JP7443798B2 - Packaging, printing equipment and printing systems - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to packaging, printing devices, and printing systems.

2. Description of the Related Art Inkjet printers that print images on cloth (including processed products such as T-shirts and bags) that are printing materials (recording media) have been known.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a printing apparatus that prepares a print box in which fabric is stored in a partially exposed state and prints on the exposed fabric that is stored in the print box.

However, with conventional printing devices that print on cloth, it is necessary to completely unwrap cloth products such as T-shirts (individual packaging) before placing them in a print box and printing. , which was time-consuming.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a package, a printing device, and a printing system that can quickly print on a printing material.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objects, the package of the present invention is a package having a printing material to be printed by a printing device, and a portion of the printing material to be printed. a plate-like member for holding the print material in a flat state, and a positioning member for positioning the printing material with respect to a printing position in the printing device ; A positioning part that is a part , an opening in which a printing range of the printing material is opened, and a leg exposure part that exposes the leg while enclosing the plate-like member. do.

According to the present invention, it is possible to quickly perform high-quality printing on cloth with a simple configuration.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the printing device. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the inside of the printing device. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the printing section and the conveyance section. FIG. 5-1 is a perspective view showing the front side of the fabric holding member that holds the printed surface of the fabric. FIG. 5-2 is a perspective view showing the back side of the fabric holding member. FIG. 6-1 is a perspective view showing the printed surface of the fabric held by the fabric holding member. FIG. 6-2 is a perspective view showing the fabric holding member in FIG. 6-1 viewed from the back side. FIG. 7-1 is a perspective view illustrating a packaging bag. FIG. 7-2 is a perspective view showing the printed surface of the fabric wrapped in a packaging bag. FIG. 7-3 is a perspective view showing the wrapped fabric in FIG. 7-2 viewed from the back side. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the platen member on the cassette. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which a packaging bag containing cloth is placed on a cassette. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the printed surface of the fabric wrapped in the packaging bag according to the second embodiment.

Embodiments of a package, a printing device, and a printing system will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In this embodiment, a serial inkjet printer is used as the printing device. More specifically, the printing apparatus is an inkjet printer that uses fabric (including processed products such as T-shirts and bags) as a printing material (recording medium).

(First embodiment)
Here, FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing the printing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the printing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG.

The printing device 1 applies an image to cloth 400 (see FIG. 6-1), which is a printing material (recording medium). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printing apparatus 1 includes an apparatus main body 100 and a cassette 200.

Cassette 200 is a tray that holds fabric 400 to which an image is applied (printed). The cassette 200 includes a cassette base 201, which is a base member, and a platen member 300, which is a platen that holds the portion of the fabric 400 to be printed in a flat state.

Note that the fabric 400 is not limited to one made of a single piece of fabric such as a handkerchief or a towel, but also fabric that has been processed into clothing such as a T-shirt or sweatshirt, or a part of a product such as a tote bag. It can also be used for fabrics.

The printing apparatus 1 includes a stage 111 and a printing section 112 (see FIG. 3) within the apparatus main body 100. The stage 111 is a receiving member that removably holds the cassette 200 and moves forward and backward. The printing unit 112 prints on the fabric 400 held in the cassette 200 held on the stage 111.

The stage 111 is provided on the transport section 113 and is held movably in the direction of arrow Y (sub-scanning direction) with respect to the apparatus main body 100.

The printing device 1 also includes an operation panel 104 for inputting and displaying information necessary for this device.

Here, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the inside of the printing apparatus 1, and FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the printing section 112 and the conveyance section 113.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the printing unit 112 includes a carriage 121 that moves in the direction of arrow X (main scanning direction) with respect to the stage 111, and a recording head 122 mounted on the carriage 121.

The carriage 121 is movably held by a guide member 123 arranged along the arrow X direction (main scanning direction). The carriage 121 is reciprocated in the direction of arrow X (main scanning direction) via a timing belt 125 passed between a driving pulley 126 and a driven pulley 127, which are rotationally driven by a main scanning motor 124.

The recording head 122 includes four liquid ejection heads that eject ink droplets of each color, for example, yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K). The recording head 122 has a nozzle array on a nozzle surface having a plurality of ink ejection openings (nozzles) arranged in a direction (arrow Y direction (sub-scanning direction)) orthogonal to the arrow It is installed with the exit direction facing downward.

Ink of each color is supplied from an ink cartridge set in an ink supply unit (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 100 to a temporary storage location provided directly above the recording head 122 using a liquid pump. It is sent to a certain sub-tank (not shown). As ink is consumed in the print head 122, ink in the sub tank is supplied to the print head 122.

