Fully automatic printing system

Abstract

A fully automatic printing system, comprising: printing plates, bearing devices, a printing device, a transfer device, a carrying device and auxiliary devices, wherein the bearing devices are configured to bear a plurality of stacked printing plates; the transfer device controllably moves between loading areas, unloading areas and auxiliary areas to transfer the bearing devices; the carrying device is configured to transfer the printing plates on the bearing devices from the loading areas to the printing device one by one, and is further configured to transfer the printing plates from the printing device to the unloading areas one by one and stack the printing plates on the bearing devices; and the auxiliary devices are configured to perform pre-printing or post-printing processing on substrates in a centralized manner. By using the cooperation between the transfer device and the bearing devices, the stacked printing plates and the substrates are transferred in a whole stack, such that loading and supplying, unloading and recycling, etc., of the substrates can be performed independent of process apparatuses; thus, not only can a maximum number of substrates be subjected to centralized batch treatment in the same batch, but different process apparatuses can also be flexibly matched and combined to adapt to different printing processes.

Description

A fully automatic printing system Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of printing technology, in particular to a full-automatic printing system. Background Art

[0002] Printing is a technology that transfers the ink of original contents such as text and patterns to the surface of materials such as paper, textiles, plastic products, leather products, etc. through processes such as plate making, inking, and pressurization, thereby achieving batch reproduction of the original contents; according to different printing principles, it can be roughly divided into various printing processes such as lithography, letterpress printing, gravure printing, screen printing, and digital printing.

[0003] Most existing printing equipment systems are dedicated printing systems designed for a specific printing process. They usually integrate various process processing equipment (such as printing equipment, drying equipment, etc.) in an assembly line according to the process flow of the printing process. Since the process flow of the system equipment is relatively fixed, when the printing process changes, the printing system needs to be redesigned or a printing system with the corresponding process needs to be selected, which greatly increases the use and configuration costs of the system. Technical issues

[0004] The main technical problem solved by the present invention is to provide a fully automatic printing system that can achieve flexible matching and combination of process equipment to meet different printing process requirements. Technical Solutions

[0005] In one embodiment, a fully automatic printing system is provided, comprising:

[0006] A printing plate, used to carry a corresponding printing material;

[0007] A carrying device, used for carrying a plurality of stacked printing plates;

[0008] A printing device, used for printing the substrate on the printing plate;

[0009] A turnover device is configured to controllably move between a plurality of functional areas to transfer the carrier device; the plurality of functional areas include a loading area, an unloading area, and an auxiliary area;

[0010] an auxiliary device, arranged in the auxiliary area in a manner independent of the printing device, the auxiliary device being used to centrally perform pre-press processing or post-press processing on a plurality of printing plates on the carrier device; and

[0011] A transport device is arranged in conjunction with the printing device; the transport device is configured to controllably transfer the printing plates on the carrying device from the loading area to the printing device one by one; the transport device is also configured to controllably transfer the printing plates from the printing device to the unloading area one by one and place them in a stack on the carrying device.

[0012] In one embodiment, the turnover device includes at least one automatic guided vehicle, and the automatic guided vehicle is configured to transfer the carrying device between multiple functional areas along a preset route.

[0013] In one embodiment, the printing plate comprises:

[0014] A printing plate having a printing surface and a supporting surface disposed opposite to each other, wherein the printing surface has a printing area for placing a printing material; and

[0015] A support member protrudes from the support surface and is arranged on the printing plate and is located outside the outline of the printing area; when multiple printing plates are stacked and placed on the carrying device, the support member can maintain a preset distance between two adjacent layers of printing plates.

[0016] In one embodiment, the number of the auxiliary devices is set to be multiple, and the multiple auxiliary devices are arranged in different auxiliary functional areas, and at least one of the multiple auxiliary devices is used to centrally perform pre-press processing on multiple stacked printing plates carrying substrates, and at least another one of the multiple auxiliary devices is used to centrally perform post-press processing on multiple stacked printing plates carrying substrates.

