JP7671237B2 - Fishing rod and method for forming a fishing rod grip - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fishing rod with a grip that is characterized by its grip for holding and holding, and a method for forming a fishing rod grip.

Conventionally, fishing rods are provided with a grip at the base end. Usually, the grip is constructed by attaching a separate flexible member to the outer periphery of the rod shaft, but it is possible to form such a grip by printing. When forming a grip by printing, it is necessary to form it so that it is not slippery and is comfortable to hold when grasped or held.

As a method for forming a grip by printing, for example, a method using screen printing as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. Also, Patent Document 2 discloses a method using a transfer sheet with a printing ink layer and an adhesive layer.

Special Publication No. 4-59857 Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-298808

Conventionally, when attempting to form a grip on the rod surface by printing as described above, various problems arise. With screen printing as disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to print thickly, and the printed portion results in a sharp edge 90a of a raised printed portion (convex portion) 90 on the surface 80A of the rod 80, as shown in FIG. 7. In addition, performing screen printing multiple times to make the convex portion higher is not practical because accurate alignment is difficult. In addition, using a transfer sheet as in Patent Document 2 incurs costs for the sheet itself. Furthermore, because the sheet member is adhered to the circumferential surface, adhesion can be poor depending on the adhesion conditions.

It is also known to use an inkjet printer as a method for printing on the surface of a fishing rod, but such printing methods are usually designed to form patterns and letters. In this case, as shown in Figure 7, if the edge 90a of the printed portion 90 is not made as sharp as possible (the edge 90a is formed at a roughly right angle), the pattern or letter will become blurred and visibility will be poor. In other words, with inkjet printing, the corners are made as prominent as possible to improve visibility.

Furthermore, since it is not desirable to make a fishing rod heavy, there is no consideration given to ensuring a sufficient height (thickness) of the protrusions. According to an evaluation of gripping ability conducted by the present inventor, if the height is at least 80 μm, it cannot be felt as a grip and the anti-slip effect is insufficient. When printing on a fishing rod using a conventional inkjet printer, there is no consideration given to forming a grip with protrusions of such height.
In other words, when attempting to form a fishing rod grip by printing, the height of the printed protrusions and the shape of the surface are not sufficiently considered, so it is not possible to achieve a grip that is comfortable and prevents slipping.

The present invention was made with a focus on the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a fishing rod that is comfortable to hold and prevents slipping when a grip is formed on the fishing rod using an inkjet printer, and a method for forming a grip for such a fishing rod.

To achieve the above-mentioned objective, the present invention is a fishing rod in which a convex portion that constitutes a grip is formed on the surface of the rod by an inkjet printer, and the convex portion is printed in multiple layers to a thickness of 80 μm or more, and the surface is leveled so that there are no edges.

As described above, the grip with the convex portions formed by inkjet printing has a height of 80 μm or more, so that it is easy to grip with the palm and fingers when gripped, preventing slipping and improving the operability of the fishing rod. In addition, the surface of the convex portions is leveled and there are no corners on the surface, resulting in a comfortable grip.

The present invention also provides a method for forming a grip by printing convex portions on the surface of a rod using an inkjet printer, the method comprising the steps of: chucking and rotating the rod while scanning a head in the axial direction to eject ultraviolet-curable ink onto the surface of the rod; and curing the ink by irradiating it with UV light after the ink has been applied.
(1) The rotation speed of the rod is set to 90 to 360 rpm. (2) The viscosity of the ink is 10.5 ± 1.0 mPa·s (45°C).
(3) The UV irradiation is performed 0.03 to 0.01 seconds after the ink is ejected. (4) The peak intensity of the UV irradiation is set to 700 mW/ ^cm2 to 950 mW/ ^cm2. (5) The convex portions are formed by inkjet printing so as to satisfy the above conditions: the convex portions are coated multiple times so that the thickness of the convex portions is 80 μm or more.

By following the above conditions, i.e., the rotation speed of the rod, the viscosity of the ink, the time from when the ink is applied until UV irradiation, the UV irradiation intensity, and applying multiple coats (rotating the rod multiple times to print), the centrifugal force acting on the rod, combined with the above conditions, makes it possible to form leveled convex portions. In other words, with this printing method, the grip is easy to apply to the palm when held, prevents slipping, and provides a comfortable grip.

