Automatic base material tearing apparatus and automatic base material tearing method

Abstract

To provide an automatic base material tearing device and an automatic base material tearing method capable of easily and automatically forming a torn cut end and easily making appearance including the cut end constant.SOLUTION: The automatic base material tearing device 1 is configured to tear a base material side P10 including a first partial side P11 and a second partial side P1 arranged in one direction at a boundary side P10 between the first partial side P11 and the second partial side P12. The automatic base material tearing device 1 includes a cut portion 2 that forms a cut line shorter than the thickness of the base material P12 by inserting a blade 20 into the boundary P1 in the thickness direction of the base material P1, and a tearing portion 3 that tears the boundary P10 having the cut line by moving at least one of the first portion P11 and the second portion P10 so that the first portion P11 and the second portion P12 are separated from each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an automatic substrate tearing device and an automatic substrate tearing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a label manufacturing device that automatically manufactures labels with torn cut edges.

[0003] In this manufacturing device, water or water containing a penetrant is dripped in a line onto paper, which is either Japanese paper or Western paper that has been processed to have the appearance of Japanese paper, to impregnate it, and physical force is applied by a machine to tear the paper along the water-impregnated line, producing a label with a torn cut edge. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-212422 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in a method in which a portion of paper is impregnated with water or water containing a penetrant and then torn off, as in the label manufacturing device described in Patent Document 1, the cut edge is impregnated with water, so immediately after tearing, fuzzing is unlikely to occur at the cut edge, making it difficult to determine whether fuzzing has occurred to the required extent at the cut edge.

[0006] Furthermore, when a portion of the paper is impregnated with water or water containing a penetrant, the pattern printed on the surface of the label may be affected, making it difficult to achieve a consistent appearance. Also, depending on the paper material, it may be necessary to impregnate the water with a penetrant appropriate for that paper material, which is time-consuming.

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, the present disclosure aims to propose an automatic substrate tearing device and an automatic substrate tearing method that make it easy to automatically form torn cut edges and make the appearance, including the cut edges, consistent. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An automatic substrate tearing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is configured to tear a substrate including a first portion and a second portion aligned in one direction at the boundary between the first portion and the second portion. The automatic substrate tearing device includes a cutting portion and a tearing portion. The cutting portion cuts a blade into the boundary in the thickness direction of the paper, forming a slit shorter than the thickness of the paper. The tearing portion tears the boundary including the slit by moving at least one of the first portion and the second portion so that the first portion and the second portion are separated.

[0009] An automatic substrate tearing method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a slit forming step and a tearing step. In the slit forming step, a cutting blade is inserted in the thickness direction of the paper at a boundary between a substrate including a first portion and a second portion aligned in one direction, to form a slit at the boundary that is shorter than the thickness of the paper. In the tearing step, at least one of the first portion and the second portion is moved by the tearing portion so that the first portion and the second portion are separated, thereby tearing the boundary including the slit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The automatic substrate tearing device and automatic substrate tearing method according to one aspect of the present disclosure make it easy to automatically form the torn cut edges and to make the appearance, including the cut edges, consistent. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically illustrating an automatic substrate tearing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the operation procedure of the automatic substrate tearing device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing the operation procedure after FIG. 2 of the automatic substrate tearing device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing the operation procedure after FIG. 3 of the automatic substrate tearing device. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic front view showing the operation procedure after FIG. 4 of the automatic substrate tearing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] (One embodiment) 1. Overview 1 is configured to tear a substrate P1, which includes a first portion P10 and a second portion P11 aligned in one direction, at a boundary P12 between the first portion P10 and the second portion P11. The automatic substrate tearing device 1 includes a cutting portion 2 and a tearing portion 3. The cutting portion 2 cuts a blade 20 into the boundary P12 in the thickness direction of the substrate P1, forming a slit P13 that is shorter than the thickness of the substrate P1. The tearing portion 3 tears the boundary P12 having the slit P13 by moving at least one of the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 so that the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 are separated.

[0013] 4 and 5, the automatic substrate tearing method of one embodiment includes a slit forming step S3 and a tearing step S4. In the slit forming step S3, the blade 20 of the cutting unit 2 is inserted in the thickness direction of the substrate P1 at a boundary P12 between a first portion P10 and a second portion P11 of the substrate P1, the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 being aligned in one direction, to form a slit P13 at the boundary P12 that is shorter than the thickness of the substrate P1. In the tearing step S4, the tearing unit 3 moves at least one of the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 so that the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 are separated, thereby tearing the boundary P12 including the slit P13.

