Patent Description:
A hot foil stamping technology is a technology for pressing a metallic foil or hologram on thin paper, card paper, a composite material, plastic and a corrugated board via heating and pressing. Flat-pressing flat-die-cutting is a process suitable for carrying out die cutting, indentation, embossing, stripping and full stripping on various types of paper, such as thin paper, card paper, corrugated paper, plastic, an in-mold label, a micro corrugated paperboard and most of corrugated paperboards. Operation of a hot foil stamping die cutting machine is similar with that of a flat-pressing flat-die-cutting machine in principle, and functions of some equipment can be interchanged.

When a hot foil stamping mode is subjected to transition into a die-cutting mode, generally, transition can be completed by disassembling an advance shaft for enabling a metal foil to move in the original hot foil stamping mode, then mounting an upper cutting die board, then mounting a stripping assembly and the like. Therefore, mode transition of hot foil stamping die-cutting equipment is time-consuming and strenuous.

From <CIT> a paper tension control and storage device is known, comprising rollers, a sliding mechanism, supporting at least part of the rollers in a manner that the rollers can rotate and a first and a second transmission mechanism connected to the sliding means to enable toe rollers to move between a first and a second position. The sliding mechanism is provided with a first sliding bracket and a second sliding bracket that are connected with the first and second transmission mechanisms.

Therefore, existing hot foil stamping die-cutting equipment needs to be modified so as to improve convenience of mode transition.

In order to improve the convenience of mode transition, the present invention provides a hot foil stamping equipment provided with an advance shaft transition apparatus in a hot foil stamping device, which comprises: at least one advance shaft for feeding foils to a stamping area; advance shaft supporting means, the advance shaft supporting means supporting at least part of at least one advance shaft in a manner that the at least one advance shaft can rotate; and lifting means connected to the advance shaft supporting means to enable the shaft supporting means together with the at least one advance shaft to move between a first position and a second position, wherein at the first position, the at least one advance shaft being in an operation position, and at the second position, the at least one advance shaft being in a non-operation position to give access to an operation area.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the advance shaft supporting means comprise a frame, supporting the at least one advance shaft at its extremities.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the lifting means comprise a handle, driving means and/or transmission means.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the driving means comprise one or more of a motor, a belt, a chain, a cable, hydraulics and pneumatics.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the transmission means comprises a belt, chain, gear, pulley and/or rod.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the driving means comprise a motor, the transmission means comprise a lifting member, the lifting member being connected to the advance shaft supporting means and the motor enabling the lifting member to extend and retract.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the transmission means further include a plurality of pulleys, and the lifting member are arranged around the pulleys.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the transmission means further include a transmission rod driven by the driving means, the transmission rod extending substantially parallel to the at least one advance shaft, one end of the lifting member being engaged with the transmission rod and the other end of the lifting member being engaged with the advance shaft supporting means.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the advance shaft supporting means includes a first bracket for supporting a first end of the at least one advance shaft and a second bracket for supporting a second end of the at least one advance shaft; and the transmission means include first lifting member connecting to the first bracket and second lifting member connected to the second bracket, the first lifting member is respectively connected to a first end of the transmission rod and the first bracket, and the second lifting member is respectively connected to a second end of the transmission rod and the second bracket.

According to another aspect of the present invention, wherein the lifting means further includes an accommodating guide for accommodating an end portion of the lifting member, and the accommodating guide is arranged in a plane perpendicular to the transmission rod.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the motor is mounted outside of the end of the advance shaft.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the lifting means move the advance shafts to the second position from the first position in a direction basically perpendicular to a horizontal plane.

The present invention also provides with a hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment provided with the advance shaft transition apparatus and having a hot foil stamping working mode and a die-cutting working mode, wherein when the hot foil stamping die-cutting equipment is in the hot foil stamping working mode, the advance shafts are positioned at the first position, and when the hot foil stamping die-cutting equipment is in the die-cutting working mode, the advance shafts are positioned at the second position.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the hot foil stamping die-cutting equipment comprises: a feeding station, the feeding station being used for feeding sheets to the hot foil stamping die-cutting equipment; a platen station, the platen station being positioned on the downstream of the feeding station along a sheet conveying direction and used for carrying out pressing-cutting or embossing machining on the sheets; a foil-feeding and stripping station, the foil-feeding and stripping station being positioned on the downstream of the platen station along a sheet conveying path; and a delivery station, the delivery station being positioned on the downstream of the foil-feeding and stripping station and used for enabling the machined sheets to form a sheet stack, wherein the advance shaft transition apparatus is arranged in the foil-feeding and stripping station, and when the hot foil stamping die-cutting equipment is in a die-cutting mode, the advance shaft is moved to the second position, and a stripping apparatus is arranged below the advance shafts.

