Inline Inkjet Printing-Lamination System for Package Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing packages with various designs in small quantities are inefficient due to the need for transferring materials between separate printing and lamination lines, leading to increased costs and issues like ink flow and color blurring at high printing speeds.
Innovation Solution
An inline system integrating inkjet printing and lamination using a non-solvent lamination method with a multi-stage roll adhesive application and temperature-controlled aging, combined with a single-pass inkjet printer equipped with surface and back heating units to prevent ink blurring and enhance drying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If separate printing and lamination lines are used, then each process can be optimized independently, but the manufacturing cost increases and production efficiency decreases due to material transfer between lines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the printing line and lamination line into a single integrated manufacturing system. The printing unit and lamination unit are arranged in sequence on the same production line, allowing continuous processing of web-shaped base material without transfer between separate lines. This integration eliminates the need for material handling between lines while maintaining independent process optimization capabilities.
2Productivity
If printing speed is increased to about 15 m/min, then productivity improves, but ink flow and color blurring occur due to insufficient drying time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pre-heating unit positioned upstream of the inkjet head that heats the web-shaped base material before printing. This preliminary heating action accelerates ink drying during and after the printing process, enabling high-speed printing at 15 m/min without causing ink flow or color blurring. The pre-heating prepares the substrate to rapidly evaporate ink moisture, maintaining print quality at high speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temperature parameter of the web-shaped base material by introducing a pre-heating unit that raises the substrate temperature before ink application. This parameter change (temperature increase) accelerates the drying kinetics of the aqueous ink, allowing the system to achieve both high printing speed and high print quality by controlling the thermal state of the substrate during the printing process.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If aqueous ink is used for printing, then environmental friendliness improves, but ink drying becomes insufficient at high printing speeds causing color mixing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary heating to the web-shaped base material before aqueous ink application. This pre-heating action creates optimal conditions for rapid ink drying by raising the substrate temperature, which accelerates water evaporation from the aqueous ink. This enables environmentally friendly aqueous ink to dry sufficiently at high printing speeds, preventing color mixing and maintaining color accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thermal parameter of the substrate to resolve the drying issue with aqueous ink. By introducing a pre-heating unit that increases substrate temperature, the system creates favorable conditions for rapid water evaporation from the aqueous ink formulation. This parameter change enables aqueous ink to maintain its environmental advantages while achieving sufficient drying performance at high printing speeds.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient, cost-effective production of packages with diverse designs by integrating printing and lamination on a single line, reducing manufacturing costs and preventing ink-related issues like blurring and color mixing at high speeds.
Implementation Method 1
a surface pre-heating unit, which is arranged on an upstream side of conveyance from the inkjet head, and heats at least the surface of the web-shaped base material
Implementation Method 2
a back heating unit, which is arranged on a downstream side of conveyance from the inkjet head, and heats a back surface of the web-shaped base material
Implementation Method 3
an inkjet head of a single-pass system, which is configured to eject, by a single-pass system, the aqueous ink to a surface of the first web-shaped base material conveyed by the conveyance mechanism
Implementation Method 4
an adhesive application unit configured to apply an adhesive to the printed web-shaped base material and bonding the printed web-shaped base material and another web-shaped base material to each other
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a printing-lamination inline system and method being suitable for manufacturing packages having various kinds of package designs in small quantity and being capable of performing inkjet printing and lamination in an inline manner. The printing-lamination inline system comprises: a first web-shaped base material supply unit configured to supply a first web-shaped base material; an inkjet printer of a single-pass system, which is configured to subject the first web-shaped base material to aqueous inkjet printing; an adhesive application unit configured to apply an adhesive to the first web-shaped base material subjected to the aqueous inkjet printing; a second web-shaped base material supply unit configured to supply a second web-shaped base material so that the second web-shaped base material is bonded to the first web-shaped base material; a lamination unit configured to subject the first web-shaped base material and the second web-shaped base material to lamination; and an aging box configured to cause aging of a laminate film obtained by the lamination.