Water-based printing slot die cutter

Abstract

The application discloses a water-based printing slotting die-cutting machine and belongs to the technical field of die-cutting machines.The device comprises a paper feeding part, a printing part, a control system and a die-cutting assembly.A high degree of synchronous control of all servo motors is realized by adopting an EtherCAT bus control framework, a traditional lengthy debugging process is innovated into a one-key adjustment and single verification mode, and the single changing efficiency and material utilization are greatly improved.Meanwhile, the integrated die-cutting assembly of the present application forms a composite indentation with one deep indentation and two shallow indentations in one rolling through a V-shaped three-region pressing block, solves the problems that the edges of a polygonal carton are not wide and the folding is easy to damage, improves the aesthetic degree while ensuring the strength, and realizes intelligent flexible production through linkage adjustment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of die-cutting machine technology, and particularly to a water-based printing slotting die-cutting machine. Background Technology

[0002] Water-based printing, slotting, and die-cutting machines are core equipment in the corrugated carton manufacturing industry. Their technological development has progressed from purely mechanical manual adjustment to electric semi-automatic, and then to fully servo-driven. Modern equipment integrates multiple stations such as paper feeding, multi-color printing, slotting, and die-cutting, aiming to complete all carton processing through a single paper feed. With the increasing demands of e-commerce and consumer goods markets for packaging appearance, personalization (such as polygonal and irregularly shaped boxes), and delivery speed, the market has posed unprecedented challenges to the equipment's production efficiency, order change flexibility, and complex forming capabilities.

[0003] However, existing mainstream technologies have revealed two bottlenecks when facing these new demands: First, in terms of control and debugging efficiency: A standard four-color printer has dozens of auxiliary adjustment points, such as paper feeding gap, printing phase of each color group, and slotting position. Currently, most equipment still uses pulse servo control systems. Each servo motor requires an independent pulse control cable and encoder feedback line, resulting in extremely complex electrical cabinet wiring, high costs, and poor anti-interference capabilities. More importantly, this discrete control method makes it difficult to achieve microsecond-level precision in the synchronization between adjustment axes. In actual production, after changing orders, operators need to repeatedly input parameters on the touch screen and go through multiple cycles of adjustment, trial printing, and readjustment, consuming a large amount of corrugated cardboard as debugging waste to barely meet the requirements for registration and die-cutting accuracy, which seriously restricts the utilization rate of equipment and the level of flexible production.

[0004] Secondly, regarding the quality of irregularly shaped cardboard boxes: Traditional die-cutting processes rely on a single linear crease, which is suitable for standard four- or six-sided boxes. However, when producing octagonal or more complex multi-faceted boxes, a single depth of crease cannot meet the structural requirements. On the one hand, it is difficult to form clear and sharp edges, resulting in rounded corners and poor appearance after the box is folded. On the other hand, when polygonal boxes are folded, the angle between adjacent panels is smaller, and the material deformation is more drastic. Relying on only one crease will cause the corrugated core paper to crack due to stress concentration at the fold, or the face paper to wrinkle, seriously affecting the strength of the finished product and the assembly success rate. The market urgently needs a comprehensive solution that can balance efficient and precise debugging with high-quality irregularly shaped box forming. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a water-based printing slotting and die-cutting machine, which can solve the comprehensive technical problems in the prior art, such as the reliance on manual experience for debugging, long time consumption, serious material waste, and the inability of traditional single creasing process to form complex polygonal corrugated boxes with high quality.

[0006] Water-based printing slotting and die-cutting machine, including paper feeding section, printing section and control system; The printing department includes printing section one, printing section two, printing section three, and printing section four arranged sequentially. The control system includes multiple EtherCAT bus controllers and multiple servo motors, and the servo motors are connected to the EtherCAT bus controllers via an EtherCAT fieldbus. The paper feeding section is equipped with a paper feeding shaft servo motor and three leading edge adjustment servo motors; Each of the printing departments, namely printing department one, printing department two, printing department three, and printing department four, is equipped with two printing phase adjustment servo motors. The EtherCAT bus controller is used to centrally control and synchronously drive the paper feed shaft servo motor, the leading edge adjustment servo motor, and each printing phase adjustment servo motor via the fieldbus, so as to achieve rapid adjustment of paper feed gap, printing phase, and axial tension.

[0007] Preferably, the plurality of EtherCAT bus controllers include a first controller and a second controller, wherein the first controller is connected to and controls the paper feed shaft servo motor, the leading edge adjustment servo motor and each printing phase adjustment servo motor, and the second controller is connected to and controls the main drive servo motor of the drive device's main drive shaft.

[0008] Preferably, the paper feeding unit further includes an adjustable rear baffle for positioning the paperboard to be printed in conjunction with the paper feeding shaft servo motor and the leading edge adjustment servo motor.

