Corrugated board sheet printing device and corrugated board sheet box making machine

Abstract

To provide a printing device of a corrugated cardboard sheet which suppresses deflection of a chamber frame, and can improve printing accuracy, and a carton making machine for a corrugated cardboard sheet.SOLUTION: A printing device 13 of a carton making machine 10 includes a pressing device 243 for pressing a chamber frame 63 to the side of a doctor blade 65. Air cylinders 251 to 260 of the pressing device 243 press the chamber frame 63 from the back face side. Air cylinders 254 to 257 impart a second pressing force larger than the first pressing force of the air cylinders 251 to 253 and 258 to 260. A second pressing place 273B where each of the air cylinders 254 to 257 press the chamber frame 63 is a place where deflection generated in the chamber frame 63 becomes larger than that in a first pressing place 273A of the other air cylinder 251 or the like by a load transmitted to the chamber frame 63 through an anilox roll 35 from a printing roll 31 in a state where printing is performed without pressing by the pressing device 243.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present application relates to a corrugated board sheet printing device that performs printing on corrugated board sheets using a chamber blade method, and a corrugated board sheet box making machine that is equipped with the corrugated board sheet printing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a chamber blade method has been used as a printing method for performing flexographic printing on cardboard sheets. For example, in the flexographic printing machine of Patent Document 1, ink is transferred from an ink storage section of a chamber frame to an anilox roll, and the transferred ink is flattened to a predetermined thickness by a doctor blade attached to the chamber frame. The flexographic printing machine supplies the ink transferred to the anilox roll to a printing plate attached to a printing roll, and performs printing by transferring the ink from the printing plate to the cardboard sheet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-296961 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a chamber blade type flexographic printing machine as shown in Patent Document 1, when printing is performed by pressing the printing plate of the printing roll against a cardboard sheet transported at a predetermined speed, the printing roll receives a load from the cardboard sheet. The load applied to the printing roll is transmitted from the printing roll to the anilox roll, doctor blade, and chamber frame. When the anilox roll and the like receive the load, they vibrate so as to bend.

[0005] For example, in this type of flexographic printing machine, the machine width needs to be increased according to the size of the cardboard sheet, and the machine width of the printing roll, anilox roll, chamber frame, etc. also becomes large. When printing is performed on a cardboard sheet having a certain thickness and rigidity using a member with a large machine width, the printing roll, etc. receives a large load from the cardboard sheet every time the cardboard sheet is printed. For example, the central part of the anilox roll or the chamber frame in the machine width direction vibrates so as to bend, and the force at which the tip of the doctor blade and the anilox roll abut varies from moment to moment, causing the thickness of the ink transferred to the anilox roll to become uneven. As a result, the amount of ink adhering to the printing plate of the printing roll becomes uneven, causing a problem of uneven printing on the cardboard sheet.

[0006] The present application has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a cardboard sheet printing device and a cardboard sheet box making machine that can suppress deflection of the chamber frame and improve printing accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present application relates to a printing apparatus including a chamber for storing ink, an anilox roll to which the ink is transferred from the chamber, a printing roll to which a printing plate can be attached and which transfers the ink from the anilox roll to the printing plate and transfers the ink from the printing plate to a cardboard sheet for printing, and a pressing device for applying a pressing force to press the chamber against the anilox roll. A pressing force control means; Equipped with A corrugated cardboard sheet printing devicethe chamber has a chamber frame that stores the ink, and a doctor blade that is attached to the chamber frame and scrapes off the ink transferred to the anilox roll to adjust the thickness of the ink after transfer; the pressing device applies a first pressing force to a first pressing point on the back surface of the chamber frame, and applies a second pressing force greater than the first pressing force to a second pressing point different from the first pressing point; the second pressing point is a point where, in a state where pressing is not being performed by the pressing device, a deflection caused in the chamber frame by a load transmitted from the printing roll to the chamber frame via the anilox roll as printing is performed on the cardboard sheet becomes greater than that of the first pressing point. The pressing force control means changes the magnitude of the first pressing force and the second pressing force, and includes a receiving unit that receives at least one of the values ​​of the magnitude of the first pressing force and the second pressing force, the value of the thickness of the cardboard sheet to be printed, the value of the width of the cardboard sheet along the device width direction of the cardboard sheet printing device, the value of the basis weight of the cardboard sheet, and the type of flute of the cardboard sheet, and sets the magnitude of the first pressing force and the second pressing force in the pressing device based on the received information. A corrugated sheet printing device is disclosed. Incidentally, the contents disclosed in the present application are not limited to implementation as a corrugated board sheet printing device, and are also extremely beneficial when implemented as, for example, a corrugated board sheet box making machine equipped with a corrugated board sheet printing device. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the corrugated board sheet printing device and corrugated board sheet box making machine of the present application, bending of the chamber frame can be suppressed, thereby improving printing accuracy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of a cardboard sheet box making machine according to an embodiment, as viewed from the front. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a corrugated sheet printing device as viewed from the front. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the corrugated sheet printing device as viewed from the left side. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the chamber seen from above and front on the right side. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the printing apparatus. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a chamber fitted with steel material, viewed from the left side. [Figure 7]7 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the chamber taken along line AA shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the chamber seen from below on the right side. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a chamber of a first comparative example. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a chamber of a second comparative example. [Figure 12] 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the chamber taken along line CC shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 13] 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the chamber taken along line DD shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a chamber of another example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, a specific embodiment of the corrugated cardboard box making machine of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration of a corrugated cardboard box making machine (hereinafter, referred to as a box making machine) 10 will be described.

[0011] (Overall configuration of box making machine 10) FIG. 1 shows a front view of a box-making machine 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the box-making machine 10 conveys a cardboard sheet SH in a conveying direction FD (direction from right to left in FIG. 1) along a conveying path PL, and performs printing and processing on the cardboard sheet SH. In the following description, the box-making machine 10 will be described based on the direction seen from the front as shown in FIG. 1. That is, the upstream side of the conveying direction FD will be referred to as the right side, the downstream side as the left side, the near side in the device width direction as the front side, and the far side as the rear side. In addition, a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction and the front-rear direction will be referred to as the up-down direction. The up-down direction is, for example, a direction perpendicular to the plane of the cardboard sheet SH conveyed in the conveying direction FD.

[0012] The box making machine 10 includes, in order from the upstream side (right side) in the conveying direction FD, a cardboard sheet supplying device (hereinafter referred to as the supplying device) 11, a cardboard sheet printing device (hereinafter referred to as the printing device) 13, a creaser device 15, a slotter device 17, and a die cutter device 18. The supplying device 11 is a device that sends out, for example, cardboard sheets SH stacked in the vertical direction one by one to the printing device 13. The supplying device 11 has a table 21, a front gate 22, and a back guide 23, and holds a plurality of cardboard sheets SH stacked on the table 21 between the front gate 22 and the back guide 23. The supplying device 11 also has a plurality of paper feed rollers 24, a grate 25 that can be raised and lowered relative to the paper feed rollers 24, and a pair of feed rolls 27. When the grate 25 descends from the multiple paper feed rollers 24, the multiple paper feed rollers 24 come into contact with the lowermost cardboard sheet SH among the multiple cardboard sheets SH, thereby sending the cardboard sheets SH one by one to the pair of feed rolls 27. The pair of feed rolls 27 rotate with the cardboard sheet SH sandwiched therebetween, thereby sending the cardboard sheet SH to the printing device 13.

[0013] The printing device 13 is a device that performs printing on the cardboard sheet SH. The printing device 13 has a printing roll 31, a press roll 32, a chamber 33, and an anilox roll 35. The printing roll 31 is disposed at a position facing the press roll 32 with the conveying path PL therebetween in the vertical direction. A printing plate 37 can be attached to the outer circumferential surface of the printing roll 31. For example, the printing plate 37 is attached so that both ends in the circumferential direction of the printing roll 31 are engaged with the engagement parts of the printing roll 31 and wrapped around the outer circumferential surface of the printing roll 31. The chamber 33 is a device that stores ink and supplies it to the anilox roll 35. The anilox roll 35 functions as an ink transfer roll that supplies the ink transferred from the chamber 33 to the printing plate 37 of the printing roll 31.

[0014] The creaser device 15 is a device that creases the cardboard sheet SH. The creaser device 15 has an upper creasing roll 41 and a lower creasing roll 43 arranged vertically with the conveying path PL between them. The upper creasing roll 41 and the lower creasing roll 43 rotate to creasing the cardboard sheet SH at desired positions as it is conveyed along the conveying path PL.

[0015] The slotter device 17 is a device that performs groove cutting (slot groove cutting) on ​​the cardboard sheet SH. The slotter device 17 is configured as a double slotter type having a first slotter subunit 45 arranged on the upstream side of the conveying direction FD and a second slotter subunit 46 arranged on the downstream side. Each of the first and second slotter subunits 45, 46 has an upper slotter 47 and a lower slotter 48 arranged in the vertical direction with the conveying path PL between them. A slotter blade is attached to the upper slotter 47, and a groove that can be fitted with the slotter blade is formed in the lower slotter 48. The lower slotter 47 and the lower slotter 48 perform groove cutting at a desired position on the conveyed cardboard sheet SH.

[0016] The die cutter device 18 is a device that performs punching processing on the cardboard sheet SH. The die cutter device 18 has a die cylinder 51 and an anvil cylinder 52 that are arranged vertically with the conveying path PL therebetween. A punching die 53 for punching the cardboard sheet SH is attached to a plate-like body such as plywood, and this plate-like body is attached so as to be wrapped around the outer peripheral surface of the lower die cylinder 51. The punching die 53 performs punching processing at a desired position on the cardboard sheet SH that is continuously conveyed.

[0017] The configuration of the box making machine 10 shown in FIG. 1 is an example. For example, the box making machine 10 may be configured to include multiple printing devices 13 and perform printing in multiple colors in one transfer. The box making machine 10 may also include at least one processing device among processing devices such as a creaser device 15, a slotter device 17, and a die cutter device 18. The box making machine 10 may also include other types of processing devices that perform processing on the cardboard sheets SH. For example, the box making machine 10 may include a folder gluer downstream of the die cutter device 18 that folds the cardboard sheets processed by the processing device on the upstream side and bonds them with an adhesive, and a counter ejector that counts the cardboard sheets supplied from the folder gluer to form a batch of a predetermined number of cardboard sheets and send them to a subsequent binding machine. The basic configuration of the folder gluer is disclosed in JP 2016-153201 A and the like, and is publicly known. In addition, the basic configuration of a counter ejector is disclosed in, for example, JP 2011-230432 A and is publicly known.

[0018] (Configuration of Printer 13) FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the printing device 13 as viewed from the front. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the printing device 13 as viewed from the downstream side. In FIG. 3, steel material 67 and air cylinder 251 (see FIG. 6), which will be described later, are omitted from illustration in order to avoid the drawing becoming complicated. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the chamber 33 as viewed from the upper right on the upstream side. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the printing device 13 includes the chamber 33 and the like housed in a device housing 61. The anilox roll 35 is formed of, for example, a metal member and has a cylindrical shape extending along the front-rear direction. The anilox roll 35 is supported at its front end by a front machine frame 61A on the front side of the device housing 61, and at its rear end by a rear machine frame 61B on the rear side of the device housing 61, and is rotatable about a rotation axis along the front-rear direction.

