A hardener for printing and a printing device equipped with it

Abstract

The present invention provides a printing curing device for rapidly and effectively drying and curing ink or coating of a printing object and a printing device equipped with the same. The printing curing device is characterized by comprising: a plurality of UV LED modules of different wavelength bands housed within the housing; a PCB substrate on which the plurality of UV LED modules are mounted; and a cooling unit adjacent to the rear surface of the PCB substrate that performs heat dissipation or cooling.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing curing device for rapidly and effectively drying and curing ink or coating of a printing object, and a printing device equipped with the same. Background Technology

[0002] Generally, solvent inks that dry using organic solvents are widely used in printing devices; however, this presents problems such as long drying times and environmental impact caused by the emission of volatile organic compounds as the solvent evaporates.

[0003] In this regard, UV (ultraviolet) ink is, as the name suggests, an ink that dries and cures using ultraviolet light. When printed in a liquid state, the ink hardens immediately upon exposure to UV rays, producing clean prints that do not smudge over time. In other words, UV ink offers the advantage of enabling rapid work by requiring almost no drying time and hardening the ink the moment printing is finished. Furthermore, it is environmentally friendly as it emits virtually no volatile organic compounds.

[0004] However, conventionally, mercury lamps, metal halide lamps, or fluorescent lamps emitting complex wavelengths have been used as curing means to dry UV (ultraviolet) inks, which have many advantages. Nevertheless, these lamps can generate ozone harmful to the human body during operation, requiring proper ventilation and safety devices to prevent this. Furthermore, the UV lamps generate significant heat during operation, which can damage printed materials or machinery, and the short replacement cycle of the lamps raises issues regarding associated costs.

[0005] In this regard, while UV LEDs are devices that emit ultraviolet (UV) light, just like the aforementioned UV lamps, they differ in that they utilize semiconductor elements to emit ultraviolet light when current flows. Furthermore, they offer the advantages of relatively high energy efficiency, low heat generation, a long lifespan, miniaturization, the ability to manufacture in various forms, and easy installation.

[0006] More specifically, the aforementioned UV lamp typically uses a wavelength range between 365 nm and 405 nm to respond to the chemical composition of the ink in the printed material, but depending on the chemical composition of the UV ink having various colors, the range may be extended from 250 nm to 400 nm.

[0007] In this regard, the above UV LED is classified into about three wavelength bands as a peak wavelength occurs. That is, UV-A has a wavelength range of 320–400 nm, UV-B has a range of 280–320 nm, and UV-C has a range of 200–280 nm.

[0008] At this point, as mentioned above, it is necessary to broaden the wavelength band range using a complex wavelength method to react according to the chemical composition having various colors of UV ink, which has many advantages; however, conventional prior art merely presents curing devices using UV LEDs without distinguishing or combining various wavelength bands of UV LEDs.

[0009] Accordingly, the present invention aims to improve a printing curing machine and a printing device equipped with the same in order to solve the problems described above.

[0010] In this regard, Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2016288 (published August 29, 2019) describes technology regarding a UV ink curing device for printing using UV LED, and Korean Published Patent Publication No. 10-2024-0074941 (published May 29, 2024) describes technology for a composite heat sink for a UV LED security device.

[0011] However, as mentioned above, the aforementioned prior art merely presents curing devices using UV LEDs without distinguishing or combining various wavelength bands, so the conventional problems remain. Furthermore, Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2016288 uses an air-cooling means utilizing a heat dissipation fan, raising doubts about the effectiveness of the effect; and Korean Published Patent Publication No. 10-2024-0074941 uses a refrigerant circulation pipe as a cooling device, but has a structural problem in that the inlet and outlet structure of the refrigerant circulation pipe is linear, which fails to maximize the heat dissipation effect. Prior art literature

[0012] Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2016288 (Published Aug. 29, 2019) Korean Published Patent Publication No. 10-2024-0074941 (Published May 29, 2024) The problem to be solved

[0013] The present invention has been devised to solve the aforementioned problems, and the objective of the present invention is to provide a printing curing device and a printing apparatus equipped therewith for rapidly and effectively drying and curing UV inks of various colors by combining the widths of the peak wavelength bands of a plurality of UV LEDs that react according to the various chemical compositions of the UV inks.

