When the coding cannot be read, the second visual detection component will detect whether the coding exceeds the designed coding area on the aluminum foil film. If the coding does not exceed the designed coding area, the second visual detection component determines that the coding can be repaired.

[0020] The first visual detection component and the second visual detection component can simultaneously detect the coding on the upper and lower sides of the aluminum foil film, thereby improving detection efficiency.

[0021] Preferably, the specific steps of re-printing the code by the second laser coding component are as follows: the second laser coding component prints the code again at the coding location on the aluminum foil film, and after printing the code again, the conveying mechanism sends the aluminum foil film back to the second visual detection component, and the second visual detection component detects the code again. If the second visual detection component detects that the code is unqualified, the conveying mechanism sends the aluminum foil film to the second laser coding component, and the second laser coding component will cover the code.

[0022] The re-printing and coding by the second laser coding component can improve the overall yield rate of the production line and reduce the losses caused by unqualified products.

[0023] Preferably, the material conveying mechanism includes a pair of material reeling and unreeling mechanisms, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the laser marking cabinet. The material reeling and unreeling mechanisms are used to store and retrieve the material rolls of the aluminum foil film, and are used to release and recycle the material rolls.

[0024] Preferably, a pressure wheel guide mechanism is provided on the operating table, and the pressure wheel guide mechanism includes an active pressure wheel and a driven pressure wheel, and the active pressure wheel and the driven pressure wheel are respectively arranged at both ends of the operating table, and the active pressure wheel is used to assist the conveying mechanism to move the aluminum foil film along the operating table, and the driven pressure wheel is used to limit the moving path of the aluminum foil film.

[0025] The active pressing wheel and the driven pressing wheel can press the aluminum foil film onto the operating table to prevent the aluminum foil film from deviating during movement, which would result in failure to complete subsequent production and quality inspection processes.

[0026] Preferably, the pressure wheel guide mechanism further includes an encoder pressure wheel, which is located between the active pressure wheel and the driven pressure wheel, and is used to read the moving direction and moving distance of the aluminum foil film.

[0027] The movement of the aluminum foil film can drive the encoder pressure wheel to rotate. The encoder pressure wheel determines the moving direction of the aluminum foil film according to the rotation direction. The encoder pressure wheel determines the moving distance of the aluminum foil film according to the number of rotations.

[0028] Preferably, the first laser coding assembly includes two sets of ultraviolet lasers, and the second laser coding assembly includes a fiber laser. The ultraviolet lasers and the fiber lasers are arranged at intervals along the moving track of the aluminum foil film.

[0029] In the present invention, the first laser coding component adopts the ultraviolet laser, and the second laser coding component adopts the fiber laser. The ultraviolet laser processes by destroying the molecular bond mode of the material, and has less thermal impact. The fiber laser has higher power and greater thermal impact, and the fiber laser is more likely to cover the printing content of the ultraviolet laser.

[0030] Preferably, the ink jet coding assembly includes three sets of ink nozzles, and the ink nozzles are arranged at intervals along the moving track of the aluminum foil film.

[0031] Preferably, the laser marking cabinet includes an equipment control cabinet, which is arranged in parallel with the operating table. The equipment control cabinet is provided with a PLC controller and a display screen. The display screen, the first coding mechanism, the second coding mechanism, the conveying mechanism and the pressure wheel guide mechanism are respectively electrically connected to the PLC controller.

[0032] The PLC controller is used to control the overall operation of the first coding mechanism, the second coding mechanism, the material conveying mechanism and the pressure wheel guide mechanism, and the display screen facilitates the operator to observe the specific operation status of the equipment.

[0033] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0034] (1) The present invention arranges the ink jet coding component and the first laser jet coding component relatively on the upper and lower sides of the operating table, so that the present invention can code the aluminum foil film at the same time, and the coding is different.

[0035] (2) The present invention utilizes the first visual detection component and the second visual detection component to simultaneously detect ink coding and laser coding. Due to the characteristics of ink coding, ink coding is difficult to repair by re-printing. Therefore, when the ink coding is unqualified or the laser coding is deformed and loses its repair value, the second laser coding component can print and cover the laser coding area, leaving an obvious destructive mark for the subsequent quality inspection and rejection process.

