JP7850007B2 - Mist spraying device and printing device - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a mist spraying device for spraying mist onto a screen, and a printing device for printing on an object using paste supplied onto the screen.

Conventionally, in screen printing plate-making equipment, the screen, held by a screen frame, is subjected to thermal perforation of the printing area by, for example, a thermal head. Alternatively, plate making can also be performed by curing a chemical agent in areas other than the printing area of a mesh-like screen.

After the screen is prepared, the user removes the screen frame from the screen-making device and attaches it to the printing device, then applies ink to the object to be printed through the screen's holes using a squeegee (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-234627

Incidentally, when printing multiple times by squeegeeing a paste such as water-based ink onto a screen, the bottom side of the screen facing the object to be printed (e.g., the film side) dries out, causing image loss. Such image loss is caused, for example, by the hardening of paste that has seeped into the gaps of the mesh.

Furthermore, if the paste hardens, removing the dried paste requires time-consuming tasks such as wiping the bottom of the screen with a damp cloth.

The object of the present invention is to provide a mist spraying apparatus and a printing apparatus that can prevent the paste from solidifying on the screen.

In one embodiment, the mist spraying device is a mist spraying device that sprays mist onto a screen, and includes a spraying unit that sprays mist into the space below the screen.

According to the above embodiment, solidification of the paste on the screen can be prevented.

This is a perspective view showing a printing apparatus according to one embodiment. This is a perspective view (part 1) showing a printing apparatus according to one embodiment (with the screen omitted). This is a perspective view (part 2) showing a printing apparatus according to one embodiment (with the screen omitted). This is a front view showing a printing apparatus according to one embodiment. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in Figure 4.

The following describes a mist spraying apparatus and printing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a printing apparatus 100 according to one embodiment.

Figures 2 and 3 are perspective views showing the printing apparatus 100 (with the screen S omitted).

Figure 4 is a front view of the printing apparatus 100, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in Figure 4.

Note that, as shown in Figures 1 to 5, the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions are examples, but the front-back and left-right directions are horizontal, and the up-down direction is vertical.

The printing apparatus 100 shown in Figures 1 to 4 comprises a mist spraying device 1, a pair of left and right holding parts 110, a printing table 120, a horizontal support column 130, and a diagonal support column 140.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the mist spraying device 1 comprises a spraying unit 10, a mist generator 20, a supply pipe 30, and a connecting unit 40.

The spray unit 10 includes an upstream pipe 11, a T-joint 12, two branch pipes 13, two L-joints 14, two discharge pipes 15, two angle adjustment levers 16, six pipe supports 17, and two drains 18.

The upstream pipe 11 is positioned behind the printing table 120, extending in the front-to-back direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the screen S. It carries the mist M generated by the mist generator 20 (described later) and supplied via the supply pipe 30.

The T-joint 12 connects the upstream pipe 11 to the two branch pipes 13 that carry the mist M in the left and right directions.

Each of the two L-shaped joints 14 connects the branch pipe 13 to the discharge pipe 15, which flows the mist M in the front-to-back direction. As will be described later, the L-shaped joints 14 rotatably hold the discharge pipe 15 so that it can rotate around its longitudinal direction (front-to-back).