Note that although the recording head 122 uses an independent droplet ejection head for each color, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the recording head 122 may be configured to use one or more heads each having a plurality of nozzle rows that eject droplets of recording liquid of each color. Furthermore, the number and arrangement order of colors are not limited to these.

The recording head 122 includes a piezoelectric actuator such as a piezoelectric element, a thermal actuator that utilizes phase change due to film boiling of liquid using an electrothermal conversion element such as a heating resistor, and a shape memory alloy actuator that uses metal phase change due to temperature change. , an electrostatic actuator that uses electrostatic force, etc. can be used as a pressure generating section that generates pressure for ejecting droplets.

Further, the printing unit 112 is provided with an encoder scale 128 having a slit along the arrow X direction (main scanning direction). The carriage 121 includes an encoder sensor 129 that detects the slit of the encoder scale 128. Encoder scale 128 and encoder sensor 129 constitute a linear encoder for detecting the position of carriage 121 in the arrow X direction (main scanning direction).

With such a configuration, the printing unit 112 performs printing by ejecting ink droplets at desired positions as the carriage 121 moves.

The conveyance unit 113 horizontally moves the stage 111 that removably holds the cassette 200 in the direction of arrow Y (sub-scanning direction) along the conveyance guide members 136 and 137. The conveyance guide member 136 includes a conveyance roller pulley 132 that is rotationally driven by the sub-scanning motor 130. Then, the conveyance section 113 rotates the conveyance guide member 136 in the direction of arrow Y (sub-scanning direction) via a timing belt 133 passed between a conveyance drive pulley 131 and a conveyance roller pulley 132 that are rotationally driven by a sub-scanning motor 130. The stage 111 is moved back and forth.

The conveyance unit 113 includes an encoder wheel 134 having a slit formed therein coaxially with the conveyance roller pulley 132 . Further, the conveyance unit 113 is provided with an encoder sensor 135 that detects the slit of the encoder wheel 134. Encoder wheel 134 and encoder sensor 135 constitute a wheel encoder for detecting the position of stage 111 in the arrow Y direction (sub-scanning direction).

The transport unit 113 also includes a lifting unit (not shown) including a lifting motor that lifts and lowers the stage 111, and a height detection sensor 141 (not shown) that detects the position in the Z direction of the stage 111 (cassette 200) raised and lowered by the lifting unit. (see FIG. 3).

With this configuration, in the printing apparatus 1, the cassette 200 is mounted and held on the stage 111 in the apparatus main body 100 with the fabric 400 set in the cassette 200. A desired image is printed on the fabric 400 by repeating the movement of the stage 111 in the direction of arrow Y (sub-scanning direction) and the reciprocating movement of the recording head 122 in the direction of arrow X (main-scanning direction).

Next, the manner in which the fabric 400 is held will be explained. In this embodiment, the fabric 400 is wrapped in a predetermined shape by a package. The package includes a fabric holding member 500 (see FIG. 5-1, etc.) that holds the fabric 400, and a packaging bag 600 (see FIG. 7-2, etc.). The package together with the printing device 1 constitutes a printing system.

Here, FIG. 5-1 is a perspective view showing the front side of the fabric holding member 500 that holds the printed surface of the fabric 400, and FIG. 5-2 is a perspective view showing the back side of the fabric holding member 500. As shown in FIGS. 5-1 and 5-2, the fabric holding member 500 includes a flat plate-like member 501 and four cylindrical legs 502 that are positioned parts provided on the plate-like member 501. and.

The plate-like member 501 is a member for reducing wrinkles and lifting on the printing surface of the cloth 400 (here, a T-shirt) to be printed. By making the printing surface of the fabric 400 smooth and close, variations in the distance to the recording head 122 can be suppressed and the distance to the recording head 122 can be kept constant, so that printing quality can be improved.

The plate-like member 501 has heat resistance to the heating temperature (fixing temperature) during thermal fixing of the ink applied onto the fabric 400. The heating temperature (fixing temperature) is about 70 to 150°C. For example, the material of the plate member 501 may be heat-resistant sponge rubber made of silicone rubber or fluorocarbon rubber, various heat-resistant resins, felt, calcium silicate board, calphon, callite, gypsum board, melamine sponge, glass wool, glass, etc. can.

The leg portions 502 of the fabric holding member 500 are members that come into contact with the platen member 300 during printing and maintain a constant distance between the platen member 300 and the printing surface of the fabric 400 held by the fabric holding member 500. By keeping the printing surface of the fabric 400 and the recording head 122 horizontal at a constant interval, variations in the distance to the recording head 122 are suppressed and the distance to the recording head 122 is kept constant, improving printing quality. be able to.