[0014] In the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and automatic substrate tearing method of the embodiment described above, the blade 20 of the cutting portion 2 is inserted into the boundary P12 between the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 of the substrate P1 to form a slit P13 and tear the substrate, so there is no need to impregnate the boundary P12 with water as in the conventional example. Therefore, in the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and automatic substrate tearing method of the embodiment, the torn cut edge can be automatically formed and the appearance including the cut edge can easily be made consistent.

[0015] 2.Details An automatic substrate tearing device 1 and an automatic substrate tearing method according to one embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. The automatic substrate tearing device 1 is configured to tear a substrate P1, which includes a first portion P10 and a second portion P11 aligned in one direction, at a boundary P12 between the first portion P10 and the second portion P11. The automatic substrate tearing device 1 includes a cutting section 2, a tearing section 3, a substrate feeding section 4, a finished product transport section 5, an inspection section 6, a sorting section 7, and a stand section 8.

[0016] 2-1.Automatic substrate tearing device 2-1-1. Base material The base material P1 is a base material that, when torn off, produces fuzz at the cut edge. The base material P1 is Japanese paper, Western paper processed to have a Japanese paper-like appearance, or the like. The base material P1 contains fibers with a length of 0.1 to 50 mm.

[0017] In this embodiment, the substrate P1 is a substrate that is long in one direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 1). The substrate P1 has a pattern (i.e., letters or designs) processed on a surface facing one side in the thickness direction (the upper surface in this embodiment). The substrate P1 has a plurality of patterns processed at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the substrate P1. The patterns are processed on the substrate P1 by means of, for example, printing or the like.

[0018] The first portion P10 is a portion of the base material P1 that is located at one end of the base material P1 in the longitudinal direction (more specifically, the end on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the base material P1) and has a pattern on its surface. The second portion P11 is a portion of the base material P1 that is located one portion upstream of the first portion P10 and has a pattern on its surface. In this embodiment, no pattern is provided on the surface of the base material P1 at a boundary P12 between the first portion P10 and the second portion P11. Note that a pattern may be provided at the boundary P12.

[0019] The base material P1 is torn at the boundary P12 between the first portion P10 and the second portion P11, so that the original second portion P11 becomes the first portion P10, and the portion with a pattern on the surface, which is located one portion upstream of the first portion P10, becomes the second portion P11.

[0020] In this embodiment, one base material P1 is processed with two end patterns that indicate both longitudinal ends of the base material P1, and eight design patterns that are different from the two end patterns. The eight design patterns may be the same design or different designs. In this case, eight pieces with both longitudinal ends of the base material P1 torn off and two end pieces with only one end torn off are obtained from one base material P1. Each of the eight pieces with both ends torn off is used, for example, by attaching it to a bottle of sake, wine, etc. Each of the two end pieces is, for example, disposed of.

[0021] 2-1-2. Stand The stand 8 is where the substrate P1 is placed before being torn. The substrate P1 is placed on the stand 8 with the processed surface of the substrate P1 facing upward. Multiple substrates P1 can be placed on the stand 8, stacked one on top of the other. The stand 8 is provided with a pair of upper and lower transport rollers (not shown). The multiple substrates P1 on the stand 8 are transported in one direction (to the right in Figure 1) by the lower transport roller, and then the uppermost substrate P1 is transported to a predetermined location by the upper transport rotor.

[0022] A position sensor 80 that detects the position of the substrate P1 on the pedestal 8 is provided above the downstream portion of the pedestal 8. When the position sensor 80 detects the end of the substrate P1, the substrate P1 is positioned at a predetermined position on the pedestal 8.

[0023] 2-1-3. Substrate feeding section The substrate feeding section 4 is a section that moves the substrate P1 to the cutting position by the cutting section 2 (that is, the position where the cut line P13 is formed).

[0024] More specifically, the substrate feeding section 4 moves the substrate P1 located at a predetermined location on the support section 8 in one direction so that the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 located at one end of the substrate P1 are positioned at the cutting position by the cutting section 2.

[0025] Each time the cutting section 2 completes the formation of the slit P13 and the tearing section 3 completes the tearing process, the substrate feeding section 4 moves the substrate P1 in one direction so that the next portion of the substrate P1 (more specifically, the first portion P10 consisting of the original second portion P11 and the second portion P11 immediately upstream of that) is positioned at the cutting position. The substrate feeding section 4 repeats the conveyance so as to feed the substrate P1 over the entire longitudinal length to the cutting position.

[0026] The substrate feeding section 4 is configured to move the substrate P1 by sliding the substrate P1 in one direction on the stand section 8 while pressing the substrate P1 from above.