[0014] In addition, the present invention is to maximize cooling efficiency by using cooling water or a cooling medium as a cooling means for a UV LED that generates significant heat, and by arranging multiple flow paths in a zigzag pattern within a limited plane.

[0015] The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the purposes mentioned above, and other unmentioned purposes and advantages of the present invention may be understood from the following description and will be more clearly understood by the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, it will be readily apparent that the purposes and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means and combinations thereof set forth in the claims. means of solving the problem

[0016] A printing curing device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a housing; a plurality of UV LED modules of different wavelength bands accommodated inside the housing; a PCB substrate on which the plurality of UV LED modules are mounted; and a cooling unit adjacent to the rear surface of the PCB substrate that performs heat dissipation or cooling.

[0017] The above multiple UV LED modules can be arranged together according to wavelength bands.

[0018] UV LED modules for each wavelength band can be arranged in an extended line along a direction parallel to the width direction of the printing object that intersects the direction of travel of the printing object.

[0019] UV LED modules for different wavelength bands can be arranged along the direction of travel of the printing object so that the irradiation order of ultraviolet rays of each wavelength band is determined for the printing object.

[0020] In some examples, UV LED modules for different wavelength bands can be arranged along the direction of travel of the printing object so that ultraviolet rays of a relatively short wavelength range are irradiated first and ultraviolet rays of a relatively long wavelength range are irradiated later.

[0021] In some examples, UV LED modules for different wavelength bands can be arranged along the direction of travel of the printing object so that ultraviolet rays of a relatively long wavelength are irradiated first and ultraviolet rays of a relatively short wavelength are irradiated later.

[0022] The above cooling unit may include a cooling line through which a cooling medium flows.

[0023] The above cooling line can be extended in a direction parallel to the extension direction of the UV LED module for each wavelength band.

[0024] UV LED modules for different wavelength bands may have the UV LED module of the wavelength band with the highest heat generation arranged at the edge of the direction of travel of the printed object in the printing curing machine.

[0025] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the housing may include an upper cover having a handle and having a rectangular shape, a lower cover facing the upper cover at a certain distance and through which ultraviolet rays are transmitted, and front and rear covers and left and right side covers that cover the front, rear, left, and right sides of the housing.

[0026] Here, top and bottom, front and rear, and left and right sides can be understood as relative concepts. For instance, the top is not necessarily limited to being located above the bottom in the direction of gravity. Similarly, the front and rear do not have to correspond to the front and rear of the device or the direction the user is facing. Likewise, the left and right sides do not correspond to the left and right sides of the device or mean left and right relative to the direction the user is looking.

[0027] Preferably, the vertical direction corresponds to the direction of ultraviolet irradiation, the horizontal direction corresponds to the direction of travel of the printed object, and the front-back direction corresponds to the width direction of the printed object.

[0028] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lower cover may be made of a transparent material so that ultraviolet rays irradiated from the plurality of wavelength-band UV LED modules are transmitted to cure the UV ink of the object to be printed. Here, the term "transparent material" may mean an ultraviolet-transmitting material.

[0029] Preferably, the material may be a material with high ultraviolet transmittance that is hardly degraded by ultraviolet rays. The material may be a material with high weather resistance. The material may be, for example, PMMA with a high monomer ratio or quartz.

[0030] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of power ports and a plurality of cooling ports may be formed on the front cover, each connected to a plurality of power lines and a plurality of cooling lines, respectively. Alternatively, they may be formed on the rear cover. Alternatively, the power ports and cooling ports may be disposed on the front cover and the rear cover, respectively.

[0031] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of wavelength-specific UV LED modules can be arranged adjacent to each other as UV-A LED modules, UV-B LED modules, and UV-C LED modules.

[0032] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the UV-A LED module is composed of a plurality of UV-A LED units, and each of the UV-A LED units is arranged adjacent to each other, and each of the UV-A LED units may include a plurality of UV-A LED elements.

[0033] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the UV-B LED module is composed of a plurality of UV-B LED units, and each of the UV-B LED units is arranged adjacent to each other, and each of the UV-B LED units may include a plurality of UV-B LED elements.

