Transfer printing mechanism, transfer printing device and transfer printing production line

Abstract

The invention discloses a transfer printing mechanism, a transfer printing device and a transfer printing production line. The transfer printing mechanism comprises a rotary table driving device, a rotary table, a plurality of sets of transfer printing assemblies, a cleaning workpiece, an ink supply assembly, an ink taking station, a transfer printing station and a cleaning station. The rotary table driving device is used for driving the rotary table to rotate, and the multiple sets of pad printing assemblies are annularly arranged and can be driven by the rotary table to rotate; the ink taking station, the transfer printing station and the cleaning station are arranged in the rotating direction of the transfer printing assembly. The cleaning workpiece is located at the cleaning station, and the ink supply assembly is located at the ink taking station. The three working procedures of ink taking, pad printing and cleaning can be conducted synchronously, the working time of the pad printing technology can be shortened, the working efficiency can be improved, multi-area simultaneous pad printing of multiple pad printing objects can be achieved, the productivity can be improved, the production cost can be reduced, and the product consistency can be ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of pad printing technology, and in particular to a pad printing mechanism, pad printing device and pad printing production line. Background Technology

[0002] Pad printing is a widely used printing technology, primarily used for printing patterns, text, or markings on irregular or complex surfaces. Currently, the commonly used pad printing process includes the following steps:

[0003] a. Plate making: Creating patterns on steel or copper plates by etching or laser engraving.

[0004] b. Ink coating and transfer: Apply ink evenly to the printing plate, scrape off excess ink with a squeegee, use a pad printing silicone head to pick up ink from the printing plate, and then transfer it to the substrate.

[0005] c. Pad printing silicone head: The pad printing silicone head is elastic and can adapt to irregular surfaces, ensuring printing accuracy.

[0006] d. Automated equipment: Modern pad printing equipment is usually equipped with automated systems to improve efficiency and consistency.

[0007] Currently, in most pad printing machines on the market, the processes of ink pickup, product printing, and cleaning are arranged at the same workstation. This layout requires the previous pad printing silicone head to complete the ink pickup, printing, and cleaning operations before the next pad printing silicone head can enter the workstation to perform the same tasks. This results in a long printing time and low efficiency, which fails to meet the industry's high requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a pad printing mechanism that can shorten the operation time of the pad printing process, improve work efficiency, and avoid all or some of the above-mentioned defects.

[0009] A second objective of this invention is to provide a pad printing apparatus that employs the aforementioned pad printing mechanism.

[0010] A third objective of this invention is to provide a pad printing production line that employs the aforementioned pad printing device.

[0011] One of the objectives of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0012] A pad printing mechanism is used to perform pad printing on a pad printing object. The pad printing mechanism includes a turntable drive device, a rotary table, multiple sets of pad printing components, a cleaning workpiece, an ink supply component, an ink dispensing station, a pad printing station, and a cleaning station.

[0013] The turntable drive device is used to drive the turntable to rotate, and multiple sets of the pad printing components are arranged in a ring and can be driven to rotate by the turntable.

[0014] The ink-collecting station, pad printing station, and cleaning station are arranged along the rotation direction of the pad printing assembly; the cleaning workpiece is located at the cleaning station, and the ink supply assembly is located at the ink-collecting station.

[0015] When at least one set of the pad printing components is located at the pad printing station, at least one set of the pad printing components is located at the ink dispensing station, and at least one set of the pad printing components is located at the cleaning station.

[0016] The ink-taking station, pad printing station, and cleaning station are all equipped with lifting devices for driving the pad printing components to rise and fall.

[0017] The pad printing assembly is vertically and vertically mounted on a rotating table and is equipped with a rolling element;

[0018] The pad printing mechanism also includes a support base; the support base is provided with a guide structure for the rolling element to roll along it;

[0019] The lifting device includes a power source and a guide seat; the power source is used to drive the guide seat to lift; the guide seat is provided with a mating groove for connecting with the guide structure and for the rolling elements to enter and exit.

[0020] The pad printing assembly further includes a lifting base and a pad printing head; the lifting base is vertically mounted on a rotary table, and the pad printing head is disposed on the lifting base; the rolling element is a rolling wheel rotatably mounted on the lifting base.

[0021] The turntable drive device includes a drive motor and a divider, and the drive motor drives the turntable to rotate through the divider.

[0022] The ink supply assembly includes an ink cup, a printing plate, and a moving module;

[0023] The ink cup is used to supply ink to the printing plate;

[0024] The moving module is used to drive the printing plate to move in a straight line.

[0025] The cleaning workpiece includes a cleaning belt and a cleaning belt release mechanism, the cleaning belt release mechanism being used to unwind the cleaning belt.

[0026] The second objective of this invention is achieved by the following technical solution:

[0027] A pad printing apparatus, comprising the pad printing mechanism described above;

[0028] The pad printing device also includes a turntable drive device, a rotating disk, multiple fixtures, and multiple rotating mechanisms, wherein the fixtures are used to support the pad printing object;

[0029] Multiple pad printing mechanisms are arranged around the rotation axis of the rotating disk on the periphery of the rotating disk;

[0030] The turntable drive device is used to drive the turntable to rotate. The fixture is set on the turntable and can rotate with the turntable to pass through the pad printing stations of each pad printing mechanism. The multiple fixtures are arranged circumferentially on the turntable around the rotation axis of the turntable.

[0031] The rotating mechanism is used to rotate the pad printing object.