[0027] 2-1-4. Torn part The tear-off portion 3 is a portion to be torn off at a boundary P12 having a cut P13 by moving at least one of the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 so that the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 are separated from each other.

[0028] In this embodiment, the tearing section 3 is located downstream of the stand section 8 (to the right in the figure) and includes a movable table 30 that supports a portion of the substrate P1 (specifically, a first portion P10) from below, and a table moving section 31 that moves the movable table 30 between a first position and a second position. The tearing section 3 further includes a first clamping section 32 that clamps the first portion P10 between itself and the movable table 30, and a second clamping section 33 that clamps the second portion P11 between itself and the stand section 8. The tearing section 3 further includes a first lifting section 34 that moves the first clamping section 32 between the clamping position and a standby position, and a second lifting section 35 that moves the second clamping section 33 between the clamping position and a standby position.

[0029] The movable table 30 is a portion on which the first portion P10 of the substrate P1 is placed. The movable table 30 is moved between a first position and a second position by a table moving portion 31. The table moving portion 31 is configured, for example, by an air cylinder. The table moving portion 31 is configured to move the movable table 30 in the horizontal direction.

[0030] The first position is a position where a small gap 9 is formed between the base unit 8 and the movable base unit 8, allowing the blade 20 of the cutting portion 2 to pass through. The second position is a position downstream (i.e., to the right) of the first position. The movable base 30 in the second position is located farther from the base unit 8 than the movable base 30 in the first position.

[0031] When the first part P10 is placed on the movable table 30 in the first position, the second part P11 is placed on the stand part 8, and the boundary P12 between the first part P10 and the second part P11 is located above the gap 9, the position of the substrate P1 is the cutting position by the cutting part 2 (i.e., the position where the incision P13 is formed).

[0032] The first clamping unit 32 is located above the movable table 30 and is moved up and down between a clamping position and a standby position by the first lifting unit 34. The standby position is a position higher than the clamping position. A first portion P10 of the substrate P1 is clamped between the first clamping unit 32 in the clamping position and the movable table 30. The first clamping unit 32 in the standby position is located above and away from the movable table 30 and the first portion P10.

[0033] The first lifting / lowering portion 34 is fixed to the movable base 30. Therefore, as the movable base 30 moves, the first lifting / lowering portion 34 and the first clamping portion 32 move.

[0034] The second clamping unit 33 is located above one end of the stand unit 8, and is moved up and down between a clamping position and a standby position above it by the second lifting unit 35. The second clamping unit 33 in the clamping position clamps the second portion P11 of the substrate P1 between the stand unit 8 and the second clamping unit 33. The second clamping unit 33 in the standby position is located above and away from the stand unit 8 and the second portion P11.

[0035] In the tearing portion 3, the movable table 30 at the first position and the first clamping portion 32 at the clamping position clamp the first portion P10 of the substrate P1, and the stand portion 8 and the second clamping portion 33 at the clamping position clamp the second portion P11 of the substrate P1, and then the movable table 30 and the first clamping portion 32 move to the second position. This allows the tearing portion 3 to move the first portion P10 so that the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 are separated, and allows the boundary P12 having the cut P13 to be torn off.

[0036] 2-1-5. Cutting part The cut portion 2 is a portion where a blade 20 is cut in the thickness direction of the base material P1 at a boundary P12 between a first portion P10 and a second portion P11 of the base material P1 to form a cut P13 shorter than the thickness of the base material P1.

[0037] The cutting portion 2 is configured to insert the blade 20 into the back surface of the base material P1. The cutting portion 2 inserts the blade 20 into the base material P1 in a state in which the first portion P10 is clamped by the first clamping portion 32 and the second portion P11 is clamped by the second clamping portion 33.

[0038] 4, the cutting portion 2 has a blade 20, a base 21 to which the blade 20 is attached, and a blade moving portion 22 that moves the blade 20 and the base 21. The cutting portion 2 is configured so that the length of the blade 20 that protrudes above the gap 9 can be adjusted.

[0039] In this embodiment, the base 21 supports the blade 20 so that the blade 20 protrudes upward by a predetermined length from the gap 9 between the movable base 30 and the base part 8. The base 21 is configured so that the length by which the blade 20 protrudes upward can be changed.

[0040] In this embodiment, the base 21 and the blade movement portion 22 are configured so that at least one height-adjusting plate can be sandwiched between the base 21 and the blade movement portion 22. This allows the vertical position of the base 21 to be changed, and the length by which the blade 20 protrudes above the gap 9 to be adjusted. Note that the base 21 may be one base 21 selected from a plurality of bases 21 provided so that the blade 20 protrudes from the gap 9 by different lengths.