[0019] The chamber 33 has a chamber frame 63, a doctor blade 65, a steel material 67, a rod member 69, etc. The chamber frame 63 is a frame-shaped member extending along the front-rear direction, and an ink storage section 63A for storing ink 70 is formed on the right side (upstream side). The ink 70 is, for example, flexographic ink. Note that FIG. 2 shows a state in which the ink 70 is stored in the ink storage section 63A.

[0020] The lower end of the chamber frame 63 is provided with a mounting member 63B for fixing the doctor blade 65. The doctor blade 65 is replaceably fixed to the mounting member 63B by a screw member 63C such as a bolt. The doctor blade 65 is formed, for example, of a thin plate extending along the front-rear direction. The doctor blade 65 is fixed to the mounting member 63B (chamber frame 63) with the tip end in the width direction (direction from the lower left to the upper right in FIG. 2) in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the anilox roll 35. The doctor blade 65 scrapes off the ink 70 transferred from the ink storage section 63A to the anilox roll 35, and adjusts the thickness of the transferred ink 70 attached to the outer circumferential surface of the anilox roll 35 to a desired thickness.

[0021] Further, dam plates 68 are attached to both ends of the chamber frame 63 in the front-rear direction. The pair of dam plates 68 are disposed so as to contact the ends of the anilox roll 35 and the doctor blade 65 in the front-rear direction, and suppress the ink 70 stored in the ink storage section 63A from flowing out from both sides in the front-rear direction, and store the ink 70 in the ink storage section 63A. Therefore, the ink storage section 63A in this embodiment is a space that is long in the front-rear direction and is surrounded by the right side surface of the chamber frame 63, the outer peripheral surface of the anilox roll 35, the doctor blade 65, and the pair of dam plates 68.

[0022] (Ink 70 supply, collection, and cleaning) 3 and 4, the chamber frame 63 is formed with, for example, nine connecting holes 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, and 79. The connecting holes 71 to 79 are formed in this order from the rear to the front. The nine connecting holes 71 to 79 are, for example, cylindrical and formed penetrating the chamber frame 63 in the left-right direction, connecting the left side of the chamber frame 63 (the downstream side in the transport direction FD) to the right side of the ink storage section 63A.

[0023] 5 shows the electrical configuration of the printing device 13. The printing device 13 is equipped with a control device 81, a storage device 82, an operation unit 83, a drive circuit group 84, etc. The control device 81 is, for example, configured as a computer mainly including a CPU, and is a device that performs overall control of the printing device 13. The storage device 82 is a memory or the like, in which various data and programs related to the printing device 13 are stored. The control device 81 controls the operation of the printing device 13 by executing the programs stored in the storage device 82 with the CPU.

[0024] The operation unit 83 is, for example, a touch panel, and executes display of various information based on the control of the control device 81. The operation unit 83 also outputs a signal corresponding to an operation input received from a user of a factory where the box former 10 is installed to the control device 81. The drive circuit group 84 is a plurality of drive circuits for driving various devices such as a roll drive motor group 87 described later, and controls the operation of the various devices based on the control of the control device 81. The control device 81 receives control information for executing each order from, for example, the management device 19 that manages the overall operation of the box former 10, and executes printing related to each order according to the control information. For example, the roll drive motor group 87 is a motor group for rotating each of the printing roll 31, the press roll 32, and the anilox roll 35. The control device 81 controls the roll drive motor group 87 via the drive circuit group 84 to control the rotation of the printing roll 31, etc., and executes printing.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, the connecting hole 75 is formed at a center position CP of the chamber frame 63 in the front-rear direction. The connecting hole 75 is used to supply ink 70 to the ink storage section 63A and to collect ink 70 from the ink storage section 63A. A supply pump 89 and an ink can 91 are disposed in front of the front machine frame 61A. The control device 81 supplies the ink 70 stored in the ink can 91 to the connecting hole 75 through ink supply pipes 92, 93, and 94 by, for example, rotating the supply pump 89 in the forward direction. The ink supply pipes 92 and the like are formed by, for example, connecting a permeable hose or a metal pipe. In addition, the control device 81 collects the ink 70 stored in the ink storage section 63A into the ink can 91 through the ink supply pipes 92, 93, and 94 by, for example, rotating the supply pump 89 in the reverse direction.

[0026] The supply pump 89 is connected to the connecting hole 75 via ink supply pipes 93 and 94. A switching electromagnetic three-way valve 96 is attached between the ink supply pipes 93 and 94. The switching electromagnetic three-way valve 96 is switched between a state in which the connecting hole 75 and the ink supply pipe 93 (supply pump 89) are connected and a state in which the high-pressure air supply electromagnetic valve 97 and the ink supply pipe 93 are connected under the control of the control device 81. For example, when recovering the ink 70, the control device 81 executes control to reverse the supply pump 89 to recover the ink 70 into the ink can 91, and then controls the recovery high-pressure air supply device 98 (see FIG. 5) to send high-pressure air from the high-pressure air supply electromagnetic valve 97 into the ink supply pipe 93, and the ink 70 remaining in the ink supply pipes 92 and 93 is discharged into the ink can 91 and recovered. At this time, the control device 81 opens a bypass solenoid valve 103 attached to a bypass pipe 101 that connects the ink supply pipes 92 and 93, bypassing the supply pump 89, and discharges the ink 70 into the ink can 91 through the bypass pipe 101. This makes it possible to suppress an increase in the load on the supply pump 89 and the occurrence of breakdowns due to the feeding of high-pressure air.

[0027] Each of the connecting holes 71-74 is formed at a position symmetrical to each of the connecting holes 76-79 in the front-rear direction with respect to the connecting hole 75. Also, the connecting holes 72-78 are formed, for example, at a position at the same height in the up-down direction. The connecting holes 72-78 are used to collect the ink 70 in the ink storage section 63A. The printing device 13 is provided with two collection pans 105, 106 and a cleaning pan 107. The collection pan 105, the cleaning pan 107, and the collection pan 106 are arranged side by side in this order from the rear side to the front side.

[0028] The connecting holes 76, 78 on the front side discharge the ink 70 from the ink storage section 63A to the recovery pan 106 via the recovery pipes 109, 111, respectively. The recovery pan 106 discharges the ink 70 to the ink can 91 via the recovery pipe 113. Also, connecting hole valves 115, 116 for opening and closing the connecting holes 76, 78, respectively, are attached to the chamber frame 63. The connecting hole valves 115, 116 switch the opening and closing states of the connecting holes 76, 78 by driving air cylinders (see the connecting hole valve air cylinder 195 in FIG. 7) described later. The control device 81 is provided with a cylinder air supply device 119 for driving air cylinders (the connecting hole valves 115, 116 and the connecting hole valves 129, 157, 131, 158 described later) of the connecting holes 72, 73, 74, 76, 77, 78 including the above-mentioned connecting holes 76, 78 (see FIG. 5).

[0029] The cylinder air supply device 119 includes, for example, an air compressor that generates compressed air, a pressure reducing valve that reduces the pressure of the compressed air to a pressure that can be used to drive air cylinders such as the connecting hole valve 115, and a solenoid valve that switches the supply of reduced pressure air to the air cylinder. When storing ink 70 in the ink storage section 63A and performing printing, the control device 81 controls the cylinder air supply device 119 to close the connecting hole valves 115, 116, etc. When recovering ink 70, the control device 81 controls the cylinder air supply device 119 to open the connecting hole valves 115, 116, etc.

[0030] Similar to the front connecting holes 76, 78, the rear connecting holes 72, 74 each discharge ink 70 from the ink storage section 63A to the recovery pan 105 via the recovery tubes 121, 122. The discharge structure of the connecting holes 72, 74 is configured similarly to the above-described connecting holes 76, 78, so a description of the similar configuration will be omitted. The recovery pan 105 discharges ink 70 into the ink can 91 via the recovery tubes 123, 124. A recovery pump 125 is connected between the recovery tubes 123, 124. The control device 81 controls the recovery pump 125 when recovering the ink 70 to discharge the ink 70 from the recovery tubes 123, 124 into the ink can 91. Similarly to the ink supply pipe 93, the control device 81 supplies high-pressure air from the recovery high-pressure air supply device 98 to the recovery pipe 124 via the high-pressure air supply solenoid valve 127, and discharges the ink 70 remaining in the recovery pipe 124 due to recovery by the recovery pump 125 into the ink can 91. This makes it possible to more reliably recover the ink 70 in the recovery pan 105 and recovery pipes 123, 124, which are disposed at the front side of the device and far from the ink can 91, into the ink can 91. The control device 81 controls the air cylinders of the connecting hole valves 129, 131 attached to the connecting holes 72, 74, respectively, with the cylinder air supply device 119, and controls the opening and closing of the connecting holes 72, 74 in the same manner as the connecting holes 76, 78.

[0031] The connecting holes 71 and 79 are formed at both ends in the front-rear direction, respectively, and are formed in the upper part of the chamber frame 63. The connecting hole 71 discharges the ink 70 in the ink storage section 63A to the recovery pan 105 via the surplus ink recovery tube 133. Similarly, the connecting hole 79 discharges the ink 70 in the ink storage section 63A to the recovery pan 106 via the surplus ink recovery tube 135. The connecting holes 71 and 79 are always open. Therefore, when the ink 70 stored in the ink storage section 63A reaches the position of the connecting holes 71 and 79, it is collected as surplus ink in the recovery pans 105 and 106 through the surplus ink recovery tubes 133 and 135. In other words, the connecting holes 71 and 79 are formed at the position where the liquid level becomes highest when the ink 70 is stored in the ink storage section 63A.

[0032] Furthermore, the printing device 13 of this embodiment is equipped with a cleaning mechanism that cleans the ink 70. For example, in accordance with a change in the type of ink 70, the printing device 13 performs the above-mentioned recovery of the ink 70 and then performs cleaning of the ink 70. As shown in Fig. 3, a drain 137 for discharging the cleaning water WT is provided under the ink can 91. The drain 137 is buried under the floor on which the printing device 13 is installed.

[0033] The printing device 13 also includes an ink tube moving mechanism 139. The ink tube moving mechanism 139 moves the openings 141, 142, and 143 of the ink supply tube 92, the recovery tube 124, and the recovery tube 113. The ink tube moving mechanism 139 has an upper and lower guide member 145 and a front and rear guide member 146, and is configured to integrally move the openings 141, 142, and 143 along the upper and lower guide member 145 and the front and rear guide member 146. The control device 81 controls the ink tube moving mechanism 139 to move the openings 141, 142, and 143 to each position. The respective positions referred to here are, for example, a lowered position where the ink tube 139 enters the inside of the ink can 91, an elevated position where the ink tube 139 has moved upward a predetermined distance from the top end of the ink can 91, and a drainage position where the ink tube 139 has moved forward from the ink can 91 and faces the drain groove 137.

[0034] The printing device 13 also includes a cleaning unit 149 and a cleaning water supply device 150 (see FIG. 5), not shown in FIG. 3. The cleaning unit 149 is provided on the upper part of the printing device 13. The cleaning unit 149 is movable in the front-rear and up-down directions based on the control of the control device 81. For example, when recovering the ink 70 described above, the control device 81 places the openings 141, 142, and 143 in a raised position. Then, when the control device 81 ends the recovery control of the ink 70, it controls the ink tube movement mechanism 139 to move the openings 141, 142, and 143 to a drainage position and starts the cleaning operation.

