IMAGE FORMING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING CAN BODY ON WHICH IMAGE IS FORMED

• US 20140049585A1
• Filed: 04/19/2012
• Published: 02/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altemira Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Showa Aluminum Can Corporation (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Kazunori, Tashiro, Yasushi, Ojima, Shinichi, Muraoka, Kenyu, Kashiwazaki, Tetsuo, Suwa, Asumi
• Granted Patent: US 9,610,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/102
• 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:

a conveying unit that sequentially conveys can bodies; and

a plurality of image forming mechanisms provided to correspond to the respective can bodies conveyed by the conveying unit, the plurality of image forming mechanisms moving together with the can bodies conveyed by the conveying unit and forming images on the can bodies, wherein

each of the image forming mechanisms is provided with a plurality of image forming portions that are capable of simultaneously forming images of mutually different colors onto the can body.

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

each of the image forming mechanisms forms the image on an outer circumferential surface of the can body that is formed cylindrically, and

the conveying unit conveys the can body while rotating the can body in a circumferential direction.

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

each of the image forming mechanisms is provided to be capable of keeping a constant attitude.

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

each of the plurality of image forming portions is provided to be movable forward and backward with respect to the can body.

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

each of the image forming mechanisms is further provided with a curing unit that cures the images formed on the can body by the plurality of image forming portions.

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

each of the plurality of image forming portions forms the image on the can body by ejecting ink onto the can body from an ink ejection head, and

each of the plurality of image forming portions is arranged so that the ink ejection head faces in any directions other than an upward direction.

7. The image forming device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a rotating member that rotates around a predetermined center of rotation, wherein

each of the image forming mechanisms, which includes the plurality of image forming portions, is provided to the rotating member, and arranged at a predetermined interval in a circumferential direction of the rotating member, and

each of the image forming mechanisms is provided so that an attitude of the plurality of image forming portions provided in each of the image forming mechanisms with respect to the center of rotation of the rotating member is same in each of the plurality of image forming mechanisms.

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

each of the plurality of image forming portions forms the image on the can body by ejecting the ink onto the can body from the ink ejection head, and

a changing unit that changes an ejection force in ejecting the ink by the ink ejection head is further provided.

9. An image forming device comprising:

a conveying unit that sequentially conveys can bodies; and

a plurality of image forming mechanisms provided to correspond to the respective can bodies conveyed by the conveying unit, the plurality of image forming mechanisms moving together with the can bodies conveyed by the conveying unit and forming images on the can bodies, wherein

each of the image forming mechanisms is provided with a plurality of image forming portions that are arranged radially around a location where the can body is provided as a center.

10. The image forming device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a curing unit that, after the image is formed by the image forming mechanism, cures the image; and

a coating unit that, after curing of the image by the curing unit is carried out, coats the image with a paint.

11. The image forming device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a plurality of conveying members that are provided to carry out circulating movement and to receive the can bodies, on which the images are formed by the image forming mechanisms, from the conveying unit and convey the can bodies; and

a plurality of receiving members that are provided to carry out circulating movement and to receive the can bodies from the conveying members and convey the can bodies, wherein

the plurality of conveying members and the plurality of receiving members are arranged so that a central shaft in carrying out the circulating movement by the plurality of conveying members and a central shaft in carrying out the circulating movement by the plurality of receiving members coincide with each other.

12. A method for manufacturing a can body on which an image is formed, the method comprising:

sequentially conveying a can body and an image forming mechanism that includes a plurality of image forming portions to form an image on the can body; and

simultaneously operating the plurality of image forming portions provided in the image forming mechanism in the middle of conveying the can body to form the image on the can body.

13. An image forming device comprising:

a unit that comprises a can body holding portion that holds a plurality of can bodies and an image forming mechanism that forms images on the plurality of can bodies held by the can body holding portion; and

a conveying unit that conveys a plurality of the units, wherein

the image forming mechanism provided in the unit is provided with a plurality of image forming portions that face individual can bodies of the plurality of can bodies held by the can body holding portion, and

in the middle of conveying the plurality of units by the conveying unit, in each of the units, a state of the can body holding portion with respect to the image forming mechanism is changed to switch the can body facing the image forming portion provided in the image forming mechanism.