[0009] Preferably, the device further includes a die-cutting assembly, which is connected to the control system via the EtherCAT fieldbus, and the die-cutting assembly includes: Auxiliary components, used for positioning the printed corrugated cardboard; The pressing assembly includes an adjustment assembly, a drive assembly, and multiple pressing blocks. The drive assembly drives the multiple pressing blocks to move along a set trajectory to roll and press the corrugated cardboard on the positioning and marking assembly. The adjustment assembly is used to adjust the distance between all pressing blocks and the rotation center of the drive assembly in a coordinated manner to accommodate corrugated cardboard of different sizes. The working surface of the pressing block is V-shaped, and along the V-shaped inclined surface from the top to both sides it is divided into a first pressing line area, a second transition area and a third folding area. The first crease area corresponds to the top of the V-shape and is used to press out the main crease that forms an octagonal ridge on the corrugated cardboard; The second transition zone is adjacent to the first pressure line zone and is used to press out a shallow auxiliary crease to provide material deformation space for subsequent folding along the main crease; The third folding area is located outside the second transition area and is used to press out a pre-folded area on the corrugated cardboard. An adjustment component is used to adjust the height of the pressing component relative to the positioning and marking component.

[0010] Preferably, the adjustment component includes a rolling disk with a plurality of evenly distributed adjustment holes. The adjustment holes are slidably disposed with a pressing block. A pair of mutually symmetrical limiting blocks are fixedly connected around the pressing block, and the limiting blocks abut against the rolling disk.

[0011] Preferably, the drive assembly includes a drive housing mounted between a pair of rolling discs, the drive housing being connected to the rolling discs via bearings, and a dual-axis motor installed inside the drive housing, the output end of the dual-axis motor being connected to the rolling discs.

[0012] Preferably, the adjustment assembly further includes a fixed post installed at the outer end of the rolling disk, an adjustment block is installed at one end of the fixed post, and a plurality of evenly distributed adjustment rods are rotatably connected to the adjustment block, the adjustment rods being hinged to the pressing block via hinges.

[0013] Preferably, an electric actuator is installed at the outer end of the fixed column, and a collision ring is slidably connected to the fixed column. The output end of the electric actuator is connected to the collision ring, and the collision ring abuts against multiple adjusting rods.

[0014] Preferably, the auxiliary component includes a positioning platform, on which a synchronous moving mechanism is mounted, a connecting rod is mounted at the output end of the synchronous moving mechanism, and a marker block is mounted at one end of the connecting rod, with the marker block positioned directly above the pressing block.

[0015] Preferably, the adjustment assembly includes a pair of auxiliary plates, a positioning electric push rod is installed at the top of the auxiliary plates, a roller groove is installed at the output end of the positioning electric push rod, and a pair of limiting rods are installed at one end of the roller groove and the auxiliary plates close to each other.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: (1) This solution adopts the EtherCAT bus control architecture based on high-speed industrial Ethernet, replacing the complex pulse harness with a single network cable, and constructs a highly integrated digital control network. All key servo adjustment motors, such as the paper feed shaft servo motor, the leading edge adjustment servo motor, and each printing phase adjustment servo motor, are directly connected to the bus as slave stations. The EtherCAT bus controller performs centralized and synchronous microsecond-level command control, enabling all adjustment axes of the equipment to achieve near-perfect synchronous movement. This simplifies the traditional, experience-dependent, and trial-and-error-based lengthy debugging process into an efficient mode from parameter input to one-click adjustment and then to single-sheet verification. Specifically, the debugging time is greatly shortened, and economical production of quick order change and small batch orders is truly realized.

[0017] (2) This solution integrates a special die-cutting component with a pressing block designed as a working surface with a specific V-shaped angle. The surface is precisely divided into a first pressing area, a second transition area, and a third folding area. When the component is working, these three areas press out stepped composite creases of different depths and widths on the cardboard in a single rolling and pressing process. The deepest first pressing area forms the clear and sharp main edge of the octagonal box. The shallower second transition area provides regular collapse deformation space for the corrugated structure on both sides of the main edge, effectively absorbing folding stress and preventing cracking. The wider third folding area ensures smooth guidance during the folding process. This one-deep-two-shallow crease system solves the industry problem of non-sturdy edges and easy damage during folding of polygonal boxes, and achieves the unity of high strength and high aesthetics for irregular boxes. At the same time, the component can change the diameter of the crease pattern with one click through the linkage adjustment mechanism and link with the host through the bus, realizing the intelligent and flexible production of irregular boxes. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the printing slotting and die-cutting machine provided by the present invention; Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the die-cutting component provided by the present invention; Figure 3 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the auxiliary component provided by the present invention; Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the pressing component provided by the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the disassembled three-dimensional structure of the pressing component provided by the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the adjustment block provided by the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the pressing component provided by the present invention.

[0019] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 3. Die-cutting assembly; 4. Adjustment assembly; 5. Auxiliary assembly; 6. Pressing assembly; 41. Auxiliary plate; 42. Limiting rod; 43. Positioning electric push rod; 44. Rolling groove; 51. Positioning table; 52. Connecting rod; 53. Marking block; 61. Rolling disk; 62. Pressing block; 63. Drive housing; 64. Adjustment hole; 65. Limiting block; 71. Adjustment block; 72. Adjustment rod; 73. Hinge; 74. Fixing post; 75. Collision ring. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below, but it should be understood that the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments.