[0032] The pad printing device further includes multiple fixture positioning components, which correspond to each pad printing mechanism and are used to position the pad printing object; the rotating mechanism is provided between any two adjacent fixture positioning components.

[0033] The fixture includes a mounting base and a positioning shaft, the positioning shaft being rotatably mounted on the mounting base and used for mounting pad printing objects;

[0034] The mounting base is also equipped with an elastic pressing mechanism, which is used to press the positioning shaft.

[0035] The fixture positioning assembly includes a first moving drive device and a first mating component that is driven to move by the first moving drive device.

[0036] The first moving drive device is used to push the first mating part toward the positioning shaft so that the first mating part is fitted with the positioning shaft, and the positioning shaft is positioned by the first mating part.

[0037] The rotating mechanism includes a second moving drive device, a rotating drive device, and a second mating component;

[0038] The second moving drive device is used to drive the rotary drive device to move toward or away from the positioning axis; the second mating part is mounted on the rotary drive device and is driven to rotate by the rotary drive device.

[0039] The second mating component is used to mate with the positioning shaft assembly to transmit the rotational power of the rotary drive to the positioning shaft through the second mating component.

[0040] The pad printing device also includes a fixed disk, and the rotating disk is sleeved around the fixed disk and can rotate around the fixed disk; the rotating mechanism and the fixture positioning assembly are mounted on the fixed disk, and the fixture is mounted on the rotating disk.

[0041] The third objective of this invention is achieved by the following technical solution:

[0042] A pad printing production line includes the pad printing device described above;

[0043] The pad printing production line also includes a feeding device, a feeding robot, an unloading robot, and a receiving device. The feeding device is used to transfer the pad printing object, the feeding robot is used to transfer the pad printing object to the fixture, and the unloading robot is used to transfer the pad printing object after pad printing to the receiving device.

[0044] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0045] (1) By adopting a combination of turntable drive device, rotary table, multiple sets of pad printing components, cleaning workpiece, ink supply component, ink taking station, pad printing station and cleaning station, the three processes of ink taking, pad printing and cleaning are carried out simultaneously, which can shorten the pad printing process operation time and improve work efficiency.

[0046] (2) By combining the pad printing device with the pad printing mechanism, turntable drive device, rotating disk, multiple fixtures and rotating mechanism, multiple pad printing objects in multiple areas can be simultaneously printed, shortening the machine cycle time, reducing process difficulty, increasing production capacity, reducing production costs and ensuring product consistency. Attached Figure Description

[0047] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0048] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the pad printing mechanism of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the pad printing mechanism of the present invention from another direction;

[0050] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the pad printing assembly and support base;

[0051] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the pad printing device of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the interaction between the rotating disk and the fixture;

[0053] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the fixture structure;

[0054] Figure 7 This is a sectional view of the fixture;

[0055] Figure 8This is a schematic diagram of the rotating mechanism;

[0056] Figure 9 This is a structural schematic diagram of the fixture positioning component;

[0057] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a pad printing production line.

[0058] The components include: 1. Turntable drive device; 2. Rotary table; 3. Pad printing assembly; 4. Cleaning workpiece; 5. Ink supply assembly; 6. Ink dispensing station; 7. Pad printing station; 8. Cleaning station; 9. Power source; 10. Pad printing head; 11. Support base; 13. Lifting base; 14. Rolling element; 15. Guide structure; 16. Lifting device; 17. Guide seat; 18. Mating groove; 20. Guide element; 21. Ink cup; 22. Printing plate; 23. Moving module; 24. Base; 25. Cleaning belt; 26. Cleaning belt release mechanism; 27. Second material cylinder; 28. Pad printing mechanism; 29. ​​Turntable drive device; 30. Rotating disk; 31. Fixture; 2. Rotating mechanism; 33. Fixture positioning assembly; 34. Fixed plate; 36. First moving drive device; 37. First mating part; 38. Second moving drive device; 39. Rotating drive device; 40. Second mating part; 41. Orientation adjustment motor; 42. Positioning hole; 43. Positioning shaft; 44. Positioning insert; 45. Elastic pressing mechanism; 48. Detection assembly; 49. Mounting base; 50. Pad printing support frame; 52. Feeding device; 53. Feeding robot; 54. Unloading robot; 55. Receiving device; 61. Cleaning drive motor; 62. First material cylinder; 70. Lifting pad printing support device; 100. Pad printing object. Detailed Implementation

[0059] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0060] In this embodiment of the invention, all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) are only used to explain the relative positional relationships and movement of the components in a specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly. The terms "first," "second," etc., used in this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0061] In this document, the term "embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0062] Please see Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 1-2 This is a schematic diagram of the pad printing mechanism 28 of the present invention, used for pad printing on a pad printing object 100. The pad printing mechanism 28 includes a turntable drive device 1, a rotary table 2, multiple sets of pad printing components 3, a cleaning workpiece 4, an ink supply component 5, an ink dispensing station 6, a pad printing station 7, and a cleaning station 8. The turntable drive device 1 is a power mechanism used to drive the rotary table 2 to rotate. The multiple sets of pad printing components 3 are arranged in a ring and can be driven to rotate by the rotary table 2. Specifically, the multiple sets of pad printing components 3 are evenly arranged on the rotary table 2. The ink dispensing station 6, the pad printing station 7, and the cleaning station 8 are arranged along the rotation direction A of the pad printing components 3; the cleaning workpiece 4 is located at the cleaning station 8, and the ink supply component 5 is located at the ink dispensing station 6.