[0017] In one embodiment, the printing device includes a conveying mechanism and a printing mechanism, and the transport device includes a loading mechanism and a unloading mechanism, and the loading mechanism, the unloading mechanism, and the printing mechanism are all arranged in conjunction with the conveying mechanism; wherein:

[0018] The conveying mechanism is used to convey the printing plate, and a plurality of functional positions are defined along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism, wherein the plurality of functional positions include a loading station, a printing station and an unloading station;

[0019] The loading mechanism is configured to move controllably between the loading area and the loading station so as to obtain the printing plate at the loading area and place the printing plate on the conveying mechanism at the loading station; the unloading mechanism is configured to move controllably between the unloading station and the unloading area so as to obtain the printing plate at the unloading station and place the printing plate on the carrying device at the unloading area.

[0020] In one embodiment, the printing device further includes a material laying mechanism, and the plurality of functional positions further include a material laying station arranged between the loading station and the printing station along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism; the material laying mechanism is arranged in cooperation with the conveying mechanism to position and fix the printing material on the printing plate at the material laying station.

[0021] In one embodiment, the conveying mechanism includes a plurality of conveying units that are independent of each other, and at least two of the loading mechanism, the laying mechanism, the printing mechanism and the unloading mechanism correspond one-to-one and are arranged in coordination with at least two different conveying units.

[0022] In one embodiment, the number of the printing mechanisms is set to be multiple, and the multiple printing mechanisms are configured to be able to selectively switch to the position corresponding to the printing station; or the multiple functional positions include multiple printing stations, and the multiple printing mechanisms correspond one-to-one to the multiple printing stations.

[0023] In one embodiment, the plurality of printing mechanisms include one or more of a stencil printing mechanism, a lithographic printing mechanism, a gravure printing mechanism, a relief printing mechanism, a hot stamping mechanism, and a digital printing mechanism.

[0024] In one embodiment, the multiple functional areas include multiple loading areas and / or multiple unloading areas; the multiple loading areas are arranged in the same direction or different directions of the loading station, and the multiple unloading areas are arranged in the same direction or different directions of the unloading station.

[0025] The fully automatic printing system according to the above embodiment includes a printing plate, a carrying device, a printing device, a turnover device, a transport device and an auxiliary device; wherein, the printing plate is used to carry a corresponding printing material, the carrying device is used to carry multiple printing plates placed in a stacked manner, the printing device is used to print the printing material on the printing plate, and the turnover device can be controlled to move between multiple functional areas including the loading area and the unloading area to transfer the carrying device; the transport device is configured to controllably transfer the printing plates on the carrying device from the loading area to the printing device one by one, and the transport device is further configured to controllably transfer the printing plates from the printing device to the unloading area one by one and stack them on the carrying device, and the auxiliary device is used to centrally perform pre-press or post-press process processing on the multiple printing plates on the carrying device together with the printing materials. Beneficial effects

[0026] Based on this, the turnover device and the carrying device are used to cooperate to transfer the stacked printing plates and substrates in whole piles; on the one hand, with the help of the turnover device, different process equipment can be flexibly combined or linked to build different printing systems to adapt to different printing processes; on the other hand, the operations such as loading, supplying, unloading and recycling of substrates can be separated from the process equipment (such as printing devices), which not only can the maximum number of substrates be processed in batches in the same batch to ensure printing quality, but also by making full use of the three-dimensional space, it is beneficial to reduce the system footprint and reduce the system configuration cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] FIG1 is a reference diagram of the planar structural layout of a fully automatic printing system according to an embodiment from a top view.

[0028] FIG2 is a planar structural reference diagram of a printing device in a fully automatic printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the front.

[0029] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the structural state of a fully automatic printing system when a printing plate stack is placed on a turnover device according to an embodiment.

[0030] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of a carrier plate in a fully automatic printing system according to an embodiment.