[0021] like Figures 1 to 2 As shown, the water-based printing slotting die-cutting machine provided in this embodiment of the invention includes a paper feeding unit, a printing unit, and a control system; The printing department comprises Printing Department 1, Printing Department 2, Printing Department 3, and Printing Department 4, which are arranged sequentially. The control system includes multiple EtherCAT bus controllers and multiple servo motors. The servo motors are connected to the EtherCAT bus controllers via an EtherCAT fieldbus. The paper feeding section is equipped with a paper feeding shaft servo motor and three leading edge adjustment servo motors; Printing Department 1, Printing Department 2, Printing Department 3, and Printing Department 4 are each equipped with two printing phase adjustment servo motors; The EtherCAT bus controller is used to centrally control and synchronously drive the paper feed shaft servo motor, the leading edge adjustment servo motor, and each printing phase adjustment servo motor via fieldbus, so as to achieve rapid adjustment of paper feed gap, printing phase, and axial tension.

[0022] The water-based printing slotting die-cutting machine provided in this embodiment of the invention is based on a highly integrated and intelligent digital motion control system, which solves the common technical problems in the industry caused by the large number of adjustment points and decentralized control of traditional multi-color printing slotting die-cutting machines, such as low adjustment accuracy, long debugging time, low production efficiency and low material utilization.

[0023] Traditional equipment, especially four-color printing presses, has dozens of auxiliary adjustment points, such as 44 points in total for the paper feeding section, each color group in the printing section, the slotting section, and the die-cutting section. For a long time, it has adopted a decentralized control mode of ordinary motors, reducers, encoders, and PLCs. Although it has been upgraded to pulse servo motors, it still faces problems such as complex wiring, high cost, and poor system coordination. During debugging, it is necessary to repeatedly print multiple sheets of paperboard to achieve the registration and die-cutting accuracy, resulting in significant waste of materials and time.

[0024] To address this problem, the control system of this invention abandons the traditional point-to-point pulse control method and innovatively adopts an EtherCAT fieldbus architecture based on high-speed industrial Ethernet. The system mainly consists of multiple EtherCAT bus controllers, an EtherCAT fieldbus that serves as the core data transmission trunk line, and multiple servo motors centrally connected through this bus.

[0025] Among them, the key actuator paper feeding section is equipped with a paper feeding shaft servo motor responsible for main paper feeding and three leading edge adjustment servo motors for precise positioning; the four color groups of the printing section, namely printing section one, printing section two, printing section three and printing section four, each color group is independently equipped with two printing phase adjustment servo motors, which are responsible for the high-precision adjustment of the circumferential phase and axial position of the printing plate roller of the color group respectively.

[0026] All critical adjustment servo motors, including the paper feed shaft servo motor, the leading edge adjustment servo motor, and the printing phase adjustment servo motors for each color group, are connected in series as slave devices to the EtherCAT bus controller, which acts as the master station, via a single EtherCAT fieldbus.

[0027] Based on preset order parameters or operator instructions, the controller sends high-speed, synchronous motion commands to each servo motor via the bus. Due to the extremely low communication latency of the EtherCAT protocol, for example, communication with 100 servo axes only takes about 100 microseconds, enabling dozens of adjustment motors distributed in different physical locations on the machine to achieve near-perfect synchronous movements.

[0028] After the operator inputs the adjustment amount via the touch screen, the system can drive all relevant servo motors to synchronize and reach the position instantly, achieving one-click adjustment. This shortens the traditional process of repeated debugging using several or even dozens of cardboard sheets to a process where only one cardboard sheet is needed to complete the entire testing and accuracy confirmation from paper feeding and four-color printing to post-processing. This greatly reduces debugging waste and significantly improves the first-piece success rate and changeover speed.

[0029] At the same time, it adopts a topology structure with a single network cable running through the entire system, replacing the complicated pulse lines and power harnesses of traditional servo systems. This greatly simplifies the design of electrical cabinets and on-site wiring, and reduces wiring error rates and overall hardware costs.

[0030] Meanwhile, the absolute encoder characteristics of the servo motor, combined with the power-off memory function of the controller, ensure that all parameters are automatically restored after the equipment is shut down and restarted, without the need for manual recalibration.

[0031] The EtherCAT bus controller can centrally manage and digitally store key process parameters such as paper feed gap, printing phase of each color, and axial tension.

[0032] Different order parameters can be saved as formulas and can be directly called when switching production tasks, realizing rapid order change and flexible production, which meets the needs of the modern packaging market for small batches and multiple varieties.

[0033] In summary, this invention deeply applies EtherCAT fieldbus technology to the auxiliary adjustment system of a water-based printing slotting and die-cutting machine, thereby constructing a highly synchronized, responsive, and simple-wiring digital control network.

[0034] This system not only solves the pain points of cumbersome debugging and serious waste in traditional equipment, but also provides core support for the high-precision, high-efficiency and intelligent operation of equipment through its excellent synchronous control capabilities and data management functions.

[0035] Multiple EtherCAT bus controllers include a first controller and a second controller. The first controller is connected to and controls the paper feed shaft servo motor, the leading edge adjustment servo motor, and each printing phase adjustment servo motor. The second controller is connected to and controls the main drive servo motor of the drive equipment's main drive shaft.

