Image forming device and method for manufacturing can body on which image is formed

• US 9,610,781 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2012
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altemira Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Show
• Inventors: Tashiro, Yasushi, Ojima, Shinichi, Ikeda, Kazunori, Muraoka, Kenyu, Kashiwazaki, Tetsuo, Suwa, Asumi
• Primary Examiner(s): LEGESSE, HENOK D
• Application Number:
  US14/113,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20140049585A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 347104, 347106, 347 4, 347 16, 347102
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/14 on articles of finite length
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/22 by rolling contact
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0015 for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing selective coating B41J2/2114
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/002 Curing or drying the ink on the copy materials, e.g. by heating or irradiating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/00214 using UV radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/00216 using infrared [IR] radiation or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4073 Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects B41J3/283, B41J3/286 take precedence; building up a 3D object using individual droplets from jetting heads B29C64/112
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/40733 Printing on cylindrical or rotationally symmetrical objects, e. g. on bottles
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 23/0828 consisting mainly of paints or lacquers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49 Method of mechanical manufacture

Abstract

A printing device (1) is provided with: a can body conveying mechanism (100) for sequentially conveying can bodies (10); and a can body moving mechanism (200) for moving the can body (10) while forming an image onto the outer circumferential surface of the can body (10) conveyed by the can body conveying mechanism (100). The can body moving mechanism (200) is provided with a rotating member (210) formed in a disc shape and rotating in a clockwise direction in the drawing. The can body moving mechanism (200) is also provided with plural image forming units (220) provided on the rotating member (210) and forming an image onto the outer circumferential surface of the can body (10) while moving the can body (10). The image forming units (220) are each provided with plural ink ejection devices for ejecting ink onto the outer circumferential surface of the can body (10). This provides an image forming device capable of increasing the number of can bodies on each of which an image can be formed per unit time.

Claims

1. An image forming device comprising:

an image forming unit that includes a holding member holding a can body and forms an image on an outer surface of the can body held by the holding member; and

a rotating member that causes the image forming unit holding the can body to perform orbital movement around a predetermined point to move the image forming unit along a predetermined annular moving route, wherein

the image forming unit is provided with a plurality of ink ejection device that is provided to extend in one direction and ejects ink onto the outer surface of the can body to form the image on the outer surface, and

the rotating member moves the image forming unit so that the ink ejection device is moved along the predetermined annular moving route with one end portion of the ink ejection device in the one direction being as a leading edge and the other end portion of the ink ejection device in the one direction being as a trailing edge,

wherein the plurality of ink ejection devices are provided circumferentially around the holding member,

each of the plurality of ink ejection devices is arranged in a horizontal direction such that a plurality of ink ejection heads of each ink ejection device are aligned in the horizontal direction, and each of the plurality of ink ejection devices is arranged circumferentially around a tangential line where the tangential line acts as an axis for which the plurality of ink ejection devices are arranged around and is tangent to the predetermined annular moving route, and

each of the ink ejection devices is arranged above the can body to eject the ink onto the outer surface of the can body that is positioned below.

2. The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein

a plurality of the image forming units are provided, and

the rotating member moves the plurality of image forming units along the annular moving route.

3. The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein

the image forming unit holds the can body by inserting an insertion member having an end portion into an inside of the can body from the end portion side, and

the insertion member is arranged in a lying state when image formation onto the can body by the image forming unit is performed, and in holding the can body, the insertion member is arranged so that the end portion faces in one of an upward direction and a downward direction.

4. An image forming device comprising:

a rotating member that rotates around a predetermined center of rotation; and

an image forming unit that is attached to the rotating member, carries out orbital movement with rotation of the rotating member and includes a holding member holding a can body to form an image onto an outer surface of the can body held by the holding member, wherein

the image forming unit is provided with a plurality of ink ejection device that is provided to extend in one direction and ejects ink onto the outer surface of the can body to form the image on the outer surface, and

the image forming unit is arranged so that a direction in which a straight line extending from the center of rotation of the rotating member toward the image forming unit attached to the rotating member and the one direction in which the ink ejection device extends cross each other,

wherein the plurality of ink ejection devices are provided circumferentially around the holding member and

each of the plurality of ink ejection devices is arranged in a horizontal direction such that a plurality of ink ejection heads of each ink ejection device are aligned in the horizontal direction, and each of the plurality of ink ejection devices is arranged circumferentially around a tangential line where the tangential line acts as an axis for which the plurality of ink ejection devices are arranged around and is tangent to a line of rotation of the rotating member, and

each of the ink ejection devices is arranged above the can body to eject the ink onto the outer surface of the can body that is positioned below.

5. The image forming device according to claim 4, wherein

the image forming unit is arranged so that the direction in which the straight line extending from the center of rotation toward the image forming unit and the one direction cross each other at a right angle.

6. An image forming device comprising:

an image forming unit that includes a holding member holding a can body and forms an image on an outer surface of the can body held by the holding member; and

a rotating member that causes the image forming unit holding the can body to perform orbital movement around a predetermined point to move the image forming unit along a predetermined annular moving route, wherein

the image forming unit is provided with a plurality of ink ejection device that is provided to extend in one direction and ejects ink onto the outer surface of the can body to form the image on the outer surface, and

the rotating member moves the image forming unit so that the ink ejection device is moved along the predetermined annular moving route,

wherein the plurality of ink ejection devices are provided circumferentially around the holding member,

and each of the plurality of ink ejection devices is arranged circumferentially around a tangential line where the tangential lines acts as an axis for which the plurality of ink ejection devices are arranged around and is tangent to the predetermined annular moving route.