[0041] The length of the blade 20 projecting upward from the gap 9 is set appropriately depending on the thickness of the substrate P1. The length of the blade 20 projecting upward is set so as to form a slit P13 on the rear surface of the substrate P1 that is shorter than the thickness of the substrate P1. The vertical length of the slit P13 is, for example, within 0.05 mm, which is approximately half the thickness of the substrate P1. The vertical length of the slit P13 can be set appropriately depending on the thickness and material of the substrate P1, but is a length that does not penetrate the substrate P1 in the thickness direction.

[0042] In this embodiment, the blade 20 is a double-edged blade 20 having blades on both sides in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the substrate P1 (i.e., both front and rear in FIG. 1). The blade 20 may also be a single-edged blade. The base 21 is configured to support the blade 20 by sandwiching it in the conveyance direction of the substrate P1 (i.e., the left-right direction).

[0043] The blade moving portion 22 is configured to move the blade 20 and the base 21 in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the substrate P1 (that is, in the front-rear direction).

[0044] In this embodiment, the blade 20 located in front of the substrate P1 is moved in one direction (more specifically, rearward) by the blade moving part 22 to a position behind the substrate P1, thereby forming a cut P13 on the back surface of the boundary P12 of the substrate P1. The blade moving part 22 moves the blade 20 located behind the substrate P1 (i.e., the blade 20 after the cutting process) forward to a standby position in front of the substrate P1 when the movable table 30 is in the second position after the tearing process.

[0045] 2-1-6. Finished product transport section The finished product transport section 5 is a section that moves the first part P10, which has been torn off and separated from the second part P11, from the movable table 30 to the inspection section 6. In this embodiment, the finished product transport section 5 has a first transport section 50, an intermediate table 51, and a second transport section 52. The first transport section 50 includes a first holding section 500. The second transport section 52 includes a second holding section 520.

[0046] The intermediate table 51 is located downstream (to the right) of the movable table 30. The first holding part 500 is a part that holds the first part P10 on the movable table 30 when it is in the second position. The first holding part 500 holds the upper surface of the first part P10 by suction. The first conveying part 50 moves the first part P10 held by the first holding part 500 linearly in one direction to move it onto the intermediate table 51.

[0047] The second holding part 520 is a part that holds the first part P10 on the intermediate table 51. Similar to the first holding part 500, the second holding part 520 holds the upper surface of the first part P10 by suction. The second conveying part 52 rotates and moves the first part P10 held by the second holding part 520 onto an inspection table 60 (described later) of the inspection part 6.

[0048] 2-1-7. Inspection part The inspection section 6 has an inspection table 60 on which the first part P10 after tearing is placed, an imaging device (not shown) such as a camera that images the first part P10 on the inspection table 60, and a judgment section (not shown) that judges the state of the first part P10 from the imaging data of the imaging device. The judgment section judges whether the degree of fuzzing on the two end sides of the first part P10, the distance between the handle on the top surface of the first part P10 and one end side, and the payout size of the first part P10 (i.e., the distance between the two end sides) are within set tolerance ranges.

[0049] 2-1-8.Sorting section The sorting section 7 is a section that sorts the first parts P10 inspected by the inspection section 6 according to their condition. The sorting section 7 has a moving section 70 that sucks and moves the first parts P10 on the inspection table 60, and a plurality of storage sections 71 in which the first parts P10 are stored.

[0050] In this embodiment, the moving unit 70 is a robot arm that sucks the upper surface of the first part P10 and moves it. The moving unit 70 is configured to move the first part P10 on the examination table 60 to one of the multiple storage units 71 depending on the state of the first part P10. Each of the multiple storage units 71 is, for example, a rectangular box with an open top.

[0051] 2-2. Automatic substrate tearing method Next, an automatic substrate tearing method using the automatic substrate tearing device 1 described above will be described.

[0052] The automatic substrate tearing method includes a conveying step S1, a clamping step S2, a cut line forming step S3, a tearing step S4, a finished product conveying step S5, an inspection step S6, and a sorting step S7.

[0053] 2-2-1.Transportation process In the conveying step S1, as shown in Fig. 2, the substrate P1 is conveyed by the substrate feeding section 4 (see Fig. 1) to a cutting position by the cutting section 2. When the substrate P1 is at the cutting position, a boundary P12 between the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 of the substrate P1 is located above the gap 9 between the stand section 8 and the movable table 30 at the first position. After the conveying step S1, a clamping step S2 is carried out.