[0036] Among them, a separate EtherCAT control architecture consisting of a first controller and a second controller is adopted to solve the problems of motion coupling interference between the main drive and auxiliary adjustment and the decrease in real-time response caused by competition for computing resources in the traditional scheme.

[0037] The first controller is dedicated to the centralized control of all auxiliary adjustment axes, including the paper feed axis servo motor, the leading edge adjustment servo motor, and each printing phase adjustment servo motor, and is responsible for the point-to-point movement and synchronous adjustment with high dynamic response.

[0038] The second controller independently drives the main drive shaft servo motor, providing a stable speed reference for the entire machine. The two controllers exchange data via a high-speed network to achieve strict synchronization.

[0039] This architecture, through specialized division of labor, achieves system performance optimization and modularization, effectively ensuring the dynamic adjustment accuracy under high-speed operation. It is the core design that supports the equipment to achieve a high-efficiency debugging mode with a single cardboard, and improves the overall control reliability and response speed.

[0040] The paper feeding section also includes an adjustable back baffle, which is used to position the paperboard to be printed in conjunction with the paper feeding shaft servo motor and the leading edge adjustment servo motor.

[0041] The paper feeding section integrates an adjustable back baffle, which works in conjunction with the paper feeding shaft servo motor and three leading edge adjustment servo motors to jointly construct a high-precision cardboard initial positioning and attitude correction system.

[0042] In the paper feeding process, after the stacked paperboards to be printed are pushed to the paper feeding section, their sides first come into contact with the adjustable back baffle. The position of the back baffle can be manually or automatically adjusted according to the specifications of the paperboards currently being produced, providing a precise lateral positioning reference for the paperboards, usually in the width direction.

[0043] Meanwhile, the paper feed shaft servo motor drives the paper feed roller to provide the main conveying power, while the three leading edge adjustment servo motors dynamically align and correct the leading edge of the cardboard, i.e. the edge in the direction of travel, by independently controlling the timing and micro-motion stroke of the suction cups or paper feed wheels they drive.

[0044] By coordinating the rear baffle's side positioning with the front edge adjustment motor to align the front edge, it is ensured that the planar position and direction of travel of each piece of cardboard to be printed are precisely calibrated to the same reference before entering the precision printing section. This significantly reduces subsequent registration deviations, printing waste, and frequent equipment adjustments caused by inaccurate cardboard positioning, laying a crucial foundation for the machine to achieve high-precision printing and processing.

[0045] like Figures 2 to 6 As shown, the equipment also includes a die-cutting assembly 3, which is connected to the control system via an EtherCAT fieldbus. The die-cutting assembly 3 includes: Auxiliary component 5 is used to position the printed corrugated cardboard; The pressing component 6 includes an adjustment component, a drive component, and multiple pressing blocks 62. The drive component is used to drive the multiple pressing blocks 62 to move along a set trajectory to roll and press the corrugated cardboard on the positioning and marking component 5. The adjustment component is used to adjust the distance between all pressing blocks 62 and the rotation center of the drive component in a coordinated manner to accommodate corrugated cardboard of different sizes. Among them, the working surface of the pressing block 62 is V-shaped, and the V-shaped inclined surface is divided into the first pressing line area, the second transition area and the third folding area from the top to both sides. The first crease area corresponds to the top of the V-shape and is used to press out the main crease that forms the octagonal ridge on the corrugated cardboard; The second transition zone is adjacent to the first pressing line zone and is used to press out a shallow auxiliary crease to provide material deformation space for subsequent folding along the main crease; The third folding area is located outside the second transition area and is used to press out a pre-folded area on the corrugated cardboard. Adjustment component 4 is used to adjust the height of the pressing component 6 relative to the positioning and marking component 5.

[0046] Among them, the die-cutting component 3 is a functional extension unit of this solution, used to solve the key bottleneck that traditional equipment cannot efficiently and effectively produce octagonal and other irregularly shaped multi-sided corrugated cardboard boxes.

[0047] This component is seamlessly integrated into the main control system of the whole machine via EtherCAT fieldbus, becoming an intelligent terminal in the digital production process, realizing integrated intelligent control of the entire process from printing, grooving to irregular embossing.

[0048] The die-cutting component 3 does not work independently. Its startup, parameter setting and running cycle are all uniformly scheduled by the main control system. After the printing department, namely printing section one, printing section two, printing section three and printing section four, completes the multi-color printing of the corrugated cardboard, the cardboard is transported to the die-cutting station.

[0049] At this point, the main control system sends instructions to the die-cutting assembly 3 via the EtherCAT bus, triggering its work cycle. This integrated approach ensures that order data from the printing process, such as dimensions and materials, can be directly transmitted to the die-cutting assembly 3, automatically setting parameters such as the diameter and pressure of the pressing block 62, and enabling one-click order change.

[0050] The working rhythm of the die-cutting component 3 is strictly synchronized with the speed of the main drive to avoid positioning errors or material pulling caused by speed differences between the cardboard conveying and creasing.

[0051] The operating status and fault information of the components are fed back to the central human-machine interface in real time, enabling full-process monitoring and maintenance.

[0052] Upon receiving the instruction, the three subsystems inside the die-cutting component 3 begin to work in precise coordination to imprint a precise, easy-to-fold, and sturdy special crease system onto the octagonal carton.