[0034] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the UV-C LED module is composed of a plurality of UV-C LED units, and each of the UV-C LED units is arranged adjacent to each other, and each of the UV-C LED units may include a plurality of UV-C LED elements.

[0035] Preferably, the LED unit can be treated as a substrate on which a plurality of LED elements are mounted.

[0036] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of UV-A LED elements included in each UV-A LED unit may be configured to be more numerous than the plurality of UV-B LED elements and the plurality of UV-C LED elements included in each UV-B LED unit and each UV-C LED unit.

[0037] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the PCB substrate on which the plurality of wavelength-specific UV LED modules are mounted can be electrically controlled with a control panel housed within the housing.

[0038] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the body of a cooling portion adjacent to the rear surface of the PCB substrate and performing heat dissipation or cooling action may be made of a material having a high heat transfer coefficient. That is, the material may be a so-called thermally conductive material.

[0039] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the material may include at least one of aluminum, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, or stainless steel alloy.

[0040] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cooling unit has a plurality of pipe-shaped passages formed inside the body, and cooling water or a cooling medium can flow in and out of the plurality of passages through a plurality of cooling lines and cooling ports.

[0041] In a plurality of flow paths disposed inside the body of the above-mentioned cooling unit, the number of lines of the flow paths can be formed more densely in the rear adjacent portion facing the UV LED module of a wavelength band with a higher heat generation amount.

[0042] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of flow paths disposed inside the body of the cooling unit can be formed more densely in the rear adjacent portion facing the UV-C LED module, which generates the most heat than the UV-A LED or UV-B LED.

[0043] The above UV-C LED module can be placed at the edge of the PCB substrate.

[0044] Meanwhile, from another perspective, a printing curing device according to another embodiment of the present invention comprises: a housing; a plurality of UV LED modules of different wavelength bands accommodated inside the housing; a base substrate on which the plurality of UV LED modules are mounted; and a cooling unit adjacent to the rear surface of the base substrate that performs heat dissipation or cooling.

[0045] The object on which the above plurality of UV LED modules are mounted is not limited to the PCB substrate disclosed in the above embodiment. Furthermore, the base substrate and the cooling unit do not necessarily have to be manufactured as separate components, and it is also possible for them to be manufactured as a single unit.

[0046] The above base substrate and the cooling unit may be manufactured as a single integrated component. The above component may be a thermally conductive block. The above thermally conductive block may be, for example, a block containing aluminum material.

[0047] In addition, the present invention provides a printing device equipped with the above-described printing curing device.

[0048] A printing device equipped with a printing curing device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a supply roller for supplying a printing object to be printed with UV ink; a plurality of guide rollers for transporting and guiding a printing object that is fed from the supply roller and printed with UV ink; a printing curing device installed between the plurality of guide rollers; and a recovery roller for recovering the cured printing object. Effects of the invention

[0049] According to the present invention, by combining the widths of the peak wavelength bands of a plurality of UV LEDs that react according to the various chemical compositions of the UV ink, there is an advantageous effect of rapidly and effectively drying and curing UV inks of various colors.

[0050] In addition, according to the present invention, to cool a UV LED that generates significant heat, a plurality of cooling channels are arranged in a zigzag pattern within a limited plane using cooling water or a cooling medium, and the number of cooling channels is formed more densely in the area facing the UV-C LED substrate where the most heat is generated, thereby providing an advantageous effect of maximizing cooling efficiency.

[0051] In addition to the effects described above, the specific effects of the present invention are described together with the specific details for implementing the invention below. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0052] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a printing device equipped with a printing curing machine according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a printing curing device according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the printing curing machine of FIG. 2 seen from the lower side. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the printing curing machine of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 seen from the upper part. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the printing curing machine of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 seen from the lower part. FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the body and upper and lower covers of the printing curing machine of FIG. 4 removed. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 6 seen from the lower side. FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the body portion of a printing curing device according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a printing curing device according to the present invention with the UV LED module removed. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a printing curing device according to the present invention with the lower cover separated. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of an assembled state of a printing curing device according to the present invention. FIG. 12 is an enlarged plan view of the UV LED module of a printing curing device according to the present invention. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of FIG. 12 with the cooling port removed. FIG. 14 is a plan cross-sectional view of the refrigerant circulation type cooling section of a printing curing machine according to the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0053] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0054] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but can be modified and implemented in various different forms. The embodiments provided are merely intended to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the present invention should be understood not to be limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the technical spirit and scope of the present invention, as well as substituting or adding the configuration of any one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment.