By adopting the advance shaft transition apparatus according to the present invention, convenience in transition of the hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment between the bronzing and die-cutting modes is obviously improved.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described further in conjunction with particular embodiments and accompanying drawings. More details are illustrated in the following description for sufficient understanding of the present invention, however, the present invention can be implemented in many other manners different from what is described here obviously. A person skilled in the art can make similar promotions and deductions without departing from the essence of the present invention as required and thus the protection scope of the present invention shall not be limited by the disclosure of these particular embodiments, but only by the claims.

<FIG> shows a schematic diagram of hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment <NUM> used in the field of paperboard packaging. The hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment <NUM> consists of a plurality of stations, and has a hot foil stamping working mode and a die-cutting working mode. Generally, along a direction of a main conveying path of sheets in the hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment <NUM>, the hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment <NUM> sequentially includes: a feeding station <NUM>, the feeding station <NUM> being used for feeding sheets, such as paperboards, to the hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment <NUM>; a platen station <NUM>, a plating machine being arranged at the station <NUM> so as to carry out forming machining of pressing-cutting, embossing, stamping and the like; a foil-feeding and stripping station <NUM>, the station <NUM> being used for conveying of a hot-ironed foil material or stripping processing after die-cutting; and a delivery station <NUM>, the station enabling a machined sheet to reform a stack so as to facilitate subsequent machining steps. Moreover, a conveying apparatus <NUM>, which includes such as conveying chain and locking means for clamping sheets provided on the chain, for conveying the sheets between each station is also arranged in the equipment <NUM>.

For the hot foil stamping working mode and the die-cutting working mode of the hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment <NUM>, arrangement structures in the foil-feeding and stripping station <NUM> need to be subjected to transition.

When the hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment <NUM> is adopted to carry out bronzing processing, there is at least one advance shaft <NUM> arranged in the station <NUM>, and the advance shaft <NUM> is arranged at a position close to a lower base <NUM> of the equipment, as shown in <FIG>, so as to guide the foil material to move forwards to carry out bronzing processing. The foil material is fed to the platen station <NUM> by the advance shafts <NUM>, a to-be-machined sheet is also conveyed to the platen station <NUM> from the feeding station <NUM> along the main conveying path, and the foil material and the to-be-machined sheet simultaneously pass through a space between a top platen and a bottom platen which form a die-cutting machine so as to execute proper hot foil stamping processing.

When the hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment <NUM> is adopted to carry out die-cutting machining, the advance shafts <NUM> in the station <NUM> is moved to a position below, which is close to a top equipment frame <NUM> of the equipment, as shown in <FIG>, a stripping apparatus is mounted in the station <NUM>, and meanwhile, the platens of the platen station <NUM> are replaced with machining tools for die-cutting, so that the sheet fed to the station <NUM> from the feeding station <NUM> is subjected to die-cutting machining on the platen station <NUM>, then the sheet subjected to die-cutting machining is conveyed to the stripping station <NUM> by the conveying apparatus <NUM>, and on the stripping station <NUM>, the equipment <NUM> carries out stripping processing on the sheet.

According to the present invention, the hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment <NUM> is particularly provided with an advance shaft transition apparatus <NUM> on the foil-feeding and stripping station <NUM>, which is used for carrying out transfer transition on an arrangement position of the advance shaft <NUM> in the equipment machining mode switching process.

As shown in <FIG>, the advance shaft transition apparatus <NUM> mainly includes a plurality of advance shafts <NUM> for feeding a hot-stamping material, such as a metal foil, to a stamping area in the hot stamping device, an advance shaft supporting means <NUM> for supporting the advance shaft <NUM> and a lifting means for moving the advance shaft <NUM>.

