Continuous glass conveying glass printing machine

Abstract

A continuous glass conveying glass printing machine with a loading station (1), a visual inspection means (2) or mechanical positioning system, a printing bridge (3), and an unloading station (4), the glass printing machine having an upper level (9) positioned above a lower level (10), a series of carriages (11) driven by linear motors (6) to move continuously in one direction at the upper level (9) and in the opposite direction at the lower level (10), the loading station (1) having a first vertical drive (7) for raising the carriages (11) from the lower level (10) to the upper level (9) to achieve this change of direction, and the unloading station (4) having a second vertical drive (8) for lowering the carriages (11) from the upper level (9) to the lower level (10). This realizes a printing machine with an accuracy of less than 0.1 mm and usable for large loads.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The subject of the present invention, as the name suggests, is a glass printing machine, which is a continuous glass conveying glass printing machine equipped with means for positioning with an accuracy of less than 0.1 mm.

[0002] The present invention features a unique design and configuration of the elements of a glass printing machine that combines the advantages of rotary drives with those of drives based on linear technology, creating a system of glass transport carriages for digital printing, with the carriages moving linearly in an "endless" or continuous system, thereby providing the advantages of both systems. Linear drive: precision, speed and consistent acceleration for high quality printing. Rotary drive: An endless system that ensures continuous advancement of the conveyed product without interruption in small spaces, achieving an optimal working cycle.

[0003] The present invention therefore resides in the field of ink printing systems. [Background technology]

[0004] Machines with linear drives that are limited in load and precision are known to those skilled in the art, but no linear drives are used for glass printing.

[0005] Linear drives have a load limit of less than 20 kg, while allowing for improved accuracy in the precision they achieve.

[0006] Furthermore, in the case of glass printing, due to the size of the product to be moved, i.e., the glass plate, the printing press needs to rotate the printing table by 180°, which complicates the operation of the printing press and limits the size of the printing press itself and the product to be moved.

[0007] The object of the present invention is therefore to create a printing press or printing system, as described below, which allows for higher loads than those used so far and eliminates the problems of rotating the printing table with a precision of better than 0.1 mm, the essence of which is set out in the first claim. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The object of the present invention is a glass printing system with continuous glass transport, i.e. no interruptions in the glass transport process.

[0009] The printing press comprises a loading station for receiving the glass to be printed, then a visual or mechanical positioning system, followed by a printing system, and finally an unloading station, the carriage moving along the above components on an upper level and returning to the starting point through a lower level, the level changes at the loading and unloading stations being carried out by a vertical drive.

[0010] Preferably, but not exclusively, the carriage is moved during printing using a drive unit with an optical linear encoder with a resolution of less than 4 microns.

[0011] The vertical drives can be of any known type, either pneumatic, electric or hydraulic. The carriages are each driven by a linear motor.

[0012] Once at the lower level, the carriage is driven back to the start of the press by a belt, rack, spindle, or pneumatic system that is independent of the linear motion at the upper level.

[0013] The number of carriages and linear motors for driving them depends on the maximum length of glass to be processed and the required cycle time.

[0014] Each carriage at the entrance of the printing press is capable of picking up a glass plate by vertical movement, if one is available at the loading station.

[0015] Each carriage at the exit of the printing press can leave the glass by vertical movement, if available, at the unloading station.

[0016] Each carriage may have an integral mechanical positioning system configured according to the geometry of the part to be positioned.

[0017] Each carriage may be slotted to be integrally coupled with a loading or unloading belt system for smooth glass transport, or alternatively, the carriage itself may have an integrated roller, belt, or strip conveyor.

[0018] At the upper level, after the loading station, a vision system can be provided to know the position of each glass, thereby avoiding the installation of a mechanical positioning system.

[0019] The installation of mechanical positioning system or vision system depends on the customer's glass type and positioning accuracy, with mechanical positioning system being the most accurate.

[0020] The press may include a cleaning station to clean the carriage after removing the printed glass, so that if ink gets splashed, it will not stain the next glass.

[0021] Alternatively, but not limited to, a support can be placed on each plane, the support facing up and having a quick coupling to accommodate the type of glass, so that the glass does not come into contact with the table and the support is always below the glass, avoiding ink smearing.

[0022] Logically, one would either have a carriage wash station or a support to lift the glass off the table.

[0023] The use of cleaning rollers allows for more automation of the process, but requires more maintenance and makes the press more expensive.

[0024] When using standing supports, adjustments are required when changing glass types.

[0025] The above features make it possible to obtain a continuous conveying glass printing system with an accuracy of less than 0.1 mm and capable of handling large loads, which is essentially a major advance in the efficiency and versatility of the press compared to state of the art presses.

[0026] Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific elements used herein have the meaning commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Procedures and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice of the present invention.

