TWI791275B - Holding device and printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

The holding device of the present invention holds the printing object stably. The holding device includes: a first member which is rotatable about the first axis, at least a part of which is in the shape of an annular ring about the first axis; a second member which is rotatable about the second axis and at least partly a ring shape centered on the second axis; a third member, which is rotatable about the third axis, at least a part of which is ring-shaped about the third axis; and a first holding part, which is The axis of rotational symmetry of the printing surface is the center, and the object can be freely rotated. Viewed along the first direction parallel to the axis of rotational symmetry, formed by the first position where the first member abuts the object, the second position where the second member abuts the object, and the third position where the third member abuts the object The triangle surrounds the axis of rotational symmetry.

Description

Holding device and printing system

This case relates to a holding device and a printing system.

For example, in the following Patent Document 1, a workpiece holding device is known, which holds the workpiece freely rotatably around the axis of rotation when the printing device presses against the side surface of the workpiece having a shape of rotation symmetry around the axis of rotation for printing. artifact.

An example is shown in which the workpiece holding device is provided with a plurality of backup members which abut against the side surfaces of the workpiece and support the workpiece in a posture that can rotate freely around the axis of rotational symmetry.

The positions of the plurality of spare members illustrated in Patent Document 1 limit the displacement of the workpiece due to the printing cloth for transferring the workpiece and the displacement of the workpiece due to gravity.

[Prior Art Literature] [Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2020-82605

It is desired to suppress the displacement of the workpiece not only during the transfer. The purpose of the holding device and the printing system disclosed in this application is to hold the printed object stably.

The holding device holds an object having a surface to be printed in a rotationally symmetrical shape. The holding device includes: a first member rotatable about a first axis, at least a part of which is annular shaped about the first axis; a second member rotatable about a second axis, at least a part of which is annular about the second axis; a third member which is rotatable about the third axis and at least part of which is annular about the third axis; and a first holding part , which holds the object rotatably around the axis of rotational symmetry of the surface to be printed. Viewed along the first direction parallel to the axis of rotational symmetry, the first position where the first member abuts the object, the second position where the second member abuts the object, and the third member abuts the object The triangle formed by the third position surrounds the above-mentioned axis of rotational symmetry.

Hold the device in a steady state to hold the object.

1: plate loading table unit

1a: central axis

1b: location

1r: central axis

2: Ink filling unit

2a: Central axis

2b: Location

2r: central axis

3: Transfer unit

3a: Central axis

3b: location

3c: location

3r: central axis

4: hardening unit

8: bottle

9: Control device

11: Stage

12: version

21: Nozzle

22: Ink supply part

30: printing cloth cylinder

31: Printing cloth body

32: printing cloth

33: motor

38: triangle

39: triangle

41: face

80: side

81: Mouth

82: bottom

83: external thread

86: parts

100: Printing system

101: Printing device

300: bottle holding device

301: axis

302: axis

303: Bearing Department

304: abutment member

309: axis

310: 1st maintenance department

311: shaft

313: Mouth holding member

314: grasping member

320: The second maintenance department

321: axis

322: Press member

323: Force member

324: Grip member

330: keep the body part

331: 1st Support Department

332: 2nd Support Department

332a: wall

333: abutment

340:Rotary drive unit

351: backup roller

351r: Shaft

352: backup roller

352r: shaft

353: backup roller

353r: Shaft

353s: Movable part

401: Stage moving device

402: Motor drive circuit

800: Axis of rotational symmetry

d: distance

D: diameter

R: direction of rotation

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a printing system.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a printing system.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system for controlling the printing system.

Fig. 4 is a plan view illustrating the structure of the bottle holding device of the first embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a side view illustrating the structure of the bottle holding device of the first embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a side view schematically illustrating the positional relationship between the bottle and the backup roller during transfer.

Fig. 7 is a side view schematically illustrating the positional relationship between the bottle and the backup roll.

Fig. 8 is a side view schematically illustrating the positional relationship between the bottle and the backup roll.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a printing cloth cylinder and a hardening unit.

Fig. 10 is a plan view showing a state where the contact member is not in contact with the movable part.

Fig. 11 is a top view showing the transfer state.

Fig. 12 is a side view illustrating the structure of a bottle holding device according to Embodiment 2.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view illustrating the positional relationship between bottles and backup rolls.

Fig. 14 is a side view schematically illustrating the positional relationship between the bottle, the back-up roller and the printing cloth cylinder during transfer.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the drawings are those shown schematically, and the configurations are appropriately omitted or simplified for the sake of simplicity of description. In addition, the relationship between the sizes and positions of the components shown in the drawings is not necessarily described exactly, and can be changed appropriately.

In addition, in the description shown below, the same symbols are attached to the same components and shown in the drawings, and the names and functions of these are also the same. Therefore, in order to avoid repetition, detailed descriptions thereof may be omitted.

In addition, in the following descriptions, even when serial numbers such as "1st" or "2nd" are used, these terms are used for convenience in order to make it easier to understand the content of the embodiment, and do not limit possible reasons. The order in which the serial numbers were generated, etc.

Expressions indicating relative or absolute positional relationships (such as "in one direction", "along one direction", "parallel", "orthogonal", "center", "concentric", "coaxial", etc.) as long as there are no special restrictions, It not only strictly expresses its positional relationship, but also expresses the state of relative displacement for angle or distance within the range of tolerance or the same degree of function. Expressions expressing equal states (such as "same", "equal", "uniform", etc.), as long as there are no special restrictions, not only quantitatively and strictly express equal states, but also express states that there are tolerances or differences in obtaining the same degree of function . Expressions representing shapes (such as "square shape" or "cylindrical shape"), as long as there is no special restriction, not only strictly represent the shape geometrically, but also represent within the range of obtaining the same degree of effect, such as having concave-convex or inverted Shapes such as angles. The expressions of "equipment", "have", "possess", "include" or "contain" a constituent element are not exclusive expressions that exclude the existence of other constituent elements. The expression "at least any one of A, B, and C" includes only A, only B, only C, any two of A, B, and C, and all of A, B, and C.

[Description of overall composition]

Both FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic diagrams schematically illustrating the configuration of a printing system 100 . The bottle holders of the following embodiments can be employed in the printing system 100 .

The printing system 100 prints on the side of the workpiece. A workpiece is an article with sides that are rotationally symmetrical in shape. In the printing system 100, the axis of rotational symmetry of the side surface (hereinafter referred to as "rotational pair") "Axis") is set as the axis, the workpiece is rotated, and printing is performed on the side surface.

The workpiece is, for example, a glass container or a resin container mainly made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In FIG. 1, the bottle 8 is illustrated as a workpiece, and the side surface 80 of the bottle 8 is illustrated as a side surface of the workpiece.

The bottle 8 is held by the bottle holder 300 . The detailed structure of the bottle holding device 300 will be described in detail in the following embodiments. The bottle 8 is an example of a workpiece, and the bottle holding device 300 functions as a workpiece holding device.

In the following description, in order to express the direction uniformly, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set as shown in FIG. 1 . For example, set the (-Z) direction to be vertically downward, and set the XY plane to be a horizontal plane. For example, a so-called right-handed coordinate system is set in the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. In each of the following figures, the dotted arrows marked near the constituent elements indicate the movement of the constituent elements.