[0054] 2-2-2. Clamping process 3, in the clamping step S2, the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 of the substrate P1 are clamped in the thickness direction by the first clamping unit 32 and the second clamping unit 33. More specifically, the first lifting / lowering unit 34 moves the first clamping unit 32 from the standby position to the clamping position, so that the first portion P10 of the substrate P1 is clamped between the first clamping unit 32 at the clamping position and the movable base 30 at the first position. Then, the second lifting / lowering unit 35 moves the second clamping unit 33 from the standby position to the clamping position, so that the second portion P11 of the substrate P1 is clamped between the second clamping unit 33 at the clamping position and the stand unit 8.

[0055] In this embodiment, after the second clamping unit 33 clamps the second portion P11 between itself and the stand unit 8, the first clamping unit 32 and the second clamping unit 33 are driven so that the first clamping unit 32 clamps the first portion P10 between itself and the movable table 30. In a state in which the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 are clamped in the thickness direction by the clamping step S2, the slit forming step S3 is carried out.

[0056] 2-2-3.Cutting process 4, in the slit forming step S3, the blade 20 and the base 21 are moved by the blade moving part 22 so that the blade 20 of the cutting part 2, which is positioned in front of the base material P1, moves to a position behind the base material P1. As a result, a slit P13 shorter than the thickness of the base material P1 is formed on the back surface of the boundary P12 of the base material P1.

[0057] In the slit forming step S3, the slit P13 is formed while the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 of the substrate P1 are sandwiched between the first clamping portion 32 and the second clamping portion 33 in the thickness direction, thereby preventing the substrate P1 from being pressed and deformed by the blade 20. This makes it easier to form the slit P13 of the desired depth on the back surface of the substrate P1. After the slit forming step S3, the tearing step S4 is performed. The tearing step S4 is performed while the blade 20 is positioned in front of the substrate P1 (rearward in FIG. 1).

[0058] 2-2-4. Tearing process In the tearing step S4, as shown in FIG. 5 , the platform moving unit 31 moves the movable platform 30 from the first position to the second position. At this time, the first clamping unit 32, which is in the clamping position, moves together with the movable platform 30. As a result, a force is applied to a boundary P12 having a slit P13 between the first portion P10, which is clamped between the first clamping unit 32 and the movable platform 30, and the second portion P11, which is clamped between the second clamping unit 33 and the stand unit 8, in a direction separating the first portion P10 and the second portion P11, causing the substrate P1 to tear at the boundary P12 having the slit P13. Thereafter, immediately after the first clamping unit 32, which is in the clamping position, starts to move to the standby position by the first lifting unit 34, the finished product conveying step S5 is performed on the first portion P10 on the movable platform 30, which is in the second position.

[0059] 2-2-5. Finished product transport process In the finished product transport step S5, the first part P10 after tearing is held by the first holding part 500 and moved by the first transport part 50 from the movable table 30 at the second position to the intermediate table 51. After the first part P10 has been moved onto the intermediate table 51, the movable table 30 at the second position and the first clamping part 32 at the standby position are moved to the first position by the table moving part 31.

[0060] The first part P10 on the intermediate table 51 is held by the second holding part 520 and moved onto the inspection table 60 of the inspection section 6 by the second transport part 52. After the finished product transport step S5, an inspection step S6 is carried out.

[0061] 2-2-6. Inspection process In the inspection process S6, the first part P10 on the inspection table 60 is photographed by the photographing device of the inspection section 6, and the judgment section of the inspection section 6 performs image analysis of the photographed data to detect the state of the first part P10. After the inspection process S6, a sorting process S7 is carried out.

[0062] 2-2-7.Sorting process In the sorting step S7, the moving unit 70 moves the first portion P10 on the inspection table 60 to one of the storage units 71 in accordance with the detection result of the inspection step S6.

[0063] At this time, the first portion P10 constituting the end piece located at the longitudinal end of the base material P1 is moved to the storage section 71 for end pieces. The first portion P10 constituting the product piece located upstream of the end piece of the base material P1 is moved to one of the multiple storage sections 71 for product pieces depending on its condition.

[0064] 3. Effects In the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and automatic substrate tearing method of the present embodiment described above, the blade 20 of the cutting portion 2 is inserted into the boundary P12 between the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 of the substrate P1 to form a slit P13 and tear it off, so there is no need to impregnate the boundary P12 with water as in the conventional example. Therefore, in the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and automatic substrate tearing method of one embodiment, it is easy to automatically form the torn cut edge and to make the appearance, including the cut edge, consistent.