Note that in the fabric holding member 500 of this embodiment, the plate member 501 is provided with four cylindrical legs 502, but the fabric held by the platen member 300 and the fabric holding member 500 The present invention is not limited to this, as long as it is possible to maintain a constant distance from the printed surface of 400. For example, it may be supported by four or more legs 502, it may be supported by three legs 502 forming the apex of a triangle, or it may be supported by one or two legs with a wide ground surface. It may be supported by the portion 502. That is, the part to be positioned is one or more leg parts 502.

FIG. 6-1 is a perspective view showing the printed surface of the fabric 400 held by the fabric holding member 500, and FIG. 6-2 is a perspective view showing the fabric holding member 500 in FIG. 6-1 viewed from the back side.

As shown in FIG. 6-2, the fabric holding member 500 is placed on the back side (the opposite side to the printing side) of the fabric 400 to be printed (here, a T-shirt). Thereafter, the excess portion 400a of the fabric 400 protruding from the fabric holding member 500 is folded onto the back side of the fabric holding member 500, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 6-2. For example, in the case of printing on the front of a T-shirt, the surplus portion 400a corresponds to both sleeves, the neck opening, the hem, and the like. Note that the surplus portion 400a may be temporarily fixed to the plate member 501 with tape or the like. When the fabric holding member 500 in this state is turned over, it will be in the state shown in FIG. 6-1.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6-1, the fabric 400 (here, a T-shirt) is arranged so that there are no wrinkles or lifts on the side (front side) on which the leg portions 502 are not provided on the plate member 501. Being brought into close contact. This is to keep the distance between the recording head 122 and the fabric 400 constant during printing. If the fabric 400 is lifted or wrinkled, there will be a difference in height in some areas, and the distance between the recording head 122 and the fabric 400 will also change in some areas, making it impossible to maintain uniform printing quality.

Note that, as described above, the excess portion 400a of the fabric 400 protruding from the fabric holding member 500 is folded onto the back side of the fabric holding member 500. At this time, the height of the folded surplus portion 400a needs to be within a range lower than the leg portions 502 of the fabric holding member 500. This is because if the leg portion 502 of the fabric holding member 500 is higher than the leg portion 502, the leg portion 502 will not come into contact with the platen member 300, and the height of the recording head 122 and the printing surface will not fall within an appropriate range. be.

Further, for the same reason, it is also necessary to prevent the fabric 400 from covering the surface of the leg portion 502 of the fabric holding member 500 that comes into contact with the platen member 300.

Additionally, in this embodiment, the fabric 400 is packaged in the packaging bag 600 while being held by the fabric holding member 500. Here, FIG. 7-1 is a perspective view illustrating the packaging bag 600, FIG. 7-2 is a perspective view showing the printed surface of the fabric 400 in a packaged state with the packaging bag 600, and FIG. 7-3 is FIG. 7-2 FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cloth 400 in a packaged state is viewed from the back side.

The packaging bag 600 is formed into an envelope shape using paper, resin film, or the like as a material, and forms a space for storing the entire fabric 400 held by the fabric holding member 500. An insertion portion 603 is provided at one end of the packaging bag 600 into which the fabric 400 held by the fabric holding member 500 is inserted. The insertion portion 603 of the packaging bag 600 is sealed using a sealing member 604 after storing the fabric 400 held by the fabric holding member 500. The sealing member 604 is, for example, a flap coated with an adhesive.

The packaging bag 600 has heat resistance to the heating temperature (fixing temperature) during thermal fixing of the ink applied onto the fabric 400. The heating temperature (fixing temperature) is about 70 to 150°C.

As shown in FIG. 7-2, the packaging bag 600 includes an opening 601 on the printing surface side of the fabric 400, which is open in the printing area. Further, as shown in FIG. 7-3, the packaging bag 600 is provided with a leg exposed portion 602 at a position opposite to the printed surface of the fabric 400 and corresponding to the leg portion 502 of the fabric holding member 500. The leg exposure portion 602 is an opening. The packaging bag 600 enclosing the fabric holding member 500 together with the fabric 400 exposes the leg portion 502 of the fabric holding member 500 through the leg exposure portion 602 which is an opening.

Note that the fabric 400 packaged in the packaging bag 600 is coated with a pretreatment agent in advance to improve ink fixability, color development, and the like. The pretreatment agent contains, for example, a flocculant (a polyvalent metal salt, an organic acid, a cationic compound, etc.). By applying the ink pre-treatment agent to the fabric 400 packaged in the packaging bag 600 in advance in this way, it is possible to print immediately without having to apply the pre-treatment agent before printing. becomes.