<FIG> shows three advance shafts <NUM>, but more or fewer advance shafts <NUM> may also be arranged according to actual demands. Those advance shafts <NUM> are arranged basically in parallel with each other along a horizontal direction, and can rotate to propel the foil material for hot stamping towards the stamping area in the platen station <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the advance shaft supporting means <NUM> is configured in a frame structure, and it preferably includes two brackets for respectively supporting the opposite ends of each advance shaft <NUM>, and both ends of the advance shaft <NUM> are respectively rotatably supported by two brackets of the advance shaft supporting means <NUM>. A driving apparatus for the advance shaft <NUM> may also be fixed on one side of the advance shaft supporting means <NUM> so as to carry out rotary driving on the advance shaft <NUM>.

The lifting means of the advance shaft transition apparatus <NUM> includes a driving means <NUM> and a transmission means. The driving means <NUM> is configured to produce a driving force, and the transmission means is configured to transmit the driving force to the advance shaft supporting means <NUM>. Specifically, the transmission means is connected between the driving means <NUM> and the advance shaft supporting frame <NUM>. The driving means <NUM> drives the transmission means to enable the advance shaft supporting means <NUM> together with the advance shafts thereon to move between a first position and a second position. As shown in <FIG>, in the first position, the advance shaft <NUM> is located in an operation position, that is, when the supporting means <NUM> moves into the first position, the hot stamping and die cutting device is in the hot stamping mode, wherein the advance shafts <NUM> are operably rotated to feed the hot-stamping material, such as a metallic foil, towards the a stamping area. As shown in <FIG>, when the supporting means <NUM> moves into the second position, the supporting means <NUM> brings the advance shaft <NUM> into a non-operation position to give access to an operation area. The second position is a position to which the advance shaft <NUM> is lifted to from the first position when the device is in the die-cutting mode, and in the second position, the supporting means <NUM> and the advance shafts <NUM> thereon are moved close to a top equipment frame <NUM> of the device.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the driving means <NUM> in the lifting means adopts a motor. The motor <NUM> is preferably and fixedly mounted on the top equipment frame <NUM> of the hot stamping device, and mounted outside of the end portion of the advance shaft <NUM>. The end portion of a driving shaft of the motor <NUM> may be directly mounted to a transmission rod <NUM>. Alternatively, as shown in <FIG>, the end portion of the driving shaft of the motor <NUM> is connected to the end portion of the transmission rod <NUM> by a transmission chain <NUM>. In order to the rotary motion of the motor <NUM> to be transferred to the transmission rod <NUM> at a proper transmission ratio, the transmission chain <NUM> can surround a driving wheel positioned at the end of the driving shaft of the motor and a driven wheel positioned at the end portion of the transmission rod <NUM>, and two wheels are arranged at a proper transmission ratio.

It shall be noted that the driving means <NUM> for producing a driving force is not limited to the embodiment, it may be configured by other actuating means, for example, the driving means comprise one or more of a motor, a belt, a chain, a cable, hydraulics and pneumatics.

In the present embodiment and as shown in <FIG>, the transmission means includes the transmission rod <NUM>, two sets of lifting members <NUM> symmetrically arranged at both ends of the transmission rod <NUM> and a plurality of pulleys <NUM>. The pulleys <NUM> can also be mounted on the top equipment frame <NUM>. The lifting members <NUM> are preferably configured as lifting belts <NUM>, one ends of two sets of lifting belts <NUM> surround the ends of the transmission rod <NUM> and are engaged with the ends of the transmission rod <NUM>, then the lifting belts bypass the pulleys <NUM>, and the other ends of the lifting belts <NUM> are fixedly connected to the advance shaft supporting frame <NUM>. Thus, when the motor <NUM> rotates the the transmission rod <NUM> in a first direction, the lifting belts <NUM> around the end of the transmission rod <NUM> and the pulleys <NUM> can lift up the shaft supporting means <NUM>, and correspondingly lift up the advance shafts <NUM>. If the motor <NUM> rotates the transmission rod <NUM> in a second reverse direction, and the lifting belts <NUM> can enable the shaft supporting means <NUM> to be descended, and accordingly descend the advance shafts <NUM>.

In the embodiment, the rotary motion of the driving means <NUM> in the transmission mean is subjected to transition into the perpendicular motion perpendicular to the direction of the horizontal plane so as to perpendicularly lift the advance shafts <NUM> to the second position from the first position, and such a moving path is convenient.

