Mask printing type film-type edible product manufacturing device

Abstract

The invention relates to a mask printing type film type edible product manufacturing device. The apparatus includes: a support structure through which a printing fabric supplied from the outside passes; a fabric guide mechanism which is attached to the support structure and guides the conveyance of the fabric; the fabric supporting part is arranged below the conveying path of the fabric and is used for supporting and supporting the fabric when the edible raw materials are printed on the fabric; the metal mask is arranged above the fabric supporting part in a lifting manner, clings to the upper surface of the fabric during printing, and is provided with a plurality of printing holes for edible raw materials to pass through; and a printing unit which spreads the edible raw material on the upper surface of the metal mask so that the edible raw material is printed on the fabric through the printing holes. According to the mask printing type film-type edible product manufacturing device, edible products of various shapes can be produced through a metal mask printing mode, and the contact time of raw materials and air is shortened by discharging pasty edible raw materials only before printing, so that the production efficiency is improved, and the production cost is reduced. Therefore, the viscosity change of the raw material can be minimized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing film-type edible products, and more specifically, to a mask-printing type apparatus for manufacturing film-type edible products capable of continuously producing film-type edible products with various shapes. Background Technology

[0002] Edible film products are made by mixing various food ingredients and shaping them into a thin film, which is small enough to fit in the mouth. For example, when an edible film product is placed on the tongue, it will gradually melt, allowing the substances inside to be absorbed by the body.

[0003] Edible film products come in various types depending on their purpose, such as products for eliminating bad breath or dental hygiene, or for rinsing the mouth after meals. Because edible film products are in the shape of a thin film, they are susceptible to moisture and are therefore usually individually sealed in packaging.

[0004] As a manufacturing apparatus for producing such film-type edible products, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1214140 (Method and apparatus for manufacturing edible film products) was previously disclosed.

[0005] However, the disclosed manufacturing method suffers from a slow production speed and a limitation in producing various shapes due to its method of first shaping the edible film into a fabric form and then cutting and picking and placing it. Specifically, it can only produce simple quadrilateral shapes. Furthermore, since the coating of the raw material is completed in a single step, there is a significant loss of usable raw material relative to the input quantity when loading a small amount of material.

[0006] Although manufacturing equipment using metal mask printing is also in use, conventional metal mask manufacturing equipment struggles to print products with wide-aperture patterns. Furthermore, because the raw material is poured onto the metal mask in a single pass, the paste-like material is exposed to the mask for an extended period, making it susceptible to contamination. In addition, variations in the viscosity of the raw material result in inconsistent product quality and significant raw material loss.

[0007] In addition, while roll-to-roll manufacturing equipment is advantageous for mass production, it is limited in continuous coating while maintaining a constant pattern pitch due to the size of the quadrilateral frame of the metal mask, and there is a disadvantage that the printed pattern may touch the roller or other equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Technical issues

[0009] The purpose of this invention is to provide a mask-printed film-type edible product manufacturing apparatus that can produce edible products of various shapes.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a mask-printing type film-type edible product manufacturing apparatus that minimizes changes in the viscosity of the raw material by discharging the paste-like raw material only just before printing, thereby shortening the contact time between the raw material and air.

[0011] Technical solution

[0012] As a technical solution for achieving the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides a mask-printed film-type edible product manufacturing apparatus, comprising: a support structure through which printing fabric supplied from the outside passes; a fabric guiding mechanism installed on the support structure and guiding the conveying of the fabric; a fabric support portion disposed below the fabric conveying path and supporting and supporting the fabric when edible raw materials are printed on the fabric; a metal mask disposed vertically above the fabric support portion, adhering closely to the top of the fabric during printing, and having a plurality of printing holes for the edible raw materials to pass through; and a printing unit that spreads the edible raw materials on the top of the metal mask so that the edible raw materials are printed onto the fabric through the printing holes.

[0013] In addition, the fabric guiding mechanism includes: a horizontal holding roller that holds the fabric horizontally between the fabric support and the metal mask; and a suction roller that is positioned at a lower height than the horizontal holding roller to convey the printed fabric in an adsorption state.