14. The image forming device according to claim 13, wherein

the image forming mechanism that moves with conveyance of the unit carries out the movement while keeping a constant attitude.

15. The image forming device according to claim 13, wherein

each of the plurality of image forming portions forms the image on the can body by ejecting ink onto the can body from an ink ejection head, and

each of the plurality of image forming portions is arranged so that the ink ejection head faces in any directions other than an upward direction.

16. The image forming device according to claim 13, wherein

the can body holding portion is formed in an annular shape and is arranged outside of the image forming mechanism, and

the change in the state of the can body holding portion with respect to the image forming mechanism is caused by rotation of the can body holding portion in a circumferential direction.

17. The image forming device according to claim 13, wherein

each of the plurality of image forming portions is provided to be movable forward and backward with respect to the facing can body.

18. The image forming device according to claim 13, wherein

the image forming mechanism is further provided with a curing unit that cures the image formed on the can body by the image forming portion.

19. The image forming device according to claim 13, wherein

the image forming mechanism is further provided with a coating unit that coats the image formed on the can body by the image forming portion with a paint.

20. The image forming device according to claim 13, further comprising:

a plurality of conveying members that are provided to carry out circulating movement, receive the can bodies on which the images are formed by the image forming mechanism, and convey the can bodies; and

a plurality of receiving members that are provided to carry out circulating movement, receive the can bodies from the conveying members, and convey the can bodies, wherein

the plurality of conveying members and the plurality of receiving members are arranged so that a central shaft in carrying out the circulating movement by the plurality of conveying members and a central shaft in carrying out the circulating movement by the plurality of receiving members coincide with each other.

21. The image forming device according to claim 13, further comprising:

a rotating member that rotates around a predetermined center of rotation, wherein

each of the units, which includes the image forming mechanism having the plurality of image forming portions, is provided to the rotating member, and arranged at a predetermined interval in a circumferential direction of the rotating member, and

each of the units is provided so that an attitude of the plurality of image forming portions provided in each of the units with respect to the center of rotation of the rotating member is same in each of the plurality of units.

22. The image forming device according to claim 13, wherein

each of the plurality of image forming portions forms the image on the can body by ejecting the ink onto the can body from the ink ejection head, and

a changing unit that changes an ejection force in ejecting the ink by the ink ejection head is further provided.

23. A method for manufacturing a can body on which an image is formed, the method comprising:

conveying a plurality of units, each of which is configured by at least a can body group configured by a plurality of can bodies and an image forming mechanism that forms an image on the can body group by use of a plurality of image forming portions; and

changing a state of the can body group with respect to the image forming mechanism in each of the units in the middle of conveying the plurality of units so as to switch a can body facing the image forming portion included by the image forming mechanism.

24. An image forming device comprising:

an image forming mechanism that holds a can body and forms an image on an outer surface of the can body; and

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

the image forming mechanism is provided with an image forming portion 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 moving unit moves the image forming mechanism so that the image forming portion is moved along the annular moving route with one end portion of the image forming portion in the one direction being as a leading edge and the other end portion of the image forming portion in the one direction being as a trailing edge.

25. The image forming device according to claim 24, wherein

a plurality of the image forming mechanisms are provided, and

the moving unit moves the plurality of image forming mechanisms along the annular moving route.

26. The image forming device according to claim 24, wherein

the image forming portion is arranged above the can body to eject the ink onto the outer surface of the can body that is positioned below.

27. The image forming device according to claim 24, wherein

the image forming mechanism 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 mechanism 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.

28. An image forming device comprising:

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

an image forming mechanism that is attached to the rotating member, carries out orbital movement with rotation of the rotating member and holds a can body to form an image onto an outer surface of the can body, wherein

the image forming mechanism is provided with an image forming portion 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 mechanism 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 mechanism attached to the rotating member and the one direction in which the image forming portion extends cross each other.

29. The image forming device according to claim 28, wherein

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

30. The image forming device according to claim 28, wherein

the image forming portion is arranged along a horizontal direction.