# US 2024/0201626 A1 · Metal material printing equipment and printing method, and printed metal material obtained therefrom

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- Number: US 2024/0201626 A1
- Document ID: US20240201626A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/577,649
- Filed: 2022-07-12
- Published: 2024-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2021-07-12
- Assignees: Posco
- Applicants: Posco Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Sun-Hong Park; Jin-Tae Kim
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20240201626A1

## CPC

- G03G 15/6591: {characterised by the recording material, e.g. plastic material, OHP, ceramics, tiles, textiles (details transferring the toner pattern onto particular materials G03G15/1625)}
- G03G 15/0435: {by introducing an optical element in the optical path, e.g. a filter}
- G03G 15/0806: {on a donor element, e.g. belt, roller (complete developer unit G03G15/0896)}
- G03G 15/1625: {on a base other than paper}
- G03G 15/2064: {combined with pressure}
- G03G 15/6517: {Apparatus for continuous web copy material of plain paper, e.g. supply rolls; Roll holders therefor}
- G03G 15/6588: {characterised by the copy material, e.g. postcards, large copies, multi-layered materials, coloured sheet material}
- G03G 21/0011: {using a blade; Details of cleaning blades, e.g. blade shape, layer forming}
- G03G 21/0035: {using a brush; Details of cleaning brushes, e.g. fibre density (G03G21/0064 takes precedence; magnetic brushes G03G21/0047)}
- G03G 21/0076: {Plural or sequential cleaning devices}
- G03G 21/12: Toner waste containers
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY

## Abstract

The present invention relates to printing equipment for printing images such as letters, pictures and the like on the surface of metal such as a steel plate, that may stably print images on the surface of metal at high speed, a printing method using the same, and a printed metal material obtained therefrom.

## Claims

### Claim 1

Metal printing equipment comprising:
a photosensitive drum 300 coming in close contact with metal 100 moving continuously, rotating in one direction, and transferring and fixing a toner T attached to a surface thereof to a surface of the metal 100;
a developing unit 500 provided on one side of the photosensitive drum 300 and providing the toner (T) to the surface of the photosensitive drum 300;
a photosensitive drum charging unit 410 charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 300 before the toner (T) is provided;
an exposure unit 200 applying light energy to the surface of the photosensitive drum 300 according to a required image, between the developing unit 500 and the photosensitive drum charging unit 410;
metal charging unit 101 charging the surface of the metal 100 such that the toner (T) attached to the surface of the photosensitive drum 300 is transferred to the surface of the metal 100;
a removal unit 600 removing the toner (T) remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 300 after the toner (T) is fixed to the surface of the metal 100;
a photosensitive drum discharging unit 420 removing a charge from the photosensitive drum 300 after removing the toner (T); and
a fixing unit 700 located on a rear end of the photosensitive drum 300 and fixing the toner (T) fixed to the surface of the metal 100.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The metal printing equipment of claim 1, wherein the removal unit 600 includes a blade 610 and a collection bin 620 located on a lower end of the blade 610.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The metal printing equipment of claim 2, wherein the removal unit 600 further includes an alcohol brush 630 between the blade 610 and the collection bin 620.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The metal printing equipment of claim 1, wherein the light energy is a laser or an LED.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The metal printing equipment of claim 4, wherein when the light energy is a laser, the exposure unit 200 includes a laser generator 210 and a scanning mirror 220.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The metal printing equipment of claim 1, wherein the metal charging unit 101 is included as one or more, and is provided on any one of a front, a rear, and front and rear ends of the photosensitive drum 300 based on a moving direction of the metal 100.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The metal printing equipment of claim 1, wherein the developing unit 500 includes a toner container 520 and a developing roller 510 providing the toner (T) of the toner container 520 to the photosensitive drum 300.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The metal printing equipment of claim 1, wherein the fixing unit 700 includes a fused roll 710 and a pressure roll 720.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The metal printing equipment of claim 1, wherein two or more of the photosensitive drums, the photosensitive drum charging units, the photosensitive drum discharging units, the exposure units, the developing units, and the removal units are provided in pairs in the moving direction of the metal 100,
wherein the respective developing units provide toner of different colors.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The metal printing equipment of claim 1, wherein the metal printing equipment is located above and below the metal.

### Claim 11

A metal printing method comprising:
a charging operation of charging a surface of a photosensitive drum 300 rotating in one direction;
an exposure operation of applying light energy according to a required image to the surface of the charged photosensitive drum 300;
a development operation of providing toner (T) to the surface of the photosensitive drum 300 after the exposure operation;
a transfer operation of continuously moving the toner attached to the surface of the photosensitive drum 300 and moving and fixing the toner to a surface of a charged metal 100;
a fixing operation of fixing the toner settled on the surface of the metal 100;
a removal operation of removing toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 300 after the transfer operation; and
a discharging operation of discharging the surface of the photosensitive drum 300.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The metal printing method of claim 11, wherein the fixing operation is performed by heating to 25˜400° C.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The metal printing method of claim 11, wherein the fixing operation is performed by applying pressure.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The metal printing method of claim 11, wherein when printing using two or more toners two or more photosensitive drums are required, and
two or more of the charging operations, the exposure operations, the development operations, the transfer operations, and the removal operations are performed using respective photosensitive drums.

### Claim at position 15

15-22. (canceled)