Secondary UV curing printer

Abstract

The utility model discloses a secondary UV curing printer which comprises a workbench, a guide rail and a printing assembly, the guide rail is fixedly arranged above the workbench, and the printing assembly is arranged on the guide rail and can move along the guide rail; the printing device further comprises a first UV curing part and a second UV curing part, the first UV curing part is connected to the printing assembly and can move along the guide rail synchronously with the printing assembly, and the second UV curing part is arranged on the downstream side of the workbench. By utilizing the printer, a three-dimensional pattern can be printed on the surface of a flexible medium, and the three-dimensional pattern has strong firmness after secondary curing and does not crack or deform after being washed and rubbed for multiple times.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of digital printing, and more specifically, to a secondary UV curing printer. Background Art

[0002] The use of UV light to cure inks and glues is well known in the prior art. For example, UV lamps are used to cure UV-curable inks ejected from inkjet heads for printing. However, this technology is primarily used for flat-panel printing. For printing on flexible surfaces such as fabric and leather, silk screen printing is still the most common method used on the market. Silk screen printing has several drawbacks, such as the use of printing plates to determine the pattern, high plate production costs, long production cycles, color and positioning errors. Consequently, silk screen printing not only has high production costs but also lacks the ability to adjust the pattern content on the fly, unlike digital printing.

[0003] However, when digital printers are used for printing on flexible surfaces, there are the following disadvantages: 1. The printed pattern on the flexible surface does not have a concave and convex three-dimensional effect; 2. It is not very durable and is prone to cracking or deformation after repeated washing and rubbing, affecting the appearance. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of the utility model is to overcome the defects of the existing silk screen printing technology, such as high cost and poor firmness, and the defect of the digital printing technology, which has poor printing effect on flexible surfaces, and to provide a secondary UV curing printer, which utilizes the secondary curing technology to print a three-dimensional and firm pattern on the surface of a flexible medium.

[0005] The present invention employs a secondary UV curing printer comprising a workbench, a guide rail, and a printing assembly. The guide rail is fixed above the workbench, and the printing assembly is mounted on and movable along the rail. The printing assembly includes at least one printhead. Furthermore, the printer comprises a first UV curing unit and a second UV curing unit. The first UV curing unit is connected to the printing assembly and can move synchronously along the guide rail with the printing assembly, while the second UV curing unit is located downstream of the workbench. The print medium moves on the workbench from upstream to downstream. The guide rail is arranged orthogonally to the direction of movement of the print medium, enabling the printing assembly to reciprocate in the same direction. The printhead sprays ink to form a specific pattern on the print medium. The first UV curing unit is connected to the printing assembly. After the ink is sprayed onto the print medium, the first UV curing unit performs a primary curing of the printed pattern. This first curing unit rapidly solidifies the ink surface, allowing for further ink to be sprayed onto the solidified surface. This not only creates a three-dimensional pattern with a concave and convex tactile feel, but also allows for the superposition of different colored inks to create unique textured effects. After the primary curing, the printed medium with the pattern moves downstream and enters the irradiation range of the second UV curing section, where the printed pattern is fully cured. This printer can print three-dimensional patterns on flexible media surfaces. These patterns are highly durable on fabrics and leather, and will not crack or deform after repeated washing and rubbing.

[0006] Furthermore, the printer also includes a first roller arranged on the upstream side of the workbench, and the first roller is used to place the printing medium. The printing medium can be a medium such as cloth, leather, etc. on which the printing pattern can be directly sprayed on its surface, or it can be a medium used to temporarily receive the pattern and transfer the pattern to the target material.

[0007] Furthermore, the printer further includes a second roller disposed downstream of the second UV curing section, the second roller being used to hold a covering medium. The covering medium is suitable for the aforementioned printing medium for temporarily receiving a pattern and capable of transferring the pattern to a target material. After the pattern is sprayed on the printing medium, the covering medium is used to cover the upper surface of the pattern to prevent ink oxidation or denaturation.

[0008] Furthermore, due to the different effects of the first and second UV curing units, the wavelength range of the first UV curing unit is different from that of the second UV curing unit. This design can also optimize curing for different printing materials and ink characteristics, improving curing efficiency and quality.

[0009] Furthermore, the second UV curing section includes a plurality of UV lamp beads, each of which can be independently turned on or off, and the curing intensity can be flexibly adjusted according to printing requirements, thereby saving energy and improving curing efficiency.