[0055] The attached drawings are intended only to facilitate understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical concept disclosed in this specification is not limited by the attached drawings; rather, it should be understood that they include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and technical scope of the invention. In the drawings, components may be depicted as being exaggeratedly large or small in size or thickness for the sake of convenience of understanding, but the scope of protection of the invention should not be interpreted restrictively as a result thereof.

[0056] The terms used in this specification are used merely to describe specific embodiments or examples and are not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms such as "includes" or "consists of" in this specification are intended to indicate the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in this specification. That is, terms such as "includes" or "consists of" in this specification should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0057] Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but said components are not limited by said terms. These terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. Therefore, unless otherwise stated, the first component may be the second component.

[0058] When it is stated that one component is "connected" or "in contact" with another component, it should be understood that while it may be directly connected or in contact with that other component, there may also be other components in between. On the other hand, when it is stated that one component is "directly connected" or "directly in contact" with another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

[0059] When it is stated that one component is "above" or "below" another component, it should be understood that it is not only placed directly above the other component, but that another component may also exist in between.

[0060] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this application.

[0061] Hereinafter, a curing device for printing and a printing device equipped with the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0062] First, as shown in FIG. 1, the printing process of the entire printing apparatus equipped with the printing curing device of the present invention is simplified and described in a schematic manner. A printing object wound on a supply roller (10) is fed for UV ink printing and is printed by UV ink while being guided and transported by a plurality of guide rollers (11, 12, 13, 14, 15).

[0063] At this time, for drying and curing the printed material, a printing curing device (100) of the present invention is installed in a plurality between the plurality of guide rollers (11, 12, 13, 14, 15), and ultraviolet light irradiated from the printing curing device (100) causes a chemical reaction with the liquid UV ink applied to the printed material, so that the printing ink is rapidly cured into a solid state.

[0064] Afterward, the dried and hardened printed object is wound back up through the recovery roller (20), and the printing process is completed.

[0065] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the printing curing device (100) comprises: a housing (110); a plurality of UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) of different wavelength bands accommodated inside the housing (110); a PCB substrate (150) on which the plurality of UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) are mounted; and a cooling unit (160) adjacent to the rear surface of the PCB substrate (150) to perform heat dissipation or cooling.

[0066] When describing the above embodiment with reference to FIGS. 2, 5, and 8, a plurality of UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) of different wavelength bands, mounted on a PCB substrate (150), are arranged inside the housing (110) of FIG. 2. The embodiment is implemented in such a way that the UV LED modules are mounted on the PCB substrate (150), but the type of substrate is not limited thereto.

[0067] At this time, a cooling water or refrigerant circulation type cooling unit (160) may be provided inside the housing (110) as a cooling means to cool the significant amount of heat generated from the modules.

[0068] A plurality of UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) for different wavelength bands are accommodated in the housing (110). The plurality of UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) for different wavelength bands are placed on a PCB substrate (150), and the arrangement order can be arranged in the order in which ultraviolet light is encountered in the direction of travel where the printing object is fed and printed as in FIG. 1, starting with the UV-A LED module (210) with the longest wavelength band of 320 to 400 nm, followed by the UV-B LED module (220) with a wavelength band of 280 to 320 nm, and the UV-C LED module (230) with a wavelength band of 200 to 280 nm, in order of shortest wavelength band.

[0069] Of course, they may be arranged in the reverse order, first with the UV-C LED module (230), then the UV-B LED module (220), and then the UV-A LED module (210). Depending on the color of the ink, the UV ultraviolet wavelength may be absorbed well and cured, or reflected and not cured, so an appropriate arrangement may be required by considering the color conditions of the ink and the transmittance of each ultraviolet wavelength band. That is, preferably, a short wavelength band is irradiated first to perform surface curing (referred to as temporary curing where the surface is slightly hardened), and then in the next curing step, a slightly deeper wavelength band is used, and in the subsequent step, even deeper wavelength bands are used to cure deeply.

