JPH09201948A - Printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [PROBLEMS] To minimize the possibility that ink and cleaning liquid are mixed with each other. SOLUTION: An ink circulation path 52 for circulating ink 7 between an ink pan 10 and an ink tank 8 by an ink pump 51, and a cleaning liquid circulation for circulating a cleaning liquid 42 between an ink pan 10 and a cleaning liquid tank 43 by a cleaning liquid pump 53. The path 54 and the path 54 are arranged independently of each other.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing system most suitable for application to, for example, an electronic gravure printing system, and particularly to a technical field relating to circulation of ink and cleaning liquid.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The applicant of the present invention has disclosed, for example,
According to the prior application examples such as 258854, an electronic gravure printing system which is high quality and is most suitable for various kinds of small quantity color printing has already been filed.

The prior application example of the electronic gravure printing system includes a printing machine 1 as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, and the printing machine 1 has four colors such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. By repeating the two-color printing of the above-mentioned color printing twice, it is possible to obtain a color print such as a color photograph in which the four colors are overcoated. is there.

Therefore, this printing press 1 has two upper and lower printing sections 4 each having a plate cylinder 2 and an impression cylinder 3 for performing two-color printing, and each plate cylinder 2 of the upper and lower two printing sections 4. And two upper and lower plate feeding / discharging devices 6 for feeding and discharging the plate material 5, respectively.
Ink unit 9 having four ink tanks 8 containing inks 7 of four colors such as cyan, magenta, yellow and black, and a total of four ink units 13 each having an ink pan 10, an ink roller 11 and a doctor blade 12. The upper and lower two-stage ink supply devices 14 in which two are arranged for each of the upper and lower two-stage plate cylinders 2, and the four color inks 7 in the four ink tanks 8 are provided to the total four ink units 13. An ink circulation device 15 for selectively circulating the ink is provided.

Further, the printing machine 1 includes a paper feed tray 17 in which a printing machine 16 before printing, which is cut into a size such as A3 wide, is stacked and set, and a printing paper 16 which has been printed.
A tape conveyer 19 for sequentially circulating the two printing units 4 between the paper discharge tray 18 for accommodating and stacking the sheets,
A printing paper circulation device 24 including a paper feed cylinder 20, a transfer cylinder 21, a paper take-up cylinder 22, a chain conveyor 23 and the like is provided.

In color printing, first, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, four plates in which image data 5a for each color of four colors such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black in a color photograph etc. are preliminarily made (engraved) on the surface by unevenness of submicron order. 2 out of 5
The sheets are fed to the two printing units 4 by the two plate feeding / discharging devices 6 shown in FIG. 19 and automatically wound around the outer peripheries of the two plate cylinders 2.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the ink units 13 for two colors in the upper and lower two-stage ink supply device 14 are set under the lower and upper two-stage plate cylinders 2, respectively. The ink roll 11 is brought close to the plate material 5 on the outer periphery of the plate cylinder 2, and the doctor blade 12 is brought into contact with the surface of the plate material 5.

Then, the plate cylinder 2 and the impression cylinder 3 in the upper and lower two printing sections 4 are rotated at high speed in the directions of arrows a and b, respectively, and the two ink units 13 for two colors set as described above are arranged. The ink roll 11 is rotated at high speed in the direction of arrow c in synchronization with each plate cylinder 2.

Then, the two inks 7 in the two color ink tanks 8 in the ink section 9 are automatically transferred to the two ink pans 10 in the two color ink units 13 set as described above by the ink circulation device 15. Circularly.

Then, the printing papers 16 stacked and set in the paper feed tray 17 are sequentially taken out from the top by the tape conveyor 19 in the printing paper circulating device 24, and the printing papers are aligned by the printing papers aligning section 25. The printing paper 16 is fed by the paper feed cylinder 20 to the impression cylinder 3 in the first-color printing unit 4 arranged in the lower stage, and the printing paper 16 is fed.
The first color is printed on the surface of the.

Then, the printing paper 16 on which the printing of the first color is finished is continuously fed by the transfer cylinder 21 to the impression cylinder 3 of the printing unit 4 of the second color arranged on the upper stage, and the surface of the printing paper 16 is printed. The second color is printed on the paper, and the printing paper 16 on which the second color has been printed is discharged and stacked in the paper discharge tray 18 by the paper take-up cylinder 22 and the chain conveyor 23. A drying means for blowing hot air onto the surface of the printing paper 16 while the printing paper 16 is supplied from the impression cylinder 3 of the first color printing unit 4 to the impression cylinder 3 of the second color printing unit 4 by the transfer drum 21 (see FIG. The printing ink on the surface of the printing paper 16 is quickly dried by (not shown).

In each of the printing units 4 for two colors, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, each plate cylinder 2 and impression cylinder 3 are rotated at high speed in the directions of arrows a and b, and the lower half of each ink roll 11 is immersed in the ink 7 supplied into each ink pan 10. , Each ink roll 11 is synchronized with the plate cylinder 2 by an arrow c.
By rotating at high speed in the direction, the ink 7 in each ink pan 10 is applied on the image data 5a on the surface of each plate material 5. Then, each doctor blade 12 scrapes off the excess ink on each image data 5a to apply a fixed amount of ink 7 on the image data 5a. Then, the printing paper 16 is pressed against the surface of each plate material 5 by each impression cylinder 3 and transported at a high speed in the direction of the arrow b ′,
Two-color printing is performed in which each image data 5a of each plate material 5 is transferred onto the surface of the printing paper 16 and the image 27 for each color is overlaid on the surface of the printing paper 16 twice.

After performing the two-color printing on the predetermined number of printing papers 16 in this way, the two printed plate materials 5 on the outer periphery of the two plate cylinders 2 of the upper and lower two printing units 4 are printed. The two upper and lower feeding / discharging devices 6 are automatically replaced with two new plate materials 5, and the upper and lower two ink feeding devices 14 have already been printed.
The ink unit 13 for two colors is replaced with the ink unit 13 for two new colors, and the ink unit 13 is set again at the lower part of the upper and lower plate cylinders 2.

Then, a predetermined number of printing papers 16 for which the two-color printing has been completed are set again in the paper feed tray 17, and the ink circulation device 15 sets the two color inks in the ink tanks 8 for two new colors in the ink section 9. While the ink 7 is automatically circulated in the two ink pans 10 of the new two-color ink unit 13, the printing paper 16 in the paper feed tray 17 is circulated again in the two printing units 4 by the printing paper circulation device 24. By performing the same two-color printing as described above, a color print such as a color photograph on which the inks 16 of four colors such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are overcoated is obtained.

Therefore, according to the printing machine 1, by exchanging the plate material 5 with respect to the plate cylinder 2, various kinds of small amounts of color printing can be efficiently performed.

In the prior application of this electronic gravure printing system, as shown in FIG. 21, the ink roll 11 is rotatably attached to the ink pan 10, and the transmission belt 28 is driven by the ink roll motor 27 attached to the ink pan 10. The ink roll 11 is rotationally driven via. Then, the ink roll 11 is integrally set with the ink pan 10 by the ink pan / air cylinder 29 in the lower part of the plate cylinder 2 in the direction of the arrow d and unset (to approach and separate).

Further, a doctor blade holder 30 supporting the doctor blade 12 is mounted on a doctor blade slider 31, the doctor blade 12 is separated from the ink pan 10, and the doctor blade slider 31 is separated by a doctor blade air cylinder 32. By slidingly driving the doctor blade 12 in the direction of arrow e, the doctor blade 12 was set and unset (contacted and separated) from the direction of arrow e on the lower side of the plate cylinder 2. A wobbling motor 33 is attached to the doctor blade holder 30.

