JP2023104532A - Composite printing machine and composite printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a composite printing machine and a composite printing method which can match printing pitch of an inkjet printing with printing pitch of a gravure printing accurately and efficiently, where the composite printing machine is provided with an inkjet printing unit and a gravure printing unit.SOLUTION: A composite printing machine comprises: an inkjet printing unit 20 that prints a pattern and a mark for pitch adjustment; a gravure printing unit 30 that prints the pattern; a detecting part 41 that detects the mark for pitch adjustment; an in-feed roll 12 and a suction roll 24 which are tension adjustment parts that adjust tension of a web W related to the inkjet printing unit 30; and a control part that controls the printing pitch. The control part calculates inkjet printing pitch on the basis of the mark for pitch adjustment detected by the detecting part 41, and makes the tension adjustment part adjust tension of the web W, on the basis of a pitch deviation which is a difference between the gravure printing pitch and the inkjet printing pitch, and controls the inkjet printing pitch.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a multifunction printer and a multifunction printing method.

Conventionally, as a printing machine that performs multicolor printing, it is equipped with a gravure printing device that can perform high-quality printing using a plate cylinder and an inkjet printing device that can perform printing at low cost without using a plate cylinder. A multifunction printer has been developed (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2014-166713 A

In Patent Document 1, a pattern (pattern) matching mark printed earlier by inkjet printing and a pattern matching mark printed later by gravure printing are sensed by a mark sensor, and the rotation speed of a plate cylinder for gravure printing is controlled. We are going to perform pattern matching.

However, by controlling the rotational speed of the gravure printing plate cylinder, it is difficult to accurately perform both registration and printing pitch matching between the image printed by the inkjet printing and the image printed by the gravure printing. Further, when the printing pitch is adjusted by controlling the rotation speed of the plate cylinder, the relationship between the rotation speed of the plate cylinder and the feed speed of the web changes, which may reduce the printing accuracy of gravure printing.

The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and is capable of accurately and efficiently matching the printing pitches of inkjet printing and gravure printing in a multifunction printing machine comprising an inkjet printing unit and a gravure printing unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide a multifunction printing machine and a multifunction printing method.

In order to achieve the above object, a multifunction printer according to a first aspect of the present invention includes:
an inkjet printing unit for printing patterns and pitch adjustment marks printed for each pattern on a web by inkjet printing;
a gravure printing unit that prints a pattern on the web by gravure printing;
a detection unit that detects the pitch adjustment mark;
a tension adjustment unit that adjusts the tension of the web printed by the inkjet printing unit;
A control unit that controls the printing pitch,
The control unit
calculating an inkjet printing pitch, which is the printing pitch of the inkjet printing unit, based on the pitch adjustment mark detected by the detection unit;
The inkjet printing pitch is adjusted by controlling the tension adjustment unit to adjust the tension of the web based on the pitch deviation amount, which is the difference between the gravure printing pitch, which is the printing pitch of the gravure printing unit, and the inkjet printing pitch. to control.

In addition, the tension adjustment unit
at least one of an infeed roll for transporting the web to the inkjet printing unit and a suction roll for transporting the web printed by the inkjet printing unit to a downstream process,
The control unit
adjusting the tension of the web by controlling the rotational speed of at least one of the infeed roll and the suction roll, which are the tension adjusting unit;
You can do it.

A composite printing method according to a second aspect of the present invention includes:
a pitch adjustment mark printing step of printing patterns and pitch adjustment marks printed for each pattern on a web by inkjet printing;
An inkjet printing pitch is calculated by detecting the pitch adjustment mark, and a pitch deviation is a difference between the gravure printing pitch, which is a printing pitch of a gravure printing unit that prints a pattern on the web by gravure printing, and the inkjet printing pitch. A pitch deviation amount calculation step for calculating
and a pitch control step of controlling the inkjet printing pitch by adjusting the tension of the web related to the inkjet printing based on the pitch deviation amount.

According to the composite printing machine and the composite printing method of the present invention, the printing pitch of gravure printing is used as a reference, and the tension related to inkjet printing is based on the printing pitch calculated by detecting the pitch adjustment mark printed by inkjet printing. Since pitch matching is performed by controlling , it is possible to perform pitch matching accurately and efficiently.

1 is a schematic diagram of a multifunction printer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a front view showing the configuration of a gravure printing unit according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a control unit according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of pitch control according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing examples of patterns and registration marks; 8 is a functional block diagram of a control unit according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the flow of pitch control according to Embodiment 2; 9 is a flow chart showing the flow of pitch control according to a modification; FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of a control unit according to Embodiment 3; 10 is a flow chart showing the flow of pitch control according to Embodiment 3. FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A composite printing machine and a composite printing method including an inkjet printing device and a gravure printing device according to embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
As shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 1, the multifunction printing press 1 according to the present embodiment includes an unwinding device 11 for unwinding the web W in a roll state, and the web W unwound from the unwinding device 11 is sent to the printing machine. An in-feed roll 12 to be delivered, an inkjet printing unit 20 to perform inkjet printing on the web W delivered from the unwinding device 11, an intermediate feed roll 13 to convey the inkjet-printed web W to the gravure printing unit 30, and an intermediate feed roll 13. a gravure printing unit 30 that performs gravure printing on the web W conveyed from the outfeed roll 14 that conveys the web W that has been gravure printed to the winding device 15; a winding device 15 that winds up the printed web W; Detectors 41 and 42 for detecting marks for registration, and a control unit 50 (not shown).

