CA1193150A - Method and apparatus for printing with paint - Google Patents
Method and apparatus for printing with paintInfo
- Publication number
- CA1193150A CA1193150A CA000376109A CA376109A CA1193150A CA 1193150 A CA1193150 A CA 1193150A CA 000376109 A