In the prior application example, there is a concept that the cleaning liquid once used for cleaning the ink pan 10 is discarded as it is, and the cleaning liquid circulating device 34 is used by incorporating it into the ink circulating device 15.

That is, as shown in FIG. 21, the ink pan 1
An ink circulation path 37 is connected in a loop shape to the ink supply port 35 and the ink discharge port 36 of 0, and the ink circulation path 37
Install ink pump 38 and filter 39 in the middle of
An ink supply path 40 from the ink tank 8 and a cleaning liquid supply path 44 from a cleaning liquid tank 43 containing a cleaning liquid 42 therein are connected to the upstream side of the ink pump 38 in the ink circulation path 37, and the ink circulation path is provided. An ink discharge path 41 to the ink tank 8 and a cleaning liquid discharge path 45 to the waste liquid tank 46 are connected to the downstream side of the filter 39 in 37. Then, three valves are provided on each of the upstream side of the ink pump 38 and the downstream side of the filter 39 in the ink circulation path 37, for a total of six valves V1, V2, V3, V4.
By attaching V5 and V6, the ink pump 38 and the filter 39 are commonly used for the ink circulation device 15 and the cleaning liquid circulation device 34. In addition, each of the routes 37, 40, 41,
44, 45 and the like are made of plastic tubes or the like.

Before starting printing, the valves V1, V
With 3, V4 and V5 closed and valves V2 and V6 open, the ink pump 38 is operated to suck up the ink 7 in the ink tank 8 to the ink circulation path 37 through the ink supply path 40 and circulate the ink. A fixed amount of ink 7 is supplied into the ink pan 10 through the ink supply port 35 from the ink supply path 37a of the path 37. In this case,
The ink supply amount in the ink pan 10 is detected by a liquid level sensor (not shown), and when the ink supply amount reaches a constant amount, the ink pump 8 is stopped.

Next, during printing, while the valve V2 is closed and the valve V3 is opened, the ink pump 38 is continuously operated so that the ink 7 is supplied to the ink pan 10 through the ink circulation path 37. Supply path 37a
And the ink discharge path 37b are circulated in a loop. Then, impurities such as dust in the ink 7 and lumps of the ink 7 are removed by the filter 39 during the circulation of the ink.

After printing, the valve V4 is opened and the ink 7 in the ink pan 10 and the ink circulation path 37 is discharged into the ink tank 8 by a natural drop action.

Next, when cleaning after printing, first,
Close valves V2, V3, V4 and V5, and open valves V1 and V
6 is opened, the ink pump 38 is operated to suck up the cleaning liquid 42 in the cleaning liquid tank 43 through the cleaning liquid supply path 44 into the ink circulation path 37, and the ink supply path 37a of the ink circulation path 37 to the ink supply port 35 A constant amount of the cleaning liquid 42 is supplied into the ink pan 10 through.

Then, the ink roll 11 is spun by the ink roll motor 27, and the ink pan 10 and the ink roll 11 are washed with the washing liquid 42.

After this cleaning, the valves V3, V
5 and V6 are opened, and the cleaning liquid 42 in the ink pan 10 and the ink circulation path 37 is discharged into the waste liquid tank 46 through the cleaning liquid discharge path 45.

[0026]

However, in the prior application example,
Since the ink 7 and the cleaning liquid 42 were circulated using the same ink circulation path 37, the ink pump 38 and the filter 39, the cleaning liquid 42 was mixed in the ink 7 by repeating the ink circulation and the cleaning liquid circulation work. , Ink 7 will be diluted early, so new ink 7
Since the number of times of replenishment of ink increases and the consumption of ink 7 increases,
Not suitable for small quantity printing. Further, the ink 7 is mixed in the cleaning liquid 42 and the cleaning liquid 42 is contaminated at an early stage, and the cleaning function of the ink pan 10 and the ink roll 11 is impaired, so that a high-quality color printed matter cannot be obtained.

Further, since the cleaning liquid once cleaned is discarded in the waste liquid tank 46 each time, a large amount of cleaning liquid has to be used, which is uneconomical and the waste liquid tank 46 becomes full soon. The waste liquid in the waste liquid tank 46 must be cleaned up frequently. Further, since the filter is commonly used for the ink and the cleaning liquid, the life of the filter is very short and the filter needs to be replaced frequently, which is very uneconomical. Further, the control of the viscosity of the ink 7 depends on the manual work of the operator, and the workability is poor.

It is possible to enclose the ink 7 in the ink pan 10 so that the ink pan 10 does not have to be washed one by one, but the ink 7 spattered on the upper portion of the ink pan 10 or the like can be considered. If the dried product adheres and dries, and the dried product may fall into the ink 7 during printing, it may be pinched between the plate material 2 and the doctor blade 12 to damage the plate material 2 or streaks on the color printed material. It is easy to cause a problem that stains are generated.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing system in which ink and cleaning liquid are prevented from mixing with each other as much as possible.

[0030]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To achieve the above object, a printing system of the present invention comprises an ink circulation path for circulating ink by a pump between an ink pan and an ink tank, and an ink pan and a cleaning liquid tank. The cleaning liquid circulation path in which the cleaning liquid is circulated by the pump is arranged independently of each other.

In the printing system of the present invention configured as described above, the ink circulation path for circulating the ink between the ink pan and the ink tank by the pump, and the circulation of the cleaning liquid between the ink pan and the cleaning liquid tank by the pump. Since the cleaning liquid circulation path is arranged independently of each other,
Ink that circulates in the ink circulation path and cleaning liquid that circulates in the cleaning liquid circulation path can be minimized from being mixed with each other.

[0032]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of a printing system in which the present invention is applied to an electronic gravure printing system will be described below with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG. It should be noted that the same structural parts as those in FIGS. 19 to 21 are designated by the same reference numerals to omit redundant description.

[Description of the Gist of the Present Invention] First, the gist of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The printing system of the present invention comprises a plate material 5 wound around the outer periphery of the plate cylinder 2, an ink pan 10 for applying a fixed amount of ink 7 to the surface of the plate material 5, and an ink roll 11.
Ink unit 13 consisting of doctor blade 12
And ink 7 between the ink pan 10 and the ink tank 8.
An ink circulation path 52 including an ink circulation path 52a and an ink discharge path 52b that circulate by an ink pump 51 that is a pump; and an ink circulation path 52 disposed independently of the ink circulation path 52 and between the ink pan 10 and the cleaning liquid tank 43. The cleaning liquid supply path 54a and the cleaning liquid discharge path 54 in which the cleaning liquid 42 is circulated by the cleaning liquid pump 53 which is a pump.
and a cleaning liquid circulation path 54 consisting of b. Filters 55 and 56 are provided on the ink supply path 52a and the cleaning solution supply path 54a of the ink circulation path 52 and the cleaning solution circulation path 54, respectively. Then, an ink supply port 57 and a cleaning liquid supply port 58 into the ink pan 10
Are independently formed at the tips of the ink supply path 52a and the cleaning liquid supply path 54a, respectively, while the ink pan 10
The ink discharge path 52b and the cleaning liquid discharge path 54b are provided in the vicinity of one ink discharge port 59 of the two valves 60,
It is connected via 61.

Therefore, according to the printing system of the present invention,
An ink circulation path 52 for circulating the ink 7 between the ink pan 10 and the ink tank 8 by an ink pump 51.
And the cleaning liquid circulation path 54 for circulating the cleaning liquid 42 between the ink pan 10 and the cleaning liquid tank 43 are arranged independently of each other, so that the ink 7 circulating in the ink circulation path 52 and the cleaning liquid circulation path 54 Cleaning liquid 42 circulating
It is possible to minimize the mixture of and.