The printing system 100 includes at least one printing device 101 . The printing device 101 performs, for example, monochrome printing on the side surface 80 . A plurality of printing devices 101 are installed in the printing system 100, and each printing device 101 performs single-color printing of different colors to realize multi-color printing (including two-color printing; the same applies hereinafter). For the sake of simplicity, the description below mainly focuses on the case where one printing device 101 is equipped in the printing system 100 .

Each of the printing devices 101 includes a plate stage unit 1 , an ink filling unit 2 , a transfer unit 3 , and a curing unit 4 . These units are arranged in the above order from the (-Y) direction side to the (+Y) direction side place.

The bottle 8 approaches or moves away from the transfer unit 3 and the hardening unit 4 in a state held by the bottle holding device 300 (dotted arrow on the right side of FIG. 1 ). FIG. 1 shows a state in which the bottle 8 is held by the bottle holding device 300 away from the transfer unit 3 and the hardening unit 4 . FIG. 2 shows a state where the bottle 8 is held by the bottle holding device 300 and approaches the transfer unit 3 and the hardening unit 4 .

When a plurality of printing devices 101 are provided, the bottle 8 held by the bottle holding device 300 is moved among the plurality of printing devices 101 in addition to the above-mentioned approach and separation in each printing device 101 .

In one printing device 101, monochrome printing including the following steps is performed

(i) Forming an ink pattern using photocurable ink using the plate stage unit 1 and the ink filling unit 2

(ii) Transfer of the ink pattern to the transfer unit 3

(iii) transfer of the ink pattern from the transfer unit 3 to the side 80

(iv) Curing of ink irradiated with light from the self-curing unit 4 .

The bottle 8 in the bottle holding device 300 is rotatably held around the axis of rotational symmetry of the side surface 80 . Any one of the above steps (i) to (iv) is performed under the condition that the bottle 8 is held in the bottle holding device 300 . The steps (i) and (ii) above are performed when the bottle 8 is away from the transfer unit 3 and the hardening unit 4 (refer to FIG. 1 ), or when a plurality of printing devices 101 are moving between each other. The steps of (iii) and (iv) above are carried out in a state where the bottle 8 is close to the transfer unit 3 and the hardening unit 4 (refer to FIG. 2 ).

When there are multiple printing devices 101, all the printing devices 101 perform the steps (i) to (iv) above, and then perform (v) the process of further hardening the ink while the bottle 8 is held in the bottle holding device 300 . In this case, the hardening of the ink in the step (iv) is performed as temporary hardening for each single-color printing.

The printed bottle 8 is unloaded from the bottle holder 300 , and then the bottle 8 to be printed is mounted on the bottle holder 300 .

The mounting and dismounting of the bottle 8 to the bottle holding device 300 is carried out at a position away from the printing device 101 . For example, the mounting and dismounting are performed manually by an operator.

The plate stage unit 1 includes a stage 11 and a plate 12 . The stage 11 mounts the plate 12 on the (+Z) direction side. The plate 12 is a plate (such as an intaglio plate) for forming ink patterns. The stage 11 moves in any one of the XYZ directions, and also moves in a rotation direction around the Z axis. This movement utilizes, for example, a cross roller bearing mechanism.

Viewed from the ink filling unit 2 and the transfer unit 3, the stage 11 is movable from a position in the (-Y) direction toward the (+Y) direction, and approaches the transfer unit 3 via the ink filling unit 2 (the dotted line on the left side of FIG. 1 arrow). The stage 11 is movable in the (-Y) direction, away from the transfer unit 3 via the ink filling unit 2 (the dotted arrow on the left side of FIG. 1 ).

The ink filling unit 2 includes a nozzle 21 and an ink supply unit 22 . The ink supply unit 22 supplies photocurable ink (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as “ink”) to the nozzles 21 .

The photocurable ink includes, for example, a pigment as a developer, a polymer material (including at least one of monomers and oligomers) constituting a firm polymer layer by polymerization, and chemically changed by receiving light irradiation The photopolymerization initiator that produces the active species that promotes the polymerization reaction of the polymer material.

The stage 11 moves in the (+Y) direction, and when the nozzle 21 and the plate 12 face each other in the Z direction, the ink supplied to the nozzle 21 is ejected from the ejection port provided at the lower end of the nozzle 21 and coated on the plate 12 ( The surface on the side in the +Z) direction (hereinafter, temporarily referred to as "upper surface").

For example, when the plate 12 is a gravure plate, the upper surface of the plate 12 is scraped with a scraper not shown. In this way, ink is filled into the recesses of the plate 12 , ink other than the recesses is removed, and an ink pattern is formed on the plate 12 .

The plate 12 formed with the ink pattern moves in the (+Y) direction and approaches the transfer unit 3 .

The transfer unit 3 includes a printing cloth cylinder 30 and a motor 33 . The motor 33 rotates the printing cloth cylinder 30 . The printing cloth cylinder 30 has a printing cloth main body 31 and a printing cloth 32 . For example, the printing cloth main body 31 is a cylinder made of metal. The printing cloth 32 is wound on the surface of the printing cloth main body 31 . The printing cloth 32 has a cylindrical shape. The printing cloth cylinder 30 is rotatably supported around a rotating shaft indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 2 .

The surface of the printing cloth 32 can hold ink. The stage 11 moves in the (+Y) direction, and the printing cloth rolls When the cylinder 30 and the plate 12 face each other in the Z direction, the surface of the printing cloth 32 is in contact with the upper surface of the plate 12 . The ink pattern formed on the plate 12 is transferred to the surface of the printing cloth 32 . This transfer is also expressed below as the reception of the ink pattern by the printing cloth 32 .

The bottle 8 is close to the transfer unit 3, and the side surface 80 is in contact with the printing cloth 32, and the printing cloth 32 and the side surface 80 are in contact with each other while rotating in opposite directions. Thereby, the ink pattern received by the printing cloth 32 is transferred to the side surface 80 . From the viewpoint of this transfer, it is desirable that the height of the unevenness that may be generated on the side surface 80 be smaller than the thickness of the printing cloth 32 .

The printing cloth 32 functions as an intermediate transfer body temporarily holding the ink pattern transferred on the side surface 80 . The printing cloth 32 is made of elastic resin material, such as silicone resin.

Assuming that the bottle 8 rotates more than one turn during this transfer, the ink pattern on the side surface 80 is transferred to the printing cloth 32 (hereinafter, temporarily referred to as "reverse printing"). Reverse printing disrupts the ink patterns on the side 80. In order to reduce reverse printing, the viscosity of the ink transferred to the side 80 is increased as follows, for example.

Light (ultraviolet rays) is irradiated from the self-curing unit 4 to the side surface 80 immediately after receiving the ink pattern transfer from the printing cloth 32 . For example, when the printing system 100 is equipped with a plurality of printing devices 101, a part of the polymer material contained in the ink is polymerized to increase the viscosity of the ink, but the condition that the entire ink does not harden, the self-hardening unit 4. Irradiate with light (ultraviolet rays). In the case of monochrome printing, light is irradiated from the curing unit 4 under the condition that the entire ink is cured. The condition is set, for example, based on the intensity of the light.