As shown in Figure 4, the two discharge pipes 15 are positioned one below each of the left and right ends of the screen frame F, around the space A (shown by a dashed line in Figure 4) below the screen S attached to the bottom surface of the screen frame F. In other words, the spraying unit 10 has two discharge pipes 15, for example, facing each other, on either side of the space A below the screen S. The mist M sprayed from each discharge pipe 15 intersects approximately in the center of the space A below the screen S (approximately in the horizontal plane). The spraying unit 10 only needs to spray mist M into the space below the screen S, so there are no particular restrictions on the number or position of the discharge pipes 15. However, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, if the two discharge pipes 15 are positioned on both sides of the space A below the screen S, or if they extend along the longitudinal direction (front-to-back direction) of the screen frame F, the mist M tends to accumulate in the space A. Furthermore, the screen S is attached to the bottom surface of the screen frame F, and the printing area is created by either thermal perforation of the printing area using the thermal head of the printing plate making device, or by curing a chemical agent outside the printing area of the mesh-like screen S.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, each of the two discharge pipes 15 is provided with multiple discharge holes 15a (for example, seven) for spraying mist M into the space A below the screen S. As shown in Figure 5, the discharge holes 15a (indicated by a dashed line at the center in the direction of penetration) are inclined at an angle θ in the opposite direction to the first direction D1 (forward), which is perpendicular to the second direction D2 (see dotted arrow), which is the direction in which mist M flows in the discharge pipe 15. This prevents the mist M discharged from the discharge holes 15a from being inclined towards the first direction D1 rather than the second direction D2 due to the airflow in the first direction D1 within the discharge pipe 15, and instead ensures that the mist M is discharged from the discharge holes 15a in a direction closer to the second direction D2. The angle θ can be greater than 0° and less than 90°, but 45° is one example.

As shown in Figure 4, each of the two angle adjustment levers 16 is integrally fixed to the discharge pipe 15 and extends from the discharge pipe 15 in a rod-like shape in the radial direction of the discharge pipe 15. Therefore, by manually rotating the angle adjustment levers 16, for example, the discharge pipe 15 rotates around its longitudinal direction (front-to-back direction), allowing adjustment of the spray angle of the discharge holes 15a relative to the horizontal direction. The spray angle also varies depending on the orientation in which the discharge holes 15a are formed. In particular, when the mist M tends to fall due to its own weight, it is preferable to discharge the mist M diagonally upward from the discharge holes 15a rather than horizontally.

Each of the six pipe supports 17 shown in Figures 2 and 3 (only the three on the left are shown in Figure 2) has a semi-cylindrical shape, and each of the two discharge pipes 15 is rotatably held by three pipe supports 17. The pipe supports 17 are preferably fixed to an immovable member, such as the base portion 111 of the holding portion 110 described later.

The two drains 18 are located at the end of the discharge pipe 15 (the front end opposite the L-shaped joint 14) and discharge the mist M or its liquid flowing through the discharge pipe 15 downwards. Although not shown in the diagram, a waste liquid receptacle may be placed below the drains 18.

The mist generator 20 shown in Figures 1 to 3 generates mist M from, for example, water. Any device that generates mist M can be used as the mist generator 20. However, if a heated humidifier is used, the mist M will become hot, affecting the tension of the screen film S. Therefore, it is preferable to use, for example, an ultrasonic humidifier. The mist generator 20 may continuously generate mist M during squeegeeing, during changes of the printing material, etc., or it may generate mist M intermittently only for a predetermined period. Note that if the spraying unit 10 itself functions as a mist generator, the mist generator 20 does not need to be located separately from the spraying unit 10.

The supply pipe 30 has an L-shape to direct the mist M supplied downward from the mist generator 20 forward. A flexible hose (not shown) may be placed between the mist generator 20 and the supply pipe 30.

The connecting section 40 connects the supply pipe 30 and the spray section 10 (upstream pipe 11).

The two holding parts 110 hold the screen frame F to which the screen S (see Figure 1) is attached. For example, one holding part 110 holds the left end of the screen frame F, and the other holding part 110 holds the right end of the screen frame F.

Each of the two holding parts 110 has a base part 111, a retaining member 112, and a retaining screw 113.

The base portion 111 is a sheet metal plate that exhibits a horizontal U-shape, opening toward the screen frame F, by continuously providing an upper horizontal portion 111a, a vertical portion 111b, and a lower horizontal portion 111c (see Figure 4). Furthermore, a bulging portion 111d is provided at the upper part of the upper horizontal portion 111a.

The retaining member 112 moves up and down as the retaining screw 113, which is inserted from the upper part of the bulging portion 111d, is screwed in. The retaining member 112, at the horizontal portion of its bottom surface, presses down on the screen frame F, which is placed on the lower horizontal portion 111c. This holds the screen frame F between the retaining member 112 and the lower horizontal portion 111c.