[0036] (3) The present invention utilizes a second visual inspection component to detect whether the laser coding is worth repairing. If the laser coding is simply not clear enough or the first laser coding component has a leaking phenomenon, the second laser coding component can re-code and complete the repair work.

[0037] (4) In the present invention, the first laser coding component adopts an ultraviolet laser, and the second laser coding component adopts an optical fiber laser. The ultraviolet laser processes by destroying the molecular bond mode of the material, and has a smaller thermal impact. The optical fiber laser has a higher power and a greater thermal impact. The present invention uses an optical fiber laser to more easily cover the printing content of the ultraviolet laser. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the process of coding aluminum foil;

[0039] Figure 2 This is a structural front view of the aluminum foil coding device;

[0040] Figure 3 This is a structural side view of the aluminum foil coding device;

[0041] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the front of the aluminum foil coding device Figure 1 ;

[0042] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of point A in the middle;

[0043] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the front of the aluminum foil coding device Figure 2 ;

[0044] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A partial enlarged view of point B in the middle;

[0045] Figure 8This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the back of the aluminum foil coding device;

[0046] In the figure: 1. Laser marking cabinet; 101. Equipment control cabinet; 2. Material conveying mechanism; 3. Operating table; 4. Active pressure roller; 5. Driven pressure roller; 6. Encoder pressure roller; 7. Ink jet coding component; 8. First visual inspection component; 9. First laser jet coding component; 10. Second visual inspection component; 11. Second laser jet coding component. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solution of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0048] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "middle", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating directions or positional relationships, are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0049] like Figures 1 to 8 As shown, the specific scheme of the embodiment is as follows: an aluminum foil coding device includes a laser marking cabinet 1, and a material conveying mechanism 2 is respectively provided on both sides of the laser marking cabinet 1. The material conveying mechanism 2 includes a pair of material reeling and unreeling mechanisms, and the material reeling and unreeling mechanisms are respectively arranged on both sides of the laser marking cabinet 1. The material reeling and unreeling mechanisms include a bracket, a material tray and a driving motor. The material tray and the bracket are rotatably connected, and the driving motor is arranged on the bracket. The driving motor is used to drive the material tray to rotate. The material tray is used to store and retrieve the material roll of the aluminum foil film. The material tray is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise to release or recycle the aluminum foil film.

[0050] An operating table 3 is provided in the laser marking cabinet 1, and a pressure roller guide mechanism is provided on the operating table 3. The pressure roller guide mechanism includes an active pressure roller 4 and a driven pressure roller 5. The active pressure roller 4 and the driven pressure roller 5 are respectively arranged at both ends of the operating table 3. The active pressure roller 4 is connected to the pressure roller motor. The active pressure roller 4 is used to assist the conveying mechanism 2 to move the aluminum foil film along the operating table 3. The driven pressure roller 5 is used to limit the moving path of the aluminum foil film. On the one hand, the pressure roller guide mechanism ensures that the aluminum foil film can accurately pass through the coding position under the ink nozzle. On the other hand, it ensures that when the aluminum foil film passes through the first laser coding component 9 or the second laser coding component 11, the aluminum foil film is located within the laser working focal length range of the ultraviolet laser or the fiber laser.

[0051] The pressing wheel guide mechanism further includes an encoder pressing wheel 6, which is located between the active pressing wheel 4 and the driven pressing wheel 5. The encoder pressing wheel 6 is used to read the moving direction and moving distance of the aluminum foil film.

[0052] The laser marking cabinet 1 also includes an equipment control cabinet 101, which is arranged in parallel with the operating table 3. The equipment control cabinet 101 is provided with a PLC controller and a display screen. The display screen, the first coding mechanism, the second coding mechanism, the conveying mechanism 2 and the pressure wheel guide mechanism are electrically connected to the PLC controller respectively.

[0053] The laser marking cabinet 1 is provided with a first coding mechanism and a second coding mechanism on both sides of the operating table 3. The first coding mechanism is located above the second coding mechanism. The first coding mechanism includes an ink coding component 7 and a first visual detection component 8. The ink coding component 7 includes three sets of ink nozzles, which are arranged at intervals along the moving track of the aluminum foil film.

[0054] The second coding mechanism includes a first laser coding component 9, a second visual detection component 10 and a second laser coding component 11. The first laser coding component 9 includes two sets of ultraviolet lasers, and the second laser coding component 11 includes a fiber laser. The ultraviolet laser and the fiber laser are arranged at intervals along the moving trajectory of the aluminum foil film.

