The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printer and a cable tie for use with the thermal transfer printer.
Characteristics and advantages of the invention shall appear upon reading the detailed description and the appended drawings, in which:
A thermal transfer printer with a pressing roll and a thermal printing head is presented. The thermal printing head, in particular extending strip-shaped in a printing gap direction, may have a plurality of separately controllable heating elements, in particular computerized controllable heating elements, to transfer a printed image to an object to be imprinted. The pressing roll, which in particular is arranged opposite the thermal printing head, in particular under joint formation of the (printing) gap, is provided to act upon objects to be imprinted with a designated contact force, in particular to transport the same. Preferably, the thermal transfer printer comprises a drive mechanism for the pressing roll, for example in the form of an electric motor.
The thermal transfer printer is further configured to pass the pre-aligned cable ties through the gap or printing gap formed between the pressing roll and the thermal printing head. In the preferred pre-alignment, the cable ties passing through the gap extend with their longitudinal extension direction in the longitudinal extension direction of the gap, i.e. the width direction of the cable ties corresponds to the feed-through direction through the gap. In this case, it is particularly desirable that the cable ties are received in the gap substantially over their entire length.
The thermal transfer printer may further comprise positioning means for positioning the cable ties with the intended pre-alignment at the gap or also conveying them to the gap. For example, the pressing roll may have carrier or engaging elements for this purpose. It is generally preferred, in particular with regard to a non-complex pre-alignment, to provide the cable ties to be imprinted belt-linked for use with the thermal transfer printer.
According to the invention it is envisioned to imprint a labeling section of a respective cable tie by means of the thermal transfer printer, for which a transfer film also passing through the gap is provided. The transfer film is a film coated with temperature-sensitive ink, which herein is passed between the thermal printing head and the cable ties through the gap—preferably as web. When a heating element of the thermal printing head is controlled and its head heated, the ink layer in the film is softened and can be transferred to the imprinting object (the cable tie), which is urged against the film by the pressing roll. An exact color imprint and a precise print quality can be achieved. A labeling section of a respective cable tie may be provided as labeling section, for example as tab, flag or as plate-shaped section.
In particular, in order to be able to guide the cable ties unhindered, but always reliably aligned and supported by the gap, in particular completely, thus allowing an optimum printing result, the gap in the presented thermal transfer printer further comprises a partial cross-sectional expansion for passage of a respective cable tie head in the feed-through direction through the gap. In this case, the partial cross-sectional expansion is formed in particular—viewed in the longitudinal extension direction of the gap—next to or outside that area which is overlapped by the transfer film in the gap. The thermal transfer printer according to the invention is thus advantageously able to imprint cable ties directly and precisely, so that affixing of imprinted labels onto the cable ties is no longer necessary.
Preferably, the partial cross-sectional expansion of the gap is formed by at least one recess on the thermal printing head, extending (in forming the gap) in longitudinal extension direction of the gap in particular strip-shaped, for example in a sheet thereof, alternatively, for example, by means of at least one recess on the pressing roll. Configurations are also conceivable in which both the thermal printing head and the pressing roll have a partial cross-sectional expansion for the passage of respective cable tie heads. In this case, a thermal transfer printer may be provided, in which respective cable tie heads may be aligned, as they pass through the gap, protruding in the direction of the pressing roll or protruding in the direction of the thermal printing head.
Simple embodiments of the thermal transfer printer provide that the partial cross-sectional expansion is formed by a groove at the pressing roll or by a groove in the thermal printing head. In this case, the groove at the pressing roll may be a groove in the circumferential direction of the same, i.e. a circumferential groove or annular groove, a groove in the thermal printing head, for example, a groove in the transverse direction of the gap or in the feed-through direction of the cable ties.
Preferred embodiments of the thermal transfer printer further provide that the thermal transfer printer at opposite end sections of the pressing roll or of the thermal printing head each have a recess to form a partial cross-sectional expansion for the passage of a cable tie head. In this case, the cable ties passing through the gap may be aligned such that the head of one cable tie points in the direction of a first longitudinal gap end and the head of a subsequently passing cable tie points in the direction of a second longitudinal gap end (i.e. the cable ties passing through the gap are offset by 180° to each other), so that the pre-alignment of the cable ties with regard to the space requirements, in particular belt-linked, can be carried out efficiently.