[0014] In addition, the fabric support part includes: a support frame fixed to a support structure; an adsorption horizontal plate disposed above the support frame in a lifting manner and adsorbing the bottom surface of the fabric in an upward state; and an adsorption plate cylinder that causes the adsorption horizontal plate to rise and fall.

[0015] In addition, the support structure is also provided with a mask position adjustment part, which is connected to the metal mask and adjusts the position of the metal mask.

[0016] Meanwhile, the metal mask includes: a mask template of a specified thickness, on which the printing holes are formed; and a sidewall, which is integral with the upper surface of the outer contour of the mask template and prevents the edible material from detaching.

[0017] In addition, the printing unit includes: a printing head having a material discharge section for feeding edible raw materials into the upper part of a metal mask, a scraper for spreading the fed edible raw materials onto the mask, and a scraper lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the scraper; and a head drive section for reciprocating the printing head so that the scraper spreads the edible raw materials onto the mask.

[0018] Furthermore, the head drive unit includes: a horizontal guide rail extending in a direction orthogonal to the fabric conveying direction; a slider slidably mounted on the horizontal guide rail; and a support member fixed to the slider and supporting the printing head. The printing unit also includes: a lifting support plate supporting the support member in a lifting manner; and a support plate lifting part for adjusting the height of the lifting support plate. Two scrapers are spaced parallel to each other below the lifting support plate across the material discharge part. The scraper lifting mechanism is a scraper cylinder located above the lifting support plate and allows each scraper to lift independently.

[0019] In addition, the raw material discharge section is a slit die head, which has a hopper as a space for temporarily holding edible raw materials supplied from the outside, and one or more discharge slits for discharging the raw materials in the hopper downward toward the metal plate.

[0020] In addition, it includes a dryer for drying the printed material onto the fabric that has passed through the support structure.

[0021] The effects of the invention

[0022] The mask-printing film-type edible product manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, configured as described above, can produce edible products of various shapes by using a metal mask printing method. Furthermore, by discharging the edible raw material in a paste state only just before printing, the contact time between the raw material and air is shortened, thereby minimizing changes in the viscosity of the raw material. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an edible product manufactured by a membrane-type edible product manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 a to Figure 2 f is shown Figure 1 The illustration shows various variations of edible products.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of a mask-printed film-type edible product manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 It is shown Figure 3 A front view of the internal structure of the manufacturing equipment.

[0027] Figure 5 It is Figure 3 The diagram shows the printing unit and the fabric support part of a product printing press separated.

[0028] Figure 6 and Figure 7 It is used for explanation Figure 5A three-dimensional diagram showing the position adjustment method of the metal mask.

[0029] Figure 8 It is Figure 5 The metal mask and printhead are shown separately in the diagram.

[0030] Figure 9 yes Figure 8 A side view of the printhead.

[0031] Figure 10 yes Figure 9 An exploded perspective view of the slit mold head is shown.

[0032] Figure 11 a and Figure 11 b is used for explanation Figure 9 A diagram showing the movement of the printing head.

[0033] Figure 12 yes Figure 13 A cross-sectional exploded perspective view of the suction roller.

[0034] Figure 13 This shows what can be applied to Figure 3 The image shows an example of metal mask deformation in a product printing press. Detailed Implementation

[0035] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] Figure 1 The figure is shown illustratively to illustrate an edible product 100 manufactured by a membrane-type edible product manufacturing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] The edible product 100 shown in the illustration is made by screen printing edible raw materials, in other words, by printing using a screen printing method. That is, edible raw materials in a paste state (hereinafter referred to as edible raw material Z) are fed into a screen with multiple printing holes ( Figure 6 It is made by screen printing after the metal mask 25 (25c) is applied. Of course, the shape of the edible product 100 reflects the shape of the printing holes 25c of the metal mask. The edible raw material itself is a conventional raw material, so its description is omitted.

[0038] Thus, by using a printing method employing a metal mask 25 to produce edible product 100, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the product body 100 has a wide variety of shapes.