[0010] Furthermore, the length of the second UV curing section is equal to or longer than the moving distance of the printing assembly, which ensures that the ink is fully cured during the printing process and avoids printing quality problems caused by incomplete curing.

[0011] Furthermore, the printer also includes a transmission device for driving the printing assembly to move on the guide rail and a motor for driving the transmission device.

[0012] Furthermore, the transmission device is a chain drive or a belt drive, which is stable and reliable, can adapt to high-speed or heavy-load printing requirements, and reduce the failure rate.

[0013] Furthermore, the printer also includes a control component for controlling the printing component to move on the guide rail and controlling the nozzle to spray ink.

[0014] Furthermore, the control component includes a computer and a display, which can accurately control the movement of the printing component and the inkjet of the nozzle to achieve precise printing, while providing a user-friendly operation interface to improve operational convenience.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0016] 1. It can print three-dimensional patterns on the surface of flexible media. The patterns have a concave and convex three-dimensional effect. The patterns are strong and durable on fabrics and leathers and will not crack or deform after repeated washing and rubbing.

[0017] 2. The printing process of the printer is simple. It does not require plate making and other steps. It does not require various tools and materials required for silk screen printing and / or thermal transfer. One operator can perform the printing operation completely independently, saving manpower and material resources and effectively reducing production costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the utility model;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a partial schematic diagram of the workbench of the present invention, in which the arrows indicate the moving direction of the printing medium;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a partial schematic diagram of the printing assembly of the present invention, in which the arrows indicate the moving direction of the printing assembly.

[0021] In the attached figure:

[0022] 1- workbench; 2- guide rail; 3- first UV curing section; 4- second UV curing section; 5- first roller; 6- second roller; 7- printing assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present invention is further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting this patent. Certain components in the accompanying drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced in size to better illustrate the embodiments, and do not represent the actual dimensions of the product. It is understandable to those skilled in the art that certain well-known structures and their descriptions may be omitted from the accompanying drawings.

[0024] The same or similar numbers in the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention correspond to the same or similar parts; in the description of the present invention, it should be understood that if there are terms such as "front", "rear", "left", "right" and the like indicating directions or positional relationships based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, it is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operate in a specific direction. Therefore, the terms describing the positional relationship in the drawings are only used for illustrative purposes and cannot be understood as limiting this patent. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms can be understood according to the specific circumstances. In addition, in the present invention, the descriptions such as "first", "second", etc. are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" or "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature.

[0025] Example 1

[0026] This embodiment provides a secondary UV curing printer, referring to Figure 1 、 Figure 2 as well as Figure 3 The secondary UV curing printer includes a workbench 1, a guide rail 2, and a printing assembly 7. The workbench 1 is a planar structure used to receive the printing medium. The printing medium can be a medium such as cloth or leather that can directly spray the printed pattern on its surface, or a medium that temporarily receives the pattern and can transfer the pattern to the target material. The printing medium moves along the surface of the workbench 1 from the upstream side to the downstream side. The guide rail 2 is arranged above the workbench 1 in a direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the printing medium. The printing assembly 7 is arranged on the guide rail 2 and can move back and forth along the length of the guide rail 2. The printing assembly 7 includes at least one nozzle for spraying ink onto the printing medium. For ease of description, the nozzle and related components, including ink cartridges, ink pipelines, etc., are not shown in the accompanying drawings, but they should actually exist and be connected in a connection method familiar to those skilled in the art, that is, one end of the ink pipeline is connected to the nozzle and the other end is connected to the ink cartridge, and the ink is transported from the ink cartridge to the nozzle to complete the drawing (spraying) of the pattern.

[0027] The printer also includes a first UV curing unit 3 and a second UV curing unit 4. The first UV curing unit 3 is connected to the printing assembly 7 and can move synchronously with the printing assembly 7 along the guide rail 2. Specifically, in this embodiment, the first UV curing unit 3 is located on the left or right side of the printing assembly 7. The left or right side refers to either side along the length of the guide rail 2. Of course, in other embodiments, the first UV curing unit 3 can also be located on a side other than the upstream side of the printing assembly 7. The second UV curing unit 4 is located downstream of the workbench 1. After the ink is sprayed onto the print medium, the first UV curing unit 3 performs a primary cure on the printed pattern. This aims to quickly solidify the ink surface so that further ink can be sprayed onto the solidified surface. This not only creates a three-dimensional pattern with a concave and convex tactile feel, but also allows for unique textured effects by overlaying different colors of ink. After the primary cure, the patterned print medium moves downstream into the irradiation range of the second UV curing unit 4, where the printed pattern is fully cured. Using this printer, three-dimensional patterns can be printed on the surface of flexible media. The patterns are highly durable on fabrics and leather and will not crack or deform after repeated washing and rubbing.

