Modular photofinishing machine

Abstract

A modular photo printer includes a platform plate mounted on a steel beam between the upper ends of a frame, a pressure roller mechanism disposed between the platform plates, an upper air shaft, a lower air shaft, an inner drying assembly, and an outer drying assembly. The upper and lower air shafts are laterally positioned between one side of the two end plates of the frame. A redirecting shaft is located between the middle of the upper ends of the two end plates, and a guide roller is located between the middle of the lower ends of the two end plates. An L-shaped frame is mounted on the frame, with the outer drying assembly fixedly connected between the two frame bodies, and the inner drying assembly connected below the feeding roller. A feeding roller is located on the outer side of the platform plate, with roller shafts at both ends connected to the frame via bearings. A rotating ring is connected to the end of the roller shaft via a bearing. Both ends of the inner drying assembly are equipped with swing arms, the upper end of which is fixedly connected to the outer side of the rotating ring. This photo printer ensures that the printing material is in optimal tension, while keeping the inner heating plate and the printing material in contact, thus ensuring uniform drying of the printing material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of photo printers, and more particularly to a modular photo printer. Background Technology

[0002] A photo printer is a large-format inkjet printing device that evolved from inkjet printers. It prints color patterns onto special materials through a printhead and is widely used in industries such as textile digital printing, advertising, and graphic design.

[0003] Continuous printing in photo printers relies on the precise coordination of unwinding, printing, and rewinding, as described in the integrated CNC photo printer disclosed in patent application number CN202222268372.5. The unwinding mechanism smoothly releases the material roll, which is guided by guide rollers to the area below the printhead for precise inkjet printing. Once printed, the material is then taken over by the rewinding mechanism. Driven by a tension sensor and a motor, the rewinding shaft neatly winds the material. The entire process ensures smooth material transport without deviation or wrinkles through tension control, thus achieving efficient and uninterrupted output. The problem is that the tension of the printed material depends primarily on the matching speed of the unwinding and rewinding. Currently, the tensioning rod relies on its own weight to apply tension to the printed material. However, the unwinding and rewinding drive motors struggle to sense dynamic changes in tension in real time. When the unwinding speed is too fast, relying solely on the rod's own weight for tension often significantly reduces its effectiveness, failing to effectively handle the rapid release of material. This results in the printed material not maintaining a taut state, easily leading to wrinkles. The wrinkling problem caused by uncontrolled unwinding speed severely affects print quality. Furthermore, as the take-up roller continues to operate, the thickness of the wound printing material increases, but the drying unit lacks the ability to automatically adjust its position and adapt flexibly to this change. This results in inconsistent distances between different parts of the printing material and the drying unit during the drying process, leading to areas that are thoroughly dried while others are under-dried. This severely affects the uniformity of drying, ultimately causing inconsistent color reproduction and ink droplet adhesion in the printed products. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention proposes a modular photo printer.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is: a modular combination photo printer, including a platform plate set on the steel beams between the upper ends of the frame, a printhead carriage installed on the guide beam, a pressure roller mechanism set between the guide beam and the platform plate, an upper air shaft, a lower air shaft, an inner drying component and an outer drying component; The upper and lower air shafts are laterally arranged between one side of the two end plates of the frame. A redirecting shaft is provided between the middle of the upper ends of the two end plates, and a guide roller is provided between the middle of the lower ends of the two end plates. The frame has an L-shaped frame on its legs. The outer drying assembly is fixedly connected between the two frames, and the inner drying assembly is connected below the feeding roller. The platform plate is equipped with a feeding roller on the outside. The roller shafts at both ends of the feeding roller are connected to the frame through bearings with seats. The ends of the roller shafts are connected to a rotating ring through bearings. The inner drying component is equipped with swing arms at both ends. The upper end of the swing arm is fixedly connected to the outer side of the rotating ring.

[0006] Preferably, the pressure roller mechanism includes a hexagonal shaft, a rear lifting rod, a front lifting handle, and an L-shaped connecting rod that integrally connect the pressure rollers arranged side by side. The rear lifting rod is connected to the end face of one end of the hexagonal shaft. A rotating arm is provided on the hexagonal shaft inside the rear lifting rod. The inner end of the L-shaped connecting rod is hinged to the outer end of the rotating arm. A rotating seat is provided on the vertical support plate of the frame outside the L-shaped connecting rod. The front lifting handle is generally triangular in shape. The pointed corner of the middle part of the front lifting handle is connected to the rotating seat, and the pointed corner of the inner end is hinged to the outer end of the L-shaped connecting rod.