[0039] For reference, conventional edible product manufacturing equipment typically involves spreading edible raw materials into wide sheets, then cutting the sheets along multiple orthogonal straight lines. Consequently, conventional edible products had simple quadrilateral shapes. For example, it was impossible to create round, clover-shaped, triangular, or star-shaped products. While it's possible to use Thomson die-cutting to produce various shapes of edible products, this results in significant loss of edible raw materials, making it very inefficient and unproductive from an industrial perspective.

[0040] Reference numeral 103 in the attached diagram refers to packaging material. Edible product 100 is sealed and contained within packaging material 103. The user can tear open packaging material 103 to consume the product.

[0041] Figure 2 a to Figure 2 f is shown Figure 1 The illustration shows various variations of edible products.

[0042] like Figure 2 a to Figure 2 As shown in Figure 17, the edible product 100 can have various shapes. That is, it can be made into circles, ovals, triangles, stars, clouds, hearts, etc. The reason why the product 100 can be made into such a variety of shapes is that the product 100 is made by screen printing using a metal mask 25. The metal mask 25 can, for example, have the structure shown in Figure 17.

[0043] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of a mask-printed film-type edible product manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 It is shown Figure 3 A front view of the internal structure of the manufacturing apparatus. Furthermore, Figure 5 It is Figure 3 The diagram shows the printing unit and the fabric support part of a product printing press separated. Figure 6 and Figure 7 It is used for explanation Figure 5 A three-dimensional diagram showing the method of adjusting the position of the metal mask. Additionally, Figure 8 It is Figure 5 The metal mask and printhead are shown separately in the diagram. Figure 9 yes Figure 8 A side view of the printhead. Figure 10 yes Figure 9 The exploded perspective view of the slit mold head shown is as follows. Figure 11 a and Figure 11 b is used for explanation Figure 9 A diagram showing the movement of the printing head. Figure 12 This is a cross-sectional exploded 3D view of the suction roller. Figure 13 This is a diagram showing a variation of a metal mask.

[0044] As shown in the figure, the mask printing type film-type edible product manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment has the basic structure of a product printing machine 20 and a heating dryer 50.

[0045] The product printing machine 20 prints edible raw materials onto the fabric 13 inside it. The heating dryer 50 heats and dries the printed material, i.e., the printed edible raw materials. Since the edible raw materials are in a paste-like state, they need to be dried by the heating dryer 50.

[0046] The product printing machine 20 includes a support structure 21, a fabric guiding mechanism, a fabric support part 24, a metal mask 25, and a printing unit 30.

[0047] The supporting structure 21 is a fixed frame erected on the ground. Fabric 13, continuously supplied from the outside, passes through the interior of the supporting structure 21.

[0048] The fabric guiding mechanism is a conveying element installed inside the support structure 21 and guiding the fabric 13 through the support structure 21. The fabric guiding mechanism includes a guide roller 21a, a horizontal holding roller 21c, and a suction roller 22.

[0049] like Figure 4 As shown, the guide roller 21a is a horizontal component arranged vertically, which guides the fabric 13 that enters the support structure 21 to the side of the horizontal holding roller 21c.

[0050] The horizontal holding roller 21c serves to hold the fabric 13 horizontally between the fabric support portion 24 and the metal mask 25. Two horizontal holding rollers 21c are arranged as a group, with the adsorption horizontal plate 24c positioned symmetrically on opposite sides across the fabric support portion 24. The fabric 13 supported by the horizontal holding rollers 21c remains horizontal and parallel to the top surface of the adsorption horizontal plate 24c.

[0051] The suction roller 22 is positioned at a height lower than the horizontal holding roller 21c, and is conveyed in a state where it is adsorbed between the fabric support 24 and the metal mask 25 to the bottom surface of the printed fabric 13. "Positioned at a height lower than the horizontal holding roller 21c" means that, relative to the ground, it is located at a position lower than the horizontal holding roller 21c. Figure 12 The suction roller 22 is shown separately.

[0052] As shown in the figure, the suction roller 22 includes an adsorption roller 22a, a connecting ring 22e, a roller shaft 22k, and a fixed disk 22m. The suction roller 22 is connected to an external vacuum pump 41. Through the suction force of the vacuum pump, the fabric 13 is adsorbed onto the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 22.