[0035] When the cleaning operation is started, the cleaning water supplying device 150 supplies cleaning water WT to the cleaning unit 149 under the control of the control device 81. The cleaning unit 149 is provided with a plurality of nozzles 151 that open downward. The cleaning unit 149 sprays cleaning water WT from the nozzles 151 onto the ink storage section 63A and the anilox roll 35 under the control of the control device 81. The control device 81 cleans the ink 70 adhering to the ink storage section 63A and the anilox roll 35 while moving the cleaning unit 149. The liquid used to clean the ink storage section 63A and the anilox roll 35 is not limited to water, and may be other liquids such as liquid detergent that has enhanced cleaning power for the ink 70.

[0036] Furthermore, each of the connecting holes 73, 77 discharges the wash water WT (drainage) after washing into the washing pan 107 via drain pipes 153, 154. The washing pan 107 drains the wash water WT into the drain groove 137 via drain pipe 155. During washing operation by the washing unit 149, the control device 81 opens the connecting hole valves 157, 158 attached to each of the connecting holes 73, 77 to discharge the wash water WT into the washing pan 107. These connecting hole valves 157, 158 are controlled by the cylinder air supply device 119 described above.

[0037] Further, each of the connecting holes 71, 72, 73, 74, 76, 77, 78, 79 except for the connecting hole 75 is provided with a cleaning water supply solenoid valve 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168. For example, the cleaning water supply device 150 is connected to each of the surplus ink recovery pipes 133, 135, the recovery pipes 109, 111, 121, 122, and the drain pipes 153, 154 by a cleaning water pipe 201 (see FIG. 8), and supplies cleaning water WT to the surplus ink recovery pipe 133 etc. via the cleaning water pipe 201. The cleaning water supply solenoid valves 161-168 are respectively attached to each cleaning water pipe 201. Each of the cleaning water supply solenoid valves 161-168 is installed, for example, at a position close to the cleaning water supply device 150 in the cleaning water pipe 201 (at a position away from the chamber frame 63). 3, for convenience of explanation, the cleaning water supply solenoid valves 161-168 are illustrated on the chamber frame 63. The installation positions of the cleaning water supply solenoid valves 161-168 are not limited to positions close to the cleaning water supply device 150, and may be on the back surface of the chamber frame 63.

[0038] The control device 81 executes control to open the cleaning water supply solenoid valves 161-168 when cleaning the inside of the surplus ink recovery tubes 133 etc. connected to each connecting hole 71 etc. The control device 81 supplies cleaning water from the cleaning water supply device 150 to the surplus ink recovery tubes 133 etc. via each of the cleaning water supply solenoid valves 161-168. The cleaning water supplied to the surplus ink recovery tubes 133 etc. is discharged into the drain groove 137 through the recovery tubes 123 etc. This allows the surplus ink recovery tubes 133 etc. connected to the connecting holes 71 etc. to be individually cleaned.

[0039] (Composition of Steel 67) Next, the steel material 67 will be described. As shown in Fig. 2, the steel material 67 is, for example, an I-beam, and has a web portion 171 extending in the vertical direction of the chamber 33 in Fig. 2, a first flange portion 172 connected to the upper end of the web portion 171, and a second flange portion 173 connected to the lower end of the web portion 171. The shape and dimensions of the I-beam of the steel material 67 are specified, for example, by standards such as JIS G3192. Note that the steel material of the present application is not limited to an I-beam, and may be an H-beam or other steel material of other shapes and structures.

[0040] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the chamber 33 with the steel material 67 attached, as viewed from the left side (downstream side). As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, the steel material 67 is configured as one member extending along the front-rear direction. The web portion 171 has a plate shape extending in the front-rear direction with the same width in the up-down direction. The web portion 171 is disposed from the upper end to the lower end position of the chamber frame 63 in the up-down direction, and has a predetermined thickness in the left-right direction. The first flange portion 172 and the second flange portion 173 have a plate shape extending in the front-rear direction with the same width in the left-right direction. The upper end of the web portion 171 is fixed to the intermediate portion 172A of the first flange portion 172 in the left-right direction. The intermediate portion 172A is a portion that is the midpoint of the first flange portion 172 in the left-right direction. The lower end of the web portion 171 is fixed to the intermediate portion 173A of the second flange portion 173 in the left-right direction. The intermediate portion 173A is a portion that is a midpoint of the second flange portion 173 in the left-right direction. The first flange portion 172 and the second flange portion 173 are connected to the web portion 171 in a state aligned in a direction perpendicular to the web portion 171.

[0041] The steel material 67 is supported by the front frame 61A (see FIG. 3) at a rotating shaft 175 (see FIG. 9) provided at the front end, and by the rear frame 61B at a rotating shaft 175 provided at the rear end. The steel material 67 is supported by the front frame 61A and the rear frame 61B so as to be rotatable about an axis along the pair of rotating shafts 175. The rotating shaft 175 is provided, for example, near the lower end of the web portion 171 (see FIG. 2) and is attached to the steel material 67 so as to protrude outward in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 9). The steel material 67 is rotatable, for example, about the rotating shaft 175 between a position where printing is performed (hereinafter referred to as the printing position) shown in FIG. 2 and a maintenance position (the two-point chain position in FIG. 2) rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise from the printing position in FIG. 2 (see the arrow in FIG. 2). The chamber frame 63 is fixed to the steel material 67 by a metal member 177. The chamber 33, which includes the chamber frame 63 and a rod member 69 described later, rotates around a rotation axis 175. A user can replace the doctor blade 65, etc., by rotating the chamber 33 to the maintenance position.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 6, two notches 178, 179 are formed in the web portion 171. Each of the notches 178, 179 is formed penetrating the web portion 171. The notches 178, 179 are formed to reduce interference between the web portion 171 and a cleaning water pipe 201 (see Fig. 8) that supplies cleaning water WT to each of the surplus ink recovery pipes 133, 135. For this reason, each of the notches 178, 179 is formed according to the position where the cleaning water pipe 201 is connected to each of the surplus ink recovery pipes 133, 135, the position where the cleaning water pipe 201 is bent, etc., so that a part of the cleaning water pipe 201 can be inserted.

[0043] Further, seven maintenance holes 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, and 187 are formed in the web portion 171. The maintenance holes 181 to 187 are formed to correspond to the positions of the respective connecting holes 72 to 78 (see FIG. 3), and are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction at positions at the same height in the up-down direction. The maintenance holes 181 to 187 have the same configuration. For this reason, in the following explanation, the frontmost maintenance hole 187 will be mainly explained, and explanations of the other maintenance holes 181 to 186 will be omitted as appropriate.

[0044] Fig. 7 shows a cross section of the chamber 33 cut along line AA (the position of the maintenance hole 187) shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 shows an enlarged view of the maintenance hole 187. When the chamber 33 is cut at a position where the maintenance holes 181-187 shown in Fig. 6 and the connecting hole valve air cylinder 195 described later are not present (see line BB in Fig. 6), the web portion 171 has a structure in which the web portion 171 is continuously formed in the vertical direction (no through hole is formed) as shown in Fig. 2. The second flange portion 173 also has a structure in which the insertion portions 211-217 described later are not formed.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the connecting hole 78 is formed on the lower side of the chamber frame 63 in the up-down direction. The connecting hole 78 has, for example, a cylindrical shape penetrating the chamber frame 63 in the left-right direction (transport direction FD) (see FIG. 4). A connecting block 191 is attached to the left side of the connecting hole 78. The connecting block 191 is, for example, a metal member having a box shape. A passage 191A for flowing the ink 70 is formed in the connecting block 191. The passage 191A connects the left opening of the connecting hole 78 to the recovery pipe 111. Therefore, the connecting hole 78 is connected to the recovery pipe 111 via the connecting block 191. The connecting block 191 is fixed to the chamber frame 63 by a screw member 193 such as a bolt. A connecting hole valve air cylinder 195 is fixed to the left side (downstream side) of the connecting block 191. The connection hole valve air cylinder 195 is fixed to the back surface of the connection block 191 by a screw member 194 such as a bolt. Therefore, each of the connection block 191 and the connection hole valve air cylinder 195 is fixed within a predetermined range of the chamber frame 63 by a plurality of (four in the illustrated example) screw members 193 and a plurality of (four in the illustrated example) screw members 194.

[0046] The connection hole valve 116 is fixed to the tip of the operating rod 195A of the connection hole valve air cylinder 195. In addition, an air hose 199 is connected to the connection hole valve air cylinder 195 via an attachment member 197. The attachment member 197 is attached to the tip of the air hose 199, for example, and has a male thread formed on its outer circumferential surface. The attachment member 197 connects the air hose 199 to the connection hole valve air cylinder 195 by being screwed into a female thread provided on the upper part of the connection hole valve air cylinder 195. The air hose 199 is connected to a cylinder air supply device 119 (see FIG. 5), and supplies air supplied from the cylinder air supply device 119 into the connection hole valve air cylinder 195. The connection hole valve air cylinder 195 moves the operating rod 195A in the left-right direction according to the pressure of the air supplied from the cylinder air supply device 119. The connection hole valve air cylinder 195 moves the operating rod 195A to the right, thereby moving the connection hole valve 116 to either a closed position (position in FIG. 7) that closes the connection hole 78, or an open position that opens the connection hole 78. When the connection hole valve 116 is in the open position, the connection hole 78 is in communication with the recovery pipe 111. Note that, like the connection hole valve 116 described above, the other connection hole valves 115, 129, 131, 157, 158 also open and close the connection holes 72-77 by operation of the connection hole valve air cylinders 195 provided in each of the connection holes 72-77.

[0047] A cleaning water pipe 201 for supplying cleaning water WT to the recovery pipe 111 is connected to the connection block 191. An attachment member 203 is attached to the tip of the cleaning water pipe 201. The attachment member 203 has, for example, a male thread formed on its outer circumferential surface, and is screwed into a female thread provided on a side surface (the front side surface in the example shown in FIG. 8) of the connection block 191, thereby connecting the cleaning water pipe 201 to the connection block 191. The cleaning water pipe 201 is connected to the recovery pipe 111 through the inside of the connection block 191, for example, when the connection hole valve 116 is placed in the closed position. The cleaning water pipe 201 supplies cleaning water WT supplied from the cleaning water supply device 150 (see FIG. 5) to the recovery pipe 111 via the connection block 191. This makes it possible to clean the inside of the recovery pipe 111 when the connection hole 78 is closed.

[0048] Here, the connection hole valve air cylinder 195 needs to be replaced because the seal member of the connection hole valve 116 deteriorates due to repeated opening and closing of the connection hole 78. In addition, the connection block 191 may also need to be replaced because the seal member that contacts the periphery of the connection hole 78 deteriorates with age. The user needs to periodically replace the connection hole valve air cylinder 195 and the connection block 191. For example, when replacing the connection hole valve air cylinder 195, the user needs to turn the mounting member 197 with a tool such as a wrench to remove the mounting member 197 and the air hose 199 from the connection hole valve air cylinder 195. In addition, the user needs to turn the screw member 194 with a tool to remove the connection hole valve air cylinder 195 from the connection block 191. In addition, the same work is required when attaching a new connection hole valve air cylinder 195 to the connection block 191. Furthermore, when replacing the connecting block 191 due to deterioration of the connecting block 191, it is necessary to remove the air hose 199, the cleaning water pipe 201 and the screw member 193, just as in the case of replacing the connecting hole valve air cylinder 195.