According to the present invention, a fishing rod that is comfortable to hold and prevents slipping can be obtained by using an inkjet printer, as well as a method for forming a grip for such a fishing rod.

1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a fishing rod according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an inkjet printer for forming the protrusions of the grip. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an overview of a state in which a convex portion is formed on the surface of a rod. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the shape of a protrusion formed on the surface of a rod. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing an example of a protrusion formed on a grip, in which (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in (a). 5A and 5B are diagrams showing another example of a protrusion formed on a grip, in which (a) is a perspective view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a rod having protrusions formed thereon by a conventional printing method.

The fishing rod and grip forming method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The fishing rod 1 shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, a telescopic fishing rod, and includes a base rod 3, and multiple middle rods 5 and tip rods 7 that can be stored within the base rod 3 (the number of joints is optional). In this case, the fishing rod may be of a parallel joint type, a spigot type, etc., and may be a fishing rod that includes a reel seat and a fishing line guide, and to which a reel is attached.

As is well known, each rod is formed by winding a fiber reinforced plastic material (FRP; prepreg sheet), and a grip 10 having a convex portion is formed on the surface (material surface) of the butt rod 3 according to a printing method described below.
The grip 10 is formed by printing ultraviolet-curing ink (hereinafter also referred to as UV ink) on the gripping and holding area of the rod using an inkjet printer. The UV ink can be colorless (clear ink), colored (color ink), or shiny ink such as metallic color, and is applied to the surface of the base rod according to a preset printing pattern. In this case, by using UV ink, it is possible to continuously apply multiple layers, and it is possible to form a convex portion having a certain height. Note that thermosetting ink requires a thermal curing process after application, so it is not possible to apply multiple layers and it is not possible to ensure sufficient height.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an inkjet printer 50 for forming the convex portions that constitute the grip 10 of the base rod 3. The inkjet printer 50 used in the present invention includes a head 51 that is reciprocated in the scanning direction (axial direction of the base rod) by a carriage equipped with a nozzle for ejecting UV ink 30, and a UV curing light source 52 that is disposed in a position different from the installation position of the carriage (in the figure, a position 180° opposite).

When forming a convex portion on a tubular body such as the butt rod 3 using an inkjet printer 50 as in the present invention, both ends of the butt rod 3 are chucked and while rotating, the head 51 of the inkjet printer is scanned in the axial direction, and the amount of droplets of UV ink 30 ejected from the nozzle, the ejection position, the amount of light emitted by the light source 52 for UV curing, the irradiation time, the time until irradiation, etc. are controlled according to the shape of the convex portion to be formed on the surface. In other words, the UV ink 30 attached to the surface of the butt rod 3 is cured by the light source 52 and fixed in that state. In this embodiment, one color of clear ink is used, and therefore the ejection nozzle is configured to control the ejection of one color along with the scanning of the head 51.

In the inkjet printing described above, the shape of the convex parts formed on the surface of the base rod can be adjusted by controlling the viscosity of the ejected UV ink, the rotation speed of the base rod, the time until the leveling process (the time from when the UV ink is attached to when the droplets spread due to the centrifugal force acting on the base rod and when they are hardened by irradiation with light), and the irradiation intensity of the light source. In this case, by controlling the amount of UV ink ejected from the ejection nozzle, it is possible to change the density of the ink that adheres to the surface in dots (ink concentration). Specifically, if the ink concentration is high, the surface is more likely to become flat when leveled, and if the ink concentration is low, fine irregularities are more likely to occur on the surface when leveled, making it possible to change the reflection state (glossiness).

When droplets of UV ink are ejected from the ejection nozzles using an inkjet printer, they are attached to the surface of the base rod 3 as shown in FIG. 2 (the attached droplets 30A are shown in an exaggerated manner). In this case, if light is immediately irradiated on the droplets in the attached state, the droplets will immediately harden, making it difficult to level them due to the centrifugal force acting on the rotation of the base rod. In other words, the individual protrusions will not have a sufficiently leveled shape (a curved, smooth surface), and the edges will be sharp. In response to this, it is possible to transfer and harden the attached ink by applying ink of a specified viscosity (ink with transferability), adjusting the specified rotation speed and the time until light irradiation, and irradiating light with a specified intensity.