[0063] During the rotation of the rotary table 2, each pad printing assembly 3 sequentially passes through the ink-collecting station 6, the pad printing station 7, and the cleaning station 8. At the ink-collecting station 6, ink is collected from the ink supply assembly 5; at the pad printing station 7, the pad printing object is transferred; and at the cleaning station 8, the pad printing head of the pad printing assembly 3 is cleaned by the cleaning workpiece 4, thus completing a single pad printing process. By setting multiple sets of pad printing assemblies 3, multiple sets of pad printing assemblies 3 can successively enter the pad printing station 7 as the rotary table 2 rotates to transfer multiple pad printing objects 100, improving work efficiency.

[0064] When at least one set of the pad printing components 3 is located at the pad printing station 7, at least one set of the pad printing components 3 is located at the ink dispensing station 6, and at least one set of the pad printing components 3 is located at the cleaning station 8. In one embodiment, the pad printing assembly 3 can be set in three groups. By rotating the rotary table 2, the three groups of pad printing assemblies 3 are driven to enter the ink-collecting station 6, the pad printing station 7, and the cleaning station 8 respectively. The pad printing assembly 3 entering the ink-collecting station 6 obtains ink from the ink supply assembly 5. The pad printing assembly 3 entering the pad printing station 7 performs pad printing on the object 100. The pad printing assembly 3 entering the cleaning station 8 cleans the pad printing head of the pad printing assembly 3 through the cleaning workpiece 4. Then the rotary table 2 continues to rotate, and the three groups of pad printing assemblies 3 enter the adjacent station as the rotary table 2 rotates. Specifically, the pad printing assembly 3 located at the ink-collecting station 6 enters the pad printing station 7 as the rotary table 2 rotates, the pad printing assembly 3 located at the pad printing station 7 enters the cleaning station 8 as the rotary table 2 rotates, and the pad printing assembly 3 located at the cleaning station 8 enters the ink-collecting station 6 as the rotary table 2 rotates. In this way, continuous operation is achieved to realize uninterrupted pad printing, thereby shortening the pad printing process operation time and improving work efficiency.

[0065] In another embodiment, three or more sets of pad printing components 3 can be set up. By rotating the rotary table 2, at least three sets of pad printing components 3 are driven into the ink-collecting station 6, the pad printing station 7, and the cleaning station 8, respectively. At the ink-collecting station 6, ink is collected from the ink supply component 5; at the pad printing station 7, the pad printing object is transferred; and at the cleaning station 8, the pad printing head of the pad printing component 3 is cleaned by the cleaning workpiece 4. That is, at least one set of pad printing components 3 absorbs ink from the ink supply component 5 at the ink-collecting station 6, at least one set enters the pad printing station 7 simultaneously to perform the product pad printing process, and at least one set enters the cleaning station 8 simultaneously to perform the pad printing head 10 cleaning process.

[0066] The pad printing mechanism 28 of this application employs a turntable drive device 1, a rotary table 2, multiple sets of pad printing components 3, a cleaning workpiece 4, an ink supply component 5, an ink-taking station 6, a pad printing station 7, and a cleaning station 8. This allows the pad printing components 3 to sequentially pass through the ink-taking station 6, the pad printing station 7, and the cleaning station 8 as the rotary table 2 rotates, performing ink-taking, pad printing, and cleaning operations. Furthermore, by ensuring that at least one set of the pad printing components 3 is located at the pad printing station 7, at least one set of the pad printing components 3 is located at the ink-taking station 6, and at least one set of the pad printing components 3 is located at the cleaning station 8, the three processes of ink taking, pad printing, and cleaning can be performed simultaneously, shortening the pad printing process time and improving work efficiency.

[0067] In this application, the turntable drive device 1 can be a drive motor, etc. However, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the turntable drive device 1 can be a turntable drive motor and a divider. The turntable drive motor drives the rotary table 2 to rotate via the divider. The turntable drive motor and the divider can be integrated or set independently. During operation, the drive motor drives the divider, which in turn drives the rotary table 2 to rotate intermittently at a predetermined angle. In one embodiment, the number of pad printing components 3 is three, and the interval angle between adjacent pad printing components 3 is 120 degrees. The divider divides the circumferential surface into three equal parts, each region having an angle of 120 degrees, matching the interval angle between the pad printing components 3. The divider rotates 120 degrees each time, and the interval angle between it and the pad printing assembly 3 is equal. This allows the pad printing assembly 3 to be positioned at the ink-taking station 6, the pad printing station 7, and the cleaning station 8 after each rotation. After multiple rotations, the work cycle of cleaning after pad printing, taking ink, pad printing on the pad printing object 100, and cleaning after pad printing is completed in sequence. At the same time, three sets of pad printing assemblies 3 are set up, and the three sets of pad printing assemblies 3 complete the above three processes in sequence, so that the pad printing mechanism 28 performs pad printing work continuously and repeatedly.

[0068] Of course, the number of pad printing components 3 can be set according to actual needs, for example, it can be set to four, six, etc. The intermittent rotation angle of the rotary table 2 driven by the turntable drive device 1 can be set according to actual needs, for example, it can be set to 60 degrees, 40 degrees, etc.

[0069] like Figure 1-3 As shown, the ink dispensing station 6, the pad printing station 7, and the cleaning station 8 are all equipped with lifting devices 16 for driving the pad printing assembly 3 to rise and fall. During operation, the pad printing assembly 3 rotating to that station can be raised and lowered via the lifting devices 16 of each station.

[0070] The pad printing assembly 3 is vertically mounted on the rotary table 2 and is provided with a rolling element 14; the pad printing mechanism 28 also includes a support base 11; the support base 11 is provided with a guide structure 15, which is used to allow the rolling element 14 to roll along it.