The increased viscosity of the ink reduces the adhesion of the side surface 80 to the printing cloth 32 and reduces reverse printing. This reduction in adhesion is also preferable from the viewpoint of avoiding contamination of the bottle holding device 300 .

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system for controlling the printing system 100 . Arrows in FIG. 3 represent mechanical drive or control, and the squares on the side of the arrow represent the elements of the squares on the side of the arrow.

The stage moving device 401 (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 ) moves the stage 11 in the (+Y) direction and the (−Y) direction. The motor driving circuit 402 (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 ) controls the driving of the motor 33 . The motor 33 rotates the printing cloth cylinder 30 . The bottle conveyance device 403 (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 ) moves the bottle holding device 300 closer to or away from the transfer unit 3 and the curing unit 4 . When the printing system 100 is provided with a plurality of printing devices 101 , the movement of the bottle holding device 300 among them is also performed by the bottle conveying device 403 .

The control device 9 is an electronic circuit including a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit: Central Processing Unit), and a memory device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory: Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory: Read Only Memory). constitute. The control device 9 collectively controls the operations of the stage moving device 401 , the motor drive circuit 402 , the bottle conveying device 403 , the ink supply unit 22 , and the hardening unit 4 .

For example, the control device 9 controls the operations of the stage moving device 401 and the ink supply unit 22 to obtain the ink pattern in the plate 12 . The control device 9 controls, for example, the actions of the stage moving device 401 and the motor drive circuit 402 so that the printing cloth 32 receives the ink pattern. The control device 9 for example controls the bottle The action of the holding device 300 and the motor driving circuit 402 realizes the transfer from the printing cloth 32 to the side surface 80 .

[Embodiment 1]

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the configuration of the bottle holding device 300 according to Embodiment 1 together with the bottle 8 held by the bottle holding device 300 . In FIG. 4 , the front direction corresponds to the (+Z) direction, and the downward direction corresponds to the (+Y) direction.

FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating the configuration of the bottle holding device 300 according to Embodiment 1 together with the bottle 8 held by the bottle holding device 300 . In FIG. 5 , facing toward the front of the page corresponds to the (+Y) direction, and facing upward corresponds to the (+Z) direction.

The side face 80 has a shape that is rotationally symmetrical about an axis of rotational symmetry 800 . In this embodiment, a case where the side surface 80 has a cylindrical shape will be described as an example.

The bottle 8 has a mouth 81 and a bottom 82 . The mouth portion 81 and the bottom portion 82 face each other in a direction parallel to the axis of rotational symmetry 800 . The liquid is poured from the outside of the bottle 8 to the inside through the mouth 81 , or the liquid is poured from the inside of the bottle 8 to the outside. Beverages and cosmetics are exemplified as the liquid.

A bottle cap (not shown) can be attached to and detached from the mouth portion 81 . The bottle holding device 300 is configured to hold the bottle 8 with the cap removed.

The bottle holding device 300 has a first holding part 310, a second holding part 320, and a holding body part 330. The first holding portion 310 rotatably holds the mouth portion 81 around the shaft 309 as a rotation axis. The second holding portion 320 holds the bottom portion 82 rotatably around the shaft 309 . The first holding part 310 may rotate the mouth part 81 with the shaft 309 as the rotation axis, and the second holding part 320 may rotate the bottom part 82 with the shaft 309 as the rotation axis.

The axis of rotational symmetry 800 coincides with the axis 309 and holds the bottle 8 in the bottle holder 300 , whereby the side face 80 rotates about the axis of rotational symmetry 800 . The first holding part 310 holds the bottle 8 rotatably around the axis of rotational symmetry 800 . In the examples of FIGS. 4 and 5 , the axis 309 is parallel to the X direction. In the illustrations of FIGS. 4 and 5 , the mouth 81 is located on the (+X) direction side with respect to the bottom 82 , and the bottle 8 is held by the bottle holding device 300 .

The holding body part 330 has a first support part 331 , a second support part 332 and a base 333 . The base 333 has a flat plate shape perpendicular to the Z direction. The first support portion 331 is erected toward the (+Z) direction from the base 333 on the (+X) direction side. The second support portion 332 is erected in the (+Z) direction from the base 333 at a position separated from the first support portion 331 at a predetermined interval in the (−X) direction. The specified interval is wider than the height of the bottle 8 (the length along the X direction of the bottle 8 in FIG. 4 ).

The first holding part 310 has a shaft 311 , a mouth holding member 313 and a grip member 314 . The axis 311 is parallel to the X direction. The shaft 311 is relative to the first supporting portion 331, and the central axis of the shaft 311 itself coincides with the shaft 309, and is rotatably supported about the central axis.

The mouth holding member 313 is provided at an end portion of the shaft 311 on the (+X) direction side. The grip member 314 is provided at the end of the shaft 311 on the (−X) direction side.

For example, external threads 83 are formed on the outer periphery of the mouth portion 81 , and internal threads are formed on the inside of the mouth holding member 313 . The external thread 83 and the internal thread have a shape of being screwed together, and the mouth 81 can be said to be screwed with the mouth holding member 313 .

In a state where the mouth 81 and the mouth holding member 313 are not connected, the operator holds the bottle 8, restricts the rotation of the bottle 8, and rotates the grasping member 314 in a direction in which the mouth 81 and the mouth holding member 313 are screwed together. By this rotation, the mouth portion 81 is screwed into the mouth holding member 313 . By this screwing, the mouth part 81 and the mouth holding member 313 are connected. By this connection, the shaft 311 and the bottle 8 are connected in the X direction.

In the state where the shaft 311 is connected to the bottle 8 , the operator restricts the rotation of the bottle 8 and rotates the grasping member 314 in a direction to release the screwing between the external thread 83 and the internal thread. By this rotation, the mouth holding member 313 is detached from the mouth part 81, and the connection between the shaft 311 and the bottle 8 is released.

The configuration in which the mouth portion 81 is held by the mouth holding member 313 is not limited to the configuration of screwing with threads. For example, a configuration in which the mouth holding member 313 holds the mouth portion 81 by a plurality of members may also be employed.

The second holding part 320 has a shaft 321 extending in the X direction, a pressing member 322 , a biasing member 323 and a grasping member 324 . The shaft 321 is relative to the second support portion 332, and the central axis of the shaft 321 itself coincides with the shaft 309, and is rotatably supported about the central axis.

The pressing member 322 is provided at the end of the shaft 321 on the (−X) direction side. The gripping member 324 is provided on The end portion of the axis 321 on the (+X) direction side.

The pressing member 322 abuts against the bottom portion 82 from the (−X) direction side when the bottle 8 is held by the bottle holder 300 . The axis of rotational symmetry 800 coincides with the axis 309 and the bottle 8 is arranged. In the state where the mouth 81 and the mouth holding member 313 are connected, the pressing member 322 pushes the bottom 82 in the (-X) direction to hold the bottle 8 . The bottle 8 is rotatably held by the bottle holding device 300 around the axis of rotational symmetry 800 .

The urging member 323 has a function of urging the pressing member 322 toward the bottom 82 . The biasing member 323 is provided around the shaft 321 without being fixed to the shaft 321 between the pressing member 322 and the wall surface 332 a on the (−X) direction side of the second support portion 332 .