[0049] The maintenance hole 187 is formed in a shape that allows the user to easily perform the above-mentioned replacement work. In detail, when the connection block 191 and the connection hole valve air cylinder 195 are viewed from the left side in a plan view, the connection block 191 extends outward beyond the connection hole valve air cylinder 195. The maintenance hole 187 is formed with a size that extends outward beyond the range in which the heads of the screw members 194 and 193 are formed, for example, the range surrounded by lines connecting the heads of adjacent screw members 193 for the multiple screw members 193 that fix the connection block 191 (a rectangular range in FIG. 8). This suppresses interference between a tool for removing the screw members 193 and 194 and the web portion 171, thereby improving the user's work efficiency.

[0050] Furthermore, when the web portion 171 is viewed in plan from the left side, the maintenance hole 187 has a convex shape that protrudes upward and in the left-right direction. The maintenance hole 187 has an upward convex portion 187A that protrudes upward, a front convex portion 187B that protrudes forward, and a rear convex portion 187C that protrudes rearward. The maintenance hole 187 has a shape that is line-symmetrical with respect to a straight line that passes through the center in the front-rear direction and runs along the up-down direction. Therefore, the rear convex portion 187C has a shape that is symmetrical to 187B rotated 180 degrees.

[0051] The width of upper protrusion 187A in the front-rear direction is larger than the width of connecting block 191. Upper protrusion 187A is formed with a size that spreads to an upper position a predetermined distance away from the upper surface of connecting block 191. This allows a user to insert a hand or a tool into upper protrusion 187A and perform the work relatively easily when attaching or detaching mounting member 197 attached to the upper surface of connecting hole valve air cylinder 195.

[0052] Moreover, the width of front convex portion 187B in the up-down direction is approximately the same as the width of connecting block 191. Front convex portion 187B is formed with a size that spreads to a position a predetermined distance forward from the front side surface of connecting block 191. This allows the user to insert a hand or a tool into front convex portion 187B and perform the work relatively easily when attaching or detaching mounting member 203 attached to the front side surface of connecting block 191.

[0053] 8, the connecting hole valve air cylinders 195 attached to the connecting holes 72, 73, 74, 76, and 77 other than the connecting hole 78 also have an attachment member 197 attached to their upper surfaces. Furthermore, the web portion 171 is formed with maintenance holes 181, 182, 183, 185, and 186 having the same shape as the maintenance hole 187, in alignment with the positions of the connecting hole valve air cylinders 195 of the connecting holes 72, 73, 74, 76, and 77. This allows the attachment member 197 to be easily attached and detached to the other connecting holes 72, etc.

[0054] In addition, the connecting blocks 191 of the connecting holes 76, 77 provided forward of the center of the chamber frame 63 in the front-rear direction have the mounting member 203 attached to their front side, similar to the connecting block 191 of the connecting hole 78 shown in FIG. 8. On the other hand, the connecting blocks 191 of the rear connecting holes 72, 73, 74 have the mounting member 203 and the cleaning water pipe 201 attached to their rear side, symmetrical in the front-rear direction to the connecting block 191 of the connecting hole 78 shown in FIG. 8. As described above, the rear convex portion 187C has a shape symmetrical to the front convex portion 187B. Therefore, regardless of whether the mounting member 203 is attached to the front side or the rear side of the connecting block 191, the maintenance holes 181-183, 185-187 have the same shape, and the front convex portion 187B and the rear convex portion 187C are formed, thereby improving the efficiency of the work of attaching and detaching the mounting member 203. Furthermore, by making the maintenance holes 181-183 and 185-187 have the same shape, the work efficiency of the processing work of forming the maintenance holes 181-183 and 185-187 in the steel material 67 can be improved. In turn, the manufacturing cost of the steel material 67 having the maintenance holes 181-183 and 185-187 can be reduced. The maintenance hole 184 of the central connecting hole 75 in the front-rear direction also has the same shape as the maintenance hole 187. This makes it easy to attach and detach the wiring connected to the switching electromagnetic three-way valve 96 during replacement work of the switching electromagnetic three-way valve 96, etc. Furthermore, by making the maintenance hole 184 have the same shape as the maintenance hole 187, the manufacturing cost of the steel material 67 can be reduced.

[0055] 6, the second flange portion 173 is formed with insertion portions 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, and 217. The recovery tube 121, the drain tube 153, the recovery tube 122, the ink supply tube 93, the recovery tube 109, the drain tube 154, and the recovery tube 111 are inserted into the insertion portions 211 to 217 in this order (see FIG. 3). In addition to the recovery tube 111, the surplus ink recovery tube 135 is inserted into the insertion portion 217 which is the frontmost in the front-to-rear direction. In addition to the recovery tube 121, the surplus ink recovery tube 133 is inserted into the insertion portion 211 which is the rearmost. For example, one pipe (such as the recovery tube 122) is inserted into the remaining insertion portions 212 to 216. The insertion parts 211 to 217 have the same configuration, except for the fact that the surplus ink recovery tubes 133, 135 are inserted therein (the number of inserted pipes is different) and the size of the holes (inner diameter). Therefore, in the following description, the frontmost insertion part 217 will be mainly described, and the description of the other insertion parts 211 to 216 will be omitted as appropriate.

[0056] FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of the chamber 33 seen from below on the right side. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the second flange portion 173 is formed with an insertion portion 217. As described above, in addition to the recovery tube 111, the surplus ink recovery tube 135 is inserted into the insertion portion 217. The insertion portion 217 has an opening on the right side (chamber frame 63 side), for example, and is configured as a notch portion in which the second flange portion 173 is cut out (recessed) from the right side (upstream side) end toward the left side (downstream side). The insertion portion 217 is formed with a width W1 in the left-right direction that is approximately constant, and a width W2 along the front-rear direction.

[0057] The width W1 in the left-right direction of the insertion portion 217 is, for example, slightly larger than the outer diameter (diameter) of the recovery tube 111 or the excess ink recovery tube 135. As shown in Fig. 7, for example, the insertion portion 217 is formed within a range on the right side (chamber frame 63) of the intermediate portion 173A where the lower end of the web portion 171 and the second flange portion 173 are connected. In other words, by forming the insertion portion 217, no part of the web portion 171 is removed. Also, the front end of the insertion portion 217 is at the position of the dam plate 68 (the position of the front end of the doctor blade 65) in the front-rear direction.

[0058] The rearmost insertion portion 211 in the front-rear direction has the same shape as the insertion portion 217, and the excess ink recovery tube 133 and the recovery tube 121 are inserted therein. The other insertion portions 212-216, excluding the insertion portions 211 and 217 at both ends in the front-rear direction, have a width W2 in the front-rear direction smaller than that of the insertion portions 211 and 217 by an amount corresponding to the amount of the two ink transport tubes not being inserted therein. The width W1 in the left-right direction of the insertion portions 212-216 is, for example, the same as that of the insertion portions 211 and 217. The shape of the insertion portion 217 shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 is an example. The insertion portion 217 may be a through hole (a hole whose outer periphery is surrounded by the second flange portion 173) that penetrates the second flange portion 173. A part of the insertion portion 217 may extend to the lower end of the web portion 171. The insertion portions 211-217 may have shapes different from each other.

[0059] Here, the above-described configuration of the chamber 33 of this embodiment can improve the ease of maintenance, such as replacement of the connecting hole valve air cylinder 195, while increasing the rigidity of the chamber 33. More specifically, Fig. 10 shows a chamber 221 of a first comparative example. Fig. 11 shows a chamber 222 of a second comparative example. In the explanation of Figs. 10 and 11, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components as those of the chamber 33 shown in Fig. 7, and explanations thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0060] The chamber 221 shown in FIG. 10 includes a steel material 223 of a C-shaped steel. As shown in FIG. 10, when the steel material 223 is arranged with the web portion 225 of the steel material 223 of the C-shaped steel on the left side and the opening of the steel material 223 on the right side, the distance L1 between the chamber frame 63 and the web portion 225 in the front-rear direction becomes long. For example, the entirety of the connecting hole valve air cylinder 195 is accommodated in a space surrounded by the steel material 223 and the chamber frame 63. In such a configuration, the mounting members 197, 203, etc. are located away from the maintenance hole 187 (located deep from the opening of the maintenance hole 187). It becomes difficult for the user's hand or tool inserted through the maintenance hole 187 to reach the mounting members 197, 203, which reduces the work efficiency. In addition, if the maintenance hole 187 is enlarged in order to improve the work efficiency, the rigidity of the steel material 223 decreases.

[0061] On the other hand, in the chamber 33 of this embodiment, by using an I-beam as the steel material 67, the distance L2 between the web portion 171 and the chamber frame 63 in the front-rear direction can be shortened as shown in Fig. 7. For example, the connecting hole valve air cylinder 195 is in a state where a part or all of it is inserted into the maintenance hole 187. This makes it easier for the user's hands or tools to reach the mounting member 197, etc., and improves work efficiency.

[0062] 11 includes a steel material 227 obtained by rotating the C-shaped steel material 223 of FIG. 10 by 180 degrees. A web portion 229 of the steel material 227 is located close to the chamber frame 63 in the front-rear direction. In this case, the maintenance hole 187 is also located close to the chamber frame 63, which facilitates replacement of the connecting hole valve air cylinder 195. On the other hand, in order to secure a space for inserting the recovery pipe 111 and the excess ink recovery pipe 135 (see FIG. 3), it is necessary to form a cutout portion 229A (cutout or hole) by removing a large part of the web portion 229, etc. As shown in FIG. 11, for example, it is necessary to form the cutout portion 229A up to the lower half of the web portion 229 or the second flange portion 231 in accordance with the position where the recovery pipe 111 is disposed. As a result, it becomes necessary to remove a part of the web portion 229 and the second flange portion 231, and the connection portion between the web portion 229 and the second flange portion 231, and the rigidity of the steel material 227 decreases significantly.

[0063] 7, in the chamber 33 of this embodiment, the web portion 171 is disposed at a position a certain distance away from the chamber frame 63 in the front-rear direction, thereby making it possible to reduce the size of the maintenance hole 187 formed in the web portion 171. Also, it is not necessary to form the insertion portion 217 in the connection portion (middle portion 173A) between the web portion 171 and the second flange portion 173. As a result, even if the maintenance holes 181-187 and the insertion portions 211-217 are formed, the steel material 67 can be maintained at a desired rigidity.

[0064] (Configuration of rod member 69) Next, the configuration of the rod members 69 will be described. As shown in Fig. 4, the chamber 33 includes a plurality of rod members 69. Each of the rod members 69 has the same shape and is a cylindrical shape along the front-rear direction. Each of the rod members 69 is arranged in a line along a straight line parallel to the front-rear direction. Two rod members 69 adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction are arranged in positions close to each other in the front-rear direction. The rod member 69 may be a single member along the front-rear direction.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 7, each of the rod members 69 is formed by, for example, coating a metal core member 69B with a resin material 69A. The rod member 69 is surface-coated with the resin material 69A over the entire circumference of the outer periphery. The surface resin material 69A is, for example, a resin material having liquid repellency, which is a performance of repelling ink 70. This can increase the ease with which the ink 70 on the rod member 69 is removed by the spraying of cleaning water WT when cleaning water WT is sprayed from the nozzle 151 to the rod member 69 during the cleaning operation by the cleaning unit 149. The above-described configuration of the rod member 69 is an example. The rod member 69 may be configured such that a part of the outer periphery is surface-coated with the resin material 69A having liquid repellency. For example, the rod member 69 may be surface-coated with the resin material 69A only on the right side or the lower side, i.e., on the part where the ink 70 is likely to adhere. Alternatively, the rod member 69 may be configured so that the entire rod member 69, including the core portion, is formed from the resin material 69A, or the entire rod member 69 is formed from a metallic core material 69B (without the resin material 69A).