[0071] The lifting device 16 includes a power source 9 and a guide seat 17. The power source 9 drives the guide seat 17 to rise and fall. The guide seat 17 is provided with a mating groove 18 for connecting with the guide structure 15 and for the rolling element 14 to enter and exit. When the pad printing assembly 3 rotates with the rotary table 2 to the corresponding position, causing the rolling element 14 of the pad printing assembly 3 to enter the mating groove 18 from the guide structure 15, the power source 9 drives the guide seat 17 to fall, which in turn drives the pad printing assembly 3 to fall. After the operation is completed, the power source 9 drives the guide seat 17 to rise, and the pad printing assembly 3 and the guide seat 17 rise synchronously. When the guide seat 17 rises to the position where the mating groove 18 connects with the guide structure 15, the rotary table drive device 1 drives the rotary table 2 to continue rotating. The rolling element 14 of the pad printing assembly 3 rolls from the mating groove 18 into the guide structure 15 and, with the rotation of the pad printing assembly 3, rolls along the guide structure 15 toward the mating groove 18 of the guide seat 17 of the next lifting device 16. Specifically, when the pad printing assembly 3 rotates with the rotary table 2 into the ink-collecting station 6, causing the rolling element 14 of the pad printing assembly 3 to enter the mating groove 18 of the guide seat 17 of the ink-collecting station 6 from the guide structure 15, the power source 9 of the lifting device 16 of the ink-collecting station 6 drives the guide seat 17 to descend, which in turn drives the pad printing assembly 3 to descend and collect ink from the ink supply assembly 5. After ink collection is completed, the power source 9 of the lifting device 16 of the ink-collecting station 6 drives the guide seat 17 to rise to the position where the mating groove 18 connects with the guide structure 15. Subsequently, the rotary table drive device 1 drives the rotary table 2 to continue rotating. When the pad printing assembly 3 rotates with the rotary table 2 into the pad printing station 7, causing the rolling element 14 of the pad printing assembly 3 to enter the mating groove 18 of the guide seat 17 of the pad printing station 7 from the guide structure 15, the power source 9 of the lifting device 16 of the pad printing station 7 drives the guide seat 17 to descend, which in turn drives the pad printing assembly 3 to descend. The pad printing assembly 3 descends to perform pad printing on the object 100. After the pad printing is completed, the guide seat 17 is raised to the position where the mating groove 18 connects with the guide structure 15 via the power source 9 of the lifting device 16 of the pad printing station 7. Then, the turntable drive device 1 drives the turntable 2 to continue rotating. As the turntable 2 rotates, the pad printing assembly 3 enters the cleaning station 8. When the rolling element 14 of the pad printing assembly 3 enters the mating groove 18 of the guide seat 17 of the cleaning station 8 from the guide structure 15, the guide seat 17 is lowered via the power source 9 of the lifting device 16 of the cleaning station 8. This allows the pad printing assembly 3 to descend and clean the pad printing head through the cleaning workpiece 4. After cleaning is completed, the guide seat 17 is raised to the position where the mating groove 18 connects with the guide structure 15 via the power source 9 of the lifting device 16 of the cleaning station 8. The pad printing assembly 3 can continue to work in the above manner as the turntable 2 continues to rotate.

[0072] like Figure 3As shown, in one embodiment, the guide structure 15 includes multiple guide grooves, and each pair of adjacent lifting devices 16 is provided with a guide groove. An embedding interval for the guide seat 17 to be embedded is formed between any two adjacent guide grooves.

[0073] In one embodiment, the power source 9 is a servo electric cylinder. The servo electric cylinder is a modular product integrating a servo motor and a lead screw, featuring closed-loop servo control with high precision. It can accurately control the vertical movement distance of the pad printing head 10, facilitating precise ink absorption, pad printing, and post-printing cleaning. The support base 11 is horizontally positioned, and the power source 9 is mounted on it vertically. In one embodiment, the support base 11 has multiple through mounting holes. The power source 9 is fixed above these holes with bolts, and its output end extends downwards from the mounting holes, passing through the support base 11. The guide seat 17 is connected to the output end of the power source.

[0074] Of course, in addition to the above, the power source 9 can also be a cylinder, hydraulic cylinder, etc., and the guide seat 17 only needs to be able to drive the guide seat 17 to rise and fall. However, using a servo electric cylinder as the power source 9 is the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, which can improve the lifting accuracy and facilitate installation.

[0075] The pad printing assembly 3 further includes a lifting base 13 and a pad printing head 10; the lifting base 13 is movably mounted on the rotary table 2, and the pad printing head 10 is mounted on the lifting base 13; the rolling element 14 is a rolling wheel rotatably mounted on the lifting base 13. Specifically, the rolling element 14 is rotatably mounted on the upper end of the lifting base 13, and the rotary table 2 is provided with multiple guide elements 20 corresponding one-to-one with the multiple sets of pad printing assemblies 3. The lifting base 13 and the guide elements 20 are movable and can limit and guide the lifting base 13, ensuring that the lifting base 13 rises and falls accurately and avoiding shaking and displacement.

[0076] In one embodiment, the lifting seat 13 includes a guide shaft, and the guide member 20 includes a main plate seat and a sleeve disposed on the main plate seat. The guide shaft is movably inserted into the sleeve so as to guide the lifting and lowering of the guide shaft through the sleeve.