[0053] The adsorption roller 22a is a hollow cylindrical component with a specified diameter and an internal space 22b. Multiple micro-holes 22c are formed on the periphery of the adsorption roller 22a. The micro-holes 22c serve as channels through which external air is drawn into the adsorption roller 22a when the internal pressure of the space 22b decreases.

[0054] The connecting ring 22e is an annular component fixed to one end of the adsorption roller 22a, and has a suction hole 22f. The suction hole 22f is a hole for connecting to a vacuum pump. When the vacuum pump is working, the air inside the space 22b is discharged to the outside through the suction hole 22f, and a negative pressure is formed in the space 22b.

[0055] As the suction roller 22a maintains negative pressure, the fabric 13, which is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 22a, adheres tightly to the suction roller 22a due to the negative pressure. In this state, if the suction roller 22 rotates, the rotational force of the suction roller 22 is transmitted to the fabric 13. Since the fabric 13 is conveyed in an adsorbed state, the tension is maintained stably, and slippage or serpentine movement is also prevented.

[0056] Roller shaft 22k has one end fixed to the adsorption roller 22a and the connecting ring 22e respectively, and the other end is rotatably supported on the support structure 21 via a fixed disk 22m. Bearings 22n are installed between each roller shaft 22k and the fixed disk 22m. The roller shaft 22k can rotate while supported by the bearings 22n.

[0057] On the other hand, the fabric support part 24 is disposed below the conveying path of the fabric 13, and supports the fabric when the edible raw material is printed on the fabric 13 to prevent the fabric 13 from drooping downward.

[0058] The fabric support section 24 includes a support frame 24a, an adsorption horizontal plate 24c, a vertical rod 24f, and an adsorption plate cylinder 24b.

[0059] The supporting frame 24a is in the shape of a four-sided frame and is horizontally fixed to the inner side of the supporting structure 21. The supporting frame 24a can support the vertical rod 24f vertically. The vertical rod 24f is a round rod that is supported by the supporting frame 24a and extends vertically.

[0060] The suction horizontal plate 24c is fixed to the upper end of the vertical rod 24f. The suction horizontal plate 24c is a rectangular horizontal structure that can be raised and lowered above the supporting frame 24a. Figure 5 As shown, a negative pressure space 24g is provided inside the adsorption horizontal plate 24c. The negative pressure space 24g is a space connected to an external vacuum pump and opens upwards through multiple adsorption holes 24d.

[0061] If a vacuum pump is used to reduce the internal pressure of the negative pressure space 24g, the air above the adsorption horizontal plate 24c will be drawn into the adsorption horizontal plate 24c. If a negative pressure is generated by raising the adsorption horizontal plate 24c so that it is in close contact with the bottom surface of the fabric 13, the fabric 13 will be fixed on the top of the adsorption horizontal plate 24c.

[0062] The adsorption cylinder 24b is the element that causes the horizontal adsorption plate 24c to move up and down. Through the adsorption cylinder 24b, the horizontal adsorption plate 24c is raised or lowered within a constant stroke range.

[0063] The metal mask 25 is positioned vertically above the fabric support portion 24, adhering closely to the top of the fabric during printing, and as... Figure 6 As shown, it has multiple printing holes 25c for edible raw materials to pass through. The metal mask 25 can be positioned in the X, Y, and Z directions above the conveying path of the fabric 13. In this description, the X direction is parallel to the conveying direction of the fabric, the Y direction is the width direction of the fabric, and the Z direction is perpendicular to the fabric.

[0064] The metal mask 25 has a mask 25b of predetermined thickness and sidewalls 25a. The mask 25b can be horizontally attached to the top of the fabric 13. The thickness of the mask 25b can be varied. Naturally, the thicker the mask 25b, the thicker the edible product 100. A plurality of printing holes 25c are formed in the center of the mask 25b. The printing holes 25c are spaced at predetermined intervals in the X and Y directions.

[0065] The sidewall 25a is an integral four-sided frame around the top of the mask 25b, preventing edible materials from being fed onto the top of the mask 25b. Figure 11 The Z) flows out to the outside of the mask template 25b.