That is, at the time of printing, the ink discharge path 52b
The valve 60 on the side is opened, and the valve 61 on the side of the cleaning liquid discharge path 54b is closed. Then, the ink pump 51 is operated to move the ink 7 in the ink tank 8 to the ink circulation path 52.
The ink 7 in the ink pan 10 is supplied through the ink supply path 52a of the ink pan 10 to the ink outlet 59.
The ink 7 is circulated between the ink tank 8 and the ink pan 10 so that the ink 7 is discharged into the ink tank 8 through the valve 60 and the ink discharge path 52b. After printing, all the ink 7 in the ink pan 10 is discharged into the ink tank 8.

On the other hand, at the time of cleaning, the cleaning liquid discharge path 54b
The valve 61 on the side is opened, and the valve on the side of the ink discharge path 52b is closed. Then, the cleaning liquid pump 53 is operated to supply the cleaning liquid 42 in the cleaning liquid tank 43 into the ink pan 10 through the cleaning liquid supply path 54a of the cleaning liquid circulation path 54, and the cleaning liquid 42 in the ink pan 10 is discharged into the ink discharge port 59.
The cleaning liquid 42 is circulated between the cleaning liquid tank 43 and the ink pan 10 so as to be discharged into the cleaning liquid tank 43 through the valve 61 and the cleaning liquid discharge path 54b. After cleaning, all the cleaning liquid 42 in the ink pan 10 is discharged into the cleaning liquid tank 43.

At this time, since the ink discharge path 52b and the cleaning liquid discharge path 54b are connected to each other in the vicinity of one ink discharge port 59 of the ink pan 10 through the two valves 60 and 61, it is possible to prevent the ink from circulating. , When circulating the cleaning liquid,
Two valves 60, 6 are provided for connecting the ink discharge path 52b and the cleaning liquid discharge path 54b to the ink discharge port 59.
By switching with 1, the ink 7 and the cleaning liquid 42 are mixed with each other, so that the amount can be further reduced. Further, the filters 55 and 56 provided in the ink circulation path 52 and the cleaning liquid circulation path 54 independently of each other are used for the ink 7 and the cleaning liquid 42 during the ink circulation and the cleaning liquid circulation, respectively.
Ink 7 and cleaning liquid 42 for independently removing dust inside
Since the filters 55, 56 are configured as dedicated filters, the life of these filters 55, 56 is long.
The number of exchanges of 6 can be reduced.

[Description of Embodiments of the Present Invention] Next, referring to FIG.
The embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[Explanation of Printer Main Body and Ink Supply Unit] First, the printer main body 1A and the ink supply unit 1B constituting the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

This printing press 1 comprises a printing press main body 1A and an ink supply unit 1B which can be connected to and separated from the front surface 1Aa of the printing press main body 1A in the directions of arrows f and f '. A plurality of casters 91 and 92, which are moving vehicles, are attached to the lower portions of the main body 1A and the ink supply unit 1B, respectively. The connecting portion 93 for detachably connecting the rear surface 1Ba of the ink supply unit 1B to the front surface 1Aa of the printing machine body 1A has a plurality of locking mechanisms for detachably locking the ink supply unit 1B to the printing machine body 1A. 94 and a guide guide mechanism 95 for positioning the ink supply unit 1B with respect to the printer main body 1A.

The intake guide mechanism 95 includes a pair of left and right intake guide grooves 96 provided on the front surface 1Aa of the printer body 1A, and a rear surface 1B of the ink supply unit 1B.
and a pair of left and right introductory guide pins 97 provided in a.
6, a taper surface 96a for drawing in the intake guide pin 97 in the two axial directions of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction,
96b are formed.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the rear surface 1Bb of the ink supply unit 1B is connected to the front surface 1Aa of the printer body 1A from the direction of the arrow f, the pair of right and left intake guide pins 97 of the intake guide mechanism 95 are connected. Are engaged in the pair of left and right intake guide grooves 96 from the direction of the arrow f, and at this time, the pair of left and right intake guide pins 97 are drawn in in the two axial directions of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction by the tapered surfaces 96a and 96b. The ink supply unit 1B is positioned with respect to the printer main body 1A in two axial directions, that is, the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. After that, when the ink supply unit 1B is locked to the printing press main body 1A by the plurality of locking mechanisms 94, the ink supply unit 1B is integrally connected to the front surface 1Aa of the printing press main body 1A in a predetermined positional relationship.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, if the locking by the plurality of locking mechanisms 94 is released, the ink supply unit 1B.
It is possible to easily separate the ink supply unit 1B from the front surface 1Aa of the printing press main body 1A in the direction of the arrow f'while smoothly moving the ink on the floor by the plurality of casters 92. When the ink supply unit 1B is separated from the printer body 1A, the front surface 1 of the printer body 1A is separated.
Both Aa and the rear surface 1Ba of the ink supply unit 1B can be largely opened.

Next, the printing machine 1 is configured as the two-color printing machine as described above, and the front surface 1A in the printing machine main body 1A.
The upper and lower two-stage printing units 4 each having a plate cylinder 2 and an impression cylinder 3 are incorporated in a. And this printer main body 1A
In the rear of the upper and lower two-stage printing unit 4, the paper feed tray 1
7, paper ejection tray 18, tape conveyor 19, paper feed cylinder 2
0, transfer cylinder 21, paper take-up cylinder 22, and chain conveyor 23
A printing paper circulation device 24 composed of the above is incorporated.

In the ink supply unit 1B, two upper and lower two plate supply / discharging devices 6 and a total of four ink units 13 each having an ink pan 10, an ink roll 11 and a doctor blade 12 are vertically arranged. Ink supply such as an upper and lower two-stage ink supply device 14 arranged in a divided manner, an ink circulation device 15 provided with four ink tanks 8, and a cleaning liquid circulation device 34 provided with 1 to 4 cleaning tanks 42 described later. It incorporates the necessary mechanisms and devices for cleaning, cleaning, etc.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the rear surface 1Ba of the ink supply unit 1B is connected to the front surface 1Aa of the printing press main body 1A from the direction of arrow f, the upper and lower two-stage plate feeding / discharging device 6 is arranged. The printing units 4 are set on top of the two plate cylinders 2, and the two inking units 13 of the two upper and lower ink supply devices 14 are set on the bottoms of the two plate cylinders 2. At this time, the two ink rolls 11 and the doctor blade 12 in the two inking units 13 are positioned with high precision with respect to the two plate cylinders 2 by the positioning function of the intake guide mechanism 95.

Therefore, by connecting the rear surface 1Ba of the ink supply unit 1B to the front surface 1Aa of the printer main body 1A, the printer 1 can be operated.

At the time of printing, as described above, the two plate materials 5 are automatically supplied (automatically wound) to the outer peripheries of the two upper and lower plate cylinders 2 by the upper and lower two plate supply and discharge devices 6.
After that, the two inks 7 in the two color ink tanks 8 are transferred to the two ink pans 10 in the two color ink units 13 set below the upper and lower plate cylinders 2 by the ink circulation device 15. While automatically circulating, the two ink rolls 11 apply the two-color inks 7 to the surfaces of the two plate materials 5 and the two doctor blades 12 scrape off the excess ink 7. The printing paper circulating device 24 sequentially circulates the printing paper 16 in the upper and lower two printing units 4 to perform two-color printing.