[0065] Furthermore, in the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and automatic substrate tearing method of this embodiment, a slit P13 is formed on the back surface of the boundary P12 of the substrate P1, and the boundary P12 is torn, so no linear trace of the slit P13 is left on the front surface of the substrate P1. Therefore, the fuzz that occurs at the boundary P12 between the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 of the substrate P1 tends to have a natural appearance, as if it had been torn by hand.

[0066] Furthermore, in the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and automatic substrate tearing method of this embodiment, the slit P13 is formed at the boundary P12 while the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 of the substrate P1 are clamped by the clamping sections 32, 33, which prevents the substrate P1 from being deformed by being pressed by the blade 20. Therefore, in the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and automatic substrate tearing method of this embodiment, the depth of the slit P13 tends to be stable, and the appearance of the fuzz that occurs at the boundary P12 tends to be stable.

[0067] Furthermore, in the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and automatic substrate tearing method of this embodiment, the substrate P1 is made of Japanese paper or Western paper with a Japanese paper-like appearance, which has relatively long fibers, so the cut edges are prone to fuzzing.

[0068] Furthermore, in the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and automatic substrate tearing method of this embodiment, the boundary P12 between the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 of the substrate P1 is not saturated with water as in the conventional example, so fuzzing can be generated immediately after tearing. Therefore, in the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and automatic substrate tearing method of this embodiment, the inspection step S6 can be performed immediately after the tearing step S4, and the condition of the first portion P10 can be inspected.

[0069] Furthermore, in the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and the automatic substrate tearing method of this embodiment, the sorting step S7 is performed after the inspection step S6, so that the first portions P10 after tearing can be sorted according to their condition.

[0070] Furthermore, the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and the automatic substrate tearing method of this embodiment can automatically and continuously tear each part of the substrate P1, making them suitable for stable production of torn products.

[0071] The automatic substrate tearing device 1 and automatic substrate tearing method of this embodiment do not use chemicals such as water or penetrants as in conventional examples, so damage to the substrate P1 caused by water or chemicals (such as curling or bumps due to the expansion and contraction of paper fibers) does not occur, and the design on the surface of the substrate P1 is not affected by water or chemicals.

[0072] Furthermore, the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and the automatic substrate tearing method of this embodiment do not require a device for printing water on the boundary P12 as in the conventional example, and do not require the time-consuming preparatory work of mixing a penetrant into the water.

[0073] Furthermore, with the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and automatic substrate tearing method of this embodiment, simple adjustments such as adjusting the protruding length and shape of the blade 20 of the cutting portion 2 make it possible to tear various types of substrates P1, change the texture of the torn material, and adjust the degree of fuzziness.

[0074] Furthermore, in the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and automatic substrate tearing method of this embodiment, a blade 20 is inserted into the substrate P1 to form the cut P13, so there is no need to adjust the penetrant to be contained in the water to match the material of the substrate P1 as in the conventional example, and it is easy to apply to substrates P1 made of various materials.

[0075] Furthermore, in the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and automatic substrate tearing method of this embodiment, the protruding length of the blade 20 can be adjusted by adjusting the height of the base 21 of the cutting portion 2, so the depth of the cut P13 formed in the substrate P1 can be easily adjusted. Therefore, the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and automatic substrate tearing method of this embodiment can easily be applied to substrates P1 of various thicknesses.

[0076] Furthermore, in the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and automatic substrate tearing method of this embodiment, the boundary P12 between the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 of the substrate P1 is not saturated with water as in the conventional example, so there are less restrictions on the printing processing range of the substrate P1 and less restrictions on the material of the printing processing of the substrate P1.

[0077] 4. Variations Next, a description will be given of modified examples of the automatic substrate tearing device 1 and the automatic substrate tearing method according to the embodiment described above. The modified examples shown below can be combined as appropriate.

[0078] The cutting portion 2 may be configured to cut the blade 20 into the boundary P12 of the base material P1 in the thickness direction of the base material P1 to form a cut P13 that is shorter than the thickness of the base material P1, and is not limited to cutting the blade 20 into the back surface of the base material P1. The cutting portion 2 may also be configured to cut the blade 20 into the front surface of the base material P1.

[0079] The automatic substrate tearing device 1 only needs to include at least the cutting section 2 and the tearing section 3, and may not include some or all of the substrate feeding section 4, the inspection section 6, and the sorting section 7.

[0080] Furthermore, the automatic substrate tearing method only needs to include at least the cut line forming step S3 and the tearing step S4, and may not include some or all of the conveying step S1, clamping step S2, finished product conveying step S5, inspection step S6, and sorting step S7. Some or all of these steps S1, S2, S5 to S7 may be performed manually.