[0066] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 7, the chamber 33 has a plurality of holding members 235 for holding the plurality of rod members 69. Each of the plurality of holding members 235 is formed, for example, by bending a thin metal plate. Each of the plurality of holding members 235 has, for example, the same structure and has a base portion 235A and a plurality of claw portions 235B. The base portion 235A is formed by bending so as to follow the upper surface of the first flange portion 172, the upper surface of the chamber frame 63, and the upper portion of the right side surface of the chamber frame 63. Each of the plurality of holding members 235 is fixed to the first flange portion 172 by a screw member 237. The screw member 237 is configured, for example, by attaching a handle to a screw that is screwed into a screwed portion of the first flange portion 172 through a through hole in the base portion 235A. The base portion 235A is fixed to the first flange portion 172 by screwing two screw members 237 provided on both ends in the front-rear direction into the first flange portion 172.

[0067] Each of the claws 235B is formed to protrude downward from the lower end of a portion of the base 235A formed along the right side surface of the chamber frame 63. For example, eight claws 235B are formed in one holding member 235. Each of the claws 235B is a thin plate extending downward along the up-down direction from the lower end of the base 235A. The lower end of each of the claws 235B is bent to the right (upstream side) and then bent upward. The tip of the claw 235B is bent into a substantially C-shape with an open top when viewed from the front-rear direction. Each of the rod members 69 is arranged so as to be sandwiched between the bent tip of the claw 235B.

[0068] Further, among the plurality of claws 235B, a predetermined claw 235B is formed with a locking claw 235C. For example, in the frontmost holding member 235 shown in FIG. 4, a total of three locking claws 235C are formed on the first claw 235B from the front, the second claw 235B, and the second claw 235B from the rear. The locking claw 235C formed on the first claw 235B from the front protrudes forward from a position on the rear (left side) of the bar member 69 in the claw 235B, and the tip bent to the right is in contact with the front surface of the bar member 69. The front surface of the bar member 69 is held by this locking claw 235C. Similarly, although not shown, the rearmost bar member 69 is held by the locking claw 235C formed on the first claw 235B from the rear of the rearmost holding member 235.

[0069] The locking claw 235C formed on the second claw 235B from the front protrudes forward from a position above the rod member 69 on the claw 235B and is bent to the right. Symmetrically, the locking claw 235C formed on the second claw 235B from the rear protrudes rearward from a position above the rod member 69 on the claw 235B and is bent to the right. These two locking claws 235C are formed at positions that contact the upper surface of the rod member 69 attached to the tip of the claw 235B. For example, in the other holding members 235 except for the holding members 235 at both ends in the front-rear direction, a total of two locking claws 235C are formed on the second claw 235B from the front and the second claw 235B from the rear, and the first locking claw 235C is not formed. Each rod member 69 is held at its lower part by the tip of the claw portion 235B, and its upper surface is locked by two locking claws 235C of each holding member 235, and is sandwiched from both sides in the vertical direction by the claw portion 235B and the two locking claws 235C, thereby restricting rotation. Note that the rod members 69 may be configured to rotate freely.

[0070] Each of the rod members 69 is held by each of the holding members 235 at a predetermined height in the vertical direction and at a position to the right of the chamber frame 63 in the left-right direction. Each rod member 69 is held at an upper position within the range to the right of the chamber frame 63. In other words, each holding member 235 holds each rod member 69 at an upper position in the vertical direction within the range in which the chamber frame 63 is located. Also, each of the rod members 69 is disposed with a predetermined gap provided between it and the outer circumferential surface of the anilox roll 35. That is, each rod member 69 is disposed in a state spaced apart from the anilox roll 35.

[0071] FIG. 12 shows a cross section of the chamber 33 taken at the position of the connecting hole 79, which is located at the position of the line CC shown in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 12, the rod member 69 is disposed at a position spaced above the liquid level of the ink 70 stored in the ink storage section 63A. More specifically, the connecting hole 79 is formed at a position at a predetermined height in the up-down direction in the chamber frame 63. The connecting hole 79 has, for example, a cylindrical shape penetrating the chamber frame 63 along the left-right direction (see FIG. 9). A connecting block 239 is attached to the left side of the connecting hole 79. The connecting block 239 is fixed to the left surface (rear surface) of the chamber frame 63 by, for example, a screw member (not shown) such as a bolt.

[0072] The connection block 239 is, for example, a metal member having a box shape. The surplus ink recovery tube 135 is connected to the lower end of the connection block 239. A passage 239A for flowing the ink 70 is formed in the connection block 239. The passage 239A connects the left opening of the connection hole 79 to the surplus ink recovery tube 135. When the ink 70 stored in the ink storage section 63A reaches the position of the connection hole 79, the ink 70 flows from the connection hole 79 through the connection block 239 to the surplus ink recovery tube 135 and is collected in the ink can 91 (see FIG. 3) through the surplus ink recovery tube 135. This allows the height of the liquid surface of the ink 70 stored in the ink storage section 63A to be maintained at a predetermined height. In addition, a cleaning water pipe 241 is connected to the front side surface of the connection block 239. The cleaning water pipe 241 supplies cleaning water WT supplied from the cleaning water supply device 150 into the surplus ink recovery pipe 135 via a passage 239A, and cleans the surplus ink recovery pipe 135.

[0073] The rod member 69 is held by the holding member 235 and is disposed at a position a predetermined distance L3 above the lower end of the connecting hole 79 in the vertical direction. Similarly, on the rear side, the rod member 69 is held by the holding member 235 and is disposed at a position a predetermined distance L3 above the lower end of the connecting hole 71 in the vertical direction. Here, when the anilox roll 35 is rotated with the ink 70 stored in the ink storage section 63A, the ink 70 bubbles as the anilox roll 35 rotates to entrain air into the ink 70. In particular, when the anilox roll 35 is rotated at high speed to increase printing efficiency, the bubbly ink 70 scatters around. In response to this, by disposing the rod member 69 at a position a predetermined distance L3 above the liquid level of the ink 70, the bubbles hit the rod member 69 and break, suppressing the bubbling. The applicant conducted an experiment by changing the shape of the stick member 69, and found that a high foaming suppression effect can be obtained by making the stick member 69 cylindrical. The distance L3 is set to a distance that enhances the foaming suppression effect. In other words, the holding member 235 holds the stick member 69 at a position where the foaming suppression effect is high. As shown in Figs. 4 and 12, the holding member 235 holds the stick member 69 at a position where the lower end of the stick member 69 is at approximately the same height as the upper end of the connecting hole 79 in the vertical direction, for example.

[0074] (Configuration of the pressing device 243) Next, the pressing device 243 provided in the printing device 13 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the printing device 13 of this embodiment is provided with the pressing device 243 as a device for applying a pressing force to press the chamber 33 toward the anilox roll 35 side (right side). The pressing device 243 is provided with a low pressure air supply device 245, a high pressure air supply device 246, and a plurality of (ten in this embodiment) air cylinders 251 to 260. Each of the plurality of air cylinders 251, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 257, 258, 259, and 260 is attached to the web portion 171 of the steel material 67 in this order from the rear to the front in the front-rear direction. The air cylinders 251 to 260 are arranged in a line with a predetermined interval between them along the front-rear direction. The air cylinder 251 is attached between the connecting hole 71 and the connecting hole 72 (see FIG. 3) in the front-rear direction. Similarly, air cylinder 252 is attached between connecting holes 72, 73. Air cylinder 253 is attached between connecting holes 73, 74. Air cylinders 254, 255 are attached between connecting holes 74, 75. Air cylinders 256, 257 are attached between connecting holes 75, 76. Air cylinder 258 is attached between connecting holes 76, 77. Air cylinder 259 is attached between connecting holes 77, 78. Air cylinder 260 is attached between connecting holes 78, 79.

[0075] Of the air cylinders 251-260 arranged in the front-rear direction, the four central air cylinders 254-257 are connected to a high-pressure air supply device 246 via a high-pressure air supply pipe 264. In addition, the air cylinders 251-253 arranged on the rear side of the four central air cylinders 254-257 and the air cylinders 258-260 arranged on the front side (a total of six air cylinders) are connected to a low-pressure air supply device 245 via a low-pressure air supply pipe 263. The low-pressure air supply device 245 includes, for example, an air compressor that generates compressed air, a pressure reducing valve that reduces the pressure of the compressed air to a pressure that can be used to drive the air cylinders 251-253 and 258-260, and an electromagnetic valve that switches the supply of the reduced-pressure air to the air cylinder 251, etc. Similarly, the high-pressure air supply device 246 includes an air compressor and the like, and supplies the desired compressed air to the air cylinders 254-257.

[0076] The low pressure air supply device 245 supplies compressed air of a predetermined pressure to each of the air cylinders 251-253, 258-260. The high pressure air supply device 246 supplies compressed air of a higher pressure than that of the low pressure air supply device 245 to each of the air cylinders 254-257. As described later, the air cylinders 251-260 have, for example, the same structure and press the chamber frame 63 with a pressing force according to the pressure of the compressed air supplied from the low pressure air supply device 245 or the high pressure air supply device 246. Therefore, the four air cylinders 254-257 arranged in the center in the front-rear direction apply a pressing force (hereinafter referred to as a second pressing force) to the chamber frame 63 that is larger than the pressing forces (hereinafter referred to as a first pressing force) of the other air cylinders 251-253, 258-260 arranged on both sides in the front-rear direction. The air cylinders 251-260 may have different structures.

[0077] The air cylinders 251 to 260 have the same configuration except that the pressure of the compressed air supplied is different. For this reason, in the following description, the air cylinder 251 will be mainly described, and the description of the other air cylinders 252 to 260 will be omitted as appropriate. FIG. 13 shows a cross-sectional view cut along the line DD shown in FIG. 6, that is, cut at the position of the air cylinder 251. As shown in FIG. 13, the air cylinder 251 includes a cylinder tube 251A and a rod 251C that moves in response to the pressure applied to a piston 251B in the cylinder tube 251A.

[0078] An arrangement hole 171A is formed in the web portion 171 at a position where the air cylinder 251 is attached. The arrangement hole 171A is formed penetrating the web portion 171 in the left-right direction and has an inner diameter that matches the size of the cylinder tube 251A. For example, the air cylinder 251 is fixed to the web portion 171 by a screw member 271 with a part of the cylinder tube 251A inserted into the arrangement hole 171A.

[0079] In addition, a protrusion 63E is formed on the left side surface of the chamber frame 63 in accordance with the position of the air cylinder 251. The protrusion 63E protrudes leftward, that is, toward the web portion 171 side. The protrusion 63E has, for example, a columnar shape extending along a direction perpendicular to the left side surface of the chamber frame 63, and is fixed to the chamber frame 63. The rod 251C protrudes to the right from the cylinder tube 251A, and its tip is in contact with the protrusion 63E. In other words, the air cylinder 251 is adjusted in the vertical, horizontal, and front-rear directions to a position where the rod 251C can press the protrusion 63E. For example, the rod 251C presses the protrusion 63E along the left-right direction in which the protrusion 63E extends, that is, along a direction perpendicular to the left side surface of the chamber frame 63. This allows the pressing force to be efficiently transmitted from the air cylinder 251 to the chamber frame 63.