[0007] Preferably, the inner heating plate is located between the middle of the two swing arms in the inner drying assembly, and a support roller rotates between the lower ends of the two swing arms. The inner wall of the support roller is evenly distributed with several slots, and heating tubes are installed in the slots.

[0008] Preferably, the heating tube is coaxially fitted with an inner tube body, and a number of radial plates are evenly distributed between the inner tube body and the support roller. The cavity formed between the radial plates is provided with a slot, and the heating tube is placed in the slot.

[0009] Preferably, the back of the inner heating plate is provided with a closed cavity, and a U-shaped groove plate is provided in the closed cavity, and an inner heating tube is provided in the U-shaped groove plate.

[0010] Preferably, the front swing arm assembly and the rear swing arm assembly are located at the vertical intersection between the other two ends of the two end plates. The front swing arm assembly includes a front aluminum tube and a front swing rod. The end faces of the front aluminum tube and the front swing rod are connected by the front swing arm. The front aluminum tube is rotatably connected to the frame, and the front swing rod extends outward from the frame. The rear swing arm assembly includes a rear aluminum tube and a rear swing rod. The end faces of the rear aluminum tube and the rear swing rod are fixedly connected by the rear swing arm. The front aluminum tube is rotatably connected to the frame, and the rear swing rod extends into the frame.

[0011] Preferably, the front aluminum tube is provided with a first threaded groove and a second threaded groove covering its surface, the first threaded groove and the second threaded groove having the same size and opposite spiral directions.

[0012] Preferably, the front aluminum tube is fitted with a front tube shaft, and the rear aluminum tube is fitted with a rear tube shaft. Both the front and rear tube shafts are connected to the side plate via bearings. One end of each of the front and rear tube shafts is provided with a large pulley. A variable resistor is provided on the side plate, and a small pulley is provided on the input shaft of the variable resistor. A belt connects the large pulley and the small pulley.

[0013] Preferably, a leather strip roller is connected to the lower outer side of the lower air shaft via a roller frame.

[0014] Preferably, the upper end of the swing arm is provided with a U-shaped notch, which fits onto the roller shaft.

[0015] The beneficial technical effects of this invention are: (1) The guide bracket of the present invention is provided with a front swing arm assembly and a rear swing arm assembly. The front swing arm and the rear swing arm of the two swing arm assemblies, which provide tension, are arranged in opposite directions to form a two-stage continuous tension structure, which can effectively improve the tension effect on the printing material. At the same time, one end of each swing arm assembly is connected to a variable resistor through a pulley. The tension signal is transmitted to the drive motor of the air shaft through the variable resistor, so that the drive motor adjusts the winding and unwinding speed in real time according to the tension of the printing material, ensuring that the printing material is in the best tension state.

[0016] (2) The internal drying component of the present invention is connected to the roller shaft of the feeding roller through the swing arm, so that the internal drying component has a swing function, and a support roller is set at the bottom. The printing material is wound around the support roller, and the printing material and the internal drying component are connected as one unit. The printing material with varying thickness can drive the entire internal drying device to swing accordingly, so that the internal heating plate and the printing material are always in contact, ensuring the uniformity of drying of the printing material.

[0017] (3) The support roller of the present invention has heating tubes evenly arranged inside, and the support tube is divided into multiple chambers by setting inner tubes and connecting ribs. The heating tubes are distributed in each chamber, and the surface of the support roller generates a uniform heating temperature to assist in heating the printed material that passes around, thereby improving the drying efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the AA-direction cross-section structure; Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention after removing the nozzle carriage and steel beam; Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the front swing arm assembly; Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A magnified view of a portion of the image; Figure 6 yes Figure 4 Front view structural diagram; Figure 7 yes Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the BB-direction cross-section structure; Figure 8This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the internal drying component, external drying component, and platform plate mounted on the frame. Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the internal drying component and the external drying component; Figure 10 yes Figure 9 A magnified view of a portion of the image; Figure 11 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the internal drying component; Figure 12 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the nozzle carriage, pressure roller mechanism, and other components of this invention; Figure 13 yes Figure 12 A magnified view of a portion of the image.