[0066] Figure 13 This is a perspective view showing a modified example of the metal mask 25.

[0067] like Figure 13 As shown, the printed hole 25c can have a variety of graphic shapes. Figure 13 The printing holes 25c can be heart-shaped, hexagonal, triangular, circular, or quadrilateral. By using the diverse shapes of the printing holes 25c, a wide variety of edible products 100 can be created, going beyond simple quadrilateral edible products.

[0068] The metal mask 25 can be adjusted by the mask position adjustment part. Figure 6 Position adjustment is possible in the X, Y, and Z directions. That is, three-dimensional movement in all directions (forward, backward, left, right, up, and down) can be achieved.

[0069] The reason for making the metal mask 25 position-adjustable in the X direction is to address the possibility of errors in the conveying distance of the fabric 13 along its length (conveyor direction). The fabric 13 is conveyed in steps at a constant pitch distance to compensate for errors in the pitch distance caused by slippage or other reasons. For example, if the input pitch distance is 50cm, but the actual length of fabric moved is 49cm, the mask position adjustment unit moves the metal mask 25 1cm in the opposite direction to the fabric conveying direction.

[0070] The reason for making the metal mask 25 adjustable in the Y direction is to address the situation where the fabric 13 is misaligned in the width direction. For example, if the fabric is offset to the left by about 5mm in the width direction, the mask position adjustment unit moves the metal mask 25 5mm in the offset direction.

[0071] Furthermore, the metal mask 25 is designed to be able to move up and down in the Z direction for printing edible material Z. The metal mask 25 is lowered by the mask position adjustment unit so that the bottom surface of the metal mask 25 is in close contact with the top of the fabric 13, and the edible material Z is inserted for printing. After printing, the metal mask 25 is raised again so that the fabric 13 can be conveyed.

[0072] Such a mask position adjustment unit includes a mask receiving frame 26, a connecting rod support 34, an X drive unit 27, a Y drive unit 28, and a Z drive unit 29.

[0073] The mask receiving frame 26 is a quadrilateral frame surrounding the metal mask 25, with frame cylinders 32 located below the four corners. The frame cylinders 32 adjust the vertical position of the mask receiving frame 26 while it is fixed to the support structure 21.

[0074] In addition, Y-rails are horizontally mounted on the outer surfaces of both ends of the mask housing frame 26 in the X direction. Figure 7 26a). Y-rail 26a guides the sliding connector 27f to move in the Y direction.

[0075] The linkage bracket 34 is a rod-shaped component with its central portion bent at a right angle in the width direction, horizontally supporting the metal mask 25 on the opposite side across from it. Each linkage bracket 34 is fixed to the end of the connecting bracket 27c. Since the connecting bracket 27c is indirectly fixed to the mask receiving frame 26, the linkage bracket 34 is also kept fixed inside the mask receiving frame 26.

[0076] The X-drive unit 27 is responsible for adjusting the position of the metal mask 25 in the X direction. The X-drive unit 27 includes an X motor 27a, a lead screw 27b, a sliding connector 27f, a connecting bracket 27c, and a nut block 27d.

[0077] X motor 27a is supported by sliding connector 27f and outputs rotational force while maintaining a horizontal position. That is, it causes the lead screw 27b to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. Sliding connector 27f can be adjusted in the Y direction while supported by Y guide rail 26a.

[0078] Nut block 27d is an accessory that meshes with lead screw 27b and is fixed to connecting bracket 27c. Connecting bracket 27c is an L-shaped bent component, with one end fixed to connecting rod bracket 34. Finally, through the operation of X motor 27a, metal mask 25 moves in the X direction.

[0079] Figure 7 The sliding connector 27f, located on the right side of the drawing, is also supported by the Y-rail 26a and has a second Y-rail 27g and an X-rail 27k on its upper side. The second Y-rail 27g is parallel to the Y-rail 26a and supports the X-rail 27k in a position-adjustable manner in the Y direction. The X-rail 27k supports the end of the connecting bracket 27c.

[0080] Ultimately, the X-drive unit 27, supported by the mask housing frame 26 in a position that can be adjusted in the Y direction, moves in the X direction of the metal mask 25 via the X motor 27a.