[0031] In the picture:

[0032] 10. Printing plate; 11. Printing unit; 12. Support unit; 20. Carrying device; 30. Turnover device; 40. Auxiliary device; 51. Conveying mechanism; 52. Printing mechanism; 53. Material laying mechanism; 61. Loading mechanism; 62. Unloading mechanism;

[0033] a. Loading area; b. Unloading area; c. Temporary storage area; d. Auxiliary area; p1. Loading station; p2. Laying station; p3. Printing station; p4. Unloading station; A. Printing material. Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0034] The present invention will be further described in detail below by means of specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Similar elements in different embodiments are numbered with associated similar elements. In the following embodiments, many detailed descriptions are provided to enable the present application to be better understood. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that some of the features may be omitted in different circumstances, or may be replaced by other elements, materials, or methods. In some cases, some operations related to the present application are not shown or described in the specification. This is to avoid the core portion of the present application being overwhelmed by excessive descriptions, and for those skilled in the art, it is not necessary to describe these related operations in detail. They will fully understand the related operations based on the description in the specification and the general technical knowledge in the art.

[0035] In addition, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification may be combined in any appropriate manner to form various embodiments. Furthermore, the steps or actions in the method description may be reordered or adjusted in a manner readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the various sequences in the specification and drawings are provided solely for the purpose of clearly describing a particular embodiment and are not intended to be mandatory, unless otherwise specified.

[0036] Component numbers used herein, such as "first" and "second," are used solely to distinguish the components being described and do not convey any sequential or technical meaning. References to "connection" and "coupling" herein, unless otherwise specified, include both direct and indirect connections (couplings).

[0037] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4. An embodiment provides a fully automatic printing system, including a printing plate 10, a carrying device 20, a printing device, a turnover device 30, a transport device, an auxiliary device 40, and other functional devices that exist as needed, which are described in detail below.

[0038] Referring to Figures 3 and 4 , a printing plate 10 is primarily used to support a corresponding substrate A, such as paper, textiles, plastics, leather, or other items capable of accepting ink or colorant and displaying images. A carrier 20 , such as a flatbed truck or pallet (e.g., a flatbed pallet), serves primarily as a carrier for the printing plate 10. Multiple printing plates 10 can be stacked vertically or horizontally on the carrier 20 to form a stack of printing plates.

[0039] In one embodiment, referring to FIG4 , a printing plate 10 includes a printing portion 11 and a supporting portion 12 . The printing portion 11 can be a planar or curved plate-like structure made of a solid material (e.g., glass, aluminum, stainless steel, or aluminum alloy). For ease of distinction and description, the side of the printing portion 11 facing the substrate A is defined as the printing surface of the printing portion 11 , and the side of the printing portion 11 opposite the printing surface is defined as the supporting surface. It will be understood that the printing surface typically includes a printing area for positioning or accommodating the substrate A. The supporting portion 12 is disposed on the printing portion 11 , protruding from the supporting surface and located outside the outline of the printing area.

[0040] Thus, when multiple printing plates 10 are placed on the carrier device 20 in a stacked manner (for example, stacked in the vertical direction as shown in FIG3 ), the support portion 12 can not only be used to maintain a preset spacing between two adjacent layers of printing portions 11, ensuring that adjacent printing portions 11 and the carrier device 20 do not contact each other, thereby protecting the printing area or the substrate A positioned in the printing area; but also the support portion 12 is arranged at the periphery of the outline of the printing area, which can also prevent the support portion 12 from contacting and squeezing the printing area of ​​the printing plate 10 located in the next layer. In specific implementation, the number of support portions 12 can be set to multiple, and they can be arranged at the corners of the support surface side of the printing portion 11, which is conducive to simplifying the structure of the printing plate 10 and reducing the weight of the printing plate 10 itself.

[0041] In other embodiments, the printing plate 10 may also adopt other suitable structural forms. The key point is that multiple printing plates 10 can be placed on the supporting device 20 in a nearly vertical or horizontal stacking manner.

