Card Manufacturing Pattern Alignment via Dynamic Speed Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing card manufacturing methods face challenges in accurately adjusting patterns due to slight misalignments of printing plates, which affects the quality and speed of card production.

Innovation Solution

A method involving the use of a reference sheet and detection means to adjust the feeding speed of continuous sheets, ensuring patterns are aligned at predetermined positions, and allowing for high-speed card manufacturing by controlling the feeding speed based on pattern position detection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If printing plates are attached to the roll body with slightly misaligned positions, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the printed patterns have unequal pitches and poor alignment precision

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprinting plate attachment simplicityVSAvoidpattern alignment precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by detecting the positions of multiple patterns before lamination and calculating the average pitch in advance. This pre-detection and pre-calculation allows the system to compensate for the misalignment of printing plates beforehand, ensuring accurate pattern alignment during high-speed manufacturing without requiring precise manual plate attachment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Manufacturing precision

If positional adjustment is performed for each single pattern, then the alignment precision is improved, but the manufacturing speed decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepattern position adjustment precisionVSAvoidcard manufacturing speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by performing positional adjustment based on a sample of multiple patterns (e.g., every 10th pattern) rather than adjusting every single pattern. This partial detection and adjustment approach maintains high alignment precision while significantly reducing the time required for position correction, thereby preserving high manufacturing speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Productivity

If the feeding speed of continuous sheets is not adjusted, then the manufacturing process is simple and fast, but the patterns cannot be aligned at predetermined positions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing speedVSAvoidpattern position accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the feeding speed of continuous sheets adjustable and controllable based on detected pattern positions. The system dynamically modifies the feeding speed to compensate for pitch variations in printed patterns, enabling both high-speed manufacturing and precise pattern alignment at predetermined positions through real-time speed adjustment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

4Manufacturing precision

If detection and adjustment is performed for every pattern, then the alignment precision is maximized, but the time consumption increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepattern alignment precisionVSAvoiddetection and adjustment time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by selecting and detecting only certain patterns at predetermined intervals rather than detecting and adjusting every single pattern. This selective detection approach maintains sufficient alignment precision for quality production while dramatically reducing the time required for detection and adjustment operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3923194B1Card manufacturing method
Publication Date: 2025.04.02 ZUIKO CORP
  • EP3923194B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3923194B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3923194B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A card manufacturing method includes a step of feeding a reference sheet serving as a reference for alignment; a step of feeding a first continuous sheet having a plurality of patterns repeatedly printed as one cycle thereon; a step of producing a laminated sheet by laminating the first continuous sheet on the reference sheet; a step of successively detecting a position of each one of the repeatedly printed patterns by detection means; a first adjustment step of adjusting such that the patterns are at predetermined positions with respect to the reference sheet by controlling a feeding speed of the first continuous sheet according to a detection result on the positions of the patterns; and a step of producing a card by cutting the laminated sheet 4 for each of the patterns, the patterns being printed so that plural patterns are repeatedly printed as one cycle, the adjustment step being performed for each cycle made up of the plurality of patterns.