[0070] However, since placing the UV-C LED module (230), which has the shortest wavelength band, in the center generates the most heat and can affect the adjacent UV-A LED module (210) and UV-B LED module (220) on both sides, it is preferable to place the UV-C module (230) at the edge.

[0071] In other words, it is noteworthy that, according to the present invention, unlike conventional UV lamps having a broad spectrum, and unlike UV LED modules in which LEDs with different peak wavelengths are mixed in appropriate proportions simply to replace conventional UV lamps with LEDs, the order in which ultraviolet rays are irradiated to the printing area can be determined for each ultraviolet wavelength. In particular, considering that ultraviolet curing occurs in an extremely instantaneous manner, it is noteworthy that when installing LEDs with different peak wavelengths within a single printing curing machine, the order in which ultraviolet rays are irradiated to the printing area by wavelength band or peak wavelength can be determined as in the present invention. Of course, it is also evident that, in order to replace existing UV lamps, a single printing curing machine can include multiple UV LED modules for different wavelength bands to irradiate ultraviolet rays of a broad spectrum.

[0072] In addition, arranging LEDs with similar peak wavelengths along the width direction that intersects the direction of travel of the printed object results in arranging LEDs with higher heat generation along the width direction. Consequently, within a single printing curing machine, LEDs with higher heat generation can be positioned at the edges along the direction of travel of the printed material, which is advantageous for heat dissipation. In other words, it is possible to design the system to minimize the adverse effects of heat generated by high-heat LEDs on other LEDs. Furthermore, this arrangement structure, combined with a cooling structure in which the cooling line described later also extends along the aforementioned width direction, offers the advantage of enabling specialized cooling designs for LEDs with different heat generation levels.

[0073] To explain the above-mentioned multiple wavelength band UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) in more detail with reference to the enlarged drawings of FIG. 8 and FIG. 12, the UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) placed on the PCB substrate (150) can be arranged according to three types of wavelength bands. In this case, as shown in FIG. 12, each module (210, 220, 230) is composed of multiple units (211, 221, 231), and each unit (211, 221, 231) can be composed of multiple UV LED elements (212, 222, 232). These multiple units and elements will be described later.

[0074] The reason for arranging multiple UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) of various wavelength bands in this manner is that, as described above in the problem to be solved, it is possible to rapidly and effectively dry and cure UV inks of various colors by combining the widths of the peak wavelength bands of multiple UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) that react according to the chemical composition of various colors of UV ink.

[0075] Additionally, the housing (110) is formed in the shape of a rectangular prism as shown in FIG. 4, the upper part is connected by an upper cover (111) having two side handles (120), and the lower part is connected by a lower cover (112) that transmits ultraviolet light and faces the upper cover (111) at a certain distance. The front and rear parts of the housing (110) are sealed by being connected by a front cover (116) and a rear cover (115), respectively, and the left and right sides are connected by left and right side covers (113, 114). All of these cover members (111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116) can be screw-connected by forming a plurality of connecting screw holes (117), and it is obvious that the connecting means can be implemented by various other methods.

[0076] In addition, according to the present invention, the lower cover (112) must be made of a transparent material so that ultraviolet rays irradiated from the plurality of wavelength band UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) are transmitted to cure the UV ink of the object to be printed. For example, materials such as quartz, which has high transmittance up to UV-C (200~280nm) although it is expensive; calcium fluoride (CaF2), which has excellent transmittance up to UV-A (320~400nm) and UV-B (280~320nm) and even VUV (vacuum ultraviolet, 100~200nm); special UV-transmitting glass, which provides high transmittance in UV-A and UV-B wavelengths and is cheaper than quartz; and polycarbonate (PC) and PMMA (acrylic), which have limited UV transmittance in small UV printing devices or low-temperature processes but can transmit UV-A and UV-B through specific coating treatments, may be used.