[0042] Please refer to Figures 1 and 3. The turnover device 30 is mainly used to transfer the stack of printing plates, that is, by transferring the carrying device 20 between different process area positions, a plurality of stacked printing plates 10 (or together with the printing substrate A) are transferred in a one-time or centralized manner in a batch manner; for the convenience of distinction and description, the process area position is defined as a functional area, which can be understood as the area position in the environmental space where the relevant process processing equipment involved in the printing process (for example, the printing device and pre-press or post-press processing equipment such as a drying furnace) is located or the area position that can cooperate with it; for example, the number of functional areas is set to multiple, and the multiple functional areas include the loading area a and the unloading area b that cooperate with the printing device, the temporary storage area c for storing the printing plate stack that has not yet carried the printing substrate A and the temporary storage area d for temporarily storing the printing plate stack that has undergone certain process treatments, and the auxiliary area d where the auxiliary device 40 is located.

[0043] In one embodiment, referring to Figures 1 and 3 , the turnover device 30 includes one or more automated guided vehicles (AGVs, also known as automated guided transport vehicles, automated guided transport vehicles, or AGVs, etc.), which are controllably movable along a preset path between multiple functional areas to transfer the carrier 20 or the stack of printing plates. More specifically, the number and movement routes of the turnover devices 30 or AGVs are configured based on the actual needs of the printing system or printing process. For example, the AGVs can be used to transfer empty or unloaded stacks of printing plates from the temporary storage area c to the loading area a, transfer loaded stacks of printing plates from the unloading area b to the temporary storage area c, or transfer stacks of printing plates from the temporary storage area c or unloading area b to the auxiliary area d. Of course, the turnover device 30 may also utilize other devices capable of centralized and automatic transfer of stacks of printing plates or multiple printing plates 10 (or together with the printing plates A).

[0044] Referring to Figures 1 and 2 , the printing device and the transport device are arranged in coordination with each other. The two can be integrated into a single assembly line-type device, or they can be a combination of separate devices that are structurally independent but can work in conjunction with each other. The printing device is primarily used to print the substrate A on the printing plate 10, while the transport device is primarily used to load and unload the printing device. Specifically, after the turnover device 30 transfers the stack of printing plates to the loading area a, the transport device can controllably transfer the printing plates 10 on the supporting device 20 to the printing device one by one. After the printing device completes the printing process on the substrate A, the transport device can controllably transfer the printing plates 50 (together with the substrate A they carry) one by one from the printing device to the supporting device 20 located in the unloading area b, so that the printing plates 50 are stacked one by one on the supporting device 20 to form a stack of printing plates.

[0045] In one embodiment, please refer to Figures 1 and 2, the printing device includes a conveying mechanism 51, a printing mechanism 52 and a laying mechanism 53, and the handling device includes a loading mechanism 61 and a unloading mechanism 62; wherein, the conveying mechanism 51 is mainly used to convey the printing plate 50 along a preset path or a preset direction, so that the printing plate 50 can pass through or stay at a preset position; the printing mechanism 52, the laying structure 63, the loading mechanism 61 and the unloading mechanism 62 are all arranged in conjunction with the conveying mechanism 51, for example, the loading mechanism 61, the laying mechanism 53, the printing mechanism 52 and the unloading mechanism 62 are arranged in sequence along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 51; accordingly, a plurality of functional positions are defined along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 51 or the conveying trajectory of the printing plate 50, and the plurality of functional positions include a loading station p1, a laying station p2, a printing station p3 and a unloading station p4.

[0046] During specific implementation, the material laying mechanism 53, the loading mechanism 61 and the unloading mechanism 62 can be specifically configured with reference to existing manipulators (such as multi-joint manipulators), multi-degree-of-freedom motion platforms (such as X and Y two-axis motion platforms) or other related mechanisms with the function of grasping, transferring or transporting the printing plate 50. The conveying mechanism 51 can be specifically configured with reference to existing horizontal conveyor belts or other functional devices that can convey or transmit the printing plate 50 (or together with the printing material A); wherein, the loading mechanism 61 is configured to move controllably between the loading area a and the loading station p1, and the unloading mechanism 62 is configured to move controllably between the unloading station p4 and the unloading area b. The material laying mechanism 53 is arranged at the material laying station p2, and the printing mechanism 52 is arranged at the printing station p3.