The operator can move the grasping member 324 in the (+X) direction while resisting the force of the biasing member 323 to separate the pressing member 322 from the bottom 82 . In order to facilitate the process of removing the mouth holding member 313 from the mouth portion 81 , the pressing member 322 is separated from the bottom portion 82 .

For example, a self-aligning bearing (not shown) may be provided in the first supporting portion 331 . Self-aligning bearings, as described below, help to stabilize the rotation of bottle 8.

Even if the bottles 8 are mass-produced with the same specification, there are individual differences among them. For example, even if the axis of the external thread 83 is designed to coincide with the axis of rotational symmetry 800 , there are deviations between the bottles 8 . Assume that when the external thread 83 and the internal thread of the mouth holding member 313 are screwed together, the axial direction of the internal thread does not coincide with the axis 309 .

In this case, if the mouth holding member 313 and the pressing member 322 hold the mouth portion 81 and the bottom portion 82 respectively, the stress applied from the mouth holding member 313 to the mouth portion 81 in a direction non-parallel to the axis of rotational symmetry 800 is large. The bottle 8 may be deformed or displaced by this stress.

The provision of the self-aligning bearing helps to suppress the stress applied to the mouth portion 81 even if the bottle 8 is rotated around the axis of rotational symmetry 800 .

During transfer, the motor 33 rotates the printing cloth 32 in a state where the side surface 80 is in contact with the printing cloth 32 . At this time, the bottle 8 can be driven to rotate relative to the printing cloth 32 , and can also rotate synchronously with the printing cloth 32 by a mechanism other than the printing cloth 32 . In this synchronous rotation, the rotation direction of the bottle 8 is the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the printing cloth 32 .

The bottle holding device 300 may also include a rotation drive unit 340 . The rotation drive part 340 is provided on the (−X) direction side with respect to the first support part 331 . The rotation drive unit 340 rotates the bottle 8 via the shaft 311 . Since the function of the rotary drive unit 340 itself has little to do with this embodiment, a detailed description of the configuration of the rotary drive unit 340 is omitted.

The bottle holding device 300 includes backup rollers 351 , 352 , and 353 . Backup rollers 351, 352, 353 are mounted around shafts 351r, 352r, 353r, respectively. Any one of the support rollers 351, 352, and 353 has an annular shape at least in part.

Below, when the ink pattern is transferred from the printing cloth 32 to the side 80, the situation where the part of the printing cloth 32 in contact with the side 80 is in the following conditions: the part is parallel to the X direction, and the Z direction of the part is The position in the direction is the same as the position in the Z direction of the axis of rotational symmetry 800 .

Fig. 6 is a side view schematically illustrating the positional relationship between the bottle 8, the support rollers 351, 352, 353 and the printing cloth cylinder 30 during transfer. In FIG. 6 , facing toward the front of the page corresponds to the (+X) direction, and facing upward corresponds to the (+Z) direction.

The shaft 351r is parallel to the X direction, and is rotatably supported around the central axis 1a of itself with respect to the first supporting portion 331 and the second supporting portion 332 . The shaft 352r is parallel to the X direction, and is rotatably supported around the central axis 2a of itself with respect to the first supporting portion 331 and the second supporting portion 332 .

The axis 351r is arranged on the (+Z) direction side and the (+Y) direction side with respect to the rotational symmetry axis 800 . The axis 352 r is arranged on the (−Z) direction side and the (−Y) direction side with respect to the rotational symmetry axis 800 .

The axis 353r is parallel to the X direction. The axis 353 r is arranged on the (+Z) direction side with respect to the axis of rotational symmetry 800 . The shaft 353r is rotatably supported on the (-X) direction side with respect to the movable part 353s (see FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 ) around the central axis 3a of the shaft 353r. The movable portion 353 s is attached so as to be movable in the (+Y) direction and the (−Y) direction with respect to the second support portion 332 . In this embodiment, the movable portion 353s does not move in a direction perpendicular to the Y direction.

The movable part 353s is biased in the (-Y) direction by a mechanism not shown, for example, a spring. A position (hereinafter referred to as a "stop position") at which the movable portion 353s can move in the (-Y) direction by a mechanism not shown is defined. Thereby, in the state where no external force is applied to the movable part 353s in the (+Y) direction, The movable portion 353s is located at the stop position. When the movable part 353s is at the stop position, the position of the shaft 353r in the Y direction is substantially equal to the position of the rotational symmetry axis 800 in the Y direction. Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 illustrate the state where the movable part 353s is located at the stop position. When the movable portion 353s is at the stop position, the support roller 353, the shaft 353r, and the central axis 3a thereof are drawn by solid lines in FIG. 6 .

Even if the second holding part 320 can suppress the displacement of the bottle 8 in the (+X) direction or the (-X) direction, the displacement in the radial direction with respect to the axis of rotational symmetry 800 (hereinafter referred to as "radial direction") is suppressed. The effect is also small. The backup rollers 351 , 352 , and 353 are in contact with the side surface 80 in a state where the bottle 8 is held by the bottle holding device 300 . The support rollers 351 , 352 , and 353 suppress radial displacement of the bottle 8 held by the bottle holding device 300 .

In Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 , the case where the positions of the backup rollers 351, 352, and 353 in the X direction are substantially equal to each other is illustrated. The case where the positions of the backup rollers 351, 352, and 353 in the X direction are different will be described in the second embodiment.

When the ink pattern is transferred from the printing cloth 32 to the side surface 80 , the bottle 8 receives a force in the (+Y) direction from the printing cloth 32 . A force against this force is applied to the bottle 8 from the support roller 351 , so that the printing cloth 32 and the side surface 80 are properly brought into contact.

Without the support rollers 351 , 352 , and 353 , the bottle holder 300 presses the side surface 80 against the printing cloth 32 via the first support portion 331 and the mouth portion 81 , and the second support portion 332 and the bottom portion 82 . Both the mouth 81 and the bottom 82 are the ends of the bottle 8 in the X direction. If there are no support rollers 351, 352, 353, when the side surface 80 presses the printing cloth 32, the bottle 8 may be displaced. Due to the support rollers 351, 352, 353 in Since the first supporting portion 331 and the second supporting portion 332 are in contact with the side surface 80 , when the side surface 80 presses the printing cloth 32 , the bottle 8 is not easily displaced.

Since the side surface 80 rotates during transfer, the support rollers 351, 352, and 353 abutting against it also rotate. In view of this movement, any one of the backup rollers 351, 352, 353 is annular at least at the portion abutting against the side surface 80, and is rotatable around the central axes 1a, 2a, 3a, respectively.

It is assumed that the backup rollers 351 , 352 , and 353 are in contact with the side surface 80 during transfer. When the viscosity of the transferred ink pattern is low, the ink pattern is secondarily transferred from the side 80 of the transferred ink pattern to the support rollers 351 , 352 , 353 . There is also the possibility of third transfer of backup rollers 351, 352, 353 that have obtained second transfer to side 80, and then reverse printing.

In [Description of Overall Configuration], the above-described contamination of the bottle holding device 300 includes secondary transfer to the backup rollers 351, 352, and 353. The use of the hardening unit 4 helps to avoid this contamination.