[0055] The laser marking cabinet 1 is provided with a cabinet door below the operating table 3. When the second coding mechanism is working, the cabinet door is in a closed state to provide a stable environment for laser coding.

[0056] The second visual detection component 10 is located between the first laser coding component 9 and the second laser coding component 11, the ink coding component 7 and the first laser coding component 9 are arranged opposite to each other, and the first visual detection component 8 and the second visual detection component 10 are arranged opposite to each other.

[0057] The steps for moving the aluminum foil film are as follows: start the drive motor to drive the material tray to rotate, release the aluminum foil film, and the pressure wheel motor drives the active pressure wheel 4 to drive the aluminum foil film. During the movement of the aluminum foil film, the encoder pressure wheel 6 and the driven pressure wheel 5 are driven to rotate. The aluminum foil film first passes through the driven pressure wheel 5, and then moves between the ink coding component 7 and the first laser coding component 9. The aluminum foil film then moves between the first visual detection component 8 and the second visual detection component 10, and finally moves to above the second laser coding component 11. If no re-coding is required, the aluminum foil film will pass through the active pressure wheel 4 and leave the operating table 3 and be recovered by the material reel mechanism.

[0058] A method for coding aluminum foil comprises the following steps:

[0059] S1, the conveying mechanism 2 delivers the aluminum foil film to the operating table 3, and then the ink jet coding component 7 and the first laser jet coding component 9 simultaneously print codes on both sides of the aluminum foil film;

[0060] S2, the conveying mechanism 2 moves the aluminum foil along the operating table 3, so that the first visual inspection component 8 and the second visual inspection component 10 detect the coding quality;

[0061] S2.1. The inspection process of the first visual inspection component 8 is as follows: the first visual inspection component 8 photographs and scans the code on one side of the aluminum foil. If the code cannot be read, the first visual inspection component 8 determines that the code inspection has failed.

[0062] S2.2. The inspection process of the second visual inspection component 10 is as follows: the second visual inspection component 10 photographs and scans the coding on one side of the aluminum foil. If the coding cannot be read, the second visual inspection component 10 will detect whether the coding exceeds the designed coding area on the aluminum foil. The designed coding area on the aluminum foil is set according to the type and contour shape of the coding. The second visual inspection component 10 can compare the captured coding image with a preset image to determine whether the coding exceeds the designed coding area. If the coding does not exceed the designed coding area, the second visual inspection component 10 determines that the coding can be repaired.

[0063] S3. If both the first visual inspection component 8 and the second visual inspection component 10 pass the inspection, the aluminum foil film is recovered by the conveying mechanism 2. If either the first visual inspection component 8 or the second visual inspection component 10 fails the inspection, the aluminum foil film is conveyed by the conveying mechanism 2 to the second laser coding component 11.

[0064] S4. If the second visual inspection component 10 determines that the coding cannot be repaired or the first visual inspection component 8 fails the inspection, the second laser coding component 11 will cover the coding on the aluminum foil film; if the second visual inspection component 10 determines that the coding can be repaired, the second laser coding component 11 will reprint the coding on the coded area of the aluminum foil film;

[0065] S4.1. The second laser marking assembly 11 performs the following method for covering the coding: The second laser marking assembly 11 prints a rectangular solid pattern at the location of the coding to completely destroy the coding and leave a conspicuous destructive mark;

[0066] S5, the specific steps of re-printing the code by the second laser coding component 11 are as follows: the second laser coding component 11 prints the code again at the coding location on the aluminum foil film, and after re-printing and coding, the conveying mechanism 2 sends the aluminum foil film back to the second visual inspection component 10, and the second visual inspection component 10 inspects the code again. If the second visual inspection component 10 detects that the code is unqualified, the conveying mechanism 2 sends the aluminum foil film to the second laser coding component 11, and the second laser coding component 11 covers the code;

[0067] S6. The PLC controller calculates the moving distance of the aluminum foil film according to the data provided by the encoder pressure wheel 6, and repeats the above steps S1 to S5 to perform coding at equal intervals on the aluminum foil film.