[0047] When the turnover device 30 transfers the printing plate stack to the loading area a and transfers the empty carrying device 20 to the unloading area b, the loading mechanism 61 can be used to obtain or grab the printing plate 10 (specifically, the empty printing plate 10 without the printing material A) from the carrying device 20 located in the loading area a, and the printing plate 10 can be placed from the loading station p1 on the conveying mechanism 51.

[0048] When the conveying mechanism 51 conveys the printing plate 10 from the loading station p1 to the laying station p2, the laying mechanism 53 positions and fixes the substrate A on the printing plate 10 (for example, by using pressure-sensitive adhesive to fix the substrate A to the printing area of ​​the printing part 11; for example, by using magnetic attraction, snap-fitting, etc. to achieve the positioning and fixation of the substrate A); and when the printing plate 10 with the substrate A is conveyed from the laying station p2 to the printing station p3 by the conveying mechanism 51, it can be The printing process of the printing material A is completed with the help of the printing mechanism 52; then the conveying mechanism 51 conveys the printing plate 10 (together with the printing material A it carries) that has completed the printing process from the printing station p3 to the unloading station p4, and the unloading mechanism 62 is used to grab or obtain the printing plate 10 located at the unloading station p4 to transfer it to the supporting device 20 located in the unloading area b; thus, the entire process of a printing plate 10 on the printing device from loading, laying, printing to unloading is completed.

[0049] By utilizing the mutual cooperation between various mechanisms and repeating the above process, the continuous loading, laying, printing and unloading of the printing plate 10 can be achieved. For example: when the current printing plate 10 is transported to the printing station p3, the previous printing plate 10 will be transported to the unloading station p4, and the next printing plate 10 will be transported to the laying station p2; when all the printing plates 10 on the carrier device 20 located in the loading area a are transferred to the conveying mechanism 51 or the loading station p1, the empty carrier device 20 can be transported to other functional areas (such as the temporary storage area c) with the help of the turnover device 30; correspondingly, when the carrier device 20 located in the unloading area b is full of stacked printing plates 10, the fully loaded carrier device 20 (i.e., the printing plate stack) can also be transported to other functional areas (such as the temporary storage area c, auxiliary area d, etc.) with the help of the turnover device 30. In this way, a maximum number of substrates A can be printed in batches in the same batch, which is beneficial to ensuring the consistency of the quality of the printed materials in the same batch.

[0050] In addition, when multiple repeated printing operations are required, the turnover device 30 can be used to transport the printing plate stack after completing one printing or undergoing post-printing processing to the loading area a for a second printing process; this cycle can achieve multiple repeated printing processes on the printing material A.

[0051] In some embodiments, the material-laying mechanism 53 may be omitted from the printing device or the material-laying mechanism 53 may be set as a functional device independent of the printing device, and the printing plate 10 carrying the printing material A may be directly placed from the loading station p1 to the conveying mechanism 51 with the help of the loading mechanism 61, and then conveyed to the printing station p3 with the help of the conveying mechanism 51; or whether to activate the material-laying mechanism 53 may be selected according to whether the printing plate 10 carries the printing material A.

[0052] Please refer to Figure 1. The auxiliary device 40 can be understood as a functional device related to pre-press processing or post-press processing of the printing substrate A, such as a drying furnace and other drying equipment for drying the surface of the printing substrate A, and a cooling cabinet and other equipment for cooling the printing substrate A; the auxiliary device 40 and the printing device are arranged independently of each other in different areas or functional areas within the environmental space of the printing system. Specifically, the auxiliary device 40 can be arranged in the auxiliary area d; when the printing substrate A needs to be processed before or after press, the printing plates 10 (i.e., the printing plate stack) stacked on the carrier device 20 can be transferred to the auxiliary device 40 located in the auxiliary area d with the help of the turnover device 30, so that the printing substrate A can be processed centrally (such as drying, cooling, etc.) by the auxiliary device 40, thereby completing the batch centralized processing of the printing substrate A, which is beneficial to improving the efficiency of the entire process flow.