[0028] It should be noted that the distance between the second UV curing section 4 and the guide rail 2 is adjustable. Specifically, the position of the second UV curing section 4 is set based on the type of ink. More specifically, when the viscosity of the ink (ultraviolet curing ink) is high (that is, when the diffusion speed when sprayed onto the print medium is slow), the second UV curing section 4 is farther away from the guide rail 2. When the viscosity of the ink is low (that is, when the diffusion speed when sprayed onto the print medium is fast), the second UV curing section 4 is closer to the guide rail 2. In this way, the distance between the second UV curing section 4 and the guide rail 2 can be adjusted according to the viscosity of the ink, thereby changing the time from the first curing to the second curing. When the viscosity of the ink is high, extending the time interval between the two curings can allow the ink to be fully spread on the print medium before curing, thereby improving the print quality. When the viscosity of the ink is low, shortening the time interval between the two curings can increase the printing speed.

[0029] In some embodiments, the second UV curing unit 4 is detachable, and the distance between the second UV curing unit 4 and the guide rail 2 can be adjusted manually.

[0030] Of course, in other embodiments, the second UV curing section 4 may also be disposed on a slide rail (not shown in the figures), and a slider may be used to change the distance between the second UV curing section 4 and the guide rail 2 .

[0031] Example 2

[0032] like Figures 1 to 3As shown, this embodiment provides another secondary UV curing printer, which uses a specially formulated hot melt adhesive film as the printing medium. Therefore, based on Example 1, this embodiment further provides a first roller 5 and a second roller 6, wherein the first roller 5 is arranged on the upstream side of the workbench 1 for placing the printing medium (i.e., the hot melt adhesive film); and the second roller 6 is arranged on the downstream side of the second UV curing section 4 for placing the covering medium, which is release paper.

[0033] A base film is also provided on one side of the hot melt adhesive film, and the hot melt adhesive film has a certain adhesion F1 on the base film. The hot melt adhesive film and the base film are placed on the first roller 5 in the form of a "roll film". When in use, the hot melt adhesive film and the "head end" of the base film are connected to a film roll machine (not shown in the figure) after passing through the workbench 1, and collected by the film roll machine. When digital printing is performed, the film roll machine rotates, thereby driving the printing medium to move from the upstream end to the downstream end on the workbench 1. At the same time, the printing component 7 moves along the length direction of the guide rail 2 to print the pattern on the hot melt adhesive film. After the pattern is sprayed on the surface of the hot melt adhesive film, a covering medium (i.e., release paper) placed on the second roller 6 is used to cover the upper surface of the pattern to prevent the ink from oxidizing or denaturing.

[0034] Ultimately, the product collected on the film roll machine consists of at least four layers: from top to bottom: the cover medium (i.e., release paper), the printed pattern, the hot-melt adhesive film, and the base film. The printed pattern can be single or multi-layered, depending on the needs, creating a concave and convex three-dimensional pattern. The hot-melt adhesive film has minimal adhesion to the release paper, making it easy to remove.

[0035] To transfer a printed pattern using this product, first remove the cover film, then adhere it to the fabric or leather, heat it to bond it to the fabric or leather, and then remove the base film. Because the hot-melt adhesive has a certain adhesion force F1 on the base film, and its adhesion force F2 on the fabric or leather is greater than F1, excess hot-melt adhesive will adhere to the base film and be removed along with it. This leaves only the complete digitally printed pattern on the fabric or leather, effectively transferring the pattern.

[0036] Example 3

[0037] See Figure 1 as well as Figure 2This embodiment, based on the first or second embodiment, provides another secondary UV curing printer, in which the wavelength range of the first UV curing section 3 is different from the wavelength range of the second UV curing section 4. Specifically, the wavelength range of the UV lamp beads used in the first UV curing section 3 is 300nm-400nm, while the wavelength range of the UV lamp beads used in the second UV curing section 4 is 280nm-315nm. The first UV curing section 3 moves along with the printing component 7, and immediately forms a primary cure on the surface of the ink after it is ejected. The primary cure time is short and the intensity is high. The ink after the primary cure is secondary cured after a certain time interval. During this interval, the ink is fully spread on the printing medium to prevent streaks on the printed surface. Compared with the primary cure, the secondary cure time is long, the intensity is lower, and it can be completely cured.