[0053] Its internal positioning and marking components 5, pressing components 6 and adjusting components 4 work together to imprint a composite stepped indentation on the cardboard, consisting of a first crease area, a second transition area and a third folding area.

[0054] This unique structure, with one dark and two shallow sections, achieves both clear shaping of the edges and protection of the corrugated structure in a single operation, ensuring that the box remains sturdy and not easily damaged after folding.

[0055] Meanwhile, the die-cutting component 3, with its precise linkage adjustment component, achieves one-click synchronous adjustment of the radial position of all pressing blocks 62, thereby quickly adapting to the production needs of cartons of different sizes and significantly improving the equipment's flexible production capabilities.

[0056] Ultimately, this component not only seamlessly integrates the high-quality production of irregularly shaped boxes into existing production lines, but also serves as a key node in intelligent manufacturing, promoting digital closed-loop control of the entire process from printing to molding, representing an important direction for the industry's transformation towards high-end and intelligent manufacturing.

[0057] The adjustment assembly includes a rolling disk 61, on which a plurality of evenly distributed adjustment holes 64 are provided. The adjustment holes 64 are slidably disposed with the pressing block 62. A pair of mutually symmetrical limiting blocks 65 are fixedly connected around the pressing block 62, and the limiting blocks 65 abut against the rolling disk 61.

[0058] The adjustment assembly also includes a fixed post 74 installed on the outer end of the rolling disk 61. An adjustment block 71 is installed on one end of the fixed post 74. Multiple evenly distributed adjustment rods 72 are rotatably connected to the adjustment block 71. The adjustment rods 72 are hinged to the pressing block 62 via hinges 73.

[0059] The drive assembly includes a drive housing 63 mounted between a pair of rolling disks 61. The drive housing 63 is connected to the rolling disks 61 via bearings, and a dual-axis motor is installed inside the drive housing 63. The output end of the dual-axis motor is connected to the rolling disks 61.

[0060] In the corrugated box manufacturing industry, traditional creasing technology is mainly used for conventional four- or six-sided boxes. When producing irregularly shaped boxes with more edges, such as octagonal boxes, two major technical bottlenecks are encountered: First, ordinary linear creasing lines are difficult to form clear and wide polyhedral edges on the cardboard, resulting in rounded corners, difficulty in forming, and poor appearance after the box is folded. Secondly, when the octagonal box is folded, the angle between adjacent panels is smaller, and the required deformation of the folding material is greater. If only a single crease is used, the corrugated structure is easily torn or the face paper wrinkles at the fold, which seriously affects the strength of the finished product and the assembly efficiency.

[0061] To address the aforementioned issues, this solution integrates a dedicated die-cutting component 3 into the water-based printing slotting die-cutting machine. This component is connected to the overall machine control system via EtherCAT fieldbus, enabling digital synchronization and centralized control of the creasing process parameters and the main machine's production rhythm.

[0062] The core functions of the die-cutting component 3 are accomplished collaboratively by three subsystems: the positioning and marking component 5, the pressing component 6, and the adjusting component 4.

[0063] During operation, the positioning platform 51 in the positioning and marking component 5 first fixes the printed corrugated cardboard by negative pressure adsorption. Then, the adjustment component 4 is activated, and the positioning electric push rod 43 on it drives the roller 44 to move, thereby precisely adjusting the initial height of the entire pressing component 6 and ensuring that the pressing block 62 maintains a suitable pre-pressing distance from the cardboard surface.

[0064] Next, the pressing component 6 begins to perform the core indentation operation. Its drive component, which contains a dual-axis motor drive housing 63, starts up, driving a pair of rolling discs 61 to rotate at a constant speed in the groove 44. Multiple pressing blocks 62 are slidably set in the radial adjustment holes 64 of the rolling discs 61 and are constrained by the limiting block 65 to revolve with the rolling discs 61. During this process, the working surface of the pressing block 62 acts on the fixed corrugated cardboard in a rolling and pressing manner to form continuous annular indentations.

[0065] The key innovation of this invention lies in the special configuration of the pressing block 62 and its linkage adjustment mechanism. The working surface of each pressing block 62 is carefully designed as a V-shape and clearly divided into three functional areas from the top to both sides along the slope: the first pressing line area, i.e. the top of the V-shape; the second transition area, i.e. the two sides adjacent to the top; and the third folding area, i.e. the outermost side.

[0066] When the pressing block 62 rolls over the cardboard, the first pressing area applies maximum pressure, crushing the corrugated core paper and forming the deepest and sharpest main crease on the cardboard surface. This crease directly corresponds to the final edge line of the octagonal box.

[0067] The second transition zone is pressed with a shallower depth to create auxiliary creases. Its function is to pre-create plastic deformation zones for the material on both sides of the main crease, providing space for the regular collapse of the corrugated structure during subsequent folding and preventing cracking caused by stress concentration.

[0068] The third folding area presses out a wide and shallow pre-guided area on the outer side to ensure that the entire bending process is smooth and accurate. Through a stepped indentation method with one deep and two shallow indentations, the problem of the polygonal box's edges not being crisp and the easy damage during folding is solved.