The web W is a long print medium. The material of the web W is not particularly limited. Terephthalate) and other plastic films. The web W, which is a plastic film, tends to expand and contract under the influence of environmental temperature, changes in tension, etc., and generally tends to cause problems such as misregistration and pitch deviation.

The unwinding device 11 is a device that delivers the web W set in a roll state to the inkjet printing unit 20 .

The infeed roll 12 conveys the web W unwound from the unwinding device 11 to the inkjet printing unit 20 . The in-feed roll 12 has a driving device and conveys the web W at a set feed speed.

The inkjet printing unit 20 includes a precoat section 21 , a precoat drying section 22 , an inkjet printing section 23 , a suction roll 24 and an inkjet printing drying section 25 .

The precoat section 21 applies a precoat liquid to the coated surface of the web W unwound from the unwinding device 11 to form a precoat layer on the coated surface.

The precoat drying section 22 is arranged downstream of the precoat section 21 with respect to the transport direction of the web W. As shown in FIG. The precoat drying section 22 dries the precoat liquid applied to the coated surface of the web W in the precoat section 21 .

The inkjet printing section 23 is arranged downstream of the precoat drying section 22 with respect to the transport direction of the web W. As shown in FIG. The inkjet printing unit 23 includes a plurality of print heads 231 that print for each color. The inkjet printing unit 23 forms a pattern by applying ink ejected from the print head 231 to the coated surface of the web W (more specifically, a precoat layer formed on the coated surface).

The inkjet printing unit 23 according to the present embodiment includes four print heads 231, and includes four colors of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), and registration marks RM ( colored contact mark) is printed on the web W. The registration marks RM are used to detect and correct printing misalignments for each color.

The web W that has undergone inkjet printing is transported by suction rolls 24 to an inkjet printing/drying section 25, which is a downstream process. Since the suction roll 24 sucks and conveys the web W, the web W can be stably conveyed without contacting the printing surface. Further, the tension of the web W passing through the inkjet printing section 23 can be controlled by adjusting the rotational speeds of the infeed roll 12 and the suction roll 24 .

In the inkjet printing drying section 25, the ink on the surface of the web W is dried as the web W passes through it. The dried web W is delivered from the inkjet printing drying section 25 .

The detection section 41 is connected to the control unit 50 and arranged downstream of the inkjet printing/drying section 25 . The detection unit 41 according to the present embodiment is a scanning head, detects the registration mark RM inkjet-printed on the web W, and transmits a detection signal to the control unit 50 . The control unit 50 calculates the pitch of the inkjet-printed pattern (hereinafter referred to as the inkjet printing pitch Pi) from the detection time of the registration mark RM and the feeding speed of the web W. FIG.

The intermediate feed roll 13 is arranged on the downstream side of the inkjet printing unit 20 and conveys the inkjet-printed web W to the gravure printing unit 30 . The intermediate feed rolls 13 are equipped with a driving device and convey the web W at a set feed speed.

The gravure printing unit 30 includes a gravure printing unit 31 that prints a pattern or the like, and a gravure printing drying unit 32 that dries the printed ink. The gravure printing unit 30 according to this embodiment includes one gravure printing unit 31 and performs white printing. As a result, it is possible to use gravure printing to produce a white pattern, which is difficult to ensure density with inkjet printing. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time and cost required to produce plates other than white, and to perform high-quality printing.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of the gravure printing unit 30 including the gravure printing section 31. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2 , the gravure printing section 31 includes a plate cylinder 311 , a furnisher roll 312 , an impression cylinder 313 , an ink pan 314 and a doctor blade 315 .

In the gravure printing unit 31 of the gravure printing unit 30, the ink on the plate cylinder 311 is transferred to the web W to print a pattern. The plate cylinder 311 is a roll whose outer peripheral surface is engraved with a pattern corresponding to the printing color of the gravure printing unit 31, and is rotated by the driving force of a driving unit (motor) (not shown). An encoder for measuring the rotation angle of the plate cylinder 311 is installed on the rotation shaft of the plate cylinder 311 .

The detection unit 42 is connected to the control unit 50 and arranged downstream of the gravure printing unit 31 . The detection unit 42 according to the present embodiment is a scanning head, and detects registration marks RM inkjet-printed on the web W (hereinafter, also referred to as registration marks RMi) and gravure-printed registration marks RM (hereinafter, also referred to as registration marks RMi). Also referred to as a registration mark RMg) is detected, and a detection signal is sent to the control unit 50 . The control unit 50 calculates the amount of misregistration based on the received detection signal.