[0053] In specific implementation, the number and functional types of the auxiliary devices 40 can be selected and set according to the process flow of the entire printing process. For example, multiple functional positions include multiple auxiliary areas d, and each auxiliary area d is configured with a corresponding auxiliary device 40.

[0054] Firstly, by arranging the various process equipment in the system (such as the printing device, the auxiliary device 40, the turnover device 30, etc.) in different functional areas in a relatively independent manner, and taking advantage of the characteristic of the turnover device 30 that can transfer or transport the entire stack of printing plates between different functional areas, the various process equipment can be linked and connected; in this way, not only can the various process equipment be flexibly matched according to actual needs to form a printing system with different processes, so that the entire printing system is not limited to a specific printing process, but also the failure rate of the entire system can be reduced, avoiding the problem of "one failure, the entire line stops" existing in the assembly line printing system.

[0055] Secondly, the number of printing plates that can be loaded and recycled in existing printing equipment systems is limited. When the number of printed products exceeds the number of printing plates, printing must be done in batches. This not only easily leads to inconsistent quality of printing batches, but also consumes labor hours due to machine adjustments, thereby reducing printing efficiency and increasing printing costs.

[0056] The printing system provided in the present application utilizes the cooperation of the turnover device 30 and the carrying device 20 to transfer and transport the stacked printing plates 10 and the printing substrates A in whole stacks, so that the number of recycled printing plates 10 will not be limited by the maximum loading capacity of the system process equipment (such as the printing device), thereby being able to separate the loading, supplying, unloading and recycling of the printing plates 10 or the printing substrates A from the process equipment, and facilitating the centralized batch processing of the maximum number of printing substrates A in the same batch, which is conducive to ensuring printing quality and improving printing efficiency.

[0057] Third, in terms of the spatial layout of the entire printing system, placing multiple printing plates 10 or together with the printing material A on the carrier device 20 in a stacked manner can also achieve full utilization of the three-dimensional space. By miniaturizing the various process equipment in the system, it is beneficial to reduce the footprint of the entire system and reduce the configuration cost of the system.

[0058] It should be noted that the bold solid line frame in Figure 1 represents the functional areas configured by the printing system (such as loading area a, unloading area b, etc.), the bold dotted line frame represents the functional positions defined along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 51 (such as loading station p1, unloading station p4, etc.), and the bold dotted line represents the movement route of the turnover device 30 between the functional areas.

[0059] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 2, the conveying mechanism 51 adopts a segmented structure, that is, the conveying mechanism 51 is constructed by combining multiple conveying units that are structurally independent of each other. Multiple conveying units can adopt the same structural form (for example, all adopt a conveyor belt structure), or different structural forms (for example, some conveying units adopt a conveyor belt structure, and other conveying units adopt a robot structure, a turnover vehicle, etc.); in specific implementation, the loading station p1, the laying station p2, the printing station p3 and the unloading station p4 can each correspond to a conveying unit. According to the process flow of the printing process and the transmission speed required by the process, the conveying units are sorted and the conveying speed of each conveying unit is adjusted, so that the conveying mechanism 51 can continuously convey the printing plate 10 (or together with the printing material A) to the preset functional position.

[0060] Correspondingly, the loading mechanism 61, the laying mechanism 53, the printing mechanism 52 and the unloading mechanism 62 are structurally integrated with the conveying units corresponding to the corresponding workstations (for example, the printing mechanism 52 and the conveying unit corresponding to the printing station p3 are set as a functional mechanism), or are coordinated in terms of action relationship (for example, the printing mechanism 52 can be controllably moved to a position corresponding to the conveying unit corresponding to the printing station p3).

[0061] Therefore, with the help of the segmented structure of the conveying mechanism 51, different mechanisms can be flexibly matched and combined, so as to adjust and transform the specific components of the printing device according to the process flow of the printing process, such as adjusting and transforming the printing mechanism 52 and the process connection method or coordination sequence between the front process mechanism and the back process mechanism.