[0019] In the diagram, 11. Frame, 12. Side plate, 13. Profile rod, 14. Frame body, 15. Platform plate, 16. Steel beam, 17. Guide rail beam, 18. Nozzle trolley, 19. Stop block, 2. Pressure roller mechanism, 21. Pressure roller, 22. Hexagonal shaft, 23. Rear lifting rod, 24. Swing arm, 25. L-shaped connecting rod, 26. Front lifting handle, 27. Rotating seat, 28. Vertical support plate, 31. Upper air shaft, 32. Lower air shaft, 33. Redirecting shaft, 34. Guide roller, 35. Leather strip roller, 4. Front swing arm assembly, 41. Front aluminum tube, 411. Inner tube body, 412. Radial plate, 413. Heating tube, 42. Front swing rod, 43. Front swing arm, 44. First threaded groove, 45. Second threaded groove, 46. Front tube shaft, 5. Rear swing arm assembly, 51. Rear aluminum tube, 52. 53. Rear swing arm, 54. Rear tube shaft, 61. Large pulley, 62. Small pulley, 63. Belt, 64. Variable resistor, 7. Internal drying assembly, 71. Swing arm, 71. U-shaped notch, 72. Internal heating plate, 73. Enclosed chamber, 74. U-shaped groove plate, 75. Internal heating tube, 76. Support roller, 8. External drying assembly, 9. Feeding roller, 91. Bearing with seat, 92. Rotating ring, 93. Roller shaft, 101. Printing material. Detailed Implementation

[0020] Example 1, see appendix Figure 1-2 8-11, a modular combination photo printer, including a platform plate set on a steel beam between the upper ends of the frame, a printhead carriage mounted on a guide beam, a pressure roller mechanism set between the guide beam and the platform plate, an upper air shaft, a lower air shaft, an inner drying component and an outer drying component; a geared motor is installed on the frame at one end of the upper air shaft and the lower air shaft, and the geared motor drives the air shaft to rotate for winding or unwinding.

[0021] The upper and lower air shafts are horizontally positioned between one side of the end plates of the frame. A redirecting shaft is located between the middle of the upper ends of the two side plates to adjust the direction of the printing material. A guide roller is located between the middle of the lower ends of the two side plates to support the printed product from the middle of the frame, preventing it from elastically deforming downwards and causing scratches.

[0022] The frame has L-shaped supports, with an outer drying assembly fixedly connected between the two supports. An inner drying assembly is connected below the feed rollers, arranged side-by-side, creating a gap for the printing material to pass through. A feed roller is located on the outer side of the platform plate. After printing, the material enters the inner drying assembly from the feed roller. Both ends of the feed roller are connected to the frame via bearings, and rotating rings are connected to the ends of the rollers via bearings. The inner drying assembly has swing arms at both ends, with the upper ends of the swing arms fixedly connected to the outer surface of the rotating rings. The inner drying assembly can rotate on the two rotating rings via the swing arms, allowing the entire inner drying assembly to swing. This inner and outer covering method dries the printing material more thoroughly and effectively improves drying efficiency.

[0023] The inner heating plate is located between the middle of the two swing arms in the inner drying assembly. The surface of the inner heating plate is smooth, which can effectively reduce the contact friction of the printing material. A support roller rotates between the lower ends of the two swing arms. There is a gap between the support roller and the inner heating plate. Several slots are evenly distributed on the inner wall of the support roller. Heating tubes are installed in the slots. There are blocks on the end plate that correspond to the positions of the inner side of the inner drying assembly. The support roller is heated by the heating tubes to generate a heating temperature.

[0024] An inner tube is coaxially fitted inside the heating tube. Several radial plates are evenly distributed between the inner tube and the support roller. The cavity formed between the radial plates has a slot, and the heating tube is placed in the slot. The heating tube generates heat in an independent cavity, and each independent cavity heats the aluminum tube synchronously, so that the surface of the aluminum tube is heated at a uniform temperature. This provides auxiliary heating for the printed material that is passed around, improving drying efficiency.

[0025] The inner heating plate has a closed chamber on its back, within which is a U-shaped groove plate, and an inner heating tube is installed inside the U-shaped groove plate. A primary chamber is formed between the U-shaped groove plate and the inner heating plate, where the inner heating tube generates heat to heat the central area of ​​the inner heating plate. The large closed chamber on the back of the inner heating plate is a secondary chamber, used to trap the heat emitted by the U-shaped groove plate, thus heating the entire inner heating plate. This two-stage heating system ensures that the inner heating plate generates a sufficient and uniform drying temperature.