[0069] It should be noted that the die-cutting component 3 of the present invention has good scalability in its core principle and can adapt to the production of regular polygons or irregularly shaped boxes with more sides. When applied to boxes with more sides, the following two adaptive adjustments are mainly required: Adjustment of the number and layout of pressing blocks 62: The increase in the number of polygon sides means that its circumcircle will be divided into more and smaller central angles. Therefore, the number of pressing blocks 62 in the pressing assembly 6 needs to be increased accordingly. Based on the new number of polygon sides and design dimensions, the installation angle and initial radial position of each pressing block 62 on the rolling disk 61 are recalculated and determined to ensure that the multi-point main crease formed by its first pressing line area can accurately form the outline of the target polygon.

[0070] V-angle adjustment of pressing block 62: The more sides a polygon has, the larger the interior angle between adjacent sides, and the smaller the dihedral angle formed by adjacent panels when the box is folded. To adapt to this sharper folding angle, the V-angle of the working surface of each pressing block 62 needs to be adjusted accordingly to make the crease formed by the first pressing line area at its top sharper. At the same time, the depth and width ratio of the second transition area and the third folding area are optimized to guide the material to complete a smaller radius fold and avoid excessive stress at the edge.

[0071] In addition to the parametric adjustments for the core molding components mentioned above, the EtherCAT bus centralized control architecture and the radial linkage adjustment mechanism driven by the collision ring 75 on which this invention relies have fundamental advantages. No matter how the number of pressing blocks 62 increases, all motors can work together efficiently through the same bus, and their radial synchronous adjustment can still be completed with a single button by a single collision ring 75 mechanism. This ensures that the system can maintain the efficiency, synchronization and intelligent level of production when adapting to more complex polygons.

[0072] like Figure 7 As shown, an electric push rod is installed on the outer end of the fixed column 74, and a collision ring 75 is slidably connected to the fixed column 74. The output end of the electric push rod is connected to the collision ring 75, and the collision ring 75 abuts against multiple adjusting rods 72.

[0073] To enable rapid production changeover, the present invention also designs a precision linkage adjustment component, which includes not only a rolling disk 61, but also a fixed column 74, an adjusting block 71, and multiple adjusting rods 72 installed on the outer end of the rolling disk 61.

[0074] One end of the adjusting rod 72 is rotatably connected to the adjusting block 71, and the other end is hinged to the pressing block 62 via the hinge 73. When it is necessary to adapt to octagonal box drawings of different sizes, the electric actuator mounted on the fixed column 74 is activated to drive the collision ring 75 to slide axially.

[0075] The collision ring 75 presses against the middle of all the adjusting rods 72, forcing them to open and close synchronously like an umbrella frame. Since the adjusting rods 72 are hinged to the pressing blocks 62, this opening and closing motion is converted into synchronous radial movement of all the pressing blocks 62 along the adjusting holes 64 on the rolling disk 61, thereby adjusting the diameter of the entire annular indentation pattern in one go and proportionally. This mechanism ensures that the geometric center and size of the indentation pattern always match, and the adjustment process is efficient and precise.

[0076] In summary, this die-cutting component 3, through its unique V-shaped three-area pressing block 62, can imprint distinct and functional composite creases in a single roll, ensuring that the octagonal carton has clear edges and corners, smooth folding, and high strength after forming.

[0077] The linkage mechanism of the collision ring 75 driving the adjusting rod 72 can quickly and synchronously adjust the radial position of all pressing blocks 62, which greatly shortens the adjustment time when changing product specifications and improves the flexibility of the equipment.

[0078] The components are controlled via EtherCAT bus, and parameters such as indentation depth, pressure, and trajectory diameter can be digitally set and linked with the previous process, realizing intelligent production of indentation for irregularly shaped boxes.

[0079] The marking block 53 in the positioning and marking component 5 can leave a visual mark at a specific position on the cardboard while creasing, providing a clear benchmark for subsequent precise bonding or assembly, and further improving the reliability and efficiency of the overall process.

[0080] like Figure 3 As shown, the auxiliary component 5 includes a positioning platform 51, on which a synchronous moving mechanism is installed. A connecting rod 52 is installed at the output end of the synchronous moving mechanism, and a marker block 53 is installed at one end of the connecting rod 52. The marker block 53 is located on the upper side of the pressing block 62.

[0081] The adjustment assembly 4 includes a pair of auxiliary plates 41. A positioning electric push rod 43 is installed at the top of the auxiliary plate 41. A roller groove 44 is installed at the output end of the positioning electric push rod 43. A pair of limit rods 42 are installed at one end of the roller groove 44 and the auxiliary plate 41 close to each other.

[0082] In achieving high-precision, self-adaptive creasing of octagonal corrugated boxes, in addition to the core pressing and forming process, the precise positioning of the cardboard, the synchronous marking of the creasing, and the rapid adaptation of the overall working height of the pressing component 6 are also key technical aspects that determine the final product quality and the equipment's versatility.

[0083] The auxiliary component 5 and adjustment component 4 in this solution are designed to solve these accompanying problems.