[0062] For example, when screen printing is required on substrate A, the printing mechanism 52 capable of screen printing can be switched to the conveying unit corresponding to printing station p3; when gravure printing is required on substrate A, the printing mechanism 52 capable of gravure printing can be switched to the conveying unit corresponding to printing station p3.

[0063] For example, when the printing plate 10 received by the loading station p1 carries the printing material A, the laying mechanism 53 and the conveying unit corresponding to the laying station p2 can be removed from the printing device or the conveying mechanism 51. By linking the conveying units corresponding to the loading station p1 and the printing station p2, the printing plate 10 and the printing material A of the loading station P1 can be directly conveyed to the printing station p3.

[0064] For example, a drying furnace or the like can be set between the conveying units corresponding to the printing station p3 and the unloading station p4, and the printing material can be subjected to post-printing processing with the help of the drying furnace or the like, and then conveyed to the unloading station p4, and then stacked one by one by the unloading mechanism 62 and placed on the carrying device 20.

[0065] In practice, the number of printing mechanisms 52 can be multiple, each of which employs different printing methods or types. For example, the multiple printing mechanisms 52 may include one or more of a screen printing mechanism, a lithographic printing mechanism, a gravure printing mechanism, a letterpress printing mechanism, a hot stamping (or hot foil stamping) printing mechanism, or a digital printing mechanism. The multiple printing mechanisms 52 are configured to selectively be switched to printing station p1. In other words, based on the segmented arrangement of the conveying mechanism 51 and depending on the actual printing process, one or more of the multiple printing mechanisms 52 can be switched to a location corresponding to printing station p1, thereby implementing a specific printing process or a combination of multiple printing processes (e.g., post-printing hot foil stamping, post-printing foaming, post-printing digital inkjet printing, etc.).

[0066] In other embodiments, the conveying mechanism 51 can adopt a complete conveyor belt structure extending along a preset path or direction. By arranging multiple printing mechanisms 52 in sequence along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 51, multiple printing processes can be integrated. When a specific printing process is required for printing, it is only necessary to activate the corresponding printing mechanism 52.

[0067] In one embodiment, referring to FIG1 , there are two loading areas a and two unloading areas b. The two loading areas a are arranged on opposite sides of a loading station p1 in a first direction. Accordingly, the loading mechanism 61 is configured to controllably move between the two loading areas a and the loading station p1 to load the printing plates 10 one by one. The two unloading areas b are arranged on opposite sides of an unloading station p4 in the first direction. Accordingly, the unloading mechanism 62 is configured to controllably move between the two unloading areas b and the unloading station p4 to unload the printing plates 10 one by one. The first direction can be understood as a direction intersecting (e.g., perpendicular) to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 51.

[0068] Therefore, by setting up two loading areas a and unloading areas b, with the cooperation of the handling device, continuous and gapless automatic loading and unloading can be achieved, which creates favorable conditions for improving printing efficiency and ensuring the consistency of printing quality of the same batch; for example, after all the printing plates 10 in one loading area a are loaded onto the conveying mechanism 10, while the loading mechanism 61 is loading the printing plates 10 in the other loading area a, the empty carrying device 20 can be transferred to other areas (such as the temporary storage area c) with the help of the turnover device 30, and then the other fully loaded carrying device 20 (or printing plate stack) can be transferred to the loading area a, thereby realizing the uninterrupted supply operation of the printing plates 10.

[0069] In other embodiments, one loading area a and / or one unloading area b may be provided; or, depending on the size of the environment in which the printing system is located, multiple loading areas a may be arranged in the same direction or in different directions of the loading station P1, and multiple unloading areas b may be arranged in the same direction or in different directions of the unloading station P4; for example, one of the two loading areas a may be arranged on one side of the loading station p1 in the first direction, and the other may be arranged on one side of the loading station p1 in the second direction; the second direction intersects with the first direction, and the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 51 is located in the plane where the first and second directions are located. For another example, the number of loading areas a may be set to three, two of the three loading areas a may be arranged on opposite sides of the loading station p1 in the first direction, and the remaining one may be arranged on one side of the loading station p1 in the second direction. For another example, multiple loading areas a may be arranged simultaneously on one side of the loading station p1 in the first direction or on one side of the second direction.