The outfeed roll 14 is arranged downstream of the gravure printing unit 30 . The outfeed roll 14 conveys the web W printed by the inkjet printing unit 20 and the gravure printing unit 30 to the winding device 15 .

The winding device 15 is a device that winds up the web W sent out by the outfeed roll 14 .

The control unit 50 includes a control section 51, a storage section 52, a display section 53, and an input section 54, as shown in FIG.

The control unit 51 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and controls the operation of the entire multifunction printer 1 . Further, the control unit 51 controls pitch deviation, misregistration, etc. between inkjet printing and gravure printing based on the registration marks RM detected by the detection units 41 and 42 .

The control unit 51 implements each function of the control unit 51 shown in FIG. 3 by reading various operation programs and data stored in the ROM of the control unit 51, the storage unit 52, etc. into the RAM and operating the CPU. Let

The control unit 51 includes a sensor information acquisition unit 511 that acquires detection information of the registration marks RM detected by the detection units 41 and 42, a calculation unit 512 that calculates the amount of pitch deviation and the amount of registration deviation from the acquired sensor information, and a calculation unit 512 that calculates A pitch control unit 513 that adjusts the printing pitch based on the calculated pitch deviation amount, and a registration control unit 514 that adjusts the misregistration based on the calculated misregistration amount.

The storage unit 52 is a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk or flash memory, and calculates the amount of pitch deviation and the amount of misregistration from information such as the time when the registration mark RM is detected by the detection units 41 and 42 and the feeding speed of the web W. Stores the program etc.

The display unit 53 is a display device provided in the control unit 50, such as a liquid crystal monitor. The display unit 53 displays information such as the calculated pitch deviation amount, misregistration amount, and an adjustment value (control amount) based on each deviation amount.

The input unit 54 is an input device for inputting various setting values and the like for the multifunction printer 1 . The input unit 54 is a keyboard, touch panel, mouse, etc. provided in the control unit 50 .

Next, a composite printing method including a print pitch control method in the composite printer 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the operation of the multifunction printer 1 is started, the web W is unwound from the unwinding device 11 and sent to the inkjet printing unit 20 by the infeed roll 12 . Then, a design stored in advance in the storage unit 52 is ink-jet printed onto the web W. As shown in FIG. In general, pattern data to be printed by inkjet printing is created by converting image data of vector data input from various applications or the like into raster data. The inkjet printing unit 23 prints a pattern on the web W by ejecting ink from the print head 231 based on the created raster data.

As a pitch adjustment mark printing step, the inkjet printing unit 23 prints the above pattern and also prints the registration mark RM (step S11). The registration mark RM is an index for detecting print position deviation that occurs in multicolor printing, and is printed by the inkjet printing unit 23 and the gravure printing unit 31 (FIG. 5).

The registration mark RM is a pitch adjustment mark indicating the printing pitch, and as shown in FIG. 5, is printed for each printing pitch, that is, for each pattern. The registration marks RM are printed by the inkjet printing unit 23 and the gravure printing unit 31, respectively. It is to be printed in section 23 .

The registration mark RMi used for detecting the inkjet printing pitch Pi may be a registration mark RMi printed in any color among printing colors of inkjet printing. The registration mark RMi may be printed in color. This makes it possible to measure the inkjet printing pitch Pi that is less affected by tension fluctuations, twists, and the like that accompany transport of the web W.

The web W on which the CMYK four-color pattern is printed by the inkjet printing unit 23 is conveyed to the inkjet printing/drying unit 25 by the suction rolls 24 . The web W whose surface ink has dried in the inkjet printing drying section 25 is sent from the inkjet printing unit 20 to the gravure printing unit 30 .

Subsequently, as a pitch deviation amount calculation step, the sensor information acquisition unit 511 of the control unit 51 controls the detection unit 41 arranged between the inkjet printing unit 20 and the gravure printing unit 30 to print on the web W. The registered registration mark RMi is detected (step S12). The calculation unit 512 calculates the inkjet printing pitch Pi based on the timing at which the registration mark RMi is detected and the feed speed of the web W (step S13). As the feed speed of the web W, a speed set in advance as the feed speed of the multifunction printer 1 may be used, or a measured value may be used. The measured value is, for example, a value measured based on the measured value of an encoder installed on the infeed roll 12 that conveys the web W to the inkjet printing unit 23 .