[0080] In this embodiment, the pressing point 273 where the air cylinder 251 presses the chamber frame 63 is a position where the convex portion 63E and the rod 251C come into contact with each other. The air cylinder 251 is disposed at a position that is the center of the steel material 67 and the chamber frame 63 in the vertical direction. The pressing point 273 is disposed at a position that is the center of the steel material 67 and the chamber frame 63 in the vertical direction. In other words, the rod 251C and the convex portion 63E are disposed at positions that are the center of the steel material 67 and the chamber frame 63 in the vertical direction. Similarly, the pressing points 273 of the other air cylinders 252 to 260 are also disposed at positions that are the center of the steel material 67 and the chamber frame 63 in the vertical direction. Therefore, the pressing points 273 (an example of the first pressing points in the present application) of the air cylinders 251-253 and 258-260 of the first pressing force and the pressing points 273 (an example of the second pressing points in the present application) of the air cylinders 254-257 of the second pressing force are located at the center of the steel material 67 and the chamber frame 63 in the vertical direction. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, the pressing points 273 of the air cylinders 251-253 and 258-260 are referred to as first pressing points 273A, and the pressing points 273 of the air cylinders 254-257 are referred to as second pressing points 273B. In addition, when the pressing points including the first pressing point 273A and the second pressing point 273B are collectively referred to, they are described as pressing points 273. The first pressing force is the force with which each of the air cylinders 251-253 and 258-260 presses the first pressing portion 273A. The second pressing force is the force with which each of the air cylinders 254-257 presses the second pressing portion 273B.

[0081] 13 are merely examples. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the printing device 13 may be configured such that the pressing points 273 of the air cylinders 251-260 are disposed at positions facing the doctor blade 65 with the chamber frame 63 therebetween in the left-right direction, for example, at positions facing the tip (upper end) of the doctor blade 65. Alternatively, the printing device 13 may be configured such that the pressing points 273 are disposed at positions facing the lower end (mounting member 63B) of the doctor blade 65 with the chamber frame 63 therebetween in the left-right direction.

[0082] A low pressure air supply pipe 263 is connected to the cylinder tube 251A of the air cylinder 251. The low pressure air supply pipe 263 supplies low pressure compressed air from the low pressure air supply device 245 to the cylinder tube 251A. The rod 251C presses the protrusion 63E (first pressing point 273A) to the right in accordance with the pressure inside the cylinder tube 251A. Similarly, the other low pressure air cylinders 252-253, 258-260 also press the first pressing points 273A in accordance with the pressure control of the low pressure air supply device 245. The high pressure air cylinders 254-257 press the second pressing points 273B based on the pressure control of the high pressure air supply device 246.

[0083] 13, the low pressure air supply pipe 263 connected to the air cylinder 251 is inserted into the insertion portion 211 and connected to the low pressure air supply device 245. The low pressure air supply pipes 263 and the high pressure air supply pipes 264 of the other air cylinders 252 to 260 are also inserted into the insertion portion 212 and the like and connected to the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246. A dedicated hole for passing the low pressure air supply pipe 263 and the high pressure air supply pipe 264 may be formed in the second flange portion 173. The low pressure air supply pipe 263 and the high pressure air supply pipe 264 may be connected to the air cylinder 251 and the like on the left side (outside) of the web portion 171. In this case, it is not necessary to form a hole in the second flange portion 173 for passing the low pressure air supply pipe 263 and the like.

[0084] The air cylinders 251 to 260 described above are examples of the fluid cylinders of the present application. The fluid cylinders of the present application are not limited to air cylinders, and other fluid cylinders such as hydraulic cylinders may be used. The pressing device 243 that presses the chamber frame 63 is not limited to a fluid cylinder, and may be another pressing device such as an actuator (electric cylinder) that does not use a fluid.

[0085] Here, in a flexographic printing machine such as the printing device 13, when the printing plate 37 of the printing roll 31 is pressed against the cardboard sheet SH conveyed at a predetermined speed to perform printing, the printing roll 31 receives a load from the cardboard sheet SH. As a result, the anilox roll 35 and the like vibrate so as to bend when receiving the load. In the printing device 13 of this embodiment, for example, the bending and vibration of the central portion of the anilox roll 35 and the chamber frame 63 in the front-rear direction (machine width direction) is greater than the bending and vibration of both ends that correspond to both outer regions relative to the central portion in the front-rear direction. In response to this, the pressing device 243 makes the second pressing force of the central air cylinders 254 to 257 in the front-rear direction greater than the first pressing force of the air cylinders 251 and the like on the outer sides in the front-rear direction. In other words, in a state where no pressing is being performed by the pressing device 243, the second pressing points 273B of the air cylinders 254-257 are positions where the deflection of the chamber frame 63 caused by the load transmitted from the printing roll 31 to the chamber frame 63 via the anilox roll 35 as printing is performed on the cardboard sheet SH becomes larger than that of the first pressing points 273A of the air cylinders 251-253, 258-260. As a result, by pressing the positions where deflection and vibration become larger with a larger pressing force, the deflection of the chamber frame 63 can be effectively suppressed.

[0086] The pressure of the compressed air supplied by the high pressure air supply device 246 is, for example, 20% higher than the pressure of the compressed air supplied by the low pressure air supply device 245 as an initial value. In addition, the pressing device 243 of this embodiment is capable of changing the pressure values ​​of the compressed air supplied by each of the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246, that is, the first pressing force and the second pressing force. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, a pressure reducing valve 245A of the low pressure air supply device 245 and a pressure reducing valve 246A of the high pressure air supply device 246 are provided on the front side of the front machine casing 61A. A user can adjust the pressure of the compressed air supplied from the low pressure air supply device 245, that is, the first pressing force, by operating the handle of the pressure reducing valve 245A. Similarly, a user can adjust the pressure of the compressed air supplied from the high pressure air supply device 246 (the second pressing force) by operating the handle of the pressure reducing valve 246A.

[0087] 5, the control device 81 is capable of controlling the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246 via the drive circuit group 84. For example, the control device 81 receives input of the pressure values ​​of the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246 at the operation unit 83 of the printing device 13, and adjusts the pressure by controlling the pressure reducing valves 245A, 246A, etc. based on the input pressure values.

[0088] The method of receiving an instruction to change the pressing force is not limited to the above-mentioned method of receiving the input of the pressure value. For example, the control device 81 may display a plurality of pressure values ​​on the operation unit 83 and receive a selection of a pressure value from among the displayed values. The control device 81 may also receive at least one of the following through the operation unit 83: the value of the magnitude of the pressing force with which each of the air cylinders 251-260 presses the convex portion 63E, the value of the thickness of the cardboard sheet SH to be printed, the value of the width of the cardboard sheet SH along the front-rear direction, the value of the basis weight of the cardboard sheet SH, and the type of flute of the cardboard sheet SH. The type of flute here may be information indicating the type of flute itself, such as A flute or B flute, or information indicating the structure of the flute, such as the number of corrugations. The load applied from the cardboard sheet SH to the chamber frame 63 varies depending on the thickness, width, basis weight, and type of flute. For this reason, the control device 81 may change the pressure value according to the thickness of the cardboard sheet SH, etc., to adjust the pressing force. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the storage device 82 of the printing device 13 stores a pressure database 82A for determining a pressure value. In the pressure database 82A, the above-mentioned pressure magnitude, thickness, width, basis weight, and flute type of the cardboard sheet SH are associated with the pressure value. For example, the user inputs or selects the values ​​of the pressure and thickness using the operation unit 83. The control device 81 determines the pressure value based on the pressure database 82A from the pressure and the like inputted using the operation unit 83. The control device 81 controls the low pressure air supply device 245 and the like so as to compress the air at the determined pressure value. This allows the pressure to be adjusted according to the pressure desired by the user and the thickness of the cardboard sheet SH to be printed.

[0089] The printing device 13 may also be configured such that the user cannot adjust the pressure of the compressed air supplied from the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246. For example, the printing device 13 may be configured such that the pressure value is not changed by the operation unit 83 and the pressure reducing valve 245A or the like is not provided in a position where the user can operate it. The printing device 13 may also be configured such that the pressure value of the compressed air supplied from the low pressure air supply device 245 or the like to each of the air cylinders 251 to 260 can be changed (individually) for each air cylinder. For example, the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246 may each include pressure reducing valves 245A, 246A (for example, 10 in total) that adjust the pressure of each of the air cylinders 251 to 260 and be controllable by the control device 81. The control device 81 may determine a pressure value of the compressed air for each of the air cylinders 251-260 based on an operation input to the operation unit 83, and individually control the pressure reducing valves 245A, 246A based on the determined pressure value to change the pressing force of each pressing point 273. This allows the user to individually change the pressing force applied to the chamber frame 63 by each of the air cylinders 251-260.

[0090] Furthermore, the printing device 13 may receive setting information for the pressure value or an instruction to change the pressure value from another device such as the management device 19. For example, when an order change is made to change the type of cardboard sheet SH or the print content, the printing device 13 may obtain a pressure value from the management device 19 and change the pressure value by controlling the pressure reducing valve 245A or the like based on the obtained pressure value. Alternatively, the printing device 13 may obtain the value of the magnitude of the pressing force, the value of the thickness of the cardboard sheet, etc. from the management device 19 and determine the pressure value based on the pressure database 82A.

[0091] (Pressure control during printing) Next, the control of the pressing device 243 during printing will be described. For example, control information related to a command for printing (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as an order) to be executed is sent from the management device 19 to the printing device 13. The control device 81 of the printing device 13 starts executing the order based on the acquired control information. The control device 81 controls the roll drive motor group 87 according to the value of the transport speed in the acquired control information, and rotates the printing roll 31, the press roll 32, and the anilox roll 35 at a predetermined speed. During the execution of printing, the printing roll 31, the press roll 32, and the anilox roll 35 are rotated in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 2.

[0092] When the execution of an order starts, the control device 81 controls the cylinder air supply device 119 to close the connecting hole valves 115, 116, 129, 131, 157, and 158. The control device 81 also closes the bypass solenoid valve 103. The control device 81 also closes the cleaning water supply solenoid valves 161 to 168. The control device 81 also controls the switching solenoid three-way valve 96 to switch to a state in which the connecting hole 75 and the ink supply pipe 93 communicate with each other. The control device 81 also controls the ink pipe moving mechanism 139 to move the cleaning unit 149 to the retracted position.

[0093] The control device 81, for example, rotates the supply pump 89 in the forward direction while rotating the recovery pump 125 in the reverse direction. The supply pump 89 sends out the ink 70 in the ink can 91 toward the ink supply pipe 93 via the ink supply pipe 92. The recovery pump 125 starts the operation of sending out the ink 70 in the recovery pipe 123 to the recovery pipe 124. While printing is being performed, the supply pump 89 is rotated in the forward direction and the recovery pump 125 is rotated in the reverse direction. The ink 70 in the ink can 91 is supplied to the ink storage section 63A via the ink supply pipes 92, 93, and 94 and the connecting hole 75 by the forward rotation of the supply pump 89. The ink 70 supplied to the ink storage section 63A is stored up to an ink amount corresponding to the height position at which the connecting holes 71 and 79 are arranged. The ink 70 that has flowed into the connecting holes 71, 79 is collected as surplus ink into the ink can 91 through the surplus ink collection tubes 133, 135, collection pans 105, 106, etc.

[0094] The control device 81 also drives the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246 of the pressing device 243 to generate compressed air. The control device 81 controls the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246 so as to generate compressed air at a pressure value determined based on, for example, the input value from the user and the pressure database 82A. The control device 81 opens the solenoid valves of the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246 to start supplying compressed air. The low pressure air supply device 245 supplies low pressure compressed air to the air cylinders 251 to 253, 258 to 260. The high pressure air supply device 246 supplies high pressure compressed air to the air cylinders 254 to 257. Each of the air cylinders 251 to 260 presses the chamber frame 63 toward the anilox roll 35 with a predetermined first pressing force or second pressing force. As a result, the central portion of the web portion 171 in the front-rear direction is pressed by a second pressing force that is greater than the first pressing force on the outer side.