In transfer, the backup roller 353 is not necessary. This is because the backup rollers 351 , 352 and the printing cloth 32 surround the axis of rotational symmetry 800 and abut against the side surface 80 when viewed along the X direction.

For example, when an external force in the (+Y) direction is applied to the movable portion 353 s during transfer, the movable portion 353 s moves in the (+Y) direction from the stop position. When the movable part 353s is at the stop position, the position in the Y direction of the axis 353r is substantially equal to the position in the Y direction of the axis of rotational symmetry 800 . Thereby, the movement of the movable part 353s in the (+Y) direction is less likely to be hindered by the bottle 8 . By this movement, the contact between the support roller 353 and the side surface 80 is released. In FIG. 6, when the movable part 353s moves in the (+Y) direction, the support roller 353 and the shaft 353r are as follows: A little chain line indicates. In addition to the advantage of avoiding the secondary transfer to the backup roller 353, this cancellation also brings about the advantages described later.

It is desirable that the backup rollers 351 , 352 , and 353 surround the axis of rotational symmetry 800 and come into contact with the side surface 80 when viewed along the X direction except during transfer. The reason for this is that it is desirable to stably hold the bottle 8 in the bottle holding device 300 when the bottle holding device 300 holds the bottle 8 while performing the above-mentioned approaching, separating, and moving. The positional relationship between the support rollers 351, 352, 353 and the side surface 80 when they are preferably in contact with each other will be described in detail below.

The printing of the bottle 8 by the printing system 100 , especially the steps (ii) and (iii) above, are realized as follows, for example. The printing process is realized by the control device 9 executing a pre-stored program, and making each element illustrated by the block in FIG. 3 execute a specific operation.

At a position away from the printing device 101, for example, an area for loading and unloading bottles 8 (hereinafter referred to as "loading and unloading area") is set. The bottle conveyance device 403 conveys the bottle holding device 300 to the loading and unloading area. The operator loads and unloads the bottle 8 to the bottle holding device 300 conveyed to the loading and unloading area.

When the printed bottle 8 is mounted on the bottle holding device 300 , the operator operates the grip members 314 and 324 to release the holding of the bottle 8 by the first holding part 310 and the second holding part 320 . The operator presses the movable part 353s in the (+Y) direction, and releases the contact of the support roller 353 with respect to the side surface 80 . The holding is released, and the bottle 8 whose contact has been released is removed from the bottle holding device 300 .

When the bottle 8 is not installed on the bottle holding device 300, the operator moves the bottle 8 before printing into the bottle Holding device 300 . The operator presses the movable portion 353 s to temporarily move the backup roller 353 in the (+Y) direction. In this state, after the operator brings the side surface 80 into contact with the backup rollers 351 and 352 , the operator stops pressing the movable portion 353 s and brings the backup roller 353 into contact with the side surface 80 . The supporting rollers 351, 352, 353 abut against the side surface 80, which helps to make the bottle 8 difficult to displace radially to the axis of rotational symmetry 800.

The operator operates the grip members 314 and 324 to hold the bottle 8 in the first holding part 310 and the second holding part 320 . The holding of the bottle 8 by the first holding part 310 and the second holding part 320 helps to prevent the bottle 8 from being displaced along the axis of rotational symmetry 800 .

For example, the operator informs the control device 9 that the pre-press bottle 8 is installed. The control device 9 controls the bottle conveying device 403 to convey the bottle holding device 300 holding the bottle 8 to the printing device 101 .

The control device 9 controls the stage moving device 401 to move the stage 11 in the (+Y) direction so that the plate 12 and the nozzle 21 face each other in the Z direction. The control device 9 controls the ink supply unit 22 to eject ink through the nozzles 21 . An ink pattern is formed on the upper surface of the plate 12 .

The control device 9 controls the motor drive circuit 402 to rotate the motor 33 . The rotation of the motor 33 rotates the printing cloth cylinder 30 . The control device 9 controls the stage moving device 401 to move the stage 11 in the (+Y) direction in synchronization with the rotation of the printing cloth cylinder 30 . The printing cloth 32 rotates while abutting against the plate 12 to receive the ink pattern.

The control device 9 controls the stage moving device 401 to move the stage 11 in the (-Z) direction, The contact between the printing cloth 32 and the plate 12 is released. Furthermore, the control device 9 controls the stage moving device 401 to move the stage 11 in the (-Y) direction, and arranges the stage 11 on the side of the ink filling unit 2 in the (-Y) direction.

The control device 9 controls the bottle conveying device 403 to move the bottle holding device 300 in the (-Y) direction so that the printing start position of the side surface 80 comes into contact with the printing cloth 32 . The printing cloth 32 rotates to transfer the ink pattern from the printing cloth 32 to the side surface 80 .

In the bottle holding device 300 conveyed to the printing device 101 , the rotation driving unit 340 can also be operated according to the driving command from the control device 9 . In this case, the rotation driving part 340 is controlled by the control device 9 to make the bottle 8 and the motor 33 rotate synchronously.

The rotation drive unit 340 can also be controlled by the control device 9 to arrange the printing start position of the side surface 80 at a specific position before the side surface 80 contacts the printing cloth 32 .

When the printing process of the printing device 101 is finished, the bottle holding device 300 holding the bottle 8 of the printed ink pattern is transferred from the printing device 101 to the loading and unloading area by the stage moving device 401 under the control of the control device 9 .

As described above, in the present embodiment, the mouth portion 81 and the bottom portion 82 of the bottle 8 are rotatably held by the first holding portion 310 and the second holding portion 320 around the axis of rotational symmetry 800 , respectively. The side surface 80 can also be non-cylindrical, but a shape that is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the axis of rotational symmetry 800, and the outer diameter of the bottle 8 can also be different in the X direction.

7 and 8 are side views schematically illustrating the positional relationship between the bottle 8 and the backup rollers 351, 352, 353. In FIGS. 7 and 8 , the direction toward the front of the page corresponds to the (+X) direction, and the direction toward the top corresponds to the (+Z) direction. The axis of rotational symmetry 800 is parallel to the (+X) direction and therefore also parallel to the (-X) direction. Accordingly, both FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are views viewed along a direction parallel to the axis of rotational symmetry 800 .

Fig. 7 shows, for example, the preferred positional relationship when the bottle holding device 300 approaches and moves away from the transfer unit 3 and the hardening unit 4, moves among a plurality of printing devices 101, and transfers. The positional relationship shown in FIG. 7 is obtained when the movable portion 353s is at the stop position.

FIG. 8 shows the preferred positional relationship when transferring and unloading the bottle 8 from the bottle holding device 300. The positional relationship shown in FIG. 8 is obtained when the movable part 353s moves in the (+X) direction.

In either of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , the backup rollers 351 and 352 contact the bottle 8 at positions 1b and 2b, respectively. In FIG. 7, the support roller 353 contacts the bottle 8 at the position 3b. In FIG. 8 , the backup roller 353 is not in contact with the bottle 8 .

In FIG. 7 , the triangle 38 formed by the position 1 b , the position 2 b , and the position 3 b surrounds the axis of rotational symmetry 800 .