Further presented is a cable tie for use with a thermal transfer printer as discussed above, wherein the cable tie has a binding section and a labeling section wherein the binding section and the labeling section have the same thickness. With this embodiment of the cable tie, a maximized contact surface and optimum support when imprinted in the gap is achievable, thus allowing good print quality. In general, it may further be provided that the head of the cable tie is formed on the labeling section opposite the binding section, in particular forming a hinge joint.
With the cable ties which, as already noted, are preferably provided in belt-linked form, the belts preferably also have a height which corresponds to that of the binding section and the labeling section. As a result, the gap outside the partially expanded cross-section can be provided advantageously and structurally uncomplicated with a continuously uniform cross-section.
Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments of the invention, with reference to the figures of the drawings illustrating details essential to the invention, and from the claims. The individual features may be implemented individually for themselves or in a plurality of different combinations in a variant of the invention.
The thermal transfer printer 1 further comprises a thermal printing head 17 which, together with a pressing roll 19 arranged underneath or opposite thereto, forms the gap 9 or printing gap. The gap 9 extends over the entire length of the pressing roll 19, i.e. the pressing roll 19 is overlapped over its entire length by the strip-shaped thermal printing head 17 extending over it to form the gap 9.
As can be seen, the guiding support of the transfer film 7 through the gap 9 is provided, which is deflected after passing through the 9—in the intended feed-through direction (arrows in
In order to guide objects to be imprinted, in the present invention in particular cable ties 21 to be imprinted, toward or through the gap 9, i.e. between the transfer film 7 abutting against the thermal printing head 17 and the pressing roll 19, the pressing roll 19 is driven, for that the thermal transfer printer 1 comprises, for example, an electric drive unit (not shown). The cable ties 21 may further be supplied to the thermal transfer printer 1 by a feed device (not shown), for example by a supply roll or e.g. from a magazine. The feed device may be part of the thermal transfer printer 1 or e.g. be separate from it.
As illustrated in
For the pre-alignment and the transport or passage through the gap 9, the pressing roll 19 comprises carrier elements 25 which are arranged on the edge in the form of e.g. engaging pins or cams. The carrier elements 25 may cooperate with corresponding engaging elements 27, for example recesses, of at least one belt 23a, i.e. to position the belt-linked cable ties 21 pre-aligned in the printing gap. A passage of the belt-linked cable ties 21 through the gap 9 is hereby provided in the longitudinal extension direction of the strand 23, wherein the longitudinal extension direction of the cable ties 21 coincides with the longitudinal extension direction of the gap 9.
As illustrated, for example, in
In the embodiment of the cable tie 21 according to
Particularly as illustrated in
As can be seen, the partial cross-sectional expansion 41 is further positioned such that a belt guide adjacent to the same is possible on longitudinal ends 39a, 39b of the pressing roll 19, and further an abutment of the labeling section 33 and the binding section 31 on the pressing roll 19 and the thermal printing head 17 over substantially the entire longitudinal extension of the cable ties, i.e. in the longitudinally central area of the pressing roll 19 between the partial cross-sectional expansion 41. It should be noted that the pressing roll 19 with the exception of the partial cross-sectional expansions 41 otherwise has substantially the same cross-section or diameter. Further, it should be noted that the transfer film 7 only overlaps the area of the pressing roll 19 between the partial cross-sectional expansion 41, see
In particular, in connection with an embodiment of the cable ties 21 in such a way, see
In contrast to the embodiment described above, with the thermal transfer printer 1 of
It should be noted that in the context of the present invention, other embodiments of a thermal transfer printer 1, although not explicitly shown, are conceivable and advantageous, which have a partial cross-sectional expansion 41 both by means of a recess in the pressing roll 19 and a recess in the thermal printing head 17. With such configurations, imprinting can optionally be achieved on externally and also on internally toothed types of cable ties 21 (the imprinting preferably being such that the labeling on the labeling section 33 is readable after application of the cable tie 21). Preferably, the cable ties 21 in the embodiment of the present invention may be made of plastic.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202015007411.1 | Oct 2015 | DE | national |
This application is a national stage application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of PCT Application Number PCT/EP2016/075461 having an international filing date of Oct. 21, 2016, which designated the United States, said PCT application claiming the benefit of German Utility Model Application No. 20 2015 007 411.1, filed Oct. 23, 2015, the entire disclosure of each of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2016/075461 | 10/21/2016 | WO | 00 |