[0077] In addition, according to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, three power ports (134, 135, 136) and four cooling ports (145, 146, 147, 148) connected to three power lines (131, 132, 133) and four cooling lines (141, 142, 143, 144), respectively, may be formed on the front cover (116). That is, the three power ports (134, 135, 136) connected to the three power lines (131, 132, 133) supply power to a control panel (170) and a PCB board (150) on which a plurality of UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) are mounted.

[0078] In addition, four cooling ports (145, 146, 147, 148) connected to four cooling lines (141, 142, 143, 144) are formed with a plurality of pipe-shaped passages (161, 162, 163, 164) that are embedded in the body (160') of the refrigerant circulation type cooling unit (160) as shown in FIG. 14, and cooling water or a cooling medium flows in and out through the cooling lines (141, 142, 143, 144) and cooling ports (145, 146, 147, 148) and is connected to the rear surface of a PCB substrate (150) on which a UV LED module (210, 220, 230) that generates significant heat is placed, thereby preventing a decrease in printing efficiency due to heat generation.

[0079] At this time, since the amount of heat generated in the substrate of the UV-C LED module (230) is greater than that generated in the UV-A LED module (210) or the UV-B LED module (220), it is preferable to form the number of cooling channels more densely in the adjacent rear portion facing it, in the plurality of channels (161, 162, 163, 164) disposed inside the body (160') of the cooling unit (160).

[0080] In addition, the body (160') of the cooling unit is adjacent to the rear surface of the PCB substrate (150) to perform heat dissipation or cooling, and it is desirable that the material be made of a material having a high heat transfer coefficient to effectively cool the heat generated by the UV LED module (210, 220, 230). For example, the body material may be a metal with a relatively high heat transfer coefficient, such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, or stainless steel alloy.

[0081] In addition, as previously described, the UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) are each composed of a plurality of units (211, 221, 231), and each of the units (211, 221, 231) may each be composed of a plurality of UV LED elements (212, 222, 232).

[0082] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 12, UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) are connected in parallel in the horizontal direction as three rows adjacent to each other, and the UV-A LED module (210) is composed of 10 UV-A LED units (211), each of which is arranged adjacent to each other, and each of the UV-A LED units (211) may include a plurality of UV-A LED elements (212). At this time, depending on the size and capacity of the printing device, the number of units and elements of the module of the printing curing machine (100) is one embodiment and can be changed in various ways.

[0083] In the same manner as above, the UV-B LED module (220) is composed of nine UV-B LED units (221), each of which is arranged adjacently to each other, and each of which may include 16 UV-B LED elements (222). Additionally, the UV-C LED module (230) is composed of nine UV-C LED units (231), each of which is arranged adjacently to each other, and each of which may include 16 UV-C LED elements (232). The number of units and elements of the module is one embodiment and, of course, can be changed in various ways.

[0084] Meanwhile, there are differences in the penetration depth and intensity that respond to the thickness of various colored UV inks for each wavelength band of the UV LED modules (210, 220, 230). For example, a UV-A LED module (210) with a long wavelength band can penetrate deeper than a UV-C LED with a short wavelength band, but its light intensity (strength) may be weak. Therefore, it may be desirable to have more UV-A LED elements (212) included in each UV-A LED unit (211) than the number of UV-B LED elements (222) and UV-C LED elements (232) included in each UV-B LED unit (221) and each UV-C LED unit (231). At this time, the energy intensity of the UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) must be appropriately adjusted according to the thickness, color, and printing speed of the ink to achieve effective curing.

[0085] According to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a PCB substrate (150) on which a plurality of wavelength-band UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) are mounted is characterized by being electrically controlled with a control panel (170) housed within the housing (110). That is, the control panel (170) is connected to the UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) via an electrical circuit and can control the emission of ultraviolet rays to a printed object by adjusting the energy intensity of the wavelength bands of the UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) according to printing conditions such as printing speed and curing degree by color. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 11, the control panel (170) is coupled and supported by panel support members (171, 172) at both ends.