[0081] Furthermore, the automatic substrate tearing method is not limited to the above-described method. For example, the tearing step S4 may be performed while the slit forming step S3 is being performed. In this case, the tearing step S4 may be configured to rotate the movable base 30 in the first position so that the boundary P12 is torn in order, starting from the portion of the boundary P12 where the slit P13 is formed.

[0082] Furthermore, the finished product conveying section 5 may be any device that moves the first part P10 from the movable table 30 to the inspection table 60, and may not, for example, have an intermediate table 51, but may have only one conveying section that moves the first part P10 directly from the movable table 30 to the inspection table 60.

[0083] Furthermore, the base material P1 is not limited to sheets of paper, and may be roll paper. Furthermore, the surface of the base material P1 does not need to have a pattern printed on it, and multiple stickers may be attached at intervals in one direction. Furthermore, the surface of the base material P1 does not need to have a pattern, and after the base material P1 is torn into multiple pieces, stickers may be attached to each of the multiple pieces.

[0084] Furthermore, the tearing portion 3 is not limited to the above-described structure as long as it tears the boundary P12 having the gap P13 by moving at least one of the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 so that the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 are separated from each other. For example, the tearing portion 3 may be configured to tear the boundary P12 having the gap P13 by moving both the first portion P10 and the second portion P11. Furthermore, the moving direction of the movable base 30 is not limited to the horizontal direction, but may also be the vertical direction, or diagonally upward or diagonally downward.

[0085] The cut portion 2 may also be formed by forming a slit P13 at the boundary P12 using a laser blade.

[0086] (summary) As in the embodiment and its modified examples described above, the automatic substrate tearing device 1 according to the first aspect of the present disclosure has the following configuration.

[0087] That is, the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the first embodiment is configured to tear a substrate P1 including a first portion P10 and a second portion P11 aligned in one direction, at a boundary P12 between the first portion P10 and the second portion P11. The automatic substrate tearing device 1 includes a cutting portion 2 and a tearing portion 3. The cutting portion 2 cuts a blade 20 into the boundary P12 in the thickness direction of the substrate P1, forming a slit P13 that is shorter than the thickness of the substrate P1. The tearing portion 3 tears the boundary P12 having the slit P13 by moving at least one of the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 so that the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 are separated.

[0088] In the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the first embodiment having the above configuration, the blade 20 of the cutting portion 2 is inserted into the boundary P12 between the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 of the substrate P1 to form a slit P13 and tear it off, so there is no need to impregnate the boundary P12 with water as in the conventional example. Therefore, in the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the first embodiment, it is easy to automatically form the torn cut edge and to make the appearance, including the cut edge, consistent.

[0089] As in the above-described embodiment and its modified example, the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the second aspect of the present disclosure additionally includes the following configuration in addition to the configuration of the first aspect.

[0090] That is, in the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the second embodiment, the cutting section 2 is configured so that the blade 20 enters the back surface of the substrate P1.

[0091] In the second embodiment of the automatic substrate tearing device 1 having the above configuration, no linear mark of the cut P13 is left on the surface side of the substrate P1, so that the cut edge of the substrate P1 is likely to have a natural-looking fuzziness as if it had been torn by hand.

[0092] As in the above-described embodiment and its modified example, the automatic substrate tearing device 1 according to the third aspect of the present disclosure additionally includes the following configuration in addition to the configuration of the second aspect.

[0093] That is, the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the third embodiment further includes clamping units (first clamping unit 32 and second clamping unit 33) that clamp the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 of the substrate P1 in the thickness direction. The cutting unit 2 is configured to insert the blade 20 into the substrate P1 clamped by the clamping units.

[0094] In the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the third embodiment having the above configuration, the substrate P1 is less likely to deform when the blade 20 is inserted into the substrate P1, making it easier to form cuts P13 of the desired depth in the substrate P1. Therefore, in the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the third embodiment, the appearance of fuzz generated at the cut edge of the substrate P1 tends to be stable.

[0095] Furthermore, as in the above-described embodiment and its variant, the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the fourth aspect of the present disclosure additionally has the following configuration in addition to the configuration of any one of the first to third aspects.

[0096] That is, the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the fourth embodiment further includes a substrate feeding section 4 that moves the substrate P1 including the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 to a position where the cut P13 is formed.

[0097] In the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the fourth embodiment having the above configuration, the substrate feeding section 4 can move the substrate P1 to the position where the cut P13 is to be formed, so that the cut P13 can be easily formed at the boundary P12.