[0026] The upper end of the swing arm is provided with a U-shaped notch, which fits onto the roller shaft to prevent the swing arm from colliding with the roller shaft and to ensure normal swing of the swing arm. The end of the frame is provided with a limiting block corresponding to the end of the inner drying component. This limiting block restricts the swing range of the inner drying component and has a certain degree of elasticity to prevent impact force from damaging the inner drying component.

[0027] Example 2, see appendix Figure 12-13 This embodiment is basically the same as Embodiment 1, and the similarities will not be repeated. The difference is that the pressure roller mechanism includes a hexagonal shaft that connects the side-by-side pressure rollers as a whole, a rear lifting rod, a front lifting handle, and an L-shaped connecting rod. The rear lifting rod is connected to the end face of one end of the hexagonal shaft. When the operator is behind the printer, he can hold the rear lifting rod in time and drive the hexagonal shaft to rotate through the rear lifting rod, thereby lifting all the pressure rollers and releasing the printing material on the platform.

[0028] A rotating arm is provided on the hexagonal shaft inside the rear lifting rod. The rotating arm is fixedly mounted on the hexagonal shaft. The inner end of the L-shaped connecting rod is hinged to the outer end of the rotating arm. A rotating seat is provided on the vertical support plate of the frame outside the L-shaped connecting rod. The front lifting handle is generally triangular in shape. The pointed part in the middle of the front lifting handle is connected to the rotating seat. The pointed part at the inner end is hinged to the outer end of the L-shaped connecting rod. When the operator is in front of the photo printer, he can hold the front lifting handle in time. By pressing the front lifting handle, the L-shaped connecting rod is driven to swing. The bent end of the inner end of the L-shaped connecting rod drives the hexagonal shaft to rotate through the rotating arm, lifting all the pressure rollers and releasing the printing material on the platform.

[0029] Example 3, see appendix Figure 2-6 This embodiment is basically the same as Embodiment 1, and the similarities will not be repeated. The differences are as follows: The front and rear swing arm assemblies are located at the vertical intersection between the other two end plates. The front swing arm assembly includes a front aluminum tube and a front swing rod, connected by the front swing arm. The front aluminum tube is rotatably connected to the frame, and the front swing rod extends outward from the frame. A stop block corresponding to the position of the front swing rod is provided on the end plate. The rear swing arm assembly includes a rear aluminum tube and a rear swing rod, fixedly connected by the rear swing arm. The front aluminum tube is rotatably connected to the frame, and the rear swing rod extends into the frame. The rear and front swing rods are arranged in opposite directions. A limiting block corresponding to the front swing arm and a limiting block corresponding to the rear swing arm are provided on the side plate.

[0030] Profile rods are provided between the upper and lower parts of both side panels, and a cross brace is provided between the middle of the two side panels. The two side panels are fixed together by the profile rods and the cross brace.

[0031] Both the front and rear aluminum tubes are equipped with coaxial sleeves. Several radial plates are evenly distributed between the coaxial sleeves and the inner wall of the aluminum tubes. Small chambers are divided inside the aluminum tubes by the radial plates and the coaxial sleeves. Heating tubes are installed on the aluminum tubes between the radial plates. The heating tubes are distributed in different small chambers, which helps to transfer heat evenly and fully to the aluminum tubes.

[0032] The front aluminum tube is fitted with a front tube shaft, and the rear aluminum tube is fitted with a rear tube shaft. Both the front and rear tube shafts are connected to the side plate via bearings. The front tube shaft is fixedly connected to the front swing arm, and the rear tube shaft is fixedly connected to the rear swing arm.

[0033] The front aluminum tube has a first threaded groove and a second threaded groove covering its surface. The first threaded groove and the second threaded groove are the same size and have opposite spiral directions. The opposite-direction threaded grooves provide a spiral thrust to the printing material, causing the printing material to spread continuously from the middle to both sides, improving its flatness and avoiding wrinkles. At the same time, the elastic rubber strip roller can press firmly on the surface of the printing material to prevent edge lifting, offset or wrinkles. The combination of the two can completely solve the problem of wrinkles in the product and ensure product quality.