[0077] Specifically, the pad printing head 10 is used to perform pad printing on the object 100. It is fixed to the lower end of the lifting base 13 and moves with the lifting base 13. The pad printing head 10 is a convex pad printing structure made of silicone rubber material. The ink on the gravure plate is dipped onto the surface of the pad printing head 10, and then pressed onto the surface of the object 100 to print text and patterns.

[0078] During operation, as the rotary table 2 rotates until the rolling element 14 of the pad printing assembly 3 enters the mating groove 18 of the guide seat 17 of the corresponding station from the guide structure 15, the lifting devices 16 of the ink-taking station 6, pad printing station 7, and cleaning station 8 operate respectively. The power source 9 drives the pad printing assembly 3 of the station to descend through the guide seat 17, so that the pad printing head 10 located in the ink-taking station 6, pad printing station 7, and cleaning station 8 descends to contact the ink supply assembly 5, the pad printing object 100, and the cleaning workpiece 4 respectively, completing the ink taking, pad printing of the pad printing object 100, and cleaning of the pad printing head. After the operation is completed, the power source 9 drives the pad printing assembly 3 of the station to rise back to the position where the mating groove 18 of the guide seat 17 connects with the guide structure 15.

[0079] The pad printing assembly 3 described in this application is vertically and flexibly mounted on the rotary table 2 and is equipped with a rolling element 14. The support base 11 is provided with a guide structure 15, which is used for the rolling element 14 to roll along it. The guide seat 17 is provided with a mating groove 18 for connecting with the guide structure 15 and for the rolling element 14 to enter and exit. When the pad printing assembly 3 rotates between workstations with the rotary table 2, the rolling element 14 can roll along the guide structure 15, which can improve the stability of the rolling and increase the support force on the rolling element 14 through the guide structure 15. When the power source 9 drives the guide seat 17 to rise and fall, the rolling element 14 and the corresponding pad printing assembly 3 located on the guide seat 17 rise and fall synchronously, which can ensure the reliability of the operation. The pad printing assemblies 3 in this application are all controlled by the control system. Each set of pad printing assemblies 3 operates independently and can move different distances when completing different processes at different workstations.

[0080] In this application, the cleaning workpiece 4 includes a cleaning belt 25 and a cleaning belt release mechanism 26. The cleaning belt release mechanism 26 is used to unwind the cleaning belt 25, which is used for cleaning the pad printing head 10. The cleaning belt 25 can be made of plastic. The cleaning belt release mechanism 26 includes a cleaning drive motor 61, a first material cylinder 62, and a second material cylinder 27. Both the first material cylinder 62 and the second material cylinder 27 are rotatably arranged. The cleaning drive motor 61 is used to drive the first material cylinder 62 to rotate. The rolled cleaning belt 25 is sleeved on the second material cylinder 27, and the free end of the rolled cleaning belt 25 is fixed on the first material cylinder 62. The cleaning drive motor 61 of the cleaning belt release mechanism 26 drives the first material cylinder 62 to rotate. The cleaning tape 25, which is pulled into a roll, is unwound, and the printing head 10 descends and comes into contact with the cleaning tape 25 between the first material cylinder 62 and the second material cylinder 27. This causes the dirt and excess ink on the surface of the printing head 10 to be adhered and removed by the cleaning tape 25, thereby cleaning the printing head 10. Subsequently, the cleaning drive motor 61 drives the first material cylinder 62 to continue rotating, and the cleaned cleaning tape 25 is wound onto the first material cylinder 62. The rolled cleaning tape 25 is unwound under the action of traction force to continue the cleaning work of the printing head in the above manner.

[0081] In addition, the cleaning belt release mechanism 26 may also employ a cylinder drive motor for driving the second cylinder 27 to rotate.

[0082] In this application, the ink supply assembly 5 includes at least an ink cup 21, a printing plate 22, and a moving module 23. The ink cup 21, positioned above the printing plate 22, supplies ink to the printing plate 22. The moving module 23 drives the printing plate 22 to move linearly. The printing plate 22 is a simulated image carrier for transferring ink to a substrate. Its surface is treated such that the image areas can absorb ink while the blank areas do not, and it has a pad-printed pattern or text on its surface. The pad-printing head 10 of the pad-printing assembly 3, located at the ink-collecting station 6, descends to contact the printing plate 22, causing an ink layer corresponding to the pad-printed pattern or text to adhere to the pad-printing head 10. When the pad-printing assembly 3 rotates to the pad-printing station 7, the pad-printing head 10 with the ink layer adhered descends to contact the pad-printing object 100, allowing the pad-printed pattern or text to be printed on the pad-printing object 100, thus realizing pad-printing.

[0083] The ink supply assembly 5 also includes a base 24, on which the movable module 23 is mounted.