Further, the calculation unit 512 calculates the pitch of the gravure-printed pattern (hereinafter referred to as the gravure printing pitch Pg) based on the plate cylinder diameter of the gravure printing unit 31 that is input in advance and stored in the storage unit 52 . (step S14). The gravure printing pitch Pg is calculated based on the circumferential length calculated from the diameter of the plate cylinder 311, the material of the web W, the tension applied to the web W, and the like. Since the gravure printing pitch Pg needs to be calculated once when the operation of the multifunction printer 1 is started, the calculated value of the gravure printing pitch Pg stored in the storage unit 52 can be used thereafter. Further, the gravure printing pitch Pg may be read from a table stored in advance in the storage unit 52 as a value corresponding to the set plate cylinder diameter, the material of the web W, the tension applied to the web W, and the like.

Further, the calculation unit 512 calculates the difference between the inkjet printing pitch Pi calculated in step S13 and the gravure printing pitch Pg calculated in step S14 as the pitch deviation amount (step S15).

Subsequently, as a pitch control step, the pitch control unit 513 of the control unit 51 controls the inkjet printing pitch Pi based on the calculated pitch deviation amount (step S16). Specifically, the inkjet printing pitch Pi is controlled by adjusting the feed direction length of the pattern printed by the inkjet printing unit 20 .

The control unit 51 measures the feed speed of the web W based on the measured value obtained from the measurement unit 121 (not shown), which is the encoder of the infeed roll 12 that conveys the web W to the inkjet printing unit 20 . Then, the pitch control unit 513 multiplies the number of pulses from the measurement unit 121 indicating the feeding speed of the web W by a predetermined coefficient to adjust the ink ejection timing. A predetermined coefficient is set based on the amount of pitch deviation. As a result, the length of the design printed on the web W in the feeding direction can be adjusted by adjusting the relationship between the feeding speed of the web W and the ink ejection timing.

As described above, the adjustment of the printing pitch according to the present embodiment is performed by adjusting the inkjet printing pitch Pi based on the gravure printing pitch Pg. Therefore, the printing pitch of the inkjet printing unit 23 can be adjusted based on the printing pitch of the gravure printing unit 31 that can print at a more stable pitch, so the printing pitch can be easily controlled with high accuracy.

The inkjet printed web W is transported from the inkjet printing unit 20 to the gravure printing unit 30 by the intermediate feed rolls 13 . The gravure printing unit 31 prints a pattern on the web W by gravure printing. The gravure printing unit 31 prints a white pattern. Further, the gravure printing unit 31 prints the registration mark RMg along with the pattern (step S17).

A detection unit 42 arranged downstream of the gravure printing unit 31 detects the inkjet-printed registration marks RMi and the gravure-printed registration marks RMg from the web W after gravure printing. Thereby, the calculation unit 512 calculates the misregistration amount between the inkjet printing and the gravure printing (step S18).

A known method can be used to calculate the amount of misregistration. For example, the registration mark RMi printed by the inkjet printing unit 23 and the registration mark RMg printed by the gravure printing unit 31 are set to be printed at a predetermined interval (for example, 20 mm). Two sensors provided in the detection unit 42, which is a scanning head, are arranged at the same interval as the interval between the registration marks RMi and RMg. Then, the amount of misregistration can be calculated based on the difference in the timing of detection of the registration marks RMi and RMg by the sensors of the detection unit 42 and the feeding speed of the web W. FIG.

The register control unit 514 performs register control based on the calculated misregister amount (step S19). Register control is performed by adjusting the phase angle of a plate cylinder motor that rotationally drives the plate cylinder 311 of the gravure printing unit 31, for example. More specifically, the intermediate feed motor that drives the intermediate feed roll 13 and the plate cylinder motor that drives the plate cylinder 311 are synchronously controlled to rotate. Then, when it is detected that misregistration has occurred from the calculated misregistration amount, the registration control section 514 shifts the phase angle of the plate cylinder motor so as to correspond to the misregistration amount. As a result, while suppressing the influence of the tension of the web W of the inkjet printing unit 23, the feeding direction position of the pattern to be gravure-printed can be adjusted, and the registration between the inkjet printing and the gravure printing can be performed.

The web W is conveyed to the gravure printing drying section 32 after passing through the detecting section 42 . The ink transferred to the web W by gravure printing is dried by passing through the gravure printing drying section 32 . The dried web W is sent to the winding device 15 by the outfeed roll 14 and wound up by the winding device 15 .

The above-described printing pitch control and registration control are performed for each pattern printing pitch, and are continued until printing is completed.

As described above in detail, according to the multifunction printer 1 according to the present embodiment, in the multifunction printer 1 in which the inkjet printing unit 20 and the gravure printing unit 30 are combined, the printing pitch of gravure printing is used as a reference. , the length of the pattern printed by the inkjet printing unit 20 in the feed direction is adjusted. Specifically, the feeding speed of the web W is multiplied by a predetermined coefficient to control the ink ejection timing, thereby adjusting the length of the pattern in the feeding direction. Therefore, pitch control can be performed more efficiently than in the case of controlling the length of the pattern in the feeding direction using a mechanical tension adjusting device. In addition, since the pitch adjustment is performed based on the printing pitch of gravure printing, in which the printing pitch is more stable, it is possible to perform pitch control with high accuracy.