[0081] The Y-drive unit 28 moves the metal mask 25 in the Y direction. The Y-drive unit 28 includes a Y motor 28a, a lead screw 28c, and a nut block 28e.

[0082] The Y-motor 28a is fixed to the inside of the mask housing frame 26, causing the lead screw 28c to rotate axially in both directions. The nut block 28e engages with the lead screw 28c. The nut block 28e is a component attached to the lead screw 28c and is connected to the sliding connector 27f via the side channel 26g. The side channel 26g is a hole through which the nut block 28e passes.

[0083] When driven by the Y motor 28a, the nut block 28e moves along the Y direction within the side channel 26g. At the same time, the sliding connector 27f connected to the nut block 28e also moves.

[0084] The Z-drive unit 29 has Z-cylinders 29a at both ends of the connecting rod brackets 34 fixed to both sides, and connecting arms 29b. The connecting arms 29b are components that connect the Z-cylinders 29a and the metal mask 25. The connecting arms 29b are raised and lowered by the operation of the Z-drive unit 29. Ultimately, the metal mask 25 is raised and lowered by the Z-drive unit 29.

[0085] As described above, the metal mask 25 can be moved in the front-back, left-right, up-down directions via the X drive unit 27, Y drive unit 28, and Z drive unit 29.

[0086] On the other hand, such as Figure 11 a and Figure 11 As shown in b, the printing unit 30 simultaneously feeds the edible material Z onto the upper part of the metal mask 25 and spreads the fed edible material (as in screen printing) on ​​the metal mask so that the edible material fills the printing holes 25c. The edible material filling the printing holes 25c is the dried and packaged edible product 100.

[0087] The printing unit 30 includes a printing head 33 and a head drive unit.

[0088] The head drive unit moves the printing head 33 along... Figure 11 The arrow moves back and forth in the R or S direction, causing the printing head 33 to print the edible product 100 onto the fabric 13.

[0089] Such a head drive unit includes a horizontal guide rail 31a, a slider 31c, and a support member 31d.

[0090] The horizontal guide rail 31a is a straight component extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the fabric 13. The two horizontal guide rails 31a are spaced apart from each other in parallel through the metal mask 25.

[0091] The slider 31c is slidably mounted on each horizontal guide rail 31a and supports both ends of the support member 31d. A scraper motor 31b is provided on the slider 31c. The slider 31c reciprocates via the scraper motor 31b. In addition, the support member 31d is a horizontal beam spanning the upper part of the metal mask 25, supporting the printing head 33 with both ends fixed to the slider.

[0092] like Figure 9 As shown, the printing head 33 includes a lifting support plate 37, a support plate lifting part, a raw material discharge part, a pair of scrapers 39, and a scraper lifting mechanism.

[0093] The lifting support plate 37 is a horizontal flat plate that can be lifted and lowered below the support member 31d. The lifting movement of the lifting support plate 37 is guided by the vertical guide rod 31e and realized through the lifting part of the support plate. The vertical guide rod 31e is a vertical round rod whose upper end is fixed to the support member 31d.

[0094] The lifting section of the support plate serves to repeatedly raise and lower the lifting support plate 37. It includes a servo motor 36a, a belt 36e, a vertical screw 36g, and a nut section 36h.

[0095] The servo motor 36a is a rotational force generator vertically mounted on the side of the support member 31d, and it has a drive pulley 36b on its drive shaft. Furthermore, the vertical screw 36g is a vertical rod mounted on the support member 31d in a rotatable manner, and has an external thread 36f on its lower side. A driven pulley 36d is mounted on the vertical screw 36g. The driven pulley 36d is connected to the drive pulley 36b via a belt 36e. As the servo motor 36a is driven, the vertical screw 36g rotates on its shaft.

[0096] The nut part 36h is fixed to the bottom surface of the lifting support plate 37 and is threadedly engaged with the external thread part 36f. Of course, as the vertical screw 36g rotates, the lifting support plate 37 rises and falls.