[0084] When pad printing is required on the circumference of a cylindrical product, the commonly used method is to rotate the cylindrical product for pad printing at a single station. This method requires a long production time, has low efficiency, affects machine cycle time, and prevents multiple components from operating synchronously, thus hindering the automation of some online equipment. To solve these technical problems, this invention also provides a pad printing device, such as... Figure 4-9As shown, the pad printing device includes the aforementioned pad printing mechanism 28. The pad printing device also includes a turntable drive device 29, a rotating disk 30, multiple fixtures 31, and a rotating mechanism 32. The fixtures 31 are used to support the pad printing object 100. The multiple pad printing mechanisms 28 are arranged around the rotation axis of the rotating disk 30 on the periphery of the rotating disk 30. The turntable drive device 29 drives the rotating disk 30 to rotate. The fixtures 31 are mounted on the rotating disk 30 and can rotate with the rotating disk 30, passing through the pad printing stations 7 of each pad printing mechanism 28. The multiple fixtures 31 are arranged circumferentially on the rotating disk 30 around its rotation axis. The rotating mechanism 32 drives the pad printing object 100 to rotate. During operation, the pad printing object 100 can be mounted on the fixture 31, and the rotating disk 30 can be driven to rotate by the turntable drive device 29. This allows the fixture 31 to pass through the pad printing stations 7 of multiple pad printing mechanisms 28 in sequence as the rotating disk 30 rotates, so that the workpiece can be pad printed multiple times by the multiple pad printing mechanisms 28. During this process, the pad printing object 100 can be rotated by the rotating mechanism 32 to rotate the pad printing object 100 to the corresponding position, so that the corresponding pad printing mechanism 28 can perform pad printing in the corresponding area of ​​the pad printing object 100. Specifically, when the fixture 31 passes through the printing station 7 of the printing mechanism 28, at least one set of printing components 3 of the printing mechanism 28 moves from the ink-taking station 6 into the printing station 7 under the drive of the rotary table 2, and when the rolling element 14 of the printing component 3 enters the mating groove 18 from the guide structure 15, the guide seat 17 is driven down by the power source, which can drive the printing component 3 down, and the printing component 3 is used to print the printing object 100 on the fixture 31.

[0085] In one embodiment, the pad printing mechanism 28 can be configured as five, and the area to be printed on the pad printing object 100 can be divided into five zones. The pad printing object 100 on the fixture 31 and on it passes through the pad printing stations 7 of the five pad printing mechanisms 28 in sequence as the rotating disk 30 rotates. The five pad printing mechanisms 28 can be used to print on the five zones of the pad printing object 100 respectively. Moreover, by having the five pad printing mechanisms 28 work simultaneously to print on multiple pad printing objects 100 synchronously, the printing of 1 / 5 of the circumference of the pad printing object 100 can be completed by each pad printing mechanism 28, reducing the difficulty of the process, ensuring that the five pad printing mechanisms 28 operate at the same time, further improving work efficiency, and ensuring the consistency of the pad printing on each pad printing object.

[0086] Of course, the number of pad printing mechanisms 28 is not limited to five, and can be set according to actual needs.

[0087] In one embodiment, the rotating disk 30 drives the fixture 31 to rotate about a vertical axis. The rotating mechanism 32 is used to drive the pad printing object 100 to rotate about a horizontal axis.

[0088] The pad printing device also includes multiple fixture positioning components 33, which correspond to each pad printing mechanism 28 and are used to position the pad printing object 100. A rotating mechanism 32 is provided between any two adjacent fixture positioning components 33. When the fixture 31 rotates with the turntable 30 past the pad printing station 7 of the pad printing mechanism 28, the pad printing object 100 can be positioned by the fixture positioning component 33 corresponding to that pad printing mechanism 28 to ensure printing accuracy. After the pad printing object 100 completes the previous pad printing operation of the previous pad printing mechanism 28, when the turntable drive device 29 drives the fixture 31 to rotate to the position of the corresponding rotating mechanism 32, the rotating mechanism 32 drives the pad printing object 100 to rotate horizontally, so that another pad printing area of ​​the pad printing object 100 faces upwards, thereby realizing the orientation adjustment of the pad printing object 100 and facilitating the subsequent pad printing mechanism 28 to perform pad printing on another pad printing area of ​​the pad printing object 100. Specifically, when the fixture 31 rotates with the rotating disk 30 to the printing station 7 of the first printing mechanism 28, the printing object 100 can be positioned by the fixture positioning component 33 corresponding to the first printing mechanism 28. After the first printing mechanism 28 performs the first printing on the printing object 100, when the fixture 31 rotates under the drive of the rotating disk 30 to the position of the adjacent rotating mechanism 32, the rotating mechanism 32 drives the printing object 100 to rotate horizontally, so as to transfer the second printing area of ​​the printing object 100. After rotating to face upwards, and once the pad printing object 100 has been rotated to the correct position, the fixture 31 rotates to the pad printing station 7 of the second pad printing mechanism 28 under the drive of the rotating disk 30. The pad printing object 100 is positioned by the fixture positioning component 33 corresponding to the second pad printing mechanism 28, and then the second pad printing mechanism 28 performs pad printing on the second pad printing area of ​​the pad printing object 100. Then, the above-mentioned operation is continuously carried out to utilize multiple pad printing mechanisms 28 to perform pad printing on multiple areas of the pad printing object 100.

[0089] The fixture 31 includes a mounting base 49 and a positioning shaft 43, the positioning shaft 43 being rotatably mounted on the mounting base 49, and the positioning shaft 43 being used to accommodate the pad printing object 100.

[0090] Preferably, the positioning shaft 43 is provided with a positioning insert 44, and the pad printing object 100 is installed on the positioning shaft 43. The positioning insert 44 is used to embed into the slot of the pad printing object 100. In use, the positioning insert 44 on the positioning shaft 43 is aligned and cooperated with the slot of the pad printing object 100, which can improve the accuracy of the installation of the pad printing object 100 on the positioning shaft 43.

[0091] The mounting base 49 is also equipped with an elastic pressing mechanism 45, which is used to press the positioning shaft 43. In use, as the fixture 31 rotates with the rotating disk 30, the pressing action of the elastic pressing mechanism 45 on the positioning shaft 43 can prevent the positioning shaft 43 from shaking randomly.