[0095] When the downstream devices, such as the printing device 13, are ready, the supply device 11 sequentially sends out the cardboard sheets SH to the printing device 13. There is no particular limitation on the method of checking whether the downstream devices are ready. For example, the management device 19 may check whether each device is ready and notify each device of the completion of preparation. Alternatively, each device may determine that preparation is complete when a certain amount of time has passed since it received an instruction to start executing the order.

[0096] In the printing device 13, as printing is performed on the cardboard sheet SH, a load is applied from the cardboard sheet SH to the printing roll 31 and the like. Since a pressing force is applied to the chamber frame 63 by the pressing device 243, deflection and vibration are suppressed. This allows the tip of the doctor blade 65 to come into more uniform contact with the anilox roll 35 at each position in the front-rear direction. This in turn allows the thickness of the ink 70 transferred to the anilox roll 35 to be more uniform, allowing printing to be performed with high precision.

[0097] Then, printing is performed on multiple cardboard sheets SH, and the cardboard sheets SH are fed from the supply device 11 up to the number of sheets determined by the control information of the order. The printer 13 prints on the last cardboard sheet SH, and the die-cutter device 18 finishes processing the last cardboard sheet SH. This completes printing and processing according to one order.

[0098] The control device 81, for example, controls the pressing device 243 to maintain each of the first pressing force and the second pressing force at a predetermined pressing force set before printing while one order is being executed and printing is being performed on multiple cardboard sheets SH. For example, while one order is being executed, the control device 81 sets constant the pressure values ​​of the compressed air generated by the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246, and maintains constant the first pressing force and the second pressing force.

[0099] Here, the doctor blade 65 wears due to contact with the anilox roll 35 when printing is repeated. When the doctor blade 65 wears, the doctor blade 65 cannot scrape off the ink 70 sufficiently, and the ink 70 on the anilox roll 35 becomes thicker. Therefore, the control device 81 controls the pressing device 243 to increase the magnitude of both the first pressing force and the second pressing force according to the wear period during which the doctor blade 65 wears. For example, the control device 81 maintains the pressure values ​​of the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246 at a predetermined pressure value while printing one order is being performed. The control device 81 executes control to increase the pressure values ​​of the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246 every time printing of one order is completed, and executes printing of the next order while maintaining the increased pressure value.

[0100] Furthermore, the pressure database 82A is set with a pressure value according to, for example, the number of times the order has been executed. The set pressure value is set to a larger value as the number of times the order has been executed increases. The control device 81 checks the pressure database 82A every time an order is executed, and increases the pressure values ​​of the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246 up to the confirmed pressure value. This makes it possible to increase the magnitude of both the first pressing force and the second pressing force according to the passage of the wear period of the doctor blade 65.

[0101] The method of increasing the first and second pressing forces is not limited to the above. For example, the control device 81 may increase the pressure value of either the low pressure air supply device 245 or the high pressure air supply device 246, i.e., only one of the first pressing force or the second pressing force, according to the number of times an order is executed. The control device 81 may also change the pressing force for each number of printed sheets of cardboard sheets SH. For example, the control device 81 measures the number of printed sheets for the doctor blade 65 in use. When the control device 81 receives an operation to the effect that the doctor blade 65 has been replaced with a new one at the operation unit 83, it resets the number of printed sheets measured up to that point and resumes measuring the number of printed sheets. Also, for example, the pressure value according to the number of printed sheets may be set in the pressure database 82A. The control device 81 checks the pressure database 82A as the number of printed sheets increases, and when the number of printed sheets increases to the number for which the pressure value is to be increased, it increases the pressure values ​​of the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246 based on the set pressure value. In this case as well, the magnitudes of both the first pressing force and the second pressing force can be increased according to the passage of time during which the doctor blade 65 is worn.

[0102] Also, for example, the control device 81 may measure the usage period (time since replacement) of the doctor blade 65 and increase the first pressing force and the second pressing force according to the lapse of the usage period. Also, the control device 81 may adjust the pressure value by multiplying the pressure value for controlling the low pressure air supply device 245 etc. by a coefficient etc. according to the number of printed sheets and the usage period.

[0103] In addition, the first pressing force and the second pressing force do not have to be increased according to the passage of the wear period during which the doctor blade 65 is worn. For example, as the initial value of the pressure value of the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246, a pressure value (high pressure value) that can suppress the bending and vibration of the chamber frame 63 and bring the worn doctor blade 65 into contact with the anilox roll 35 even after the wear period during which the doctor blade 65 is worn has passed may be set. More specifically, as the initial value of the pressure value of the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246, a high pressure value that can suitably bring the worn doctor blade 65 into contact with the anilox roll 35 even when a doctor blade 65 that has worn to a state requiring replacement is used, in other words, a value that can bring the doctor blade 65 into contact in a state in which the doctor blade 65 is most worn, may be set.

[0104] Incidentally, in the above embodiment, the air cylinders 251 to 260 are an example of a fluid cylinder. The low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246 are an example of an adjustment device. The control device 81 and the pressure database 82A are an example of a pressing force control means. The operation unit 83 is an example of a pressing force control means and a reception unit. The creaser device 15, the slotter device 17, and the die cutter device 18 are an example of a processing device.

[0105] According to the above-described embodiment, the following effects are achieved. (1) The printing device 13 of this embodiment includes a chamber 33 that stores ink 70, an anilox roll 35 to which the ink 70 is transferred from the chamber 33, a printing roll 31 to which a printing plate 37 can be attached and which transfers the ink 70 from the anilox roll 35 to the printing plate 37 and transfers the ink 70 on the printing plate 37 to a cardboard sheet SH for printing, and a pressing device 243 that applies a pressing force to press the chamber 33 toward the anilox roll 35. The chamber 33 includes a chamber frame 63 that stores ink 70, and a doctor blade 65 that is attached to the chamber frame 63 and scrapes off the ink 70 transferred to the anilox roll 35 to adjust the thickness of the ink 70 after transfer. The pressing device 243 applies a first pressing force to a first pressing point 273A on the rear surface (left side surface) of the chamber frame 63, and applies a second pressing force larger than the first pressing force to a second pressing point 273B different from the first pressing point 273A. The second pressing point 273B is a point where, in a state where pressing by the pressing device 243 is not being performed, deflection caused in the chamber frame 63 by a load transmitted from the printing roll 31 to the chamber frame 63 via the anilox roll 35 as printing is performed on the cardboard sheet SH becomes larger than that of the first pressing point 273A.

[0106] According to this, by pressing the first pressing portion 273A and the second pressing portion 273B with the pressing device 243, it is possible to adjust the amount of the ink 70 transferred to the anilox roll 35 to be scraped off by the doctor blade 65. Also, a larger second pressing force is applied to the second pressing portion 273B where the chamber frame 63 is more flexed. By pressing the chamber frame 63 toward the anilox roll 35, it is possible to suppress the flexure and vibration of the chamber frame 63, and the thickness of the ink 70 transferred to the anilox roll 35 can be more uniformly flattened by the doctor blade 65. As a result, it is possible to reduce the influence of the flexure of the chamber frame 63, and to more uniformly transfer the ink 70 to the cardboard sheet SH via the printing plate 37 of the printing roll 31, thereby improving the printing accuracy.

[0107] (2) The pressing device 243 is provided at each of the ten pressing points 273 and includes air cylinders 251-260 that can change the pressing force applied to the chamber frame 63 in accordance with the pressure of air (an example of a fluid in the present application), and a low pressure air supply device 245 and a high pressure air supply device 246 that adjust the pressure of the compressed air in the air cylinders 251-260.

[0108] By using the air cylinders 251-260 as the pressing device 243, the first pressing force and the second pressing force can be adjusted in a relatively short time. Therefore, when the cardboard sheet SH and the printing plate 37 to be printed are changed due to an order change, and the deflection of the chamber frame 63 changes due to a change in the transmitted load, the first pressing force and the second pressing force can be adjusted to the desired pressing force, i.e., the pressing force at which the doctor blade 65 contacts the anilox roll 35 uniformly, within the short work time of the order change work.

[0109] (3) The chamber frame 63 extends along the front-rear direction of the printing device 13 (an example of the device width direction in the present application). The pressing device 243 presses the chamber frame 63 at a plurality of pressing points 273 arranged in the front-rear direction. The second pressing point 273B is a central pressing point 273 among the plurality of pressing points 273 arranged in the front-rear direction. The first pressing point 273A is a pressing point 273 sandwiching the second pressing point 273B in the front-rear direction, and is a pressing point 273 at each of both ends in the front-rear direction. Therefore, in the above embodiment, as the "both ends in the device width direction" in the present application, the parts that correspond to both outer regions with respect to the center in the front-rear direction, that is, a certain area sandwiching the center, are adopted. However, the "both ends in the device width direction" in the present application is not limited to a certain area sandwiching the center, and may be, for example, the end parts of the chamber frame 63, specifically, both ends of the chamber frame 63 in the front-rear direction. In this case, the first pressing points 273A with smaller pressing force may be only the ends of the chamber frame 63 in the front-rear direction (two pressing points at both ends), and the pressing points in the center excluding the two pressing points at both ends may be the second pressing points 273B.

[0110] The center of the device in the front-rear direction is the position where the cardboard sheet SH is transported, and the load applied from the cardboard sheet SH to the printing roll 31 and the like is large regardless of the size of the width direction. Therefore, the deflection of the chamber frame 63 is large in the center of the front-rear direction. In addition, the doctor blade 65 may be worn more in the center because it receives a larger load in the center of the front-rear direction. Therefore, a second pressing point 273B with high pressure is set in the center of the front-rear direction, and a first pressing point 273A with low pressure is set at both ends on the outside in the front-rear direction. By making the pressing force applied by the multiple pressing points 273 larger in the center of the chamber frame 63 than at both ends, the doctor blade 65 can be more uniformly contacted with the ink 70 on the anilox roll 35.

[0111] (4) When the directions perpendicular to the device width direction of the printing device 13 (front-rear direction in this embodiment) and the conveying direction FD (left-right direction) in which the cardboard sheet SH is conveyed are defined as up-down directions, the first pressing point 273A and the second pressing point 273B are disposed at positions that are the centers of the chamber frame 63 in the up-down direction ( FIG. 13 ). According to this, by pressing the center of the chamber frame 63 in the up-down direction from the rear, the pressing force of the pressing device 243 can be applied to the entire chamber frame 63 more efficiently.

[0112] (5) The first pressing point 273A and the second pressing point 273B may be configured to be arranged at a position facing the doctor blade 65 with the chamber frame 63 therebetween in the conveying direction FD (left-right direction) in which the cardboard sheet SH is conveyed (FIG. 14). According to this, the pressing device 243 presses from the rear surface of the chamber frame 63 at a position facing the doctor blade 65 with the chamber frame 63 therebetween in the left-right direction. This allows the pressing force of the pressing device 243 to be applied more efficiently to the doctor blade 65, and allows the doctor blade 65 to come into contact with the ink 70 on the anilox roll 35 more uniformly.