After the predetermined two-color printing is completed, as described above, the two plate materials 5 on the outer periphery of the two plate cylinders 2 of the upper and lower two-stage printing units 4 are driven by the upper and lower two-stage plate feeding / discharging device 6. Is automatically replaced with two new plate materials 5, and the ink units 1 for the two already printed colors of the upper and lower two-stage ink supply device 14 are used.
Replace 3 with a new ink unit 13 for two colors and set it again on the lower part of the upper and lower two-stage plate cylinder 2. Then, the two-color printing is completed while automatically circulating the two-color ink 7 in the new two-color ink tank 8 to the two ink pans 10 of the new two-color ink unit 13 by the ink circulation device 15. By recirculating the printing paper 16 to the two printing units 4 by the printing paper circulating device 24 and performing the next two-color printing, the inks 7 for four colors such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are overcoated. Print color prints such as color photographs.

Next, when performing maintenance such as replacement of the rubber blankets on the outer circumferences of the upper and lower two impression cylinders 3 and adjustment of the claw pressure on the outer circumferences of the impression cylinder 3 and the transfer cylinder 21, and the two upper and lower tiers, respectively. When removing the jammed printing paper 16 in the printing unit 4, as shown in FIG. 4, the ink supply unit 1B is separated from the front surface 1Aa of the printer body 1A in the direction of arrow f ', and the front surface 1Aa is enlarged. Open.

As a result, the upper and lower portions of the upper and lower two-stage plate cylinder 2 and impression cylinder 3 are largely opened, so that the above-mentioned maintenance and removal of the printing paper 16 can be performed very easily.

When the ink supply unit 1B is separated from the main body 1A of the printing press, the rear surface 1Ba of the ink supply unit 1B is also opened widely so that it can be directly viewed and touched from the outside. When performing maintenance such as the plate discharge device 6, the ink supply device 14 and the ink circulation device 15 and the replacement of the inks 7 for four colors, it is possible to work very easily from the rear surface 1Ba side of the ink supply unit 1B. it can. Further, since the printing machine 1 can be divided into two by separating the ink supply unit 1B from the printing machine main body 1A, the size of each of them can be reduced when carrying out packaging and transportation, and the packaging and transportation can be facilitated.

[Explanation of Ink Unit Exchange Device of Ink Supply Device] Next, referring to FIG.
The ink unit exchanging device 101 will be described.

This ink unit exchanging device 101 has two
Turntable 10 with two inking units 13 mounted on both ends
2 and an air cylinder 103 which is a driving means for driving the rotary table 102 up and down.

Then, the rotary table 102 is moved to the vertical center P of rotation.
180 ° in the direction of horizontal arrows g and g ′ around ₀
By rotating, the phases of the two inking units 13 with respect to the plate cylinder 2 are reversed by 180 °, and the air cylinder 10
3, the rotary table 102 as a whole is indicated by an arrow d,
By moving up and down in the d'direction, the two inking units 13 are moved to the lower part of the plate cylinder 2 at a predetermined height position by an arrow d,
The setting and the setting are alternately performed in the d'direction.

[Explanation of Ink Pan] Next, FIGS.
The ink pan 10 will be described below.

The ink pan 10 includes an ink roll 11
Small first ink pan 10A for dipping ink in ink 7
And a large second ink pan 10B for collecting the surplus ink 7 from the first ink pan 10A. And the first ink pan 1
6A and a lower position shown in FIG. 7 in the second ink pan 10B together with the doctor blade 12 by the first ink pan elevating device 71 described later. And is driven up and down in the directions of arrows h and h '. The bottom portion 10 of the first ink pan 10A
A plurality of ink discharge holes 62 are formed in Ab, and one ink discharge port 59 is formed substantially in the center of the bottom portion 10Bb of the second ink pan 10B.

Then, like the doctor blade 12, the ink roll 11 is attached to the first ink pan 10A,
It is possible to raise and lower these together, but for the purpose of simplifying the drive system of the ink roll 11, here, the ink roll 11 is rotatably attached to the upper side in the second ink pan 10B, and As shown in FIG. 6, when the first ink pan 10A is raised to the raised position, the lower half of the ink roll 11 is relatively inserted into the first ink pan 10A, and the ink 7 in the first ink pan 10A is inserted. It is configured to be immersed in.

[Description of Ink Circulation Device and Cleaning Liquid Circulation Device] Next, referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the ink circulation device 15 will be described.
The cleaning liquid circulation device 34 will be described.

First, the ink circulation path 52 formed of a plastic tube or the like of the ink circulation apparatus 15 and the cleaning liquid circulation path 54 formed of a plastic tube or the like of the cleaning liquid circulation apparatus 34 are arranged independently of each other. The ink circulation path 52 and the cleaning liquid circulation path 54 are arranged for four colors such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, respectively. In FIGS. 6 and 7, the ink circulation path 52 and the cleaning liquid circulation path for one color are arranged. 54 is simplified and shown.

The ink circulation path 52 and the cleaning solution circulation path 54 are an ink supply path 52a and a cleaning solution supply path 54a for supplying the ink 7 and the cleaning solution 42 from the ink tank 8 and the cleaning solution tank 43 into the first ink pan 10a, respectively. An ink discharge path 52b and a cleaning liquid discharge path 54b for collecting the ink 7 and the cleaning liquid 42 from the second ink pan 10B to the ink tank 8 and the cleaning liquid tank 43.
And

At this time, the ink supply port 57 and the cleaning liquid supply port 58 formed at the tips of the ink supply route 52a and the cleaning liquid supply route 54a are opened above the first ink pan 10A. Then, the bottom portion 1 of the second ink pan 10B
An ink discharge path 52b and a cleaning liquid discharge path 54b are bifurcated via two valves 60 and 61 at a position near one ink discharge port 59 of 0Bb.

An ink pump 51 and a cleaning liquid pump 53, which are pumps, and filters 55 and 56 are provided in the ink supply passage 52a and the cleaning liquid supply passage 54a, respectively. A liquid level sensor 63 is attached inside the second ink pan 10B.

[Explanation of ink circulation operation during printing] Therefore, during printing, as shown in FIG. 6, the first ink pan elevating device 71 raises the first ink pan 10A and the doctor blade 12 together in the second ink pan 10B. To the position in the direction of arrow h, the lower half of the ink roll 11 is relatively accommodated in the first ink pan 10A, and the doctor blade 12 is brought into contact with the surface of the plate material 5 on the outer periphery of the plate cylinder 2. .

Next, the valve 6 on the ink discharge path 52b side
0 is opened, and the valve 61 on the cleaning liquid discharge path 54b side is closed. Then, the ink pump 51 is operated to continuously supply the ink 7 in the ink tank 8 through the ink supply path 52a of the ink circulation path 52 and the filter 55 into the first ink pan 10A from the ink supply port 57.

Then, the ink 7 of the first ink pan 10A is
As soon as it becomes full, the excess ink 7 overflows from the upper end 10Aa of the first ink pan 10A,
While flowing out into the second ink pan 10B, a part of the surplus ink 7 is in the bottom portion 10 of the first ink pan 10A.
The excess ink 7 is also discharged from the plurality of ink discharge holes 62 in Aa, and all of the excess ink 7 is discharged from the second ink pan 10.
Collected in B.

The surplus ink 7 collected in the second ink pan 10B is discharged into the ink tank 8 from one ink discharge port 59 of the bottom portion 10Bb through the valve 60 and the ink discharge path 52b. The ink 7 is circulated between the ink tank 8 and the first and second ink pans 10A and 10B.

Therefore, by the circulation operation of the ink 7, the ink amount in the first ink pan 10A is changed to the upper edge 1 thereof.
Keep constant at 0Aa height (ink 7
Can be stably maintained at a height equal to that of the upper edge 10Aa of the first ink pan 10A).
About the lower half of 1 can be stably dipped in the ink 7.