[0092] The elastic pressing mechanism 45 may include a pressing block and a spring; the pressing block is movably mounted on the mounting base 49, and the spring is disposed between the pressing block and the mounting base 49 and is used to provide an elastic force to press the pressing block against the positioning shaft 43.

[0093] The pad printing device also includes a fixed disk 34, and the rotating disk 30 is sleeved around the fixed disk 34 and can rotate around the fixed disk 34; the rotating mechanism 32 and the fixture positioning assembly 33 are mounted on the fixed disk 34, and the fixture 31 is mounted on the rotating disk 30.

[0094] The fixture positioning assembly 33 includes a first moving drive device 36 and a first mating member 37 driven by the first moving drive device 36. The first moving drive device 36 pushes the first mating member 37 toward the positioning shaft 43 so that the first mating member 37 is fitted with the positioning shaft 43, and the positioning shaft 43 is positioned by the first mating member 37. When the fixture 31 rotates with the rotating disk 30 to the position corresponding to the pad printing mechanism 28, the corresponding fixture positioning assembly 33 works, pushing the first mating member 37 toward the positioning shaft 43 of the fixture 31 through the first moving drive device 36, so that the first mating member 37 is fitted with the positioning shaft 43. At this time, the positioning shaft 43 is positioned by the first mating member 37. During the pad printing process of the pad printing mechanism 28, it can ensure that the pad printing object 100 fitted with the positioning shaft 43 is accurately and stably maintained in the corresponding position, which facilitates the pad printing mechanism 28 to perform pad printing on the corresponding pad printing area of ​​the pad printing object 100, thereby improving the accuracy and consistency of the pad printing. After the pad printing is completed, the first moving drive device 36 drives the first mating part 37 to move toward the positioning axis 43 away from the fixture 31, so that the first mating part 37 separates from the positioning axis 43 of the fixture 31.

[0095] The rotating mechanism 32 includes a second moving drive device 38, a rotating drive device 39, and a second mating component 40. The second moving drive device 38 is used to drive the rotating drive device 39 to move toward or away from the positioning shaft 43. The second mating component 40 is connected to the rotating drive device 39 and is rotated by the rotating drive device 39. The second mating component 40 is used to fit with the positioning shaft 43 to transmit the rotational power of the rotating drive device 39 to the positioning shaft 43. When the fixture 31 rotates with the rotating disk 30 to the position corresponding to the rotating mechanism 32, the second moving drive device 38 drives the rotating drive device 39 together with the second mating part 40 to move toward the positioning shaft 43 of the fixture 31. The second mating part 40 is fitted with the positioning shaft 43, and the rotating drive device 39 drives the second mating part 40 to rotate. The second mating part 40 drives the positioning shaft 43 of the fixture 31 to rotate, so as to rotate the pad printing object 100 to the corresponding position, which facilitates the subsequent pad printing mechanism 28 to transfer the corresponding pad printing area of ​​the pad printing object 100. After the pad printing object 100 is rotated into place, the second moving drive device 38 drives the second mating part 40 to move toward the positioning shaft 43 away from the fixture 31, so that the second mating part 40 separates from the positioning shaft 43.

[0096] Specifically, the rotating mechanism 32 further includes a movable seat, which is connected to the output end of the second moving drive device 38 and is driven to move by the second moving drive device 38. The rotating drive device 39 is mounted on the movable seat, and the second mating member 40 is rotatably mounted on the movable seat.

[0097] The first moving drive device 36 and the second moving drive device 38 may be cylinders, electric cylinders, etc.

[0098] The rotary drive device 39 can be an orientation adjustment motor 41. The orientation adjustment motor 41 can be directly connected to the second mating part 40, or it can be connected to the second mating part 40 through a synchronous belt device or gear assembly. Similarly, when the orientation adjustment motor 41 is working, it can transmit rotational power to the second mating part 40 to drive the second mating part 40 to rotate.

[0099] The first mating part 37 and the second mating part 40 can be positioning sleeves, and the positioning sleeves are provided with positioning holes 42; the shape of the tail cross section of the positioning shaft 43 matches the shape of the positioning hole 42, and the tail cross section of the positioning shaft 43 can be polygonal, elliptical or other shapes.

[0100] The pad printing apparatus in this application also includes a detection component 48, which is used to detect the pad printing object 100. The detection component 48 includes at least a CCD camera so that the pad printing workpiece can be detected by the detection component 48.

[0101] The detection component 48 can be any commercially available detection component, as long as it can perform the detection function. The pad printing device in this application also includes a pad printing support frame 50, which is used to mount the pad printing mechanism 28.

[0102] The turntable drive device 29 can be an existing drive device on the market, such as a drive motor, as long as it can drive the turntable 30 to rotate.

[0103] To further optimize its performance, the pad printing device also includes a lifting pad printing support device 70. Each pad printing station 7 of the pad printing mechanism 28 is equipped with the lifting pad printing support device 70 to support and hold the pad printing object 100. When the pad printing mechanism 28 is performing pad printing, the lifting pad printing support device 70 can support and hold the pad printing object 100 mounted on the positioning shaft 43, thereby increasing the support force on the pad printing object 100. The lifting pad printing support device 70 may be a support base, a lifting component, or several support rollers rotatably mounted on the support base, etc. The lifting component is used to drive the support base to rise and fall.