[0113] (6) The pressing device 243 maintains the first pressing force and the second pressing force at the predetermined pressing force set before printing while printing is being performed on multiple cardboard sheets SH for one printing order. This maintains the first pressing force and the second pressing force constant regardless of the degree of deflection of the chamber frame 63, in other words, regardless of the magnitude of the load applied to the chamber frame 63, etc. This eliminates the need for the user to consider or adjust the pressing force, and improves usability while improving printing accuracy.

[0114] (7) The pressing device 243 increases both the first pressing force and the second pressing force in accordance with the passage of the wear period during which the doctor blade 65 wears. If pressing is continued with the same first pressing force and second pressing force, the thickness of the ink 70 on the anilox roll 35 may change due to wear of the doctor blade 65. Therefore, by increasing the first pressing force and the second pressing force in accordance with the progress of wear of the doctor blade 65, it is possible to suppress the change in the ink thickness that accompanies the progress of wear.

[0115] (8) The printing device 13 includes a pressure database 82A, a control device 81, and an operation unit 83 as pressure control means for changing the magnitude of the first and second pressing forces. The magnitude of the load applied from the cardboard sheet SH to the printing roll 31 varies depending on various conditions such as the thickness of the cardboard sheet SH to be printed, and the magnitude of the deflection and vibration caused in the chamber frame 63 by the load also varies depending on the above-mentioned various conditions. The control device 81 can adjust the first and second pressing forces to the first and second pressing forces suitable for the deflection and the like that change depending on various conditions based on information related to the change in the first and second pressing forces, such as the input value of the operation unit 83 and the data of the pressure database 82A. As a result, a desired printing result can be obtained regardless of changes in conditions such as the thickness of the cardboard sheet SH to be printed.

[0116] (9) The printing device 13 has an operation unit 83 as a pressing force control means that receives at least one of the following: the magnitude of the first pressing force and the second pressing force, the thickness value of the cardboard sheet SH to be printed, the width value of the cardboard sheet SH in the front-to-rear direction, the basis weight value of the cardboard sheet SH, and the flute type of the cardboard sheet SH, and sets the magnitude of the first pressing force and the second pressing force in the pressing device 243 based on the received information.

[0117] According to this, at least one piece of information is received by the operation unit 83 from the values ​​of the magnitude of the first pressing force and the second pressing force, the thickness, width, basis weight, and type of flute of the cardboard sheet SH. The control device 81 adjusts the first pressing force and the second pressing force based on the at least one piece of information received by the operation unit 83 by being input by the user. Therefore, the desired print result can be obtained by adjusting the magnitude of the first pressing force and the second pressing force with the information of the thickness, width, basis weight, and type of flute of the cardboard sheet SH as conditions. Note that the reception unit that receives the at least one piece of information is not limited to the operation unit 83. For example, the control device 81 may receive the at least one piece of information from the management device 19. In this case, the communication interface of the control device 81 connected to the management device 19 is an example of the reception unit of the present application. The control device 81 may also change the first pressing force and the second pressing force (pressure value) with information other than the above-mentioned information. For example, the control device 81 may change the first pressing force etc. depending on the structure of the cardboard sheet SH (number of layers, single-sided, double-sided, etc.), the materials of the printing roll 31 and the anilox roll 35, the material and hardness of the doctor blade 65, etc.

[0118] Incidentally, the contents of the present application are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various improvements and modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present application. For example, although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, the cardboard sheet printing device of the present application may be a so-called fixed type printing device in which space (permanent space such as a staircase or work area) is secured for replacing the printing plate 37 attached to the printing roll 31, or it may be a so-called open / close type printing device in which no replacement space is provided and, when replacing the printing plate 37, the printing device 13 or the like is slid open in the left-right direction to secure space and the user enters the space to replace the printing plate 37. Also, the configuration of the printing device 13 in the above embodiment is one example. For example, the printing device 13 may not have a cleaning function using high-pressure air such as the high-pressure recovery air supply device 98. In this case, the printing device 13 may clean the ink 70 remaining in the recovery tube 124, etc., using only the cleaning water WT. Also, the printing device 13 may not have a function to clean the excess ink recovery tube 133, etc., using the cleaning water WT of the cleaning water supply solenoid valve 161, etc. In this case, the printing device 13 may recover the ink 70 remaining in the excess ink recovery tube 133, etc., using the high-pressure air of the high-pressure recovery air supply device 98. In addition, although an I-beam is used as the support member in the present application, this is not limited thereto. The support member in the present application may be an H-beam, or may be a C-beam (channel steel) shown as a comparative example in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. That is, in the configuration of the C-beam shown in Fig. 9 or Fig. 10, a pressing device 243 may be attached.

[0119] The pressing points 273 do not have to be aligned in a line in the front-rear direction, and the number of pressing points is not limited to ten, and may be any other number of pressing points. Also, two pressing points 273 aligned in the up-down direction may be set. The chamber frame 63 may be divided in the front-rear direction (apparatus width direction).Further, among the multiple chamber frames 63, two chamber frames 63 adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction may be arranged at positions offset in the up-down direction (positions not aligned in the front-rear direction). Furthermore, the pressing device 243 may maintain the pressure values ​​of the low pressure air supply device 245 and the high pressure air supply device 246 constant regardless of the number of times an order is executed or the number of times printing is performed. In other words, the pressure values ​​may be maintained constant regardless of the progress of the wear state of the doctor blade 65.

[0120] Steel material 67 may be a single member extending in the front-rear direction, or may be composed of multiple members. For example, steel material 67 may be divided into multiple members in the front-rear direction and connected to each other by bolts or the like. Although the steel material 67 is configured to be disposed over the entire rear surface of the chamber frame 63 from one end to the other end of the chamber frame 63 in the front-rear direction, this is not limited thereto. For example, the steel material 67 may be configured to be disposed only in the center in the front-rear direction. Although the steel material 67 is arranged from the upper end to the lower end of the chamber frame 63 in the vertical direction, this is not limiting. For example, the steel material 67 may be arranged only in the lower part of the chamber frame 63 in the vertical direction. The steel material 67 may be configured to include at least one of the insertion portions 211 to 217 into which the recovery tubes 109, 111, 121, and 122, the surplus ink recovery tubes 133 and 135, the drainage tubes 153 and 154, and the ink supply tube 93 are inserted.

[0121] The shape and size of the maintenance holes of the present application are not limited to the shapes of the maintenance holes 181-187 of the above embodiment. For example, the maintenance holes 181-187 are formed with a hole size that extends beyond the range in which the heads of the multiple screw members 193 are engaged when the chamber frame 63 is viewed from the rear side (FIG. 8), but are not limited to this. For example, the maintenance holes 181-187 may be a hole size that is smaller than the range surrounded by straight lines connecting the heads of adjacent screw members 193 for the heads of the four screw members 193 shown in FIG. 8. The shape of the maintenance hole 181, etc. may be a rectangle, a square, a circle, an ellipse, etc. The doctor blade 65 may be attached to the middle or upper part of the chamber frame 63 in the vertical direction. The position at which the bar member 69 is disposed is not limited to a position above and spaced apart from the liquid surface of the ink 70 stored in the ink storage section 63A, but may be a position in contact with the liquid surface. The shape of the rod member 69 is not limited to a cylinder, but may be another shape such as a square prism. The printing apparatus 13 may be configured without including a device for cleaning the anilox roll 35 and the like, such as the cleaning unit 149 and the ink tube moving mechanism 139. [Explanation of symbols]

[0122] 10 Corrugated sheet box making machine, 11 Supply device, 13 Corrugated sheet printing device, 15 Creaser device (processing device), 17 Slotter device (processing device), 18 Die cutter device (processing device), 31 Printing roll, 33 Chamber, 35 Anilox roll, 37 Printing plate, 63 Chamber frame, 65 Doctor blade, 70 Ink, 81 Control device (pressing force control means), 82A Pressure database (pressing force control means), 83 Operation unit (pressing force control means, reception unit), 243 Pressing device, 245 Low pressure air supply device (adjustment device), 246 High pressure air supply device (adjustment device), 251 to 260 Air cylinder (fluid cylinder), 273 Pressing point (first pressing point, second pressing point), 273A First pressing point, 273B Second pressing point, FD Conveying direction, SH Corrugated sheet.

Claims

1. A chamber for storing ink; an anilox roll to which the ink is transferred from the chamber; a printing roll to which a printing plate can be attached, the ink being transferred from the anilox roll to the printing plate, and the ink being transferred from the printing plate to a cardboard sheet for printing; a pressing device that applies a pressing force to press the chamber toward the anilox roll; A pressing force control means; A corrugated board sheet printing device comprising: The chamber comprises: a chamber frame for storing the ink; a doctor blade attached to the chamber frame, which scrapes off the ink transferred to the anilox roll and adjusts the thickness of the ink after transfer; having The pressing device is applying a first pressing force to a first pressing location on the rear surface of the chamber frame, and applying a second pressing force greater than the first pressing force to a second pressing location different from the first pressing location; The second pressing portion is a position where a deflection of the chamber frame caused by a load transmitted from the printing roll to the chamber frame via the anilox roll in association with the execution of printing on the cardboard sheet in a state where the pressing device is not performing the pressing is larger than that of the first pressing position; The pressing force control means Varying the magnitude of the first pressure force and the second pressure force; and A cardboard sheet printing device that includes a reception unit that receives at least one of the following: the magnitude values ​​of the first pressing force and the second pressing force, the thickness value of the cardboard sheet to be printed, the width value of the cardboard sheet along the device width direction of the cardboard sheet printing device, the basis weight value of the cardboard sheet, and the flute type of the cardboard sheet, and sets the magnitudes of the first pressing force and the second pressing force in the pressing device based on the received information.

2. The pressing device is a fluid cylinder provided at each of the first pressing location and the second pressing location, the fluid cylinder being capable of changing a pressing force with which the chamber frame is pressed in accordance with a pressure of a fluid; a regulator for regulating the pressure of the fluid in the fluid cylinder; The corrugated board sheet printing apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The chamber frame includes: The printing apparatus includes a printing head, a printing head for printing a cardboard sheet, and a printing head for printing a cardboard sheet. The pressing device is pressing the chamber frame at a plurality of pressing points aligned in the width direction of the device; The second pressing portion is Among the plurality of pressing points arranged in the device width direction, the pressing points are central pressing points, The first pressing portion is The cardboard sheet printing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pressing points sandwich a plurality of the second pressing points in the device width direction, and the pressing points are pressing points at both ends in the device width direction.

4. When the directions perpendicular to the device width direction of the corrugated board sheet printing device and the conveying direction in which the corrugated board sheet is conveyed are defined as up-down directions, The first pressing point and the second pressing point are The cardboard sheet printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the printing device is disposed at a position that is a center of the chamber frame in the vertical direction.

5. The first pressing point and the second pressing point are The cardboard sheet printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the cardboard sheet printing device is disposed at a position facing the doctor blade with the chamber frame therebetween in a conveying direction in which the cardboard sheet is conveyed.

6. The pressing device is The cardboard sheet printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first pressing force and the second pressing force are each maintained at a predetermined pressing force set before printing while printing is being performed on a plurality of the cardboard sheets.

7. The pressing device is The cardboard sheet printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the magnitudes of both the first pressing force and the second pressing force are increased in accordance with the passage of a period of wear of the doctor blade.

8. The cardboard sheet printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, A cardboard sheet supplying device that sends out the cardboard sheet to the cardboard sheet printing device; A processing device that processes the cardboard sheet on which printing has been performed by the cardboard sheet printing device; A cardboard sheet box making machine equipped with:

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