[0084] The core of auxiliary component 5 is to achieve dynamic positioning and synchronous marking. Its main body is a positioning platform 51 with negative pressure adsorption function. The positioning platform 51 can generate uniform adsorption force during operation through the internal air passage system. This technology belongs to the prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0085] The printed corrugated cardboard is firmly fixed in the preset position, which effectively prevents the cardboard from shifting or wrinkling during the subsequent rolling and pressing process. This is the basis for ensuring that the indentation of each V-shaped pressing block 62 can fall accurately in the designed position.

[0086] To achieve traceability of the process and convenience of subsequent assembly, this solution integrates a synchronous moving mechanism and a marker block 53. The synchronous moving mechanism is installed on the positioning table 51, and the marker block 53 is installed at its output end through a connecting rod 52.

[0087] The key is that the marker block 53 is precisely positioned above the movement trajectory of the rotating pressing block 62, with sticky marking mud underneath. When the pressing assembly 6 is activated, the dual-axis motor inside the drive housing 63 drives the rolling disk 61 and the pressing block 62 to revolve. The control system synchronously instructs the synchronous movement mechanism on the positioning table 51 to work, driving the marker block 53 at the front end of the connecting rod 52 to move above the cardboard at a speed and trajectory completely synchronized with the currently working pressing block 62.

[0088] It should be noted that in order to achieve precise synchronous movement of the marker block 53, the synchronous movement mechanism needs to have two-dimensional motion capability. Specifically, the mechanism is usually composed of a horizontal linear module and a vertical linear module.

[0089] A horizontal linear module, such as a precision ball screw slide or a synchronous belt linear module driven by a servo motor, is mounted on the positioning stage 51. It is responsible for driving the marker block 53 to move back and forth in a direction parallel to the annular tangent of the cardboard conveyor or the pressing block 62, so as to track the circumferential motion trajectory of the pressing block 62.

[0090] The vertical linear module is mounted on the slide of the horizontal module and is responsible for driving the marker block 53 to move up and down. This technology is existing technology and will not be described in detail here.

[0091] Before the pressing block 62 presses the cardboard, its first crease area at the top will first pass over and briefly contact the marking mud at the bottom of the marking block 53, thereby adhering the marking material.

[0092] Subsequently, as the pressing block 62 continues to rotate until its first pressing area crushes the corrugated cardboard to form the deepest main crease, the marking paste adhering to its surface is simultaneously transferred to the corresponding position on the cardboard, thereby forming a colored visual marking line that is precisely aligned with the physical crease.

[0093] The above method solves the technical problem of difficulty in quickly and accurately identifying the functional direction of each crease and the splicing sequence of adjacent panels when gluing or manually folding polygonal, especially octagonal, boxes due to the numerous corners and creases and their complex directions.

[0094] This marking line serves as an intuitive and accurate visual benchmark, greatly improving the operational efficiency and accuracy of subsequent manual or automated assembly processes, and enabling closed-loop transmission of process information from indentation forming to final assembly.

[0095] The adjustment component 4 is mainly used for global height adaptation and stable guidance. Its structure mainly includes a pair of vertically parallel auxiliary plates 41, a positioning electric push rod 43, a roller groove 44, and a limit rod 42.

[0096] A pair of auxiliary plates 41 serve as the mounting base for the entire pressing assembly 6, providing robust support. The roller groove 44 is suspended between the tops of the auxiliary plates 41 via the output end of the positioning electric actuator 43, and the drive housing 63 of the pressing assembly 6 and the rolling discs 61 at both ends are nested in the roller groove 44, ensuring the stability of the rotational movement.

[0097] By controlling the extension and retraction of the positioning electric push rod 43, the roller groove 44 and the entire pressing assembly 6 installed therein can be raised or lowered as a whole, thereby adjusting the vertical distance between the V-shaped working surfaces of the multiple pressing blocks 62 and the corrugated cardboard surface on the positioning table 51.

[0098] This allows the same equipment to flexibly adapt to corrugated cardboard of different thicknesses, ensuring that the first crease zone of the pressing block 62 can press out a clear main crease with optimal pressure under any circumstances, while the second transition zone and the third fold zone apply appropriate pressure.

[0099] Secondly, the limiting rod 42 installed between the groove 44 and the auxiliary plate 41 constitutes a precise anti-deflection guide mechanism. When the positioning electric push rod 43 is activated, the limiting rod 42 can effectively constrain the groove 44 to only make linear movements in the vertical direction, preventing it from swinging during the lifting and lowering process.

[0100] This ensures the long-term stability of the parallelism between the rotation center axis of the pressing component 6 and the working surface of the positioning table 51, and ensures the concentricity of the annular indentation pattern and the uniform pressure on both sides of the V-shaped pressing block 62.

[0101] In summary, the auxiliary component 5 and the adjustment component 4 are the key support systems for the reliable, efficient and flexible implementation of this solution. The auxiliary component 5 solves the problems of precise positioning and process information transmission through its positioning stage 51 and marking block 53.

[0102] The adjustment component 4, through its auxiliary plate 41, positioning electric push rod 43, roller groove 44 and limit rod 42, solves the problem of rapid adaptation of the equipment to changes in material thickness and maintenance of motion accuracy.

[0103] The coordinated work of auxiliary component 5, adjustment component 4 and pressing component 6 constitutes a complete, intelligent, and advanced die-cutting unit suitable for the production of various specifications, such as octagonal cartons, which significantly improves the automation level, process adaptability and finished product qualification rate of the entire production system.