The advance shaft transition apparatus <NUM> of the present invention is further particularly provided with accommodating mechanisms for accommodating the ends of the lifting belts <NUM>.

According to a preferred embodiment in <FIG>, in the embodiment, the accommodating mechanism is configured into a form of an accommodating guide <NUM>, and a guide slot is formed in the accommodating guide <NUM>.

Preferably, the accommodating guides <NUM> are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the transmission rod <NUM>, and are used for synchronously accommodating the ends of the lifting belts <NUM> at both sides. The guide slots in the accommodating guides <NUM> can accommodate the end portions of the lifting belts <NUM> extending out of the ends of the transmission rod <NUM> when the advance shaft <NUM> is lifted up. The accommodating rods <NUM> are preferably arranged at the ends of the transmission rod <NUM> and are perpendicular to a plane of the axis of the transmission rod <NUM>. A length of the accommodating guide <NUM> corresponds to a distance between the first position and the second position.

In the embodiment, the accommodating guide <NUM> is arranged separately, but the accommodating guide <NUM> may also be integrated into the top equipment frame <NUM> to become one portion of the top equipment frame <NUM>.

The transmission means for transmitting the driving force from the driving means to the shaft supporting means can be configured as other form, such as the transmission means may comprises a belt, chain, gear, pulley and/or rod.

Moreover, the lifting means may be also provided with a limiting switch for limiting a lifting and descending position of the advance shaft <NUM>, and when the lifting means is lifted up or descended to a preset position, the limiting switch is actuated, so that the lifting means stops moving.

The lifting means according to the present invention can conveniently move an advance shaft assembly including the advance shafting <NUM> and the supporting frame <NUM> between the mode transition process of the hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment <NUM>, and an operator does not need to manually carry out transition of the arrangement of the advance shaft assembly.

The hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment <NUM> is provided with the top equipment frame and a lower base on the foil-feeding and stripping station <NUM> of the hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment <NUM>, the lifting means of the advance shaft transition apparatus <NUM> is generally fixed on the top equipment frame of the equipment, and the advance shaft of the advance shaft transition apparatus and the supporting frame <NUM> for supporting the advance shaft are movably arranged in a space between the top equipment frame and the lower base. Assuming that the hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment <NUM> is originally in a hot foil stamping operation mode, at the moment, the advance shaft is moved to the first position close to the lower base by the lifting means, and moreover, the stamping material, such as the foil film, bypasses the advance shaft <NUM> to be fed to the station <NUM>; when the operator inputs an instruction, the driving means <NUM> in the advance shaft transition apparatus <NUM> rotates to actuate, the shaft supporting means is actuated by the lifting belts <NUM> to be lifted up to leave the first position and stops until reaching the second position close to the top equipment frame, and the advance shafts are in the non-operation position, then an operator mounts a stripping apparatus which needs to be used in the die-cutting operation in the lower base of the equipment <NUM>, and at the moment, the equipment <NUM> is subjected to transition into a die-cutting operation mode.

By adopting the advance shaft transition apparatus according to the present invention, convenience in transition of the hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment <NUM> between the bronzing and die-cutting modes is obviously improved.

According to the solution of the present invention, the existing hot foil stamping and die-cutting equipment <NUM> can be improved, and the lifting means of the advance shaft transition apparatus <NUM> sufficiently utilizes the space of the top equipment frame and can be easily combined into existing sheet equipment.

Claim 1:
Hot foil stamping equipment provided with an advance shaft transition apparatus (<NUM>) comprising:
at least one advance shaft (<NUM>) for feeding foils to a stamping area;
advance shaft supporting means (<NUM>), the advance shaft supporting means supporting at least part of at least one advance shaft in a manner that the at least one advance shaft can rotate;
characterized in, that
lifting means connected to the advance shaft supporting means enable the at least one advance shaft to move between a first position and a second position, wherein
at the first position, the at least one advance shaft (<NUM>) being in an operation position, and
at the second position, the at least one advance shaft (<NUM>) being in a non-operation position to give access to an operation area,
the hot foil stamping equipment having a hot foil stamping working mode and a die-cutting working mode,
wherein when the hot foil stamping die-cutting equipment is in the hot foil stamping working mode, the advance shafts are positioned at the first position, and when the hot foil stamping die-cutting equipment is in the die-cutting working mode, the advance shafts are positioned at the second position.