[0038] Because the purposes of primary curing and secondary curing are different, the wavelength range of the first UV curing section 3 is different from that of the second UV curing section 4. Of course, in other embodiments, the wavelength range of the first UV curing section 3 and the wavelength range of the second UV curing section 4 can be adjusted according to the material. This adjustment can be achieved by installing UV lamps with different wavelength ranges in the first UV curing section 3 and / or the second UV curing section 4, and controlling the on and off of different UV lamps to further control the wavelength range of the first UV curing section 3 and / or the second UV curing section 4.

[0039] The second UV curing section 4 includes multiple UV lamps, each of which can be independently turned on or off, allowing for flexible adjustment of curing intensity based on printing requirements, saving energy and improving curing efficiency. The print pattern can be of various sizes, and when printing small patterns, multiple small patterns can be printed in a row. For smaller print sizes and smaller ink ejection volumes, fully illuminating the second UV curing section 4 at all times is not efficient. In this case, independently activating specific UV lamps in the second UV curing section 4 allows for maintaining the same high print quality while saving energy.

[0040] The length of the second UV curing section 4 is equal to or longer than the travel distance of the printing assembly 7. In this embodiment, the length of the second UV curing section 4 is 800 mm, while the travel distance of the printing assembly 7 (i.e., the length of the guide rail 2) is 750 mm. This ensures that the irradiation range of the second UV curing section 4 fully covers the area of ​​the printed pattern, ensuring that the ink is fully cured during the printing process, avoiding print quality issues caused by incomplete curing.

[0041] The printer also includes a transmission device that drives the printing assembly 7 along the guide rail 2, and a motor (not shown) that drives the transmission device. In this embodiment, the transmission device is a chain drive, which is stable and reliable, can adapt to high-speed or heavy-load printing requirements, and reduces the failure rate. Of course, in other embodiments, the transmission device can also be a belt drive or other equivalent transmission structure.

[0042] The printer also includes a control component (not shown) that controls the movement of the printing assembly 7 on the guide rail 2 and the inkjet nozzle. In this embodiment, the control component includes a computer and a display, allowing the operator to precisely control the movement of the printing assembly 7 and the inkjet nozzle, achieving precise printing while providing a user-friendly interface and improving operational convenience. At the same time, the control component can also control the turning on and off of each UV lamp in the first UV curing section 3 and the second UV curing section 4. Using this printer, a single operator can perform printing operations completely independently, saving manpower and material resources and effectively reducing production costs.

[0043] In the specific contents of the above-mentioned specific implementation methods, the various technical features can be combined in any non-contradictory manner. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the above-mentioned technical features are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0044] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for the purpose of clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the implementation methods of the present invention. A person skilled in the art will be able to make other variations or modifications based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to enumerate all implementation methods here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A secondary UV curing printer, comprising a workbench (1), a guide rail (2), and a printing assembly (7), wherein the guide rail (2) is fixedly arranged above the workbench (1), the printing assembly (7) is arranged on the guide rail (2) and can move along the guide rail (2), and the printing assembly (7) includes at least one nozzle, characterized in that: The device further comprises a first UV curing section (3) and a second UV curing section (4); the first UV curing section (3) is connected to the printing assembly (7) and can move along the guide rail (2) synchronously with the printing assembly (7); and the second UV curing section (4) is arranged on the downstream side of the workbench (1).

2. The secondary UV curing printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a first roller (5) arranged on the upstream side of the workbench (1), and the first roller (5) is used to place the printing medium.

3. The secondary UV curing printer according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a second roller (6) arranged on the downstream side of the second UV curing section (4), and the second roller (6) is used to place the covering medium.

4. The secondary UV curing printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The wavelength range of the first UV curing section (3) is different from the wavelength range of the second UV curing section (4).

5. The secondary UV curing printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The second UV curing section (4) comprises a plurality of UV lamp beads, each of which can be independently turned on or off.

6. The secondary UV curing printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The length of the second UV curing section (4) is equal to or longer than the moving distance of the printing component (7).

7. The secondary UV curing printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: It also includes a transmission device for driving the printing assembly (7) to move on the guide rail (2) and a motor for driving the transmission device.

8. The secondary UV curing printer according to claim 7, characterized in that: The transmission device is a chain drive or a belt drive.

9. The secondary UV curing printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: It also includes a control component for controlling the printing component (7) to move on the guide rail (2) and controlling the nozzle to spray ink.

10. The secondary UV curing printer according to claim 9, characterized in that: The control component includes a computer and a display.

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