When the triangle 38 and the axis of rotational symmetry 800 are in such a positional relationship, the bottle 8 is stably held by the bottle holder 300 by the support rollers 351 , 352 , and 353 . Even if the bottle holding device 300 is close to the transfer unit 3 and the hardening unit 4, or away from them, or in a plurality of printing devices Moving between 101 also inhibits the displacement of the bottle 8 to the radial direction. The reason is that the distance between any two of the support rollers 351 , 352 , 353 is also smaller than the diameter of the circle presented by the side surface 80 when viewed along the axis of rotational symmetry 800 .

In the following description, the position 3c closest to the axis of rotational symmetry 800 among the support rollers 353 is introduced. In FIG. 8 , the backup roller 353 is not in contact with the side surface 80 . As shown in FIG. 7 , when the backup roller 353 abuts against the side surface 80 , the positions 3 b and 3 c coincide.

In FIG. 8, the axis of rotational symmetry 800 deviates from the triangle 39 formed by positions 1b, 2b, 2b.

If the triangle 39 and the axis of rotational symmetry 800 are in such a positional relationship, the bottle 8 can be easily taken out from the bottle holding device 300 . The reason is that the distance between any two of the support rollers 351 , 352 , 353 is greater than the diameter of the circle presented by the side surface 80 viewed along the axis of rotational symmetry 800 . According to FIG. 8, the distance between the positions 2b, 3c is greater than the diameter of the circle.

The positional relationship in FIG. 8 can also be regarded as the distance between the position 2b and the position closest to the position 2b of the support roller 353 (since it roughly coincides with the position 3c in FIG. 8 , so the illustration is omitted) wider than the specified interval. The specified interval is the diameter of the circle defined by the positions 1b, 2b, and 3b (the circle shown by the side 80 in FIGS. 7 and 8 ). When the distance between the position 2b and the position closest to the position 2b in the support roller 353 is wider than the specified interval, even if viewed along the axis of rotational symmetry 800, the axis of rotational symmetry 800 is surrounded by the triangle 39, and the bottle 8 is easily removed from the bottle holding device 300. remove. The same applies when the distance between the position 1b and the position closest to the position 1b among the support rollers 353 is wider than the predetermined interval.

Through the positional movement of the support roller 353 , the bottle 8 is stably held in the bottle holding device 300 and can be easily taken out from the bottle holding device 300 .

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the printing cloth cylinder 30, the hardening unit 4, and their surroundings. The printing cloth body 31 is rotationally driven by the shaft 301 . The shaft 301 is rotationally driven by the shaft 302 . The shaft 301 is rotationally driven by a motor 33 (see FIGS. 1 and 2 : not shown in FIG. 9 ). The shafts 301 and 302 can also be integrated. The bearing part 303 rotatably supports the support shafts 301 and 302 .

The hardening unit 4 is fixed to the bearing part 303 . The curing unit 4 has a surface 41 on the side in the (-Z) direction that irradiates light that increases the viscosity of the ink. In FIG. 9 , a form in which the surface 41 protrudes toward the (-Z) direction side in the vicinity of the center of the curing unit 4 in the Y direction is illustrated. The surface 41 is irradiated with the above-mentioned light toward the (−Z) direction side.

The contact member 304 is fixed to the bearing part 303 . When the bottle holder 300 approaches the cloth cylinder 30 from the (+Y) direction side to the (−Y) direction side, the contact member 304 approaches the movable portion 353 s from the (−Y) direction side. The bottle holding device 300 approaches the printing cloth cylinder 30 in the (-Y) direction, and the contact member 304 contacts the movable part 353 s until the side surface 80 contacts the printing cloth 32 . When the contact member 304 starts to contact the movable part 353s and the bottle holding device 300 also approaches the (-Y) direction, the contact member 304 moves the movable part 353s in the (+Y) direction relative to the second support part 332 . During transfer, the abutting member 304 abuts against the movable portion 353s.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state where the contact member 304 is not in contact with the movable portion 353s. Fig. 11 is a plan view showing the state of transfer. In FIGS. 10 and 11 , the (+Z) direction is toward the front of the page, and the (+Y) direction is toward the bottom. In any one of Fig. 10 and Fig. 11, in order to avoid illustration complicated, for The hardening unit 4 only draws the position of the surface 41 with a chain line.

The states shown in FIG. 4 , FIG. 5 , and FIG. 7 are obtained in the state shown in FIG. 10 . The state shown in FIG. 8 is obtained in the state shown in FIG. 11 .

Referring to FIG. 10 , in a state where the contact member 304 is not in contact with the movable part 353s, the movable part 353s is located at the stop position. Referring to FIG. 11 , during transfer, the movable portion 353 s moves in the (+Y) direction relative to the second support portion 332 via the contact member 304 . When the movable part 353s moves in the (+Y) direction with respect to the 2nd support part 332, the shaft 353r and the support roller 353 also move in the (+Y) direction with respect to the 2nd support part 332.

During transfer, the above-mentioned light is irradiated from the surface 41 to the side surface 80, and the viscosity of the ink increases. During transfer printing, the supporting roller 353 and the shaft 353r are not located between the surface 41 and the side surface 80, and the surface 41 will not block the light irradiation to the side surface 80, thereby helping to increase the viscosity of the ink and avoid secondary transfer.

The above-mentioned explanations are generally explained as follows.

The processed bottle 8 is the object of printing. It is not necessary to print the bottle 8 in its entirety, as long as the bottle 8 has a rotationally symmetrical side surface 80 as the surface to be printed, it is sufficient. The surface to be printed is preferably a cylinder from the viewpoint that at least a part thereof is held by the backup rollers 351, 352, 353, but the entire surface to be printed does not need to be a cylinder. In the above description, the case where the side surface 80 has a cylindrical shape was exemplified, but it may be a shape in which the side surface 80 is concave-convex at a height smaller than the thickness of the printing cloth 32 .

The bottle holder 300 holds the bottle 8 to be printed. The bottle 8 can be said to be held by the bottle holding device 300 . The bottle holding device 300 includes a first member, a second member, and a third member. The backup rollers 351, 352, and 353 in the above description are exemplified as a first member, a second member, and a third member, respectively.

Referring to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, at least a part of the support roller 351 is annular and installed around the shaft 351r. The shaft 351r is rotatably supported around its central axis 1a. The support roller 351 is rotatable around the central axis 1a, and at least a part thereof is in the shape of a ring around the central axis 1a.

At least a part of the backup roller 352 is annular and attached around the shaft 352r. The shaft 352r is rotatably supported around its central axis 2a. The support roller 352 is rotatable around the central axis 2a, and at least a part thereof is in the shape of a ring around the central axis 2a.

At least a part of the backup roller 353 is annular and attached around the shaft 353r. The shaft 353r is rotatably supported around its central axis 3a. The support roller 353 is rotatable around the central axis 3a, and at least a part thereof is annular in shape around the central axis 3a.

The side surface 80 has a cylindrical shape at least in the portion held by the support rollers 351 , 352 , 353 .

The bottle holding device 300 includes a first holding unit 310 . The first holding portion 310 holds the bottle 8 rotatably around the axis of rotational symmetry 800 of the side surface 80 .