As a result, when printing in response to an order from a customer at a store, for example, it is possible to shorten the time it takes to finish printing on the fabric 400, thereby reducing the customer's waiting time.

Next, the platen member 300 will be explained.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the platen member 300 on the cassette 200. As shown in FIG. 8, the platen member 300 has a surface for positioning the packaging bag 600 in the arrow X direction (main scanning direction) and the arrow Y direction (sub scanning direction) with respect to the printing position on the cassette 200. A positioning member 301 is provided. The positioning member 301 is formed to protrude from the platen member 300. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the positioning member 301 engages with the leg portion 502 of the fabric holding member 500 exposed from the leg exposed portion 602 of the packaging bag 600, and corresponds to the leg portion 502. It is formed by protrusions 301a to 301c provided at three locations.

Note that the heights of the protrusions 301a to 301c provided at three locations are formed lower than the height of the leg portions 502 of the fabric holding member 500. That is, the height of the leg portion 502 of the fabric holding member 500 is formed higher than the height of the positioning member 301 (protrusions 301a to 301c). This is because if the protrusions 301a to 301c are higher than the legs 502 of the fabric holding member 500, the legs 502 will no longer come into contact with the platen member 300, so the height between the recording head 122 and the printing surface is within an appropriate range. This is because it will no longer fit in.

The protrusion 301a has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and positions the packaging bag 600 in the arrow X direction (main scanning direction). The protrusion 301b has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and positions the packaging bag 600 in the arrow Y direction (sub-scanning direction). The protrusion 301c is formed by connecting two rectangular parallelepipeds in an L-shape, and positions the packaging bag 600 in the arrow X direction (main scanning direction) and the arrow Y direction (sub scanning direction).

Note that in this embodiment, the positioning member 301 is formed to protrude from the platen member 300 by protrusions 301a to 301c provided at three locations, as shown in FIG. 8, but the positioning member 301 is not limited to this. The number of protrusions may be any number as long as the packaging bag 600 can be positioned in the arrow X direction (main scanning direction) and the arrow Y direction (sub scanning direction). Furthermore, the shapes of the protrusions 301a to 301c are not limited to the shapes shown in FIG. Furthermore, the positioning member 301 is not limited to a protrusion formed to protrude from the platen member 300, and may be in the shape of a recess.

Next, a method for attaching the packaging bag 600 containing the fabric 400 to the cassette 200 will be described.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the packaging bag 600 containing the fabric 400 is placed on the cassette 200. The packaging bag 600 containing the entire fabric 400 held by the fabric holding member 500 is placed with the legs 502 of the fabric holding member 500 abutting against the positioning member 301 of the platen member 300 of the cassette 200. be done. Thereby, the packaging bag 600 is positioned at the printing position in the cassette 200. The cassette 200 in which the packaging bag 600 containing the fabric 400 is positioned is attached to the apparatus main body 100. The printing device 1 then executes printing on the fabric 400 defined as the printing range by the opening 601 of the packaging bag 600.

Here, the print processing procedure in the printing device 1 will be briefly described.

First, the user removes the cassette 200 from the apparatus main body 100. Next, the user pushes the packaging bag 600 containing the entire fabric 400 held by the fabric holding member 500 against the positioning member 301 of the platen member 300 with the legs 502 of the fabric holding member 500. and place it.

Next, the user attaches the cassette 200 in which the packaging bag 600 is positioned to the apparatus main body 100. The printing device 1 starts printing on the fabric 400 defined as the printing range by the opening 601 of the packaging bag 600.

The printing device 1 draws the cassette 200 inside and moves to the printing start position. At this time, the printing apparatus 1 also controls the Z axis (height direction) using the height detection sensor 141 so that the distance between the recording head 122 and the cassette 200 is appropriate.

After that, the printing apparatus 1 moves the carriage 121 to the printing start position and starts ejecting ink. In the printing apparatus 1, the stage 111 (cassette 200) also moves a required amount every time one scan of the carriage 121 is completed. The printing apparatus 1 performs a printing operation on the entire printing area by alternately moving the carriage 121 and the stage 111 (cassette 200) in this way.

