Coating machine for hydrographics

A coating machine has a receiving box, a releasing device, a length measuring device, a driving roller device and a coating device. The releasing device, the length measuring device, the driving roller device, and the coating device are assembled inside the receiving box. The coating device has a coating pole and a releasing set. The coating pole is arranged below the releasing set. The releasing set has a receptacle to contain an activator. The receptacle has at least one releasing hole to release the activator. The coating machine adopts the coating device with a simplified structure and has a merit of coating the activator evenly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a transfer printing apparatus, and more particularly to a coating machine for hydrographics with a simplified structure that can distribute an activator evenly.

2. Description of Related Art

Hydrographics, also known as water transfer printing, is a technique for wrapping patterns on three-dimensional objects with complex surface structures. To process hydrographics, designed patterns are first printed on a water-soluble film. An activator used to dissolve the water-soluble film and activate the bonding agent of the designed patterns is sprayed or coated on the water-soluble film with designed patterns. Then, the water-soluble film with the designed patterns and the activator is immersed into a water sink, and the water-soluble film is dissolved in the water and the designed patterns float on the water surface. Eventually, the objects are pressed into the sink and the floating designed patterns are wrapped on the objects to finish the process of printing hydrographics.

Traditional hydrographics machine has several nozzles to spray the activator, but has problems of uneven spraying amount, overlapped spraying range, and difficulty in adjustment and maintenance. The manufacturer designed another type of hydrographics machine for water transfer printing. The conventional hydrographics machine has a nozzle device to perform activator spraying. The nozzle device has a motor, a pulley mounted on the motor, a belt mounted around the pulley, and a nozzle assembled on the belt. The motor drives the pulley, and the pulley drives the belt to enable the nozzle to move back and forth to spray the activator. The conventional hydrographics machine with a single nozzle can avoid the aforementioned disadvantages of the traditional hydrographics machine. However, the conventional hydrographics machine still has problems in aspects of structural simplification and activator distribution.

To overcome the shortcomings of the conventional hydrographics machine, the present invention provides a coating machine for hydrographics to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main objective of the present invention is to provide a coating machine for hydrographics with a simplified structure and can distribute an activator evenly.

The coating machine comprises a receiving box, a releasing device, a length measuring device, a driving roller device and a coating device. The releasing device, the length measuring device, the driving roller device, and the coating device are assembled inside the receiving box. The coating device has a coating pole and a releasing set. The coating pole is arranged below the releasing set. The releasing set has a receptacle to contain an activator. The receptacle has at least one releasing hole to release the activator. The coating machine adopts the coating device with a simplified structure and has the merit of coating the activator evenly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference toFIGS. 1, 2, and 3, a coating machine for hydrographics in accordance with the present invention comprises a receiving box10, a releasing device20, a length measuring device30, a driving roller device40, and a coating device50. The releasing device20, the length measuring device30, the driving roller device40, and the coating device50are assembled inside the receiving box10.

With reference toFIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the receiving box10has a box body11and a cover12. The box body11has a front end, a rear end, two opposite sides, and two lateral boards111. The front end and the rear end of the box body11are opposite each other. The two lateral boards111are respectively arranged on the two opposite sides of the box body11. The cover12is pivotally assembled on an upper portion of the box body11. A sink can be arranged adjacent to the rear end of the receiving box10to process water transfer printing.

With reference toFIGS. 2 and 6, the releasing device20is contained inside the box body11and is adjacent to the front end of the box body11. The releasing device20has a releasing shaft21and two clamping blocks22. The releasing shaft21is rotatably assembled inside the box body11and has two opposite ends. The two opposite ends of the releasing shaft21respectively face to the two opposite sides of the box body11. The two clamping blocks22are mounted around the releasing shaft21and are respectively adjacent to the two opposite ends of the releasing shaft21. With further reference toFIG. 6, a coil stock C of water-soluble film is mounted around the releasing shaft21. The two clamping blocks22are utilized to clamp the coil stock C.

With reference toFIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the length measuring device30has a fixing arm31and a meter wheel32. The fixing arm31has two opposite ends. One of the two opposite ends of the fixing arm31is connected to the cover12of the receiving box10. The meter wheel32is assembled at the other end of the fixing arm31.

With reference toFIGS. 2, 3, and 6, the driving roller device40is contained inside the box body11and is behind the releasing device20. The driving roller device40has a driving set41, at least one roller42, a transmission set43, and a guiding roller44. The driving set41has an assembling frame411, a gear reducer412, and a motor413. The assembling frame411is mounted on the box body11of the receiving box10. The gear reducer412is assembled on the assembling frame411and has a central shaft. The motor413is assembled on the gear reducer412. The at least one roller42is adjacent to the rear end of the box body11and is rotatably assembled on the two lateral boards111of the box body11. Each one of the at least one roller42has two opposite ends, and the two opposite ends of each one of the at least one roller42respectively face to the two opposite sides of the box body11. The transmission set43has a pulley431and a transmission belt unit. The pulley431is mounted around the central shaft of the gear reducer412. The transmission belt unit is mounted around the pulley431and the at least one roller42. The at least one roller42is driven by the driving set41and the transmission set43. In the first embodiment, the at least one roller42is implemented as two in amount. The two rollers42include a first roller42A and a second roller42B. The second roller42B is adjacent to the rear end of the box body11. The first roller42A is in front of the second roller42B. The transmission belt unit comprises two transmission belts432. One of the two transmission belts432is mounted around the pulley431and the first roller42A. The other transmission belt432is mounted around the first roller42A and the second roller42B. The guiding roller44is in front of the at least one roller42and is rotatably assembled on the two lateral boards111of the box body11.