[0104] The above description is merely an example and illustration of the structure of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications or additions to the specific embodiments described, or use similar methods to replace them, as long as they do not deviate from the structure of the invention or exceed the scope defined in the claims, all of which should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A water-based printing, grooving, and die-cutting machine, characterized in that, This includes the paper feeding section, printing section, and control system; The printing department includes printing section one, printing section two, printing section three, and printing section four arranged sequentially. The control system includes multiple EtherCAT bus controllers and multiple servo motors, and the servo motors are connected to the EtherCAT bus controllers via an EtherCAT fieldbus. The paper feeding section is equipped with a paper feeding shaft servo motor and three leading edge adjustment servo motors; Each of the printing departments, namely printing department one, printing department two, printing department three, and printing department four, is equipped with two printing phase adjustment servo motors. The EtherCAT bus controller is used to centrally control and synchronously drive the paper feed shaft servo motor, the leading edge adjustment servo motor, and each printing phase adjustment servo motor via the fieldbus, so as to achieve rapid adjustment of paper feed gap, printing phase, and axial tension.

2. The water-based printing, grooving, and die-cutting machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of EtherCAT bus controllers include a first controller and a second controller. The first controller is connected to and controls the paper feed shaft servo motor, the leading edge adjustment servo motor and each printing phase adjustment servo motor. The second controller is connected to and controls the main drive servo motor of the main drive shaft of the drive equipment.

3. The water-based printing, grooving, and die-cutting machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The paper feeding unit also includes an adjustable rear baffle, which is used to position the paperboard to be printed in conjunction with the paper feeding shaft servo motor and the leading edge adjustment servo motor.

4. The water-based printing, grooving, and die-cutting machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a die-cutting component (3), which is connected to the control system via the EtherCAT fieldbus. The die-cutting component (3) includes: Auxiliary component (5), used for positioning the printed corrugated cardboard; The pressing component (6) includes an adjustment component, a drive component, and multiple pressing blocks (62). The drive component is used to drive the multiple pressing blocks (62) to move along a set trajectory to roll and press the corrugated cardboard on the positioning and marking component (5). The adjustment component is used to adjust the distance between all pressing blocks (62) and the rotation center of the drive component in a coordinated manner to accommodate corrugated cardboard of different sizes. The working surface of the pressing block (62) is V-shaped, and the V-shaped inclined surface is divided into a first pressing area, a second transition area and a third folding area from the top to both sides. The first crease area corresponds to the top of the V-shape and is used to press out the main crease that forms an octagonal ridge on the corrugated cardboard; The second transition zone is adjacent to the first pressure line zone and is used to press out a shallow auxiliary crease to provide material deformation space for subsequent folding along the main crease; The third folding area is located outside the second transition area and is used to press out a pre-folded area on the corrugated cardboard. Adjustment component (4) is used to adjust the height of the pressing component (6) relative to the positioning and marking component (5) as a whole.

5. The water-based printing, grooving, and die-cutting machine as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The adjustment component includes a rolling disk (61) with a plurality of evenly distributed adjustment holes (64) on the rolling disk (61). The adjustment holes (64) are slidably disposed with the pressing block (62). The pressing block (62) is surrounded and fixedly connected with a pair of mutually symmetrical limiting blocks (65). The limiting blocks (65) abut against the rolling disk (61).

6. The water-based printing, grooving, and die-cutting machine as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The drive assembly includes a drive housing (63) installed between a pair of rolling discs (61), the drive housing (63) being connected to the rolling discs (61) via bearings, and a dual-axis motor installed inside the drive housing (63), the output end of which is connected to the rolling discs (61).

7. The water-based printing, grooving, and die-cutting machine as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The adjustment assembly also includes a fixed post (74) installed at the outer end of the rolling disk (61). An adjustment block (71) is installed at one end of the fixed post (74). A plurality of evenly distributed adjustment rods (72) are rotatably connected to the adjustment block (71). The adjustment rods (72) are hinged to the pressing block (62) by a hinge (73).

8. The water-based printing, grooving, and die-cutting machine as described in claim 7, characterized in that, An electric push rod is installed at the outer end of the fixed column (74), and a collision ring (75) is slidably connected on the fixed column (74). The output end of the electric push rod is connected to the collision ring (75), and the collision ring (75) abuts against multiple adjusting rods (72).

9. The water-based printing, grooving, and die-cutting machine as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The auxiliary component (5) includes a positioning platform (51), on which a synchronous moving mechanism is installed. A connecting rod (52) is installed at the output end of the synchronous moving mechanism. A marker block (53) is installed at one end of the connecting rod (52), and the marker block (53) is located on the upper side of the pressing block (62).

10. The water-based printing, grooving, and die-cutting machine as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The adjustment assembly (4) includes a pair of auxiliary plates (41), a positioning electric push rod (43) is installed at the top of the auxiliary plate (41), a roller groove (44) is installed at the output end of the positioning electric push rod (43), and a pair of limit rods (42) are installed at one end of the roller groove (44) and the auxiliary plate (41) close to each other.

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