7 and 8, viewed along the (-X) direction parallel to the axis of rotational symmetry 800 (hereinafter also referred to as "the first direction"), the first position where the support roller 351 abuts against the bottle 8 is the support roller 351 The position 1b abutting against the side surface 80 . Viewed along the first direction, the second position where the support roller 352 contacts the bottle 8 is the position 2b where the support roller 352 contacts the side surface 80 .

Referring to FIG. 7 , viewed along the first direction, the third position where the support roller 353 contacts the bottle 8 is the position 3b where the support roller 352 contacts the side surface 80 . The triangle 38 formed by the positions 1b, 2b, 3b encloses the axis of rotational symmetry 800 . According to such a positional relationship, the bottle 8 is stably held by the bottle holding device 300 .

As described using FIGS. 4 to 6 , the shaft 353r is rotatably supported about the central axis 3a with respect to the movable portion 353s. The movable part 353s can move freely in the (+Y) direction (hereinafter, also referred to as the "second direction") and the (-Y) direction (hereinafter, also referred to as the "third direction") relative to the second supporting part 332 Install. The second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to the first direction. The center shaft 3r is movable in the second direction and the third direction.

When the central axis 3a is located at the position depicted by the solid line in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 (this position is also referred to as "the fourth position" hereinafter), the backup roller 353 occupies the position 3b.

When the central axis 3a is located in the positions depicted by the chain lines in FIG. 6 and in FIG. The triangle 39 formed. The position 3 c is the position closest to the axis of rotational symmetry 800 among the backup rollers 353 . Such a positional relationship makes it easy to take out the bottle 8 from the bottle holding device 300 .

Also, even if the distance d between the position 2b and the position closest to the position 2b among the support rollers 353 is wider than the specified interval when viewed from the first direction, the bottle 8 can be easily taken out from the bottle holding device 300 . Here, the specific interval is the diameter D of a circle viewed from the cylindrical portion of the side surface 80 along the first direction. The circle can be described as the diameter of the circle defined by the positions 1b, 2b, 3b.

The movable part 353s biases in the third direction. When an external force in the second direction is not applied to the movable part 353s and an external force in the second direction is not applied to the central axis 3a, the movable part 353s is located at the stop position, and the support roller 353 includes the position 3b.

When an external force in the second direction is applied to the movable part 353s and an external force in the second direction acts on the central axis 3a, the movable part 353s moves in the second direction relative to the second support part 332, and the support roller 353 moves away from the position 3b. In this way, the movement of the central axis 3a helps to selectively realize both the positional relationship illustrated in FIG. 7 and the positional relationship illustrated in FIG. 8 , thereby facilitating the attachment and detachment of the bottle 8 to the bottle holding device 300 .

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the contact member 304 is used for applying the external force to the movable portion 353s. The contact member 304 contacts the movable part 353s when the bottle holding device 300 approaches the transfer unit 3 and the curing unit 4, and moves the movable part 353s in the second direction. Instead of using such a contact member 304, or together with it, an actuator may be used to move the center shaft 3a.

When the contact member 304 is used, the printing system 100 may include the printing cloth 32 , the curing unit 4 , and the contact member 304 in addition to the bottle holding device 300 .

The printing cloth 32 abuts against the side surface 80 of the bottle 8 rotating about the axis of rotational symmetry 800 , and ink is transferred to the side surface 80 . The curing unit 4 is a light source that irradiates the side surface 80 with light that increases the viscosity of the ink.

The printing cloth 32 is provided on the printing cloth cylinder 30 together with the printing cloth main body 31 . The printing cloth main body 31 is rotationally driven by the shaft 301 , and the bearing part 303 is rotatably pivoted to the support shaft 301 . The hardening unit 4 and the contact member 304 are fixed to the bearing part 303 . The bottle holding device 300 approaches the printing cloth 32 and the curing unit 4 . The printing cloth 32 , the hardening unit 4 and the abutting member 304 relatively approach the bottle holding device 300 without changing the relative positions of the three.

The contact member 304 contacts the movable portion 353 s, and causes an external force in the second direction to act on the central axis 3 r until the printing cloth 32 contacts the side surface 80 . Since the backup roller 353 is separated from the position 3b (see FIGS. 6 , 8 , and 11 ), the backup roller 353 and the shaft 353r are less likely to block the irradiation of light from the self-curing unit 4 .

[Embodiment 2]

FIG. 12 is a side view illustrating the configuration of a bottle holding device 300 according to Embodiment 2 together with a bottle 8 held by the bottle holding device 300. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 12 , facing toward the front of the page corresponds to the (+Y) direction, and facing upward corresponds to the (+Z) direction.

In FIG. 5 used in Embodiment 1, the case where the positions of the backup rolls 351, 352, and 353 in the X direction are substantially equal is illustrated. In the bottle holding device 300 according to Embodiment 2, a case where the positions of the support rollers 351, 352, and 353 in the X direction are different from each other is exemplified.

When it is described more broadly, the positions of any two of the positions 1b, 2b, and 3b illustrated in FIG. 7 in the first direction are different from each other. Such an arrangement helps to make the pressing of the bottle 8 from the printing cloth 32 uniform in the X direction during the transfer.

In either of Embodiments 1 and 2, the first holding portion 310 is located on one side along the first direction with respect to any one of the backup rollers 351, 352, and 353, which is the (-X) direction side here. Such a positional relationship makes it difficult for the side surface 80 to apply force in a direction non-parallel to the first direction, for example, the second direction or the third direction during transfer, and it is easy to hold the bottle 8 stably. For example, among the backup rollers 351 , 352 , and 353 , those located on the most (−X) direction side are located closer to the bottom 82 than the center of the bottle 8 in the X direction.

For example, the central axis 1r is parallel to the first direction, and the support roller 351 is movable in the first direction and the opposite direction along the axis 351r. By disposing the support roller 351 at a position farther away from the first holding portion 310 than the support rollers 352, 353, the bottle holding device 300 can easily hold the bottle 8 even when the height of the bottle 8 is high. Alternatively, the bottle holding device 300 can easily hold the bottle 8 by arranging the backup roller 351 between the backup rollers 352 and 353 and the first holding portion 310 , for example, in the vicinity of the center between them.

Instead of the support roller 351 being movable in the first direction, or together with it, the central axes 2r, 3r are parallel to the first direction, and the support rollers 352, 353 are movable in the first direction and the opposite direction.

[1st Variation]

In Embodiments 1 and 2, the central axes 1r, 2r, and 3r may not necessarily be parallel to the first direction. 13 is a perspective view illustrating the positional relationship between the bottle 8 and the support rollers 351, 352, 353 when the central axes 1r, 2r, 3r are not parallel to the axis of rotational symmetry 800.

As in Embodiments 1 and 2, backup rollers 351, 352, and 353 are provided on shafts 351r, 352r, and 353r, respectively. The shafts 351r, 352r, and 353r are rotatable around the central axes 1r, 2r, and 3r. Even if the side surface 80 rotates about the axis of rotational symmetry 800 , the support rollers 351 , 352 , and 353 contact the side surface 80 at positions 1 b , 2 b , and 3 b , respectively, as in Embodiments 1 and 2 .

For example, the supporting rollers 351, 352, and 353 may not be cylindrical, but may have a shape in which truncated cones or truncated cones are integrated at their bottom surfaces.