Further, for example, when the inkjet printing pitch Pi is adjusted using a dancer roll, an intermediate feed roll 13, or the like installed between the inkjet printing unit 20 and the gravure printing unit 30, the influence of tension fluctuation is Not only this, but also the gravure printing section 31 is affected, and the gravure printing pitch Pg fluctuates. Therefore, further tension adjustment is required, and it takes time to converge the pitch control. On the other hand, in the pitch control by pattern adjustment according to the present embodiment, since the gravure printing pitch Pg does not fluctuate, the convergence of the pitch control can be improved.

Further, by independently performing register control and print pitch control, it is possible to accurately perform register control and print pitch control for inkjet printing and gravure printing.

In the present embodiment, the registration mark RMi printed in a predetermined color by the inkjet printing unit 23 is used as the pitch adjustment mark, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, using the registration mark RMi printed on the web W for each print head 231 of each color of the inkjet printing unit 23, the feed direction length of the pattern is controlled by setting a coefficient by which the feed speed is multiplied for each color to be printed. It is also possible to As a result, it is possible to independently perform pitch matching for each color of gravure printing as well as pitch matching between inkjet printing and gravure printing, so that higher quality printing can be performed.

In the present embodiment, scanning heads are used as the detection units 41 and 42 for detecting the registration marks RM, but the present invention is not limited to this, and cameras may be used. Specifically, the multifunction printer 1 includes a camera that replaces the scanning head. The image analysis section of the control unit 50 analyzes the image of the registration mark RMi photographed by the camera, which is the detection section 41, and performs inkjet printing based on the detection time of the registration mark RMi, the feeding speed of the web W, and the like. Calculate the pitch Pi. Further, the control unit 51 calculates the gravure printing pitch Pg based on the circumferential length of the plate cylinder of the gravure printing unit 31, etc., calculates the pitch deviation amount based on the inkjet printing pitch Pi and the gravure printing pitch Pg, The printing pitch should be controlled. Further, misregistration between inkjet printing and gravure printing may be detected by analyzing the images of the registration marks RMi and RMg photographed by the camera, which is the detection unit 42, by the image analysis unit of the control unit 50. . As a result, misregistration and printing pitch deviation can be detected using a general-purpose camera.

Further, in the present embodiment, register control and print pitch control are performed using the register mark RM, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the inkjet printing unit 23 may print a pitch alignment mark PM different from the registration mark RM, and the control unit 51 may use the pitch alignment mark PM to control the printing pitch. The form of the pitch alignment mark PM is not particularly limited. Also, the pitch alignment mark PM may be a mark printed for the purpose of printing pitch measurement, or may be a mark having another purpose such as a mark indicating the cutting position of the web W.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment described above, the measured feeding speed of the web W is multiplied by a predetermined coefficient to adjust the ink ejection timing. It can also be adjusted to control the print pitch. In the present embodiment, a method for controlling the printing pitch by adjusting pattern data related to inkjet printing will be described.

In this embodiment, the method of adjusting the length of the pattern in the feeding direction is different from that in the first embodiment. Therefore, they are denoted by the same reference numerals and their detailed description is omitted.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of a control unit 50' according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6 , the control section 51 ′ of the control unit 50 ′ includes a picture data adjusting section 515 and adjusts the data of the picture printed by the inkjet printing section 23 .

A composite printing method including a printing pitch control method in the composite printing machine 1' according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As in the first embodiment, the web W unwound from the unwinding device 11 is conveyed to the inkjet printing unit 20 by the infeed rolls 12 .

Subsequently, as a pitch adjustment mark printing step, the inkjet printing unit 23 of the inkjet printing unit 20 prints four CMYK-color patterns on the web W and registration marks RMi, which are pitch adjustment marks (step S21). Then, the web W is conveyed to the inkjet printing/drying section 25 by the suction rolls 24 , dried in the inkjet printing/drying section 25 , and sent to the gravure printing unit 30 .

Subsequently, as a pitch deviation amount calculation step, the sensor information acquisition unit 511 of the control unit 51′ controls the detection unit 41 arranged between the inkjet printing unit 20 and the gravure printing unit 30 to print on the web W. The registered registration mark RMi is detected (step S22). The calculation unit 512 calculates the inkjet printing pitch Pi, which is the printing pitch of the inkjet printing unit 23, based on the timing at which the registration marks RMi are detected and the feed speed of the web W (step S23). As the feed speed of the web W, a speed set in advance as the feed speed of the multifunction printer 1' may be used, or a measured value may be used. The measured value is, for example, a value measured based on the measured value of an encoder installed on the infeed roll 12 that conveys the web W to the inkjet printing unit 23 .