[0068] While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, and that the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for coding an aluminum foil, wherein the method uses an aluminum foil coding device, characterized in that: The aluminum foil coding device includes a laser marking cabinet, with a material conveying mechanism provided on both sides of the laser marking cabinet, an operating table provided inside the laser marking cabinet, and a first coding mechanism and a second coding mechanism provided on the upper and lower sides of the operating table, respectively. The first coding mechanism includes an ink jet coding component and a first visual detection component, and the second coding mechanism includes a first laser jet coding component, a second visual detection component, and a second laser jet coding component. The second visual detection component is located between the first laser jet coding component and the second laser jet coding component. The ink jet coding component and the first laser jet coding component are arranged opposite to each other, and the first visual detection component and the second visual detection component are arranged opposite to each other up and down. The aluminum foil coding method comprises the following steps: S1, the conveying mechanism delivers the aluminum foil film to the operating table, and then the ink jet coding component and the first laser jet coding component simultaneously print codes on both sides of the aluminum foil film; S2, the conveying mechanism moves the aluminum foil along the operating table, so that the first visual inspection component and the second visual inspection component detect the coding quality; S3. If both the first visual inspection component and the second visual inspection component pass the inspection, the conveying mechanism recycles the aluminum foil film; if either the first visual inspection component or the second visual inspection component fails the inspection, the conveying mechanism delivers the aluminum foil film to the second laser coding component; S4. If the second visual inspection component determines that the coding cannot be repaired or the first visual inspection component fails the inspection, the second laser coding component will cover the coding on the aluminum foil film; if the second visual inspection component determines that the coding can be repaired, the second laser coding component will re-print the coding at the coding location on the aluminum foil film.

2. The aluminum foil coding method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection process of the first visual detection component is as follows: the first visual detection component takes a photo and scans the coding on one side of the aluminum foil film for detection. When the coding cannot be read, the first visual detection component determines that the coding detection is unqualified.

3. The aluminum foil coding method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection process of the second visual detection component is as follows: the second visual detection component photographs and scans the coding on one side of the aluminum foil film. When the coding cannot be read, the second visual detection component will detect whether the coding exceeds the designed coding area on the aluminum foil film. If the coding does not exceed the designed coding area, the second visual detection component determines that the coding can be repaired.

4. The aluminum foil coding method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The specific steps of re-printing the code by the second laser coding component are as follows: the second laser coding component prints the code again at the coding location on the aluminum foil film, and after printing the code again, the conveying mechanism sends the aluminum foil film back to the second visual detection component, and the second visual detection component detects the code again. If the second visual detection component detects that the code is unqualified, the conveying mechanism sends the aluminum foil film to the second laser coding component, and the second laser coding component will cover the code.

5. The aluminum foil coding method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material conveying mechanism includes a pair of material reeling and unreeling mechanisms, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the laser marking cabinet, and are used to store and retrieve the material roll of the aluminum foil film.

6. The aluminum foil coding method according to claim 1, characterized in that: A pressure wheel guide mechanism is provided on the operating table, and the pressure wheel guide mechanism includes an active pressure wheel and a driven pressure wheel. The active pressure wheel and the driven pressure wheel are respectively arranged at both ends of the operating table. The active pressure wheel is used to assist the conveying mechanism to move the aluminum foil film along the operating table, and the driven pressure wheel is used to limit the moving path of the aluminum foil film.

7. The aluminum foil coding method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The pressure wheel guide mechanism further includes an encoder pressure wheel, which is located between the active pressure wheel and the driven pressure wheel, and is used to read the moving direction and moving distance of the aluminum foil film.

8. The aluminum foil coding method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first laser coding assembly includes two sets of ultraviolet lasers, and the second laser coding assembly includes a fiber laser. The ultraviolet lasers and the fiber lasers are arranged at intervals along the moving track of the aluminum foil film.

9. The aluminum foil coding method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ink jet coding assembly includes three sets of ink nozzles, and the ink nozzles are arranged at intervals along the moving track of the aluminum foil film.

10. The aluminum foil coding method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The laser marking cabinet includes an equipment control cabinet, which is arranged in parallel with the operating table. The equipment control cabinet is provided with a PLC controller and a display screen. The display screen, the first coding mechanism, the second coding mechanism, the conveying mechanism and the pressure wheel guide mechanism are respectively electrically connected to the PLC controller.

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