[0070] The above examples are used to illustrate the present invention, which are only used to help understand the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make several simple deductions, modifications or substitutions based on the concept of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fully automatic printing system, characterized in that: include: A printing plate, used to carry a corresponding printing material; A carrying device, used for carrying a plurality of printing plates stacked in layers; A printing device, used for printing the substrate on the printing plate; A turnover device configured to controllably move between a plurality of functional areas to transfer the carrying device; The plurality of functional areas include a loading area, a unloading area and an auxiliary area; An auxiliary device is arranged in the auxiliary area in a manner independent of the printing device, and the auxiliary device is used to centrally perform pre-press process processing or post-press process processing on multiple printing plates on the carrier device; as well as A transport device is arranged in cooperation with the printing device; the transport device is configured to controllably transfer the printing plates on the carrying device from the loading area to the printing device one by one; the transport device is also configured to controllably transfer the printing plates from the printing device to the unloading area one by one and place them in a stack on the carrying device.

2. The fully automatic printing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The turnover device includes at least one automatic guided vehicle, which is configured to transfer the carrying device between multiple functional areas according to a preset route.

3. The fully automatic printing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The printing plate comprises: A printing plate, comprising a printing surface and a supporting surface disposed opposite to each other, wherein the printing surface has a printing area for placing a printing material; and A support member is provided on the printing plate and protrudes from the support surface, and is located outside the contour of the printing area; when a plurality of the printing plates are stacked on the carrying device, a preset distance can be maintained between two adjacent layers of the printing plates by the support member.

4. The fully automatic printing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the auxiliary devices is set to be multiple, and the multiple auxiliary devices are arranged in different auxiliary functional areas, and at least one of the multiple auxiliary devices is used to centrally perform pre-press processing on multiple stacked printing plates carrying substrates, and at least another one of the multiple auxiliary devices is used to centrally perform post-press processing on multiple stacked printing plates carrying substrates.

5. The fully automatic printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The printing device includes a conveying mechanism and a printing mechanism, and the handling device includes a loading mechanism and a unloading mechanism, and the loading mechanism, the unloading mechanism and the printing mechanism are all arranged in cooperation with the conveying mechanism; wherein: The conveying mechanism is used to convey the printing plate, and a plurality of functional positions are defined along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism, wherein the plurality of functional positions include a loading station, a printing station and an unloading station; The loading mechanism is configured to controllably move between the loading area and the loading station so as to obtain the printing plate at the loading area and place the printing plate on the conveying mechanism at the loading station; the unloading mechanism is configured to controllably move between the unloading station and the unloading area so as to obtain the printing plate at the unloading station and place the printing plate on the carrying device at the unloading area.

6. The fully automatic printing system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The printing device also includes a material laying mechanism, and the multiple functional positions also include a material laying station arranged between the loading station and the printing station along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism; the material laying mechanism is cooperated with the conveying mechanism to position and fix the substrate on the printing plate at the material laying station.

7. The fully automatic printing system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The conveying mechanism includes a plurality of conveying units that are independent of each other, and at least two of the loading mechanism, the laying mechanism, the printing mechanism and the unloading mechanism correspond to and cooperate with at least two different conveying units.

8. The fully automatic printing system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The number of the printing mechanisms is set to be multiple, and the multiple printing mechanisms are configured to be able to selectively switch to the position corresponding to the printing station; or the multiple functional positions include multiple printing stations, and the multiple printing mechanisms correspond one-to-one to the multiple printing stations.

9. The fully automatic printing system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The plurality of printing mechanisms include one or more of a stencil printing mechanism, a lithographic printing mechanism, a gravure printing mechanism, a relief printing mechanism, a hot stamping printing mechanism and a digital printing mechanism.

10. The fully automatic printing system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The multiple functional areas include multiple loading areas and / or multiple unloading areas. The multiple loading areas are arranged in the same direction or different directions of the loading station, and the multiple unloading areas are arranged in the same direction or different directions of the unloading station.

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