[0027] In the present specification and claims, the use of the word "comprises" and variations thereof is not intended to exclude other technical features, additions, elements, or steps. For those skilled in the art, other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be inferred in part from the description and in part from the practice of the invention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] According to a preferred practical embodiment of the invention, and in order to supplement the description given herein and to aid in a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, said description is accompanied, as an integral part thereof, by a set of drawings in which are represented, by way of example and not of limitation: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printing press according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the printing press of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of a printing press according to the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view of the printing press with carriage movement. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of the printing press showing the cleaning station. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a close-up view of the standing supports used to prevent the glass from touching the table. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0030] 1 to 3 show the configuration of a printing press, which includes: a loading station (1) for receiving the glass plate to be printed; a visualisation means (2) or a mechanical positioning system preferably located downstream of the loading station; a printing bridge (3), preferably located downstream of a visualisation means or a mechanical positioning device; an unloading station (4) that allows the removal of the printed glass plates; The printing press comprises an upper level (9) located above a lower level (10), a series of carriages (11) moving successively in one direction in the upper level (9) and in the opposite direction in the lower level (10), and to achieve such change of direction, the printing press comprises a first vertical drive (7) in the loading station (1) for raising the carriages (11) from the lower level (10) to the upper level (9), and a second vertical drive (8) in the unloading station (4) for lowering the carriages (11) from the upper level (9) to the lower level (10).

[0031] The first vertical drive (7) and the second vertical drive (8) can be pneumatic, electric, or hydraulic, or driven by a linear motor (6).

[0032] At the first level, carriages (11) are driven by linear motors (6), the number of carriages and linear motors depending on the maximum length of the glass sheet to be processed and the time required.

[0033] Figure 3 shows that there is a cleaning station (12) on the lower level, consisting of several rollers, and as each carriage (11) passes through this cleaning station, it undergoes a cleaning process to remove any traces of paint that may have fallen onto it and prevent the paint from contaminating other glass sheets.

[0034] Figure 4 shows diagrammatically the movement of the carriage (11), which moves from the loading station (1) to the unloading station (4) at the upper level (9) and returns from the unloading station (4) to the loading station (1) at the lower level (10), changing levels by means of the first vertical drive (7) and the second vertical drive (8).

[0035] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the washing station (12) located on the lower level (10).

[0036] Figure 6 shows an alternative, but not exclusive, solution for the cleaning station (9), consisting of a support (13) standing above the lower level (10) and with a quick coupling that prevents the glass from touching the table, so that the support is always below the glass, thereby avoiding ink contamination.

[0037] Having fully described the essence of the invention as well as the manner in which it can be practiced, it is understood that the invention may be practiced in other embodiments which differ in detail from those illustrated by way of example, and protection is equally applicable, provided that the essential principles thereof are not altered, modified or modified in their essence.

Claims

1. a loading station (1) for receiving the glass plate to be printed; a visualisation means (2) or a mechanical positioning system downstream of said loading station (1); a printing bridge (3), preferably located downstream of said visualisation means or mechanical positioning system; an unloading station (4) that allows the removal of the printed glass plate; A continuous glass conveying glass printing machine comprising: The glass printing machine comprises an upper level (9) located above a lower level (10), a series of carriages (11) driven by linear motors to move continuously in one direction in the upper level (9) and in the opposite direction in the lower level (10), and to achieve such a change of direction, the loading station (1) has a first vertical drive (7) for raising the carriages (11) from the lower level (10) to the upper level (9), and the unloading station (4) has a second vertical drive (8) for lowering the carriages (11) from the upper level (9) to the lower level (10), and each of the carriages has a slot so that it can be integrally coupled with a loading belt system or an unloading belt system for smooth transport of the glass sheets.

2. 2. A glass printing machine with continuous glass conveyance according to claim 1, characterized in that the first vertical drive (7) and the second vertical drive (8) can be pneumatic, electric, or hydraulic, or can be driven by linear motors.

3. 3. A continuous glass conveying glass printing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when the carriage (11) descends it returns to the starting point of the glass printing machine, driven by a belt, rack, spindle or pneumatic system independent of the linear movement at the upper level (9).

4. 4. A continuous glass conveying glass printing machine according to claim 1, wherein the number of carriages and linear motors for driving the glass sheets depends on the maximum length of the glass sheets to be processed and the required cycle time.

5. 5. A continuous glass conveying glass printing machine according to claim 1, wherein the carriage is moved during printing using a drive unit having an optical linear encoder with a resolution of less than 4 microns.

6. 6. A continuous glass conveying glass printing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a cleaning station (12) consisting of a number of rollers is provided on the lower level, so that when each of the carriages (11) passes through the cleaning station, the carriage undergoes a cleaning process to remove any traces of paint that may have fallen onto the carriage.

7. A continuous glass conveying glass printing machine as described in any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a support (13) having a coupling means and preventing the glass plate from contacting the printing table is provided on the lower level (10).

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