With reference toFIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the coating device50is contained inside the box body11and is arranged above the driving roller device40. The coating device50has a fixed rack51, a movable rack52, a coating pole53, and a releasing set54. The fixed rack51has a front body511, a rear body512, and at least one guiding unit513. The front body511has two opposite ends, and the two opposite ends of the front body511are respectively connected to the two lateral boards111of the box body11. The rear body512is adjacent to the rear end of the box body11and has two opposite ends. The two opposite ends of the rear body512are respectively connected to the two lateral boards111of the box body11. The at least one guiding unit513is arranged between the front body511and the rear body512. The at least one guiding unit513is connected to the rear body512and extend toward the front end of the box body11to be connected to the front body511. Each one of the at least one guiding unit513is a pole and has an axial section with a circular outline.

With reference toFIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the movable rack52is movably mounted on the at least one guiding unit513. The movable rack52has a rack body521, at least one sliding unit522, and two assembling blocks523. The rack body521has two opposite ends, and the two opposite ends of the rack body521respectively face to the two opposite sides of the box body11. The at least one sliding unit522is connected to the rack body521.The at least one sliding unit522is respectively and movably mounted on the at least one guiding unit513. In the first embodiment, the at least one guiding unit513is implemented as two in amount, and the at least one sliding unit522is implemented as two in amount. The two sliding units522are two sleeves. Each one of the two sliding units522has a round through hole. The two sliding units522are connected to the rack body521and are respectively adjacent to the two opposite ends of the rack body521. The two sliding units522are respectively mounted around the two guiding units513, and then the movable rack52can move along the two guiding units513. The two assembling blocks523are respectively arranged at the two opposite ends of the rack body521.

With reference toFIGS. 2, 4, and 6, the coating pole53is rotatably mounted on the movable rack52and has two opposite ends. The two opposite ends of the coating pole53respectively face to the two opposite sides of the box body11. With reference toFIGS. 4, 5, 6, and 7, the releasing set54is arranged above the coating pole53and is mounted on the movable rack52. The releasing set54has a receptacle541and a guiding assembly542. The receptacle541has a receiving space and at least one releasing hole5411. The at least one releasing hole5411is arranged on the receptacle541and communicates with the receiving space. The at least one releasing hole5411faces the coating pole53. In the first embodiment, the receptacle541has a receiving body5412and two closed boards5413. The receiving body5412is made by aluminum extrusion and has a surrounding wall and two opposite ends. The receiving body5412may be made of any other extruded metal materials or may be made by plastic extrusion. The two opposite ends of the receiving body5412respectively face to the two opposite sides of the box body11. The receiving body5412has a channel54121and two inlets54122. The channel54121is formed inside the receiving body5412and extends to the two opposite ends of the receiving body5412.With reference toFIGS. 5A and 5B, the two inlets54122are defined in the surrounding wall of the receiving body5412and communicate with the channel54121. Each one of the two inlets54122may be connected to a hose H for an activator to flow into the channel54121. The two closed boards5413are respectively connected to the two opposite ends of the receiving body5412and form the receiving space between the two closed boards5413. With reference toFIGS. 5A and 5B, in the first embodiment, the at least one releasing hole5411is implemented as one in amount. The releasing hole5411is elongated and has two opposite ends. The two opposite ends of the releasing holes5411respectively face to the two opposite sides of the box body11. The guiding assembly542has a fastening bracket5421and a guiding sheet5422. The fastening bracket5421is connected to the receiving body5412. The guiding sheet5422is connected to the fastening bracket5421and extends toward the coating pole53.

With reference toFIGS. 6 and 7, the coil stock C is mounted around the releasing shaft21. A film F of the coil stock C is expanded to pass the guiding roller44, the first roller42A, the coating pole53, the second roller42B, and the rear end of the box body11. The meter wheel32of the length measuring device30abuts the film F to measure the used length of the film F. The activator is injected from the two hoses H into the receptacle541, is released from the releasing hole5411, and is distributed on the coating pole53. When the film F passes through the first roller42A and the coating pole53, the activator distributed on the coating pole53is coated on the film F. With reference toFIG. 8, as the film F is wrinkled, the movable rack52moves along the two guiding units513and moves toward the front end of the box body11. Therefore, a space is formed above the driving roller device40. The space allows adjustment and stretching of the wrinkled film F. The coating machine in accordance with the present invention replaces the complicated nozzle device that the conventional hydrographics machine adopts by the coating device50with a simplified structure, and has advantages of easy assembling and cost saving. The coating pole53of the coating device50evenly coats the activator on the film F, thereby further improving the distribution of the activator.

With reference toFIGS. 9A and 9B, in the second embodiment, the at least one releasing hole5411is implemented as multiple in amount. The multiple releasing holes5411are arranged at spaced intervals and are arranged toward the two opposite sides of the box body11.