Therefore, the plate cylinder 2 is rotated at a high speed in the direction of arrow a, and the ink roll 11 is synchronized with the plate cylinder 2 in the direction of arrow c.
By rotating at high speed in the direction, the first ink pan 10
The ink 7 in A is applied to the surface of the plate material 5. Then, the doctor blade 12 scrapes off the excess ink 7 on the surface of the plate material 5 to apply a fixed amount of the ink 7 to the surface of the plate material 5 to perform the above-described printing.
Since the liquid level of the ink 7 in the ink pan 10A does not change at all, the amount of ink applied to the surface of the plate material 5 by the ink roll 11 does not change at all, and the plate material 5 is consistently used from beginning to end.
The ink 7 can be applied to the surface of the to a uniform thickness.

Therefore, it is possible to print a high-quality color printed matter in which the fading of the ink 7 does not occur on a color image such as a color photograph printed on the printing paper 16.

Moreover, at this time, from the ink tank 8 to the first
The ink 7 is continuously supplied into the ink pan 10A, and the excess ink 7 from the first ink pan 10A is caused to flow out so as to overflow from the upper edge 10Aa of the first ink pan 10A. Since the amount of ink is kept constant all the time, for example, by monitoring the amount of ink in the first ink pan 10A with a liquid level sensor,
There is no need to control the replenishment amount of the ink 7 from the ink tank 8 according to the reduction amount of the ink amount.

Therefore, there is no need to install a liquid level sensor in the first ink pan 10A, or to provide a control device such as a controller for controlling the ink pump 51 or the valve by the liquid level sensor, which simplifies the structure and Cost reduction can be achieved.

After the printing, the ink pump 51 is stopped to stop the supply of the ink 7 into the first ink pan 10A, and all the ink 7 in the first ink pan 10A is discharged to the bottom 10Ab. Easily from the hole 62, and
Be sure to discharge and collect in the second ink pan 10B. Then, all the ink 7 collected in the second ink pan 10B
Is discharged from the ink discharge port 59 into the ink tank 8 through the valve 60 and the ink discharge path 52b.

[Explanation of cleaning liquid circulation operation after printing] Next,
At the time of cleaning after printing, as shown in FIG. 7, the first ink pan elevating device 71 lowers the first ink pan 10A and the doctor blade 12 together in the direction of the arrow h'to the lower position in the second ink pan 10B.

Next, with both valves 60 and 61 closed, the cleaning liquid pump 53 is operated to drive the cleaning liquid tank 43.
The cleaning liquid 42 in the cleaning liquid supply path 54a and the filter 5
6 through the cleaning liquid supply port 58 to the second ink pan 10B.
Supply within.

Then, the height of the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid 42 supplied into the second ink pan 10B is monitored by the liquid level sensor 63, and almost the lower half of the ink roll 11 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 42, and the first The liquid level sensor 63 detects the time when the cleaning liquid 42 is supplied into the second ink pan 10B to a depth where the entire ink pan 10A and the doctor blade 12 are completely submerged in the cleaning liquid 42, and the cleaning liquid pump 53 is stopped. .

Then, (A) the ink roll 11 is idled. (B) The first ink pan 10A and the doctor blade 12 are vibrated by the wobbling motor 82 described later. (C) The second ink pan 10B is vibrated by the ultrasonic oscillator 87 described later. (D) Clean the first ink pan 10A and the doctor blade 12 with the cleaning liquid 42 as they are.
The first and second ink pans 10A, 10B, the ink roll 11, and the doctor blade 12 can be completely automatically cleaned by a method such as immersing the ink pan for a while.

After the cleaning, the valve 61 of the cleaning liquid discharge path 54b is opened, and the cleaning liquid 4 in the second ink pan 10B is opened.
2 is discharged from the ink discharge port 59 into the cleaning liquid tank 43 through the valve 61 and the cleaning liquid discharge path 54b.

Therefore, according to the ink circulation device 15 and the cleaning liquid circulation device 34, since the ink circulation passage 52 and the cleaning liquid circulation passage 54 are arranged independently of each other, the ink 7 circulating in the ink circulation passage 52 is The mixing of the cleaning liquid 42 circulating in the cleaning liquid circulation path 54 with each other can be minimized.

Particularly, the bottom portion 10B of the second ink pan 10B
One ink discharge port 59 is formed in b, and the ink discharge route 52b of the ink circulation route 52 and the cleaning liquid discharge route 54b of the cleaning liquid circulation route 54 are located in the vicinity of the ink discharge port 59.
Are connected via the two valves 60 and 61, the connection state of the ink discharge path 52b and the cleaning liquid discharge path 54b to the ink discharge port 59 is determined by the two valves 60, when the ink is circulated and when the cleaning liquid is circulated. By switching at 61, the ink 7 and the cleaning liquid 42 can be further reduced from being mixed with each other.

Since the ink 7 and the cleaning liquid 42 can be prevented from being mixed with each other as much as possible, the ink 7 is less likely to be diluted with the cleaning liquid 42 at an early stage, and the number of times of replenishment of new ink is reduced. It is possible to obtain a printing system which is very economical and can be used for printing small amounts of various kinds.

Since the cleaning liquid 42 is prevented from being contaminated with the ink 7 in the cleaning liquid 42 at an early stage, the cleaning function of the first and second ink pans 10A and 10B, the ink roll 11 and the doctor blade 12 can be improved. high,
Since a high-quality color printed matter can be obtained and the cleaning liquid 42 is unlikely to be contaminated, the cleaning liquid 42 can be stored and used without being discarded. Therefore, the consumption of the cleaning liquid 42 can be reduced, which is very economical.
It also saves the trouble of frequently disposing of.

Further, in particular, the first ink pan 10A and the doctor blade 12 can be completely immersed in the cleaning liquid 42 in the second ink pan 10B for completely automatic cleaning. Therefore, the first ink pan 10A and the doctor blade 12 can be efficiently and automatically cleaned in a short time, and the ink 7 or the like splashed on the upper part of the first ink pan 10A will stick and dry, and the dried material will eventually be obtained. It is possible to prevent the inconvenience that the ink drops on the ink 7 and is sandwiched between the plate material 5 and the doctor blade 12 during printing to damage the plate material 5 or generate streaky stains on the color printed matter. Therefore, a high-quality color printed matter can be stably obtained.

Further, since the filters 55 and 56 are provided in the ink circulation path 52 and the cleaning liquid circulation path 54, respectively, the lives of the filters 55 and 56 are increased, and the number of times of replacement of the filters can be reduced, which is very economical. Is.

Further, the doctor blade 12 is attached to the first ink pan 10A, and the doctor blade 12 is attached.
Together with the first ink pan 10A, the second ink pan 10B
Since it is moved between the ascending position and the descending position inside the first ink pan 10A and the doctor blade 12
The positional relationship of the first ink pan with respect to the plate cylinder 2 does not need to be finely adjusted at all in the set state with respect to the plate cylinder 2, and the positional relationship of the first ink pan 10A and the doctor blade 12 is not necessary. The setting operation of 10A and the doctor blade 12 can be performed extremely easily without adjustment.

As shown in FIG. 6, during cleaning, the first
The cleaning liquid circulating device 34 is operated while the ink pan 10A and the doctor blade 12 are raised to the raised position in the second ink pan 10B. However, in this case, the valve 61 on the side of the cleaning liquid discharge path 54b is opened, and the ink discharge path 52 is opened.
The valve 60 on the b side is closed and the cleaning liquid pump 53 is operated to suck up the cleaning liquid 42 in the cleaning liquid tank 43 through the cleaning liquid supply path 54a, and as shown by the dotted line in FIG.
The cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply port 58 into the first ink pan 10A. Then, the excess cleaning liquid 42 in the first ink pan 10A is collected by the second ink pan 10B, and the cleaning liquid 42 is circulated so as to be discharged from the ink discharge port 59 into the cleaning liquid tank 43 through the valve 61 and the cleaning liquid discharge path 54b.