That is, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, depending on the viscosity of the UV ink, the rotation speed of the base rod 3 after the ejected ink droplets 30 adhere to the surface, and the centrifugal force acting during the time until light is irradiated from the light source 52, the adhered droplets 30 can spread along the surface 3A, and by irradiating the droplets thus spread with light of a predetermined intensity, it is possible to form a leveled convex portion (a convex portion 35 that rises from the surface and has no edges).

In this case, the inventors conducted experiments under various conditions to form a grip 10 that is comfortable to hold and has an anti-slip effect, and found that by printing using inkjet printing under the following conditions, it was possible to form a protrusion 35 that provides such an effect.

(1) Rotational speed The rotational speed of the butt rod depends on the specifications of the inkjet printer used, but if the rotational speed is too fast, the attached droplets tend to scatter, and if the rotational speed is too slow, the centrifugal force effect is not sufficient. Considering the viscosity of the UV ink used, the rotational speed of the butt rod is set to 90 to 360 rpm (this range of rotational speed is covered by a normal inkjet printer). This range is also set because it is taken into consideration that the diameter of the butt rod on which printing is performed may change.

(2) Viscosity of UV ink The viscosity of the ink is set depending on the rotation speed of the base rod, but if the base rod is rotated within the above-mentioned range, the ink viscosity should be 10.5±1.0 mPa·s (45° C.). In other words, it is sufficient to use ink with a viscosity that allows the UV ink to spread and be leveled by the application of centrifugal force before it is cured by the light source 12.

(3) Time until UV irradiation As mentioned above, if a light source is provided on the carriage and the UV ink is cured at the same time as it is discharged, the leveling effect due to the centrifugal force acting on the butt rod cannot be sufficiently obtained, so the ink is not cured at the same time as it is applied. Specifically, taking into consideration the above-mentioned rotation speed and the viscosity of the UV ink, the ink is irradiated 0.03 to 0.01 seconds after it is discharged.

(4) Peak intensity of UV irradiation If the UV light from the light source is too weak, it will not cure sufficiently, so a certain level of irradiation intensity is required. By setting the peak intensity of UV irradiation in the range of 700mW/ ^cm2 to 950mW/ ^cm2 , it is possible to obtain a sufficient curing effect in a leveled state.

(5) Thickness of the Convex Portion Formed The thickness (height) T of the convex portion 35 is preferably 80 μm (0.08 mm) or more in order to form a grip 10 that is comfortable to hold and has a slip prevention effect. In this case, when the convex portion is formed under the above-mentioned conditions, the convex portion 35 is formed with a thickness of about 0.02 to 0.03 mm in one printing, so at least three recoatings are performed. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, in one printing, the convex portion 35 has a so-called substantially semicircular (arc-shaped) surface without edges, and even if recoating is performed on this, the thickness increases in a similar shape. In other words, even if recoating is performed three or more times, it is possible to form a grip 10 composed of a concave-convex portion without edges (the surface of the concave portion is the surface of the base rod) with a predetermined thickness.

Note that while general printing methods (screen printing, etc.) do not allow for repeated application in the same position, inkjet printing according to the present invention allows for control of the position where the UV ink is applied, making it possible to easily and quickly form the desired uneven shape. There are no limitations on the thickness of the protrusions 35, but taking into consideration processing time, stability, etc., it is preferable that the thickness be 150 μm or less.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the grip 10 on which the protrusions 35 are formed by the printing method described above.
By inkjet printing, various convex portions 35 (concave portions 35a) can be formed, but in this example, the convex portions formed on the surface are formed in a honeycomb pattern with adjacent polygonal shapes. That is, since the hexagonal portions are the convex portions 35 and the borders are the concave portions 35a (non-printed portions) in the honeycomb pattern, when gripped and held, the convex portions 35 having a predetermined height in all directions, axial, circumferential, and inclined, are easily caught, resulting in a grip structure that is comfortable to grip and has a high anti-slip effect. In the drawings, the honeycomb pattern is hexagonal, but it may be configured in other shapes such as pentagons and octagons.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of a grip on which protrusions are formed by the above-mentioned printing method.
In this example, the convex portions formed on the surface are formed in a honeycomb pattern, similar to the configuration shown in Figure 5, but the outline portions (boundary portions) of the hexagons form the convex portions 35, and the interiors of the hexagons form the concave portions 35a (non-printed portions).