[0034] The front aluminum tube houses a front tube shaft, and the rear aluminum tube houses a rear tube shaft. Both shafts are connected to the side plate via bearings. Each shaft has a large pulley at one end. A variable resistor is located on the side plate, and a small pulley is mounted on the input shaft of the variable resistor. A belt connects the large and small pulleys. A belt roller is connected to the lower outer side of the lower air shaft via a roller frame. When the front swing arm of the front swing arm assembly applies tension to the printing material and the tension changes, the front tube shaft rotates, causing the large pulley to rotate. The large pulley, via the belt, drives the small pulley to rotate, triggering the variable resistor. The variable resistor sends this signal to the drive motors of the upper and lower air shafts. The drive motors adjust the unwinding and rewinding speeds in real time based on the printing material tension signal to ensure the printing material is under optimal tension. The rear swing arm assembly operates on the same principle.

Claims

1. A modular photo printer, characterized in that: It includes a platform plate set on the steel beams between the upper ends of the frame, a nozzle carriage installed on the guide beam, a pressure roller mechanism set between the guide beam and the platform plate, an upper air shaft, a lower air shaft, an inner drying assembly, and an outer drying assembly; The upper and lower air shafts are laterally arranged between one side of the two end plates of the frame. A redirecting shaft is provided between the middle of the upper ends of the two end plates, and a guide roller is provided between the middle of the lower ends of the two end plates. The frame has an L-shaped frame on its legs. The outer drying assembly is fixedly connected between the two frames, and the inner drying assembly is connected below the feeding roller. The platform plate is equipped with a feeding roller on the outside. The roller shafts at both ends of the feeding roller are connected to the frame through bearings with seats. The ends of the roller shafts are connected to a rotating ring through bearings. The inner drying component is equipped with swing arms at both ends. The upper end of the swing arm is fixedly connected to the outer side of the rotating ring.

2. The modular combination photo printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressure roller mechanism includes a hexagonal shaft, a rear lifting rod, a front lifting handle, and an L-shaped connecting rod that integrally connect the pressure rollers arranged side by side. The rear lifting rod is connected to the end face of one end of the hexagonal shaft. A rotating arm is provided on the hexagonal shaft inside the rear lifting rod. The inner end of the L-shaped connecting rod is hinged to the outer end of the rotating arm. A rotating seat is provided on the vertical support plate of the frame outside the L-shaped connecting rod. The front lifting handle is generally triangular in shape. The pointed corner of the middle part of the front lifting handle is connected to the rotating seat, and the pointed corner of the inner end is hinged to the outer end of the L-shaped connecting rod.

3. A modular photo printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner heating plate is located between the middle of the two swing arms in the inner drying assembly. A support roller rotates between the lower ends of the two swing arms. Several slots are evenly distributed on the inner wall of the support roller, and heating tubes are installed in the slots.

4. A modular photo printer according to claim 3, characterized in that: The heating tube is coaxially fitted with an inner tube body. Several radial plates are evenly distributed between the inner tube body and the support roller. The cavity formed between the radial plates is provided with a slot, and the heating tube is placed in the slot.

5. A modular photo printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner heating plate has a closed chamber on its back, and a U-shaped groove plate is provided in the closed chamber, with an inner heating tube inside the U-shaped groove plate.

6. A modular photo printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front and rear swing arm assemblies are located at the vertical intersection between the other two ends of the end plates. The front swing arm assembly includes a front aluminum tube and a front swing rod. The end faces of the front aluminum tube and the front swing rod are connected by the front swing arm. The front aluminum tube is rotatably connected to the frame, and the front swing rod extends outward from the frame. The rear swing arm assembly includes a rear aluminum tube and a rear swing rod. The end faces of the rear aluminum tube and the rear swing rod are fixedly connected by the rear swing arm. The front aluminum tube is rotatably connected to the frame, and the rear swing rod extends into the frame.

7. A modular photo printer according to claim 6, characterized in that: The front aluminum tube is provided with a first threaded groove and a second threaded groove covering its surface. The first threaded groove and the second threaded groove have the same size and opposite spiral directions.

8. A modular photo printer according to claim 6, characterized in that: The front aluminum tube is fitted with a front tube shaft, and the rear aluminum tube is fitted with a rear tube shaft. Both the front and rear tube shafts are connected to the side plate by bearings. One end of each of the front and rear tube shafts is equipped with a large pulley. A variable resistor is provided on the side plate. A small pulley is provided on the input shaft of the variable resistor. A belt connects the large pulley and the small pulley.

9. A modular photo printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: A leather strip roller is connected to the lower outer side of the lower air expansion shaft via a roller frame.

10. A modular photo printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper end of the swing arm is provided with a U-shaped notch, which fits onto the roller shaft.

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