Further, the calculation unit 512 calculates the gravure printing pitch Pg based on the plate cylinder diameter of the gravure printing unit 31 that is input in advance and stored in the storage unit 52 (step S24). The gravure printing pitch Pg is calculated based on the circumferential length calculated from the diameter of the plate cylinder 311, the material of the web W, the tension applied to the web W, and the like. Since the gravure printing pitch Pg needs to be calculated once at the start of the operation of the multifunction printer 1', the calculated value of the gravure printing pitch Pg stored in the storage unit 52 may be used thereafter. Further, the gravure printing pitch Pg may be read from a table stored in advance in the storage unit 52 as a value corresponding to the set plate cylinder diameter, the material of the web W, the tension applied to the web W, and the like.

Further, the calculation unit 512 calculates the difference between the inkjet printing pitch Pi calculated in step S23 and the gravure printing pitch Pg calculated in step S24 as the pitch deviation amount (step S25).

Subsequently, as a pitch control step, the pattern data adjustment unit 515 of the control unit 51′ adjusts the feed direction length of the pattern printed by the inkjet printing unit 20 based on the calculated pitch deviation amount, thereby performing inkjet printing. The pitch Pi is controlled (step S26).

Specifically, the pattern data adjustment unit 515 corrects the data so as to adjust the feeding direction length of the pattern printed by the inkjet printing unit 23 based on the pitch deviation amount calculated in step S25. For example, when the inkjet printing pitch Pi is longer than the gravure printing pitch Pg, the pattern data adjustment unit 515 modifies the raster data of the pattern data of each color stored in advance in the storage unit 52 so as to reduce the raster data in the feeding direction. I do. Further, when the inkjet printing pitch Pi is shorter than the gravure printing pitch Pg, the pattern data adjustment unit 515 corrects the raster data of the pattern data of each color stored in advance in the storage unit 52 so as to expand in the feed direction. I do. Then, the picture data adjusting section 515 controls the inkjet printing section 23 to print the picture based on the corrected picture data.

As described above, the printing pitch control according to the present embodiment is performed by adjusting the inkjet printing pitch Pi based on the gravure printing pitch Pg. Therefore, the printing pitch of the inkjet printing unit 23 can be adjusted based on the printing pitch of the gravure printing unit 31 that can print at a more stable pitch, so the printing pitch can be easily controlled with high accuracy.

The inkjet printed web W is transported from the inkjet printing unit 20 to the gravure printing unit 30 by the intermediate feed rolls 13 . Then, as in the first embodiment, registration control between inkjet printing and gravure printing is performed based on the inkjet-printed registration mark RMi and the gravure-printed registration mark RMg (step S27).

The web W that has undergone inkjet printing and gravure printing is sent to a winding device 15 by an outfeed roll 14 and wound up by the winding device 15 . The above-described printing pitch control and register control are performed for each pattern printing pitch, and are continued until printing is completed.

As described above, the multifunction printing machine 1' according to the present embodiment adjusts the inkjet printing pitch Pi by correcting the data of the pattern printed by the inkjet printing unit 23 based on the pitch deviation amount. do. As a result, in inkjet printing, it is possible to adjust the feeding direction length of the pattern while maintaining the appropriate ink ejection timing with respect to the web W feeding speed. Therefore, it is possible to print a finer pattern than in the case where the ink ejection timing is controlled based on the measurement value of the encoder.

Further, by independently performing register control and print pitch control, it is possible to accurately perform register control and print pitch control for inkjet printing and gravure printing.

In the present embodiment, the controller 51' corrects the rasterized data used for inkjet printing based on the amount of pitch deviation, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 51' adjusts the feed direction length of the pre-rasterized image data input to the multifunction printer 1' based on the calculated pitch deviation amount, and converts the adjusted image data into raster data. It may be converted and printed by the inkjet printing unit 23 . As a result, it is possible to adjust the feed direction length of the pattern using the original image data and perform print pitch control. It is possible to print with higher definition and higher quality.

In the present embodiment, the registration marks RMi for pitch adjustment are printed in a predetermined color of the inkjet printing unit 23, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, using the registration mark RMi printed on the web W for each color print head 231 of the inkjet printing unit 23, the pattern data is adjusted for each color to be printed to control the feed direction length of the pattern. may be As a result, it is possible to independently perform pitch matching for each color of gravure printing as well as pitch matching between inkjet printing and gravure printing, so that higher quality printing can be performed.

(Modification)
In Embodiments 1 and 2 above, the printing pitch control and registration control in the multifunction printers 1 and 1' during printing have been mainly described. Pitch control and registration control can also be performed. The method of initial registration according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

First, as an initial setting, the web W is set in the unwinding device 11, and various setting data, printing data for inkjet printing, etc. are input from the input unit 54 (step S31). Subsequently, the multifunction printer 1 is operated, and as an inkjet registration mark printing step, the pattern and registration marks RMi are printed on the web W by the inkjet printing unit 20 in the same manner as in the first embodiment (step S32). In addition, as a gravure register mark printing step, the gravure printing unit 30 prints a pattern and a register mark RMg on the web W (step S33).