[0097] Scraper blades 39 are arranged parallel to each other below the lifting support plate 37, and each has a scraper blade 39a at its lower end. Furthermore, a scraper lifting cylinder 38 is provided above each scraper blade 39. The scraper lifting cylinder 38 is a scraper lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the scraper blades 39 while they are fixed to the lifting support plate 37.

[0098] The scraper lifting cylinders 38 on both sides cause the scrapers to descend alternately. For example, when the scraper 39 on the left side of the drawing descends, the scraper 39 on the right side rises; when the scraper 39 on the right side descends, the scraper on the left side rises. When the scraper 39 descends, as... Figure 11 As shown, the scraper blade 39a is in line contact with the mask template 25b.

[0099] A raw material discharge section is located between two scrapers 39, discharging the externally supplied paste-like edible raw material onto a metal mask. In this embodiment, the raw material discharge section is a slit die head 35. The slit die head 35 is located between the two scrapers 39 and is mounted on... Figure 9 On the left scraper 39 of the drawing.

[0100] The lower end of the slit die head 35 is relatively higher by a height H than the lower end of the scraper blade 39a of the scraper 39 on the left side. The slit die head 35 is suspended when the scraper blade 39a touches the mask 25b.

[0101] As mentioned above, when one scraper 39 descends, the opposite scraper 39 rises; therefore, when Figure 9 When the scraper 39 on the right side of the drawing descends, the slit die head 35 rises higher than the height H. As described above, since the slit die head 35 always floats away from the mask plate 25b, the edible raw material Z is always discharged smoothly from the slit die head 35.

[0102] Slit die head 35 has Figure 10 The structure shown.

[0103] As shown in the figure, the slit die head 35 includes a first half die head 35e, a second half die head 35a, and a sealing plate 35k. The first half die head 35e and the second half die head 35a are tightly joined together to allow edible raw materials to pass through their interior.

[0104] The first half of the die head 35e is provided with an injection channel 35f. The injection channel 35f allows the raw material supply pipe ( Figure 9 Edible raw material Z supplied by 35m passes through and is induced to silo 35b.

[0105] The second half of the die head 35a has a material reservoir 35b and multiple discharge slits 35c. The material reservoir 35b is a space where edible raw materials supplied through the injection channel 35f temporarily gather. In addition, the discharge slits 35c are flow paths through which the edible raw materials inside the material reservoir 35b flow downwards in the direction of arrow d.

[0106] The spacing between the discharge slits 35c corresponds to the spacing of the printing holes 25c in the metal mask 25. Edible raw material discharged downwards through the discharge slits 35c is coated onto the mask 25b in a strip of a specified width. The sealing plate 35k serves to fix the first half-die head 35e and the second half-die head 35a. According to an embodiment, only one discharge slit may also be used.

[0107] The scraper lifting mechanism is a scraper cylinder 38 located above the lifting support plate 37, which independently raises and lowers each scraper. The scrapers 39 on both sides move up and down via the scraper cylinder 38. The scraper cylinder 38 causes the scrapers 39 to descend alternately. As mentioned, when one scraper 39 is lowered, the scraper on the opposite side is raised.

[0108] Figure 11 Figure a shows the state in which the print head 33 moves along the direction of arrow R.

[0109] Reference Figure 11 As can be seen, edible material Z is being discharged from the slit die head 35, and the scraper 39 following the slit die head 35 spreads the edible material Z onto the mask 25b in a descending state. The edible material Z is pushed into the printing hole 25c by the scraper blade 39a and printed onto the fabric 13. The scraper 39, which is ahead of the slit die head 35, remains in an ascending state.

[0110] In addition, such as Figure 11 As shown in b, the printing head 33, which has moved completely in the direction of arrow R, moves in the opposite direction, i.e., in the direction of arrow S, pushing the edible material Z forward. At this time, the scraper 39 on the right side of the drawing on the slit die head 35 descends, and the scraper 39 on the left side rises. During the movement of the printing head 33 in the direction of arrow S, the right scraper blade 39a pushes the edible material Z forward and fills the printing hole 25c.

[0111] After the printing process described above is completed, the adsorption level plate 24c is lowered and the metal mask 25 is raised. The fabric is then conveyed and the printing process is repeated.