In this way, by using inkjet printing, it is possible to easily form a pattern of leveled convexities (concave and concave parts). Therefore, it is possible to easily form a grip that is comfortable to hold and has a high anti-slip effect without attaching a soft material as in the past.

The convex portions 35 formed as described above may be printed directly onto the surface 3A of the FRP material. In this case, the surface fibers create unevenness, which enhances the anchoring effect between the printed convex portions and makes it difficult for the convex portions to peel off. Alternatively, the surface of the material may be primed to form a base layer (such as by applying a primer or polishing the surface to form polishing streaks), which improves the adhesion strength of the UV ink and makes it difficult for the convex portions to peel off. In particular, if the surface 3A is a curved surface formed by a tubular body, polishing can remove adhering impurities and enhance the anchoring effect, making it possible to form stable convex portions.

It is also preferable to form a protective film of a clear layer (including a color clear layer) on the surface of the formed convex portion 35. Such a clear layer may be formed by applying a UV-curable transparent ink directly after forming the convex portion by the inkjet printing, or may be formed separately by a clear coating or the like.
By forming such a protective film, the surface of the protrusion 35 can be protected, and in the case of a narrow protrusion shape as shown in Fig. 6, it is possible to effectively prevent breakage, chipping, etc. Also, the prism effect can be used to enhance the three-dimensional effect.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be practiced in various modifications without departing from the gist of the present invention.
In the above embodiment, the grip formed by inkjet printing has been described using the butt rod 3 as an example, but it can be applied to other parts as well. For example, in casting rods and large fishing rods for boats, grips may be formed in parts other than the butt rod. For example, in the case of the fishing rod shown in Fig. 1, a grip may be provided in the butt, tip or middle part of the middle rod 5 as an anti-slip agent, and the above-mentioned inkjet printed grip may be formed in a predetermined area of such rod.

For example, the base treatment may involve the formation of various color patterns (including multiple colors and transparency) on the surface of the material through surface treatment such as printing, painting, plating, etc. Also, the surface polishing may involve the formation of polishing streaks with directionality or random unevenness.

Furthermore, there are no limitations on the shape (pattern) of the convex portions 35, so long as they are not slippery and provide a comfortable grip. If the convex portions are formed in different directions, the effect of preventing slipping can be obtained, and therefore it is possible to appropriately modify the shape, for example by forming convex portions oriented in multiple directions into a lattice pattern, forming multiple convex portions, combining convex portions of different shapes and thicknesses, etc. In addition, the leveling may have some unevenness on the surface of the convex portions, so long as it does not cause an uncomfortable grip.

Reference Signs List 1 Fishing rod 3 Rod butt 3A Material surface 10 Grip 35 Convex portion 35a Concave portion 50 Inkjet printer

Claims (6)

A fishing rod having a grip composed of a number of protrusions that rise to a certain height from the surface of the rod,
A fishing rod characterized in that each of the numerous protrusions has a height of 80 μm or more, which is formed by applying ultraviolet-curable ink at least three times by inkjet printing while rotating the rod, and each protrusion has a curved, smooth surface formed by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the rod acting on droplets of the ultraviolet-curable ink . The surface of the rod is formed of a prepreg sheet,
2. The fishing rod according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of protrusions are raised to a certain height from the surface of the rod when the surface of the rod is subjected to a base treatment. The fishing rod according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the numerous protrusions are formed in a honeycomb pattern of adjacent polygonal shapes. A fishing rod according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a clear layer is applied to the surfaces of the numerous protrusions. A method for forming a grip by printing a convex portion on a surface of a rod using an inkjet printer, comprising the steps of:
a step of chucking and rotating the rod while scanning the head in the axial direction to eject ultraviolet-curable ink onto the surface of the rod;
an ultraviolet curing step of curing the ink by irradiating it with UV light after the ink has been applied;
having
(1) The rotation speed of the rod is set to 90 to 360 rpm. (2) The viscosity of the ink is 10.5 ± 1.0 mPa·s (45°C).
(3) The UV irradiation is performed 0.03 to 0.01 seconds after the ink is ejected. (4) The peak intensity of the UV irradiation is set to 700 mW/ ^cm2 to 950 mW/ ^cm2. (5) The method for forming a fishing rod grip is characterized in that the convex portion is formed by inkjet printing so as to satisfy the conditions above. The fishing rod grip forming method according to claim 5, characterized in that after forming the protrusions, a clear layer is applied to the surface.

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