[0098] Furthermore, as in the above-described embodiment and its variant, the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the fifth aspect of the present disclosure additionally has the following configuration in addition to the configuration of any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[0099] That is, the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the fifth embodiment further includes an inspection section 6 that inspects the first portion P10 in a state separated from the second portion P11.

[0100] In the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the fifth aspect having the above configuration, the state of the torn cut edge of the first portion P10 can be inspected by the inspection section 6, so that the quality of the first portion P10 tends to be stable.

[0101] As in the above-described embodiment and its modified example, the automatic substrate tearing device 1 according to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure additionally includes the following configuration in addition to the configuration of the fifth aspect.

[0102] That is, the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the sixth embodiment further includes a sorting section 7 that sorts the first portions P10 inspected by the inspection section 6 according to their state.

[0103] In the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the sixth aspect having the above configuration, the sorting section 7 can sort the first portions P10 according to their condition, making it easy to control the quality of the first portions P10.

[0104] Furthermore, as in the above-described embodiment and its variant, the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the seventh aspect of the present disclosure additionally has the following configuration in addition to the configuration of any one of the first to sixth aspects.

[0105] That is, in the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the seventh embodiment, the substrate P1 is Japanese paper or Western paper that looks like Japanese paper.

[0106] In the automatic substrate tearing device 1 of the seventh aspect having the above configuration, fuzzing is likely to occur at the cut edge of the torn first portion P10.

[0107] Furthermore, as in the above-described embodiment and its modified example, the automatic substrate tearing method according to the eighth aspect of the present disclosure has the following configuration.

[0108] That is, the eighth embodiment of the automatic substrate tearing method includes a slit forming step S3 and a tearing step S4. In the slit forming step S3, the blade 20 of the cutting unit 2 is inserted in the thickness direction of the substrate P1 at a boundary P12 between a first portion P10 and a second portion P11 of the substrate P1, the boundary P12 being shorter than the thickness of the substrate P1. In the tearing step S4, the tearing unit 3 moves at least one of the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 so that the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 are separated, thereby tearing the boundary P12 including the slit P13.

[0109] In the automatic substrate tearing method of the eighth aspect described above, the blade 20 of the cutting portion 2 is inserted into the boundary P12 between the first portion P10 and the second portion P11 of the substrate P1 to form a slit P13 and tear the substrate P1, so there is no need to impregnate the boundary P12 with water as in the conventional example. Therefore, in the automatic substrate tearing method of the eighth aspect, it is easy to automatically form the torn cut edge and to make the appearance, including the cut edge, consistent.

[0110] The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and appropriate design changes are possible within the intended scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 1 Automatic substrate tearing device 2 Cut section 20 blades 3 Torn part 32 First clamping part 33 Second clamping part 4 Substrate feeding section 6 Inspection section 7 Sorting section P1 base material P10 First part P11 Second part P12 Boundary P13 Break S3 Cutting process S4 Tearing process

Claims

1. An automatic substrate tearing device configured to tear a substrate including a first portion and a second portion aligned in one direction at a boundary between the first portion and the second portion, A cutting portion in which a blade is inserted in the thickness direction of the base material at the boundary to form a cut that is shorter than the thickness of the base material; a tearing portion that tears the boundary having the cut by moving at least one of the first portion and the second portion so that the first portion and the second portion are separated from each other; Equipped with Automatic substrate tearing device.

2. The cutting portion is configured to insert the blade into the back surface of the substrate. The automatic substrate tearing device according to claim 1 .

3. a clamping portion that clamps the first portion and the second portion of the base material in the thickness direction, The cutting portion is configured to insert the blade into the substrate while it is being clamped by the clamping portion. The automatic substrate tearing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a substrate feeding section that moves the substrate including the first portion and the second portion to a position where the cut is formed; The automatic substrate tearing device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. further comprising an inspection portion for inspecting the first portion separated from the second portion; The automatic substrate tearing device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. further comprising a sorting section that sorts the first portion after inspection by the inspection section according to its state; The automatic substrate tearing device according to claim 5.

7. The substrate is Japanese paper or Japanese-style paper, The automatic substrate tearing device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. a slit forming step of inserting a blade of a cutting portion in a thickness direction of the substrate at a boundary between a first portion and a second portion of a substrate including a first portion and a second portion arranged in one direction, to form a slit at the boundary that is shorter than the thickness of the substrate; a tearing step of tearing the boundary having the cut by moving at least one of the first part and the second part so that the first part and the second part are separated by a tearing portion; An automatic substrate tearing method comprising:

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