When the plate cylinder 2 and the ink roll 11 are rotated at high speed in the directions of arrows a and c, respectively, with the circulation action of the cleaning liquid 42, the cleaning liquid 42 supplied into the first ink pan 10A is moved by the ink roll 11 by the ink cylinder 11. The surface of the plate cylinder 2 together with the ink roll 11 can be efficiently and automatically cleaned.

[Description of First Ink Pan Lifting Device and Wobbling Device] Next, the first ink pan lifting device 71 and the wobbling device 85 will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the first ink pan lifting device 71 fixes a pair of left and right support arms 72 parallel to the left and right side walls 10Ac of the first ink pan 10A, and the pair of left and right support arms 72 is slanted from within the second ink pan 10B. The upper ends of the pair of left and right support arms 72 are extended to the second position by extending upward.
The slider 74, which is arranged diagonally above the ink pan 10B, is fixed at right angles to both ends. Then, the slider 74 is slidably mounted on a pair of left and right slide guides 75 that are diagonally arranged, in the directions of arrows h and h'which are diagonally vertical directions.

Then, a pair of left and right slide guides 75 are fixed on the slide base support base 77, and the air cylinder 73 is attached to the slide base support base 77 in an oblique state parallel to the slide guide 75 and the slider 74. The upper end of the piston rod 73a of the air cylinder 73 is connected to the central position of the slider 74 via a bracket 76.

Therefore, by reciprocally moving the piston rod 73a of the air cylinder 73 in the directions of the arrows h and h ', the slider 74 is slanted on the pair of left and right slide guides 75 in the directions of the arrows h and h'. The first ink pan 10A and the doctor blade 12 can be reciprocated in the second ink pan 10B by the pair of left and right support arms 72 that are integral with the slider 74 and can be moved between the raised position shown in FIG. 10 and the lowered position shown in FIG. Between the arrows h, h '
It can be translated diagonally to the direction.

Therefore, the first ink pan lifting device 71
According to the above, the first ink pan 10A and the doctor blade 12 can be smoothly moved up and down together in the directions of the arrows h, h'in a limited and very narrow space between the plate cylinder 2 and the second ink pan 10B. It is possible to save space.

The ink roll 11 is horizontally and rotatably supported by the central roll shaft 11a on the upper ends of the left and right side walls 10Bc of the second ink pan 10B. Side wall 10B
Ink pan fixed to c in parallel with ink roll 11.
A transmission belt 28 is wound around the output shaft 27a of the motor 27 and one end of the roll shaft 11a, and the ink pan motor 27 rotates the ink roll 11 at high speed in the direction of arrow c via the transmission belt 28. Is configured.

Then, as described above, the wobbling device 85 includes the rotary table 102 on which the inking unit 13 is mounted.
A wobbling guide 79 parallel to the second ink pan 10B is mounted on the wobbling base 78 horizontally mounted on the wobbling base 78, and a wobbling slider 80 is mounted on the wobbling guide 79 in a direction parallel to the second ink pan 10B as indicated by arrows i and i '. It is slidably attached to.

A slide base support 77 is fixed to the upper part of the wobbling slider 80, and the entire first ink pan raising / lowering device 71 is slidable by the wobbling slider 80 in the directions of arrows i and i '.

Then, a motor mount 81 is mounted on the wobbling base 78 so as to straddle the upper parts of the wobbling slider 80 and the wobbling guide 79, and the wobbling motor 82 is vertically fixed vertically on the motor mount 81. The eccentric rotation pin 8 is attached to the output shaft 82a at the lower end of the wobbling motor 82 via the rotation disk 83.
4 is attached, and the eccentric rotation pin 84 is engaged with the wobbling slider 80.

The output shaft 82a of the wobbling motor 82 causes the eccentric rotation pin 84 to pass through the rotation disk 83.
When eccentrically rotated, the wobbling slider 80 is vibrated on the wobbling guide 79 at high speed in the directions of arrows i and i ', and the entire first ink pan lifting device 71 on the slide base support 77 is moved at high speed in the directions of arrows i and i'. It is configured to vibrate.

Therefore, according to the wobbling device 85, as shown in FIG. 11, the first ink pan 10A and the entire doctor blade 12 are completely immersed in the cleaning liquid 42 in the second ink pan 10B. 1 ink pan 10A and the entire doctor blade 12 are indicated by arrows i,
Since the vibration can be performed very effectively in the i'direction, the entire first ink pan 10A and the doctor blade 12 can be efficiently and automatically cleaned in a very short time.

[Description of Vibration Device for Second Ink Pan] Next, a vibration device for the second ink pan 10B will be described with reference to FIG.

In this vibrating device, an ultrasonic vibrating means 87, which is an ultrasonic vibrating means, is fixed to the side surface of the second ink pan 10B or the like, and at the time of cleaning, the entire second ink pan 10B is ultrasonically vibrated by the ultrasonic vibrating means 87. It is configured to vibrate.

When the entire second ink pan 10B is ultrasonically vibrated during cleaning, the cleaning liquid 42 in the second ink pan 10B and the ink roll 11 attached to the second ink pan 10B are also ultrasonically vibrated. Therefore, the entire first and second ink pans 10A, 10B, the ink roll 11, and the doctor blade 12 can be efficiently and automatically cleaned in an extremely short time.

[Description of Vacuum Pump] Next, referring to FIG.
The vacuum pump 64 will be described below.

First, in this printing system, in order to prevent the ink 7 and the cleaning liquid 42 from drying, the ink tank 8
The cleaning liquid tank 43 and the cleaning liquid tank 43 are both configured as a closed tank.

However, the ink tank 8 and the cleaning liquid tank 4
When 3 is configured as an airtight tank, the natural dropping action is used when discharging the ink 7 and the cleaning liquid 42 from the second ink pan 10B to the ink tank 8 and the cleaning liquid tank 43. Therefore, it takes time to discharge the ink 7 and the cleaning liquid 42. Takes.

Therefore, a vacuum pump 64, which is a means for forcibly discharging the ink 7 and the cleaning liquid 42, is provided, and two air suction passages 65, such as plastic tubes, connected to the negative pressure side of the vacuum pump 64 are connected to the ink tank 7.
8 and the upper portion of the cleaning liquid tank 43, and valves 66 are attached to these two air suction passages 65, respectively.

Therefore, after the above-mentioned printing and washing, the second
When the ink 7 and the cleaning liquid 42 in the ink pan 10B are discharged into the ink tank 8 and the cleaning liquid tank 43 through the ink discharge path 52b and the cleaning liquid discharge path 54b, the vacuum pump 64 is operated and the two air suction passages 65
By switching the two valves 66, the air in the ink tank 8 or the cleaning liquid 43 is selectively sucked to a negative pressure state, and the ink 7 and the cleaning liquid 42 are forcibly sucked by the negative pressure, and the ink 7 and the cleaning liquid 42 are forcibly sucked. 42 from the second ink pan 10B to the ink tank 8 and the cleaning liquid tank 43.
It can be discharged quickly and surely.