[2nd variation]

During transfer, the support roller 353 may not necessarily move. Fig. 14 is a side view schematically illustrating the positional relationship between the bottle 8, the support rollers 351, 352, 353 and the printing cloth cylinder 30 during transfer. In FIG. 14 , facing toward the front of the page corresponds to the (+X) direction, and facing upward corresponds to the (+Z) direction.

Compared with FIG. 6 showing the same positional relationship, the position of the hardening unit 4 is different. The direction of rotation R of the bottle 8 for post-writing transfer in FIG. 14 . In the direction of rotation R, the portion 86 of the side surface 80 that is in contact with the printing cloth 32 , the position 3b, the position 1b, and the position 2b are arranged in sequence. In the direction of rotation R, from the point 86 to the position 3b, the self-curing unit 4 irradiates the side surface 80 with light.

According to this positional relationship, before the ink transferred at the portion 86 comes into contact with the back-up roller 353 , the viscosity increases due to the light. Any one of the backup rollers 351, 352, and 353 suppresses secondary transfer of ink.

As mentioned above, although the holding device and the printing system of embodiment and its modification were demonstrated, these are the example of preferable embodiment, and do not limit the scope of implementation. In this embodiment, within the scope of its disclosure, various embodiments can be freely combined, or arbitrary constituent elements of each embodiment can be changed, or arbitrary constituent elements in each embodiment can be omitted.

1a: central axis

1b: location

2a: Central axis

2b: Location

3a: Central axis

3b: location

8: bottle

31: Printing cloth body

38: triangle

80: side

82: bottom

351: backup roller

351r: Shaft

352: backup roller

352r: shaft

353: backup roller

353r: Shaft

800: Axis of rotational symmetry

Claims (8)

A holding device that holds an object having a surface to be printed in a rotationally symmetrical shape, and includes: a first member that is rotatable around a first axis, at least a part of which is in the shape of a circle around the first axis Ring shape; the second member, which is rotatable about the second axis, at least a part of which is in the shape of a ring about the second axis; the third member, which is rotatable about the third axis, at least a part It is in the shape of a ring centered on the above-mentioned third axis; and a first holding part, which is centered on the axis of rotational symmetry of the surface to be printed, and holds the above-mentioned object freely; Viewed from this direction, the triangle formed by the first position where the first member abuts the object, the second position where the second member abuts the object, and the third position where the third member abuts the object Surrounded by an axis of rotational symmetry, wherein the third axis is movable, when the third axis is at the fourth position, the third member occupies the third position, and when the third axis is at a position different from the fourth position, along the Viewed in direction 1, the axis of rotational symmetry deviates from the triangle formed by the position closest to the axis of rotational symmetry among the first position, the second position, and the third member. The holding device according to claim 1, wherein the first holding portion is located on one side along the first direction relative to any one of the first member, the second member, and the third member. A holding device that holds an object having a surface to be printed in a rotationally symmetrical shape, and includes: a first member that is rotatable around a first axis, at least a part of which is in the shape of a circle around the first axis Ring shape; the second member, which is rotatable about the second axis, at least a part of which is in the shape of a ring about the second axis; the third member, which is rotatable about the third axis, at least a part It is in the shape of a ring centered on the above-mentioned third axis; and a first holding part, which is centered on the axis of rotational symmetry of the surface to be printed, and holds the above-mentioned object freely; Viewed from this direction, the triangle formed by the first position where the first member abuts the object, the second position where the second member abuts the object, and the third position where the third member abuts the object Surrounded by an axis of rotational symmetry, wherein the third axis is movable, when the third axis is at the fourth position, the third member occupies the third position, and when the third axis is at a position different from the fourth position, along the Viewed in one direction, the distance between the second position and the position closest to the second position of the third member is wider than a specific interval defined by the first position, the second position, and the third position The diameter of the circle. A holding device for holding an object having a surface to be printed in a rotationally symmetrical shape Furthermore, it includes: a first member that is rotatable around a first axis, at least a part of which is in the shape of a ring around the first axis; a second member that is rotatable around a second axis, at least a part of which is annular about the second axis; a third member which is rotatable about the third axis and at least part of which is annular about the third axis; and a first holding part , which holds the object freely rotatable around the axis of rotational symmetry of the surface to be printed; and viewed along a first direction parallel to the axis of rotational symmetry, the first position where the first member contacts the object, the The triangle formed by the second position where the second member abuts the object and the third position where the third member abuts the object surrounds the axis of rotational symmetry, wherein the first position, the second position, the second The positions of any two of the three positions in the above-mentioned first direction are different from each other. A holding device that holds an object having a surface to be printed in a rotationally symmetrical shape, and includes: a first member that is rotatable around a first axis, at least a part of which is in the shape of a circle around the first axis Ring shape; the second member, which is rotatable about the second axis, at least a part of which is in the shape of a ring about the second axis; the third member, which is rotatable about the third axis, at least a part In the shape of a ring centered on the above-mentioned third axis; and The first holding part holds the object freely rotatably around the axis of rotational symmetry of the surface to be printed; and when viewed along a first direction parallel to the axis of rotational symmetry, the first member abuts against the object. The triangle formed by the first position, the second position where the second member is in contact with the object, and the third position where the third member is in contact with the object surrounds the axis of rotational symmetry, wherein the first axis and the first axis The directions are parallel, and the first member is movable along the first direction. A holding device that holds an object having a surface to be printed in a rotationally symmetrical shape, and includes: a first member that is rotatable around a first axis, at least a part of which is in the shape of a circle around the first axis Ring shape; the second member, which is rotatable about the second axis, at least a part of which is in the shape of a ring about the second axis; the third member, which is rotatable about the third axis, at least a part It is in the shape of a ring centered on the above-mentioned third axis; and a first holding part, which is centered on the axis of rotational symmetry of the surface to be printed, and holds the above-mentioned object freely; Viewed from this direction, the triangle formed by the first position where the first member abuts the object, the second position where the second member abuts the object, and the third position where the third member abuts the object Surrounded by an axis of rotational symmetry, wherein the third axis is movable in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and a third direction opposite to the second direction, and when no external force in the second direction acts on the third axis , the above-mentioned 3rd member includes the above-mentioned In the third position, when an external force along the second direction acts on the third axis, the third member is separated from the third position. A printing system comprising: the holding device according to any one of Claims 1 to 5; a printing cloth that abuts against the surface to be printed of the object rotating around the axis of rotational symmetry, and the surface to be printed Transfer ink; and a light source, which irradiates the above-mentioned surface to be printed with light that increases the viscosity of the above-mentioned ink; In the third position, the first position, and the second position, the light is irradiated from the light source to the surface to be printed from the position to the third position in the rotation direction. A printing system comprising: the holding device of claim 6; a printing cloth that abuts against the printed surface of the object rotating around the axis of rotational symmetry, and transfers ink to the printed surface; a light source, It irradiates the above-mentioned surface to be printed with light that increases the viscosity of the above-mentioned ink; and the abutting member; When the holding device is approached, the abutting member acts an external force on the third axis in the second direction until the printing cloth abuts on the surface to be printed, so that the third member is separated from the third position.

Images