[0112] On the other hand, the heating dryer 50 serves to dry the printed material that has passed through the product printing machine 20 onto the fabric. As mentioned earlier, the printed material is an edible raw material printed onto the fabric, in a paste-like state. It needs to be dried to become the edible product 100.

[0113] The heating dryer 50 includes a cabinet 51, a heater 53, and a temperature sensor 54. The cabinet 51 is a housing through which the fabric 13 passes, and it houses the heater 53 and the temperature sensor 54.

[0114] Temperature sensor 54 senses the temperature of fabric 13 and transmits the temperature information to controller (not shown). The controller adjusts the heating temperature of heater 53 to the optimal range. Heater 53 can be used in various ways, such as IR, NIR, MIR, xenon lamp, laser lamp, UV lamp, LED lamp, etc.

[0115] In addition, a pressure roller 55 is installed inside the cabinet 51. The pressure roller 55 is a roller located downstream of the suction roller 22, which contacts the top of the fabric that has passed through the suction roller and supports the fabric downward.

[0116] The present invention has been described in detail above through specific embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention.

[0117] Industrial availability

[0118] It has industrial applicability because it can continuously produce edible film products in various shapes.

Claims

1. A mask-printed film-type edible product manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that, include: A supporting structure through which printing fabric supplied from the outside passes; A fabric guiding mechanism, which is installed on the supporting structure and guides the conveying of the fabric; The fabric support section is located below the fabric conveying path and supports the fabric when edible raw materials are printed on it. A metal mask that can be raised and lowered above the fabric support, adheres closely to the top of the fabric during printing, and has multiple printing holes for edible raw materials to pass through. as well as The printing unit spreads edible material on top of a metal mask so that the edible material is printed onto the fabric through printing holes.

2. The mask-printing type film-type edible product manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fabric guiding mechanism has the following features: A horizontal holding roller that holds the fabric horizontally between the fabric support and the metal mask; and The suction roller is positioned at a lower height than the horizontal holding roller to convey the printed fabric in an adsorption state.

3. The mask-printing type film-type edible product manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The fabric support portion has: Support frame, which is fixed to the supporting structure; An adsorption level plate is installed above the support frame in a way that allows it to be raised and lowered, and adsorbs the bottom surface of the fabric in an upward state. as well as The adsorption plate cylinder causes the horizontal adsorption plate to rise and fall.

4. The mask-printing type film-type edible product manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The supporting structure is also provided with a mask position adjustment part, which is connected to the metal mask and adjusts the position of the metal mask.

5. The mask-printing type film-type edible product manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The metal mask comprises: A mask of specified thickness, having the aforementioned printing holes formed thereon; and The sidewalls are integrated with the upper part of the outer contour of the masking template and prevent the edible ingredients from separating.

6. The mask-printing type film-type edible product manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that, The printing unit includes: A printing head comprising a material discharge section for feeding edible material onto the upper part of a metal mask, a scraper for spreading the fed edible material onto the mask template, and a scraper lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the scraper; and The head drive unit causes the printing head to reciprocate so that the scraper spreads the edible material onto the mask.

7. The mask-printing type film-type edible product manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The head drive unit includes: A horizontal guide rail extends in a direction orthogonal to the fabric conveying direction; A slider that can be slidably mounted on a horizontal guide rail; and A support member, which is fixed to the slider and supports the printing head, The printing unit is also equipped with: A lifting support plate, which can be lifted and lowered to support the support member; and The lifting mechanism for the support plate allows for adjusting its height. The two scrapers are spaced parallel to each other below the lifting support plate, across the raw material discharge section. The scraper lifting mechanism is a scraper cylinder, which is located above the lifting support plate and enables each scraper to lift independently.

8. The mask-printing type film-type edible product manufacturing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, The raw material discharge section is a slit die head, which has a hopper as a space for temporarily receiving edible raw materials supplied from the outside, and one or more discharge slits for discharging the raw materials in the hopper downward toward a metal plate.

9. The mask-printing type film-type edible product manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A dryer that dries printed material onto fabric that has passed through the support structure.

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