As a pitch deviation calculation step, the control unit 50 detects the registration mark RMi with the detection unit 41 and calculates the inkjet printing pitch Pi, as in the first embodiment (step S34). Further, the control unit 50 calculates the gravure printing pitch Pg based on the plate cylinder diameter of the gravure printing section 31 that is input in advance and stored in the storage section 52 (step S35). Further, the control unit 50 calculates the pitch deviation amount, which is the difference between the inkjet printing pitch Pi and the gravure printing pitch Pg (step S36).

Further, as a misregistration amount calculation step, the control unit 50 detects the registration marks RMi printed in the inkjet registration mark printing step and the registration marks RMg printed in the gravure registration mark printing step with the detection unit 42. , the amount of misregistration between inkjet printing and gravure printing is calculated (step S37).

As an initial registration step, the control unit 50 adjusts the feed direction length of the pattern printed by the inkjet printing unit 20 based on the calculated pitch deviation amount, as in the first or second embodiment. Thus, the inkjet printing pitch Pi is controlled (step S38). In addition, the control unit 50 controls the print position of the pattern printed by the inkjet printing unit 20, that is, the print timing, based on the calculated amount of misregistration, and performs registration at the start of printing (step S39).

As described above, according to the present modification, in the composite printing machine 1 that combines the inkjet printing unit 20 and the gravure printing unit 30, printing is performed by the inkjet printing unit 20 based on the printing pitch of gravure printing. The print pitch control at the start of printing is performed by adjusting the feed direction length of the pattern. Also, register control at the start of printing is performed by adjusting the printing position of the pattern of the inkjet printing unit 20 with reference to the register mark RMg for gravure printing. Therefore, initial registration, which requires complicated adjustments, can be performed by adjusting the inkjet printing unit 20, so that initial registration can be performed easily and accurately.

(Embodiment 3)
In Embodiments 1 and 2 described above, the printing pitch is controlled by adjusting the length of the pattern in the feeding direction in the inkjet printing unit 23, but the printing pitch can also be controlled by other methods. can. In this embodiment, a method of controlling the printing pitch by adjusting the tension related to inkjet printing will be described.

This embodiment differs from the multifunction printer 1 of the first embodiment in that the control unit 51'' of the multifunction printer 2 includes a tension control unit 516, and the rest of the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment. , are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of the control unit 50'' of the multifunction printer 2. As shown in FIG. The control portion 51 ″ of the control unit 50 ″ comprises a tension control portion 516 . The tension controller 516 adjusts the tension of the web W printed by the inkjet printing unit 20 by controlling the rotation speeds of the infeed roll 12 and the suction roll 24, thereby adjusting the inkjet printing pitch Pi.

A composite printing method including a printing pitch control method in the composite printing machine 2 according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 10 . As in Embodiment 1, the web W unwound from the unwinding device 11 is conveyed to the inkjet printing section 23 by the infeed roll 12 . Then, as a pitch adjustment mark printing step, the inkjet printing unit 23 prints four CMYK color patterns and registration marks RM on the web W (step S41). Then, the web W is conveyed to the inkjet printing/drying section 25 by the suction rolls 24 , dried in the inkjet printing/drying section 25 , and sent to the gravure printing unit 30 .

Subsequently, as a pitch deviation amount calculation step, the sensor information acquisition unit 511 of the control unit 51 ″ controls the detection unit 41 arranged between the inkjet printing unit 20 and the gravure printing unit 30 to print on the web W. The registered pitch adjustment mark RMi is detected (step S42). The calculation unit 512 calculates the inkjet printing pitch Pi, which is the printing pitch of the inkjet printing unit 23, based on the timing at which the registration marks RMi for pitch adjustment are detected and the feeding speed of the web W (step S43). As the feed speed of the web W, a speed set in advance as the feed speed of the multifunction printer 2 may be used, or a measured value may be used. The measured value is, for example, a value measured based on the measured value of an encoder installed on the infeed roll 12 that conveys the web W to the inkjet printing unit 23 .

Further, the calculation unit 512 calculates the gravure printing pitch Pg based on the plate cylinder diameter of the gravure printing unit 31 that is input in advance and stored in the storage unit 52 (step S44). The gravure printing pitch Pg is calculated based on the circumferential length calculated from the diameter of the plate cylinder 311, the material of the web W, the tension applied to the web W, and the like. Since the gravure printing pitch Pg needs to be calculated once when the operation of the multifunction printer 2 is started, the value of the gravure printing pitch Pg calculated and stored in the storage unit 52 may be used thereafter. Further, the gravure printing pitch Pg may be read from a table stored in advance in the storage unit 52 as a value corresponding to the set plate cylinder diameter, the material of the web W, the tension applied to the web W, and the like.

Further, the calculation unit 512 calculates the difference between the inkjet printing pitch Pi calculated in step S43 and the gravure printing pitch Pg calculated in step S44 as the pitch deviation amount (step S45).