Then, in this way, the second ink pan 10
If the ink 7 and the cleaning liquid 42 in B are forcibly discharged into the ink tank 8 or the cleaning liquid tank 43, a part of the ink 7 or the cleaning liquid 42 remains in the second ink pan 10B, and these ink 7 and the cleaning liquid 42 will later be discharged. 43 is less likely to mix with each other, and the ink 7 and the cleaning liquid 43 can be quickly discharged, so that the circulation work of the ink 7 and the circulation work of the cleaning liquid 42 can be efficiently switched, and workability is improved. Can be greatly improved.

[Description of Ink Viscosity Measuring Device and Diluent Injection Device] Next, the ink viscosity measuring device 111 and the diluent injection device 130 will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the ink viscosity measuring device 111, which is a means for measuring the viscosity of the ink 7, is provided in the ink circulation path 52 in the middle of the vertical path of the ink supply path 52a. That is, the ink viscosity measuring path 112 is set in the middle of the vertical path in the ink supply path 52a, and the pair of ink valves 11 is provided at two positions above and below the ink viscosity measuring path 112.
3, 114 are provided. The ink pump 51 and the filter 55 are arranged above and below the ink viscosity measuring path 112.

As described above, since the ink circulation path 52 needs to circulate the inks 7 for four colors such as cyan, magenta, yellow and black for each color, the ink circulation path 52 has four colors. Has been installed for a minute.

Therefore, four ink viscosity measuring paths 112 are set for each color such as cyan, magenta, yellow and black, and ink viscosity measuring means is provided inside each of the ink viscosity measuring paths 112. The drop weight 115 is stored. Then, a pair of upper and lower ink valves 113, 11 on the ink viscosity measuring path 112.
4, sensor positions P ₂ and P ₃ are set at _two upper and lower positions, and a pair of upper and lower metal sensors 116 and 117, which are sensors, are attached to these sensor positions P ₂ and P ₃ .

At this time, as shown in FIG. 16, the four ink viscosity measuring paths 112 are connected to the upper and lower sensor positions P ₂ and P _3.
Are bound in a cylindrical shape by a pair of upper and lower holders 120 and 121, and a pair of upper and lower ring-shaped metal sensors 116 and 117 are provided on the outer circumference of the four ink viscosity measurement paths 112 at the inner circumference of these holders 120 and 121. Are arranged. Therefore, the pair of upper and lower metal sensors 116, 1
A sensor 17 is shared by all four ink viscosity measuring paths 112.

Then, FIGS. 17A and 17B and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the drop weight 115 includes a main shaft 115a composed of a vertical screw shaft, and a rotary blade 1 having a shape in which an umbrella just fixed to the upper end of the main shaft 115a opens.
15b and the weight 11 fixed to the lower end of the main shaft 115a.
5c, and the rotating blade 115b is fixed to the upper end of the main shaft 115a by a pair of upper and lower nuts 115d. And this drop weight 11
The entire 5 is made of a metal having corrosion resistance such as stainless steel.

Then, as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG.
Between the pair of upper and lower ink valves 113 and 114 of the four ink viscosity measurement path 112, and an upper position than the upper sensor position P _2, the stopper position P ₁ than the lower sensor position P ₂ at two points of the lower position, P ₄ 17C, stopper pins 118 and 119 made of stainless material or plastic material are attached in the ink viscosity measuring paths 112 at the stopper positions P ₁ and P ₄ in FIG. 17C.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the total length H of the drop weight 115 in the vertical direction is about 15 mm, and the upper stopper position P ₁ and the upper sensor position P ₂ are arranged. The distance L _{1 from} is about 96 m
The distance L ₂ between the upper and lower sensor positions P ₂ and P ₃ is set to about 278 mm, and the distance L ₃ between the lower sensor position P ₃ and the lower stopper position P ₄ is set to about 36 mm.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15,
A diluent injecting device 130, which is a diluent injecting means, is arranged in each of the ink circulation paths 52 for four colors. These diluent injecting devices 130 include a diluent tank 132 in which a diluent 131 is stored, The diluent 131 is configured by a diluent pump 134 for injecting the diluent 131 into each of the ink tanks 8 for four colors through the diluent injection path 133.

[Explanation of Ink Viscosity Measurement and Ink Dilution Operation] First, as described above, the ink pump 51 of the ink circulation path 52 is operated to circulate the ink 7 between the first ink pan 10A and the ink tank 8. While the ink circulation is being performed, the ink 7 is constantly moved upward in the ink viscosity measuring paths 112 from the lower side to the upper side in the direction of arrow j.

Then, each drop weight 115 is lifted in each ink viscosity measuring path 112 to the upper stopper position P _{1 in the} direction of arrow j by the thrust due to the upward flow of the ink 7, and abuts on the upper stopper pin 118 to stop. Has been done.

Next, when measuring the ink viscosity, the ink pump 51 is stopped and at the same time the upper and lower ink valves 11 are
3, 114 is closed to stop the flow of the ink 7 in each ink viscosity measuring path 112.

Then, the drop weights 115 naturally drop in the respective ink viscosity measuring paths 112 in the arrow j'direction due to their own weight.

At this time, each of the drop weights 115 is rotated around the main shaft 115a in the direction of arrow k in FIG.

Furthermore, each drop weight 115 falls in the direction of arrow j'in the run-up section of the interval L ₁ set between the upper stopper position P ₁ and the upper sensor position P ₂ in each ink viscosity measuring path 112. While dropping, the drop speed of each of the drop weights 115 becomes stable.

When each drop weight 115 passes the upper sensor position P ₂ of each ink viscosity measuring path 112, the upper metal sensor 116 detects and the detection signal is output to the microcomputer (CPU) 142.

Then, after a lapse of about 2 seconds, each drop weight 115 drops in the direction of arrow j ′ to the lower sensor position P ₃ of each ink viscosity measuring path 112, and each drop weight 115 is moved to its lower sensor position. P
_When passing ₃ , the lower metal sensor 117 detects and the detection signal is output to the microcomputer 142.

After this, each drop weight 115 is moved to the lower stopper position P ₄ of each ink viscosity measuring path 112.
It drops to and stops by contacting the lower stopper pin 119.

Then, the microcomputer 142
The drop weight 115 between the upper metal sensor 116 and the lower metal sensor 117 of each drop weight 115.
The drop time of the drop weight 115 is calculated by measuring the passage time due to the natural fall of. Then, the falling speed is compared with reference data preset in the ROM circuit 141.

At this time, if the viscosity of the ink 7 is high, the drop speed of the drop weight 115 becomes slow, and if the viscosity of the ink 7 is low, the drop speed of the drop weight 115 becomes fast, so that each drop weight 115 falls. By measuring the speed and comparing it with the reference data, the viscosity of each ink 7 can be measured.

When each ink 7 has a high viscosity, the diluent pump 134 of the diluent injection device 130 is operated to inject the diluent 131 in the diluent tank 132 into the ink tank 8. The ink viscosity is automatically diluted to the set value.

During printing, the ink viscosity always increases,
Since the ink viscosity never drops, the ink viscosity measuring device 111 only needs to perform control for lowering the ink viscosity, and the function for increasing the ink viscosity is unnecessary.

In the actual ink viscosity measuring operation, the viscosities of the inks 7 for the four colors are individually and sequentially measured in each of the four ink viscosity measuring paths 112. 8 metal sensors in total 11
6, 117 are required.

However, as shown in FIG. 16, the ink viscosity measuring paths 112 for the four colors are bundled in a cylindrical shape, and a ring-shaped metal sensor 116 is provided around the upper and lower sensor positions P ₁ and P _3. No. 117 is provided, the viscosity of the ink 7 for four colors can be measured by using only two metal sensors 116 and 117, and the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. Even if the viscosities of the inks 7 for the four colors are individually and sequentially measured, the diluent 131 is individually injected into the ink tank 8 after the ink viscosity is measured, and the ink 7
When diluting the ink, it takes time for the diluent 131 to be uniformly mixed in the entire ink 7. Therefore, even if individual metal sensors 116 and 117 for four colors are provided, the ink viscosity for four colors The measurement operation cannot be performed very efficiently.