[0086] Referring to FIG. 1, a printing device is schematically illustrated with a printing curing device (100) installed according to one embodiment of the present invention. That is, the printing device of the present invention uses a printing curing device (100) and is characterized by comprising a supply roller (10) that supplies a printing object to be printed with UV ink, a plurality of guide rollers (11, 12, 13, 14, 15) that feed from the supply roller (10) and guide the transfer of the printing object printed with UV ink, a printing curing device (100) installed between the plurality of guide rollers (11, 12, 13, 14, 15), and a recovery roller (20) that recovers the cured printing object.

[0087] As schematically illustrated in FIG. 1, the printing device of the present invention is configured such that a printing object is fed from a supply roller (10) and printed in various colors of UV ink, and the printing curing device (100) of the present invention described above is installed between guide rollers (11, 12, 13, 14, 15) to dry and cure the printed ink. As shown in FIG. 1, UV ultraviolet light is emitted from the lower part of the printing curing device (100) and irradiated onto the printing object. That is, when ultraviolet light of different wavelength bands from UV LED modules (210, 220, 230) housed and mounted inside the housing (110) of the printing curing device (100) described above is emitted and irradiated onto the printed material, this light reaches the printed ink and activates the photosensitive material within the ink. At this time, when the UV ultraviolet light is absorbed by the photosensitive material, the molecules of the ink combine with each other during the process and are converted into larger molecules, and as a result, the ink is cured into a solid state. This curing process occurs very quickly according to the control function of the control panel (170) described above, and can generally be completed within a few seconds. The printing ink cured in this way has high durability and strong resistance to friction and water.

[0088] As described above, according to the present invention, by incorporating the advantages of a conventional UV lamp having a composite wavelength method while compensating for the disadvantages of a conventional simple UV LED peak wavelength printing method and extending to a broadband wavelength, it is possible to provide an eco-friendly curing machine for printing and a printing device using the same, which facilitates chemical reactions for various printing colors, enables rapid curing time due to appropriate transmittance, and produces high-quality printing results.

[0089] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the illustrated drawings, the present invention is not limited by the embodiments and drawings disclosed in this specification, and it is obvious that various modifications can be made by a person skilled in the art within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. Furthermore, even if the effects of the configuration according to the present invention were not explicitly described while describing the embodiments of the present invention above, it is natural to acknowledge that the effects predictable by said configuration should also be recognized. Explanation of the symbols

[0090] 10: Material supply roller 11, 12, 13, 14, 15: Guide rollers 20: Print object retrieval roller 100: Printing curing machine 110: Housing 111: Top cover 112: Lower cover 113, 114: Left and right side covers 115: Rear cover 116: Front cover 117: Multiple connecting screw holes 120: Handle 131: 1st power line 132: Second power line 133: 3rd power line 134: 1st power port 135: Second power port 136: 3rd power port 141: 1st cooling line 142: Second cooling line 143: 3rd cooling line 144: 4th cooling line 145: 1st cooling port 146; 2nd cooling port 147: 3rd cooling port 148: 4th cooling port 150: UV LED module PCB board 160: Cooling section 160': Cooling section body 161: First Euro 162: The Second Euro 163: The Third Euro 164: The 4th Euro 170: Control Panel 171, 172: Control panel support 210: UV-A LED Module 211: UV-A LED Unit 212: UV-A LED element 220: UV-B LED Module 221: UV-B LED Unit 222: UV-B LED element 230: UV-C LED Module 231: UV-C LED Unit 232: UV-C LED element