The configuration of the holding part 110 is arbitrary; it only needs to hold the screen frame F to which the screen S is attached.

The printing press 120 is on which the garment or other object to be printed is placed. For example, if the object to be printed is a T-shirt, the T-shirt is positioned in the printing device 100 such that the printing press 120, along with the horizontal support column 130 (described later), is located inside the T-shirt.

The horizontal support column 130 is fixed to the underside of the printing table 120 at one end (the front end), and extends horizontally backward at the other end.

The diagonal support column 140 is fixed to the underside of the printing table 120 at one end (the front end), and the other end extends diagonally downward and backward.

Here, the mist spraying device 1 is not limited to one placed in the printing device 100 for printing on an object using paste supplied onto a screen S, but can be any device equipped with a spraying unit 10 that sprays mist M into the space A below any screen S. The printing table 120, horizontal support column 130, and diagonal support column 140 are arranged in multiple sets (for example, 8 sets) in the printing device 100, with each set forming a unit. For example, these sets rotate around a central part (not shown) extending vertically from the printing device 100 as the center of rotation, and are arranged at equal intervals in the direction of rotation. On the other hand, the mist spraying device 1, the holding unit 110, and the screen frame F do not rotate, and the object to be printed on the printing table 120 rotates sequentially below each of the multiple screen frames F, and screen printing is performed using, for example, water-based ink (an example of paste) supplied in a different color for each screen frame F. When screen printing is performed, the paste supplied to the screen S, either automatically or manually, is squeegeeed, for example, by a squeegee while the screen S is automatically or manually pressed downwards, and applied to the object to be printed through the printing area (plate-making area), which is the opening of the screen S.

In the embodiment described above, the mist spraying device 1 is a mist spraying device 1 that sprays mist M onto a screen S, and includes a spraying unit 10 that sprays mist M into the space A below the screen S.

In this way, since the spraying unit 10 sprays mist M into the space A below the screen S, it is possible to suppress the drying of pastes such as water-based inks on the bottom surface (e.g., the film surface) of the screen S. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the paste from solidifying on the screen S.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the mist spraying device 1 is positioned within the printing device 100, which prints on a printing target object using paste supplied onto the screen S.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the printing apparatus 100 is a printing apparatus 100 for printing on an object using paste supplied onto a screen S, and comprises a holding part 110 for holding a screen frame F to which the screen S is attached, and a mist spraying apparatus 1 equipped with a spraying part 10 for spraying mist M into the space A below the screen S.

In these mist spraying devices 1 and printing devices 100, the spraying unit 10 sprays mist M into the space A below the screen S. This prevents the paste, such as water-based ink, from drying on the bottom surface of the screen S on the printing surface during multiple printing cycles. This prevents image loss in screen printing due to paste solidification. Furthermore, because paste solidification on the screen S is prevented, time-consuming tasks such as wiping the bottom surface of the screen S with water to remove dried paste can be eliminated.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the spray unit 10 (discharge pipe 15) is positioned around the space A below the screen S, and the spray angle relative to the horizontal direction is adjustable.

This allows for adjustment of the spray angle of the mist M according to factors such as the position and size of the screen frame F, and the position and size of the printing area on the screen S. Therefore, it is possible to further prevent the paste from solidifying on the screen S.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the spray unit 10 has a discharge pipe 15 provided with a discharge hole 15a for discharging mist M. The discharge hole 15a is inclined in the opposite direction to the first direction D1 with respect to a second direction D2 which is perpendicular to the first direction D1 through which the mist M flows in the discharge pipe 15.

This prevents the mist M discharged from the discharge port 15a from being inclined towards the first direction D1 rather than the second direction D2 by the airflow in the first direction D1 within the discharge pipe 15, allowing the mist M to be discharged from the discharge port 15a in a direction closer to the second direction D2. Therefore, it becomes easier to retain the mist M in the space A below the screen S, further preventing the paste from solidifying on the screen S.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the spraying unit 10 has a discharge pipe 15 provided with a discharge hole 15a for discharging mist M. The spraying unit 10 has two discharge pipes 15, one on each side of the space A below the screen S. The mist M sprayed from each discharge pipe 15 intersects in the space A below the screen S.