The drop weight 115, which constitutes the ink viscosity measuring means, has a rotating blade 115b, which rotates at a stable drop speed in the ink viscosity measuring path 112 while rotating by the rotating blade 115b. Since the ink can drop naturally, it is possible to obtain an accurate change in the falling speed corresponding to the change in the ink viscosity, the error in measuring the ink viscosity is very small, and the ink viscosity can be accurately measured.

Then, in this way, the ink circulation path 52
The viscosity of the ink 7 therein is automatically measured by the ink viscosity measuring device 111, and the diluent 131 is automatically injected into the ink 7 by the diluent injecting device 130 based on the measured value. Since it is possible to automatically control the viscosity of, it is possible to omit the manual work of the operator to control the viscosity and improve the workability.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.

[0136]

The printing system of the present invention configured as described above has the following effects.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an ink circulation path for circulating ink by a pump between the ink pan and the ink tank and a cleaning liquid circulation path for circulating a cleaning liquid by a pump between the ink pan and the cleaning liquid tank are independent of each other. Since it is arranged, the ink circulating in the ink circulation path and the cleaning liquid circulating in the cleaning liquid circulation path can be mixed as little as possible, and the ink is not diluted early with the cleaning liquid. , It is possible to reduce the consumption of ink by reducing the number of times of replenishment with new ink. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a printing system which is very economical and which is optimal for printing a wide variety of small amounts.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to minimize the possibility that the cleaning liquid is contaminated with the ink and the cleaning liquid is prematurely contaminated.
The ink pan and ink roll have a high cleaning function, a high-quality color printed matter can be obtained, and the cleaning liquid is unlikely to be contaminated. Therefore, the cleaning liquid can be stored and used without being discarded. Therefore, the consumption of the cleaning liquid can be reduced, which is very economical and saves the trouble of frequently discarding the cleaning liquid.

According to the first aspect, the ink pan and the ink roll can be effectively and automatically cleaned by the cleaning liquid. Therefore, the ink splashed on the upper part of the ink pan sticks and dries, and the dried matter eventually falls into the ink. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience of scratching the plate material or causing streak-like stains on the color printed matter by being sandwiched between the plate material and the doctor blade during printing, and to achieve high quality. Color printed matter can be stably obtained.

According to the second aspect, since the filters are provided in the ink circulation path and the cleaning liquid circulation path, the life of each filter is increased and the number of times of filter replacement can be reduced.
Very economical.

Since the means for forcibly discharging the ink and the cleaning liquid from the ink pan side into the ink tank and the cleaning liquid tank is provided, the ink and the cleaning liquid are naturally dropped from the ink pan into the ink tank and the waste liquid tank. Ink and cleaning liquid can be discharged more quickly than in the case of the previous application. Therefore, the ink circulation work and the cleaning liquid circulation work can be switched with high efficiency, and the workability can be improved.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the viscosity of the ink is measured by the ink viscosity measuring means provided in the ink circulation path, and the diluent is injected into the ink by the diluent injecting means based on the measured value. Since the viscosity of the ink can be automatically controlled, it is possible to save the work of manually controlling the viscosity of the operator and improve the workability.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, two valves are provided in the vicinity of one ink discharge port of the ink pan, the ink discharge route to the ink tank of the ink circulation route and the cleaning liquid discharge route to the cleaning liquid tank of the cleaning liquid circulation route. Since it is connected via the ink, the ink and the cleaning liquid are mixed with each other by switching the connection state of the ink discharge path to the ink discharge port and the connection of the cleaning liquid discharge path with two valves during the ink circulation and the cleaning liquid circulation. It is possible to fit less.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the gist of the invention in an embodiment of a printing system in which the present invention is applied to an electronic gravure printing system.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an outline of a printing mode and a cleaning mode of the inking unit in the above-described embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an arrangement of an ink pan, an ink roll, and a doctor blade in a print mode according to the above-described embodiment,
It is a partially cutaway side view illustrating a circulation path of ink and a cleaning liquid.

FIG. 4 is an arrangement of an ink pan, an ink roll, and a doctor blade in a cleaning mode according to the above embodiment,
It is a partially cutaway side view illustrating a circulation path of ink and a cleaning liquid.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an ink pan, an ink roll, a doctor blade, a first ink pan lifting device, and a wobbling motor in the same embodiment.

6 is a side view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway side view taken along the line BB of FIG. 5, showing a printing mode.

8 is a partially cutaway side view taken along the line BB of FIG. 5, showing a cleaning mode.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of an ink pan and an ink roll according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway side view for explaining a method of ultrasonically vibrating an ink pan in the same embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an ink circulation device according to the embodiment.
It is a partially notched side view explaining a cleaning liquid circulation device and a viscosity control device.

FIG. 12 is a partially cutaway side view illustrating the entire viscosity control device of the above.

13A and 13B are a cross-sectional plan view and a partially cut-away side view developed to explain an ink viscosity measuring device in the above viscosity control device.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional side view of the ink viscosity measurement path and a cross-sectional plan view of two locations.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a drop weight which is the above-mentioned ink viscosity measuring means.

FIG. 16 is a schematic side view illustrating a printer main body and an ink circulation unit according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a schematic plan view of FIG.

FIG. 18 is a schematic side view showing a state in which the ink circulation unit of the above is separated from the main body of the printing machine.

FIG. 19 is a schematic side view showing the entire printing machine in the electronic gravure printing system of the prior application example.

FIG. 20 is a partially cutaway side view showing a printing unit and an inking unit in the printing machine of the prior application example.

FIG. 21 is a partially cutaway side view illustrating an ink circulation device and a cleaning liquid circulation device in the printing machine of the prior application example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Plate cylinder 5 Plate material 7 Ink 8 Ink tank 10 Ink pan 11 Ink roll 12 Doctor blade 13 Ink unit 15 Ink circulation device 34 Cleaning liquid circulation device 42 Cleaning liquid 43 Cleaning liquid tank 51 Ink pump 52 Ink circulation path 52a Ink supply path 52b Ink discharge path 53 cleaning liquid pump 53a cleaning liquid supply route 53b cleaning liquid discharge route 54 cleaning liquid circulation route 55, 56 filter 65 vacuum pump 59 ink discharge port 60, 61 valve 111 ink viscosity measuring device 130 diluent injection device

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A plate material wound around the outer periphery of a plate cylinder, an ink unit for applying a fixed amount of ink on the surface of the plate material, an ink unit comprising an ink roll and a doctor blade, the ink pan and an ink tank. An ink circulation path that circulates the ink by a pump, and a cleaning liquid circulation path that is arranged independently of the ink circulation path and that circulates the cleaning liquid between the ink pan and the cleaning liquid tank by the pump. A printing system characterized by the above. 2. A filter is provided in each of the ink circulation path and the cleaning liquid circulation path.
The printing system as described. 3. The printing system according to claim 1, further comprising means for forcibly discharging the ink and the cleaning liquid from the ink pan side into the ink tank and the cleaning liquid tank. 4. An ink viscosity measuring means provided in the ink circulation path, and means for injecting a diluent into the ink based on the measured value of the viscosity measuring means. The printing system described. 5. An ink discharge route to the ink tank of the ink circulation route and a cleaning liquid discharge route to the cleaning liquid tank of the cleaning liquid circulation route are provided in the vicinity of one ink discharge port of the ink pan. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the printing system is connected via a valve.