[0104] like Figure 4-9 As shown, the present invention also discloses a pad printing production line, which includes the pad printing device described above. The pad printing production line 51 further includes a feeding device 52, a feeding robot 53, an unloading robot 54, and a receiving device 55. The feeding device 52 is used to transfer the pad printing object 100, the feeding robot 53 is used to transfer the pad printing object 100 to the fixture 31, and the unloading robot 54 is used to transfer the pad printing object 100 to the receiving device 55. During operation, the pad printing object 100 is transferred by the feeding device 52 and transferred to the fixture 31 by the feeding robot 53. After the pad printing is completed, the pad printing object 100 is transferred to the receiving device 55 by the unloading robot 54, thereby realizing automated production, significantly reducing the involvement of operators, and greatly reducing the workload of operators.

[0105] Using the pad printing mechanism 28, pad printing device, and pad printing production line of the present invention, multiple pad printing objects with more than 100 areas (e.g., multiple areas of the circumference of a cylindrical product, multiple faces of a polygonal product) can be simultaneously pad printed, shortening the pad printing process time, improving pad printing efficiency, and enabling pad printing to be connected with production equipment such as injection molding for automatic production, thereby increasing production capacity and reducing production costs.

[0106] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made based on the content of the present invention specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pad printing mechanism for pad printing on a pad printing object, the pad printing mechanism comprising a turntable drive device, a rotary table, multiple sets of pad printing components, a cleaning workpiece, an ink supply component, an ink dispensing station, a pad printing station, and a cleaning station; The turntable drive device is used to drive the turntable to rotate, and multiple sets of the pad printing components are arranged in a ring and can be driven to rotate by the turntable. The ink-collecting station, pad printing station, and cleaning station are arranged along the rotation direction of the pad printing assembly; the cleaning workpiece is located at the cleaning station, and the ink supply assembly is located at the ink-collecting station. When at least one set of the pad printing components is located at the pad printing station, at least one set of the pad printing components is located at the ink dispensing station, and at least one set of the pad printing components is located at the cleaning station.

2. The pad printing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ink-taking station, pad printing station, and cleaning station are all equipped with lifting devices for driving the pad printing components to rise and fall.

3. The pad printing mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, The pad printing assembly is vertically and vertically mounted on a rotating table and is equipped with a rolling element; The pad printing mechanism also includes a support base; the support base is provided with a guide structure for the rolling element to roll along it; The lifting device includes a power source and a guide seat; the power source is used to drive the guide seat to lift; the guide seat is provided with a mating groove for connecting with the guide structure and for the rolling elements to enter and exit.

4. The pad printing mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, The pad printing assembly further includes a lifting base and a pad printing head; the lifting base is vertically mounted on a rotary table, and the pad printing head is disposed on the lifting base; the rolling element is a rolling wheel rotatably mounted on the lifting base.

5. The pad printing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The turntable drive device includes a drive motor and a divider, and the drive motor drives the turntable to rotate through the divider.

6. The pad printing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ink supply assembly includes an ink cup, a printing plate, and a moving module; The ink cup is used to supply ink to the printing plate; The moving module is used to drive the printing plate to move in a straight line.

7. The pad printing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning workpiece includes a cleaning belt and a cleaning belt release mechanism, the cleaning belt release mechanism being used to unwind the cleaning belt.

8. A pad printing apparatus, characterized in that, The pad printing device includes the pad printing mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-7; The pad printing device also includes a turntable drive device, a rotating disk, multiple fixtures, and multiple rotating mechanisms, wherein the fixtures are used to support the pad printing object; Multiple pad printing mechanisms are arranged around the rotation axis of the rotating disk on the periphery of the rotating disk; The turntable drive device is used to drive the turntable to rotate. The fixture is set on the turntable and can rotate with the turntable to pass through the pad printing stations of each pad printing mechanism. The multiple fixtures are arranged circumferentially on the turntable around the rotation axis of the turntable. The rotating mechanism is used to rotate the pad printing object.

9. The pad printing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The pad printing device further includes multiple fixture positioning components, which correspond to each pad printing mechanism and are used to position the pad printing object; the rotating mechanism is provided between any two adjacent fixture positioning components.

10. The pad printing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, The fixture includes a mounting base and a positioning shaft, the positioning shaft being rotatably mounted on the mounting base and used for mounting pad printing objects; The mounting base is also equipped with an elastic pressing mechanism, which is used to press the positioning shaft.

11. The pad printing apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that, The fixture positioning assembly includes a first moving drive device and a first mating component that is driven to move by the first moving drive device. The first moving drive device is used to push the first mating part toward the positioning shaft so that the first mating part is fitted with the positioning shaft, and the positioning shaft is positioned by the first mating part.

12. The pad printing apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that, The rotating mechanism includes a second moving drive device, a rotating drive device, and a second mating component; The second moving drive device is used to drive the rotary drive device to move toward or away from the positioning axis; the second mating part is mounted on the rotary drive device and is driven to rotate by the rotary drive device. The second mating component is used to mate with the positioning shaft assembly to transmit the rotational power of the rotary drive to the positioning shaft through the second mating component.

13. The pad printing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, The pad printing device also includes a fixed disk, and the rotating disk is sleeved around the fixed disk and can rotate around the fixed disk; the rotating mechanism and the fixture positioning assembly are mounted on the fixed disk, and the fixture is mounted on the rotating disk.

14. A pad printing production line, characterized in that, The pad printing production line includes the pad printing apparatus as described in any one of claims 8-13; The pad printing production line also includes a feeding device, a feeding robot, an unloading robot, and a receiving device. The feeding device is used to transfer the pad printing object, the feeding robot is used to transfer the pad printing object to the fixture, and the unloading robot is used to transfer the pad printing object after pad printing to the receiving device.

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