This ensures that the mist M sprayed from the discharge pipe 15 is effectively utilized without flowing away, effectively preventing the paste from solidifying on the screen S. In contrast, if the discharge pipe 15 were located only on one side of the space A below the screen S, the sprayed mist M would flow through the space A below the screen S, reducing the utilization efficiency of the sprayed mist M.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and its components can be modified and implemented in practice without departing from the spirit of the invention. Various inventions can also be formed by appropriately combining the multiple components disclosed in the embodiments described above. For example, all components shown in the embodiments may be combined as appropriate. It goes without saying that various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. The invention described in the original claims of this application is listed below.

[Note 1]
A mist spraying device that sprays mist onto a screen,
A mist spraying device characterized by comprising a spraying unit for spraying mist into the space below the screen.

[Note 2]
The mist spraying device according to Appendix 1, characterized in that the mist spraying device is arranged in a printing device for printing on an object to be printed using paste supplied onto the screen.

[Note 3]
The mist spraying device according to Appendix 1 or 2, characterized in that the spraying section is arranged around the space below the screen and the spraying angle with respect to the horizontal direction is adjustable.

[Note 4]
The spraying unit has a discharge pipe provided with a discharge hole for discharging mist,
The mist spraying device according to Appendix 1 or 2, characterized in that the discharge hole is inclined in a direction opposite to the first direction with respect to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in which the mist flows in the discharge pipe.

[Note 5]
The spraying unit has a discharge pipe provided with a discharge hole for discharging mist,
The mist spraying device according to Appendix 1 or 2, characterized in that the spraying section has two discharge pipes flanking the space below the screen, and the mist sprayed from each discharge pipe intersects in the space below the screen.

[Note 6]
A printing apparatus for printing on an object using paste supplied onto a screen,
A holding part that holds the screen frame to which the screen is attached,
A printing apparatus characterized by comprising a mist spraying device having a spraying unit for spraying mist into the space below the screen.

1 Mist spraying device 10 Spraying section 11 Upstream pipe 12 T-joint 13 Branch pipe 14 L-joint 15 Discharge pipe 15a Discharge hole 16 Angle adjustment lever 17 Pipe support 18 Drain 20 Mist generator 30 Supply pipe 40 Connecting section 100 Printing device 110 Holding section 111 Base section 111a Upper horizontal section 111b Vertical section 111c Lower horizontal section 111d Bulging section 112 Pressing member 113 Pressing screw 120 Printing table 130 Horizontal support column 140 Diagonal support column A Space D1 First direction D2 Second direction F Screen frame M Mist S Screen

Claims (5)

A mist spraying device that sprays mist onto a screen,
The screen is equipped with a spraying unit that sprays mist into the space below the screen ,
The spraying unit has a discharge pipe provided with a discharge hole for discharging mist,
The discharge hole is inclined in a direction opposite to the first direction with respect to a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction through which the mist flows in the discharge pipe.
A mist spraying device characterized by the following: The mist spraying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mist spraying device is arranged in a printing device for printing on an object to be printed using paste supplied onto the screen. The mist spraying device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the spraying section is arranged around the space below the screen and the spraying angle with respect to the horizontal direction is adjustable. The mist spraying device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the spraying section has two discharge pipes flanking the space below the screen, and the mist sprayed from each discharge pipe intersects in the space below the screen. A printing apparatus for printing on an object using paste supplied onto a screen,
A holding part that holds the screen frame to which the screen is attached,
The mist spraying device includes a spraying unit that sprays mist into the space below the screen ,
The spraying unit has a discharge pipe provided with a discharge hole for discharging mist,
The discharge hole is inclined in a direction opposite to the first direction with respect to a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction through which the mist flows in the discharge pipe.
A printing apparatus characterized by the following features .