After the printing operation is completed, the user removes the cassette 200 from the apparatus main body 100, and further removes the packaging bag 600 containing the entire fabric 400 held by the fabric holding member 500 from the cassette 200. The user then heats and fixes the ink applied onto the fabric 400 and finishes the printing process.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the packaging bag 600 is provided with an opening 601 in which the printing range of the fabric 400 held in a flat state by the plate member 501 is opened, and an opening 601 is provided in the packaging bag 600 for positioning on the platen member 300. A leg portion 502 corresponding to the positioning member 301 is provided on the plate member 501 and exposed from the leg exposed portion 602 of the packaging bag 600. Then, the packaging bag 600 that has wrapped the entire fabric 400 held by the fabric holding member 500 is placed against the positioning member 301 of the platen member 300 so that the leg portion 502 exposed from the leg exposed portion 602 of the packaging bag 600 is By abutting and placing the packaging bag 600, the packaging bag 600 can be positioned at the printing position on the platen member 300. As a result, high-quality printing can be performed on the fabric 400 by simply placing the fabric 400 wrapped in the packaging bag 600 on the platen member 300 of the printing device 1 without unwrapping the fabric product such as a T-shirt. It can be done quickly with a simple configuration.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described.

The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a protective member that covers the opening 601 of the packaging bag 600. Hereinafter, in the description of the second embodiment, description of the same parts as the first embodiment will be omitted, and only parts different from the first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the printed surface of the fabric 400 in a packaged state using the packaging bag 600 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the packaging bag 600 includes a sheet-like protection member 700 that covers an opening formed in an opening 601 for the purpose of preventing dirt during transportation. The protective member 700 is attached to the opening 601 of the packaging bag 600 with an adhesive that can be removable and reapplied.

By being peeled off from the packaging bag 600 before printing on the fabric 400, the protective member 700 prevents the printed surface of the fabric 400 from being exposed until just before printing, thereby reducing the possibility of dirt adhering to the printed surface of the fabric 400.

Since the protective member 700 can be re-peelable and re-attached, after printing on the fabric 400, it is attached again to a position covering the opening formed in the opening 601 of the packaging bag 600. This makes it possible to protect the printed surface of the fabric 400 from stains and the like. In particular, by making it possible to reapply the protective member 700 to a position that covers the opening formed in the opening 601 of the packaging bag 600, printing on the fabric 400 can be done easily when the customer takes home the printed item at the store. This is very effective because it protects the completed surface from dirt and the like.

In each of the above embodiments, the printing apparatus of the present invention will be explained using an example in which the printing apparatus is applied to a printing apparatus 1 that applies an image to cloth. The present invention can be applied to any image forming apparatus that has at least two functions, such as a multifunction peripheral, a copying machine, a printer, a scanner device, and a facsimile device.

Note that although each of the above embodiments describes a case where the fabric 400 is a T-shirt or the like, the present invention is similarly applicable to cases where the printing target is a medium, including fabric, for example. can do. In this case, the "fabric" in each of the above embodiments becomes the medium.

1 Printing device 112 Printing section 300 Platen 301 Positioning member 400 Printed material 501 Plate member 502 Positioned part, leg part 600 Packaging bag 601 Opening part 602 Leg exposed part 700 Protective member

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-187467

Claims (10)

A package having a printing material to be printed by a printing device,
a plate-like member that holds a portion of the printing material to be printed in a flat state;
a positioning part that is one or more legs that is provided on the plate-like member and that engages with a positioning part for positioning the printing material with respect to a printing position in the printing device;
an opening in which a portion of the printing range of the printing material is opened;
a leg exposure part that exposes the leg while enclosing the plate-like member;
A package characterized by comprising: a packaging bag formed in an envelope shape having the opening and the exposed leg portion;
The package according to claim 1 , characterized in that: The positioning portion maintains a constant distance between the printing surface of the printing material held by the plate member and a platen on which the printing material is placed in the printing device.
The package according to claim 1, characterized in that: The packaging bag includes a peelable protective member that covers the opening formed in the opening.
The package according to claim 2 , characterized in that: The protective member is attached using a removable and reappliable adhesive,
The package according to claim 4 , characterized in that: The printing material is coated with an ink pretreatment agent used in the printing device.
The package according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , characterized in that: A platen on which the package according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is placed, the package containing a printing material to be printed.
a positioning member that is provided on the platen and positions the package containing the printing material by engaging with the positioning portion;
a printing unit that prints on the package placed on the platen;
Equipped with
The positioning member is formed to protrude from the platen,
The height of the positioned portion is higher than the height of the positioning member.
A printing device characterized by: The printing material is coated with an ink pretreatment agent used in the printing section.
The printing device according to claim 7 , characterized in that: The package according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , which is a package of a printing material to be printed;
a platen on which the package is placed;
a positioning member that is provided on the platen and positions the package containing the printing material by engaging with the positioning portion;
a printing unit that prints on the package placed on the platen;
Equipped with
The positioning member is formed to protrude from the platen,
The height of the positioned portion is higher than the height of the positioning member.
A printing system characterized by: The printing material is coated with an ink pretreatment agent used in the printing section.
10. The printing system according to claim 9 .

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