Claims

Claim 1 A curing device for printing, comprising: a housing; a plurality of UV LED modules for different wavelength bands accommodated inside the housing; a base substrate on which the plurality of UV LED modules are mounted; and a cooling unit adjacent to the rear surface of the base substrate that performs heat dissipation or cooling. Claim 2 A curing device for printing according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of UV LED modules are arranged together by wavelength band, each UV LED module for each wavelength band is extended and arranged along a direction parallel to the width direction of the printing object that intersects the direction of travel of the printing object, and the UV LED modules for different wavelength bands are arranged along the direction of travel of the printing object so as to determine the order of irradiation of ultraviolet rays of each wavelength band to the printing object. Claim 3 In paragraph 2, the UV LED modules for different wavelength bands are arranged along the direction of travel of the printing object so that ultraviolet rays of a relatively short wavelength range are irradiated first and ultraviolet rays of a relatively long wavelength range are irradiated later, in a printing curing device. Claim 4 In paragraph 2, the UV LED modules for different wavelength bands are arranged along the direction of travel of the printing object so that ultraviolet rays of a relatively long wavelength band are irradiated first and ultraviolet rays of a relatively short wavelength band are irradiated later, in a printing curing device. Claim 5 In paragraph 2, the cooling unit includes a cooling line through which a cooling medium flows, and the cooling line extends in a direction parallel to the extension direction of the UV LED module for each wavelength band, a curing machine for printing. Claim 6 In paragraph 5, the UV LED modules for different wavelength bands are a printing curing machine in which UV LED modules of the wavelength band with the highest heat generation are arranged at the edge of the direction of travel of the printing object in the printing curing machine. Claim 7 A curing device for printing according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a rectangular shape and includes an upper cover having a handle, a lower cover facing the upper cover at a certain distance and through which ultraviolet rays are transmitted, and front and rear covers and left and right side covers covering the front and rear and left and right sides of the housing, wherein the vertical direction corresponds to the direction of ultraviolet irradiation, the horizontal direction corresponds to the direction of travel of the object to be printed, and the vertical direction corresponds to the width direction of the object to be printed. Claim 8 A printing curing device according to claim 7, wherein the lower cover is made of a UV-transmitting material so that ultraviolet rays irradiated from the plurality of wavelength-band UV LED modules are transmitted to cure the UV ink of the object to be printed. Claim 9 A curing device for printing according to claim 7, characterized in that the front cover or rear cover has a plurality of power ports and a plurality of cooling ports formed therein, each connected to a plurality of power lines and a plurality of cooling lines, respectively. Claim 10 A curing device for printing according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of UV LED modules for each wavelength band are arranged adjacently to each other as UV-A LED modules, UV-B LED modules, and UV-C LED modules. Claim 11 A curing device for printing according to claim 10, wherein the UV-A LED module is composed of a plurality of UV-A LED units, and each of the UV-A LED units is arranged adjacently to each other, and each of the UV-A LED units includes a plurality of UV-A LED elements, and the UV-B LED module is composed of a plurality of UV-B LED units, and each of the UV-B LED units is arranged adjacently to each other, and each of the UV-B LED units includes a plurality of UV-B LED elements, and the UV-C LED module is composed of a plurality of UV-C LED units, and each of the UV-C LED units is arranged adjacently to each other, and each of the UV-C LED units includes a plurality of UV-C LED elements. Claim 12 A curing device for printing according to claim 11, characterized in that the plurality of UV-A LED elements included in each UV-A LED unit are configured to be more numerous than the plurality of UV-B LED elements and the plurality of UV-C LED elements included in each UV-B LED unit and each UV-C LED unit. Claim 13 A printing curing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the base substrate on which the plurality of wavelength-specific UV LED modules are mounted is electrically controlled by a control panel housed within the housing. Claim 14 A curing machine for printing according to claim 1, wherein the body of the cooling part adjacent to the rear surface of the base substrate and performing heat dissipation or cooling is made of a material having a high heat transfer coefficient, and said material is made of any one of aluminum, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, or stainless steel alloy. Claim 15 A curing machine for printing according to claim 14, characterized in that a plurality of pipe-shaped flow paths are formed inside the body of the cooling unit, and cooling water or a cooling medium flows in and out of the plurality of flow paths through a plurality of cooling lines and cooling ports. Claim 16 A curing device for printing according to claim 15, characterized in that a plurality of fluid passages disposed inside the body of the cooling unit have a more densely formed number of passages in the rear adjacent portion facing the UV LED module of a wavelength band with a higher heat generation amount. Claim 17 A printing device using a printing curing device according to any one of claims 1 to 16 above, comprising: a supply roller for supplying a printing object to be printed with UV ink; a plurality of guide rollers for transporting and guiding a printing object that is fed from the supply roller and printed with UV ink; a printing curing device installed between the plurality of guide rollers; and a recovery roller for recovering the cured printing object.

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