Subsequently, as a pitch control step, the tension control unit 516 of the control unit 51'' controls the inkjet printing pitch Pi based on the calculated pitch deviation amount (step S46). Specifically, the tension control unit 516 reads the tension corresponding to the calculated pitch deviation amount from the correspondence table stored in advance in the storage unit 52, to control the rotational speed of at least one of As a result, the tension applied to the web W of the gravure printing unit 31 is controlled to adjust the length of the pattern to be printed in the feeding direction, thereby controlling the printing pitch.

As described above, the printing pitch control according to the present embodiment is performed by adjusting the inkjet printing pitch Pi based on the gravure printing pitch Pg. Therefore, the printing pitch of the inkjet printing unit 23 can be adjusted based on the printing pitch of the gravure printing unit 31 that can print at a more stable pitch, so the printing pitch can be efficiently and accurately controlled. .

The inkjet printed web W is conveyed from the inkjet printing unit 20 to the gravure printing unit 30 by the intermediate feed rolls 13 . Then, as in the first embodiment, registration control between inkjet printing and gravure printing is performed based on the inkjet-printed registration mark RMi and the gravure-printed registration mark RMg (step S47).

The web W that has undergone inkjet printing and gravure printing is sent to a winding device 15 by an outfeed roll 14 and wound up by the winding device 15 . The above-described printing pitch control and register control are performed for each pattern printing pitch, and are continued until printing is completed.

As described above, the multifunction printer 2 according to the present embodiment controls the tension of the web W for gravure printing based on the amount of pitch deviation calculated by the control unit 51''. Adjust the print pitch Pi. As a result, it is possible to reduce the calculation load associated with the adjustment of the print pattern, and perform print pitch control with a simple control and good response. In addition, since the tension is controlled by adjusting the rotational speeds of the infeed roll 12 and the suction roll 24, an intermediate feed is arranged between the inkjet printing unit 20 and the gravure printing unit 30 to convey the web W to the gravure printing unit 30. Compared to the case where the tension control is performed using the roll 13, the dancer roll, etc., the gravure printing section 31 is not affected by the tension control, so the tension control can be performed with good convergence and stability.

Further, by independently performing register control and print pitch control, it is possible to accurately perform register control and print pitch control for inkjet printing and gravure printing.

Reference Signs List 1, 1', 2 composite printing machine, 11 unwinding device, 12 infeed roll, 121 measuring section, 13 intermediate feed roll, 14 outfeed roll, 15 winding device, 20 inkjet printing unit, 21 precoat section, 22 precoat Drying Section 23 Inkjet Printing Section 231 Print Head 24 Suction Roll 25 Inkjet Printing Drying Section 30 Gravure Printing Unit 31 Gravure Printing Section 311 Plate Cylinder 312 Furnisher Roll 313 Impression Cylinder 314 Ink Pan 315 Doctor blade, 32 gravure printing drying section, 41, 42 detection section, 50, 50', 50'' control unit, 51, 51', 51'' control section, 511 sensor information acquisition section, 512 calculation section, 513 pitch control Section 514 Registration Control Section 515 Picture Data Adjustment Section 516 Tension Control Section 52 Storage Section 53 Display Section 54 Input Section RM Registration Mark W Web

Claims (3)

an inkjet printing unit for printing patterns and pitch adjustment marks printed for each pattern on a web by inkjet printing;
a gravure printing unit that prints a pattern on the web by gravure printing;
a detection unit that detects the pitch adjustment mark;
a tension adjustment unit that adjusts the tension of the web printed by the inkjet printing unit;
A control unit that controls the printing pitch,
The control unit
calculating an inkjet printing pitch, which is the printing pitch of the inkjet printing unit, based on the pitch adjustment mark detected by the detection unit;
The inkjet printing pitch is adjusted by controlling the tension adjustment unit to adjust the tension of the web based on the pitch deviation amount, which is the difference between the gravure printing pitch, which is the printing pitch of the gravure printing unit, and the inkjet printing pitch. to control the
A multifunction printer characterized by: The tension adjustment unit is
at least one of an infeed roll for transporting the web to the inkjet printing unit and a suction roll for transporting the web printed by the inkjet printing unit to a downstream process,
The control unit
adjusting the tension of the web by controlling the rotational speed of at least one of the infeed roll and the suction roll, which are the tension adjusting unit;
The multifunction printer according to claim 1, characterized by: a pitch adjustment mark printing step of printing patterns and pitch adjustment marks printed for each pattern on a web by inkjet printing;
An inkjet printing pitch is calculated by detecting the pitch adjustment mark, and a pitch deviation is a difference between the gravure printing pitch, which is a printing pitch of a gravure printing unit that prints a pattern on the web by gravure printing, and the inkjet printing pitch. A pitch deviation amount calculation step for calculating
a pitch control step of controlling the inkjet printing pitch by adjusting the tension of the web related to the inkjet printing based on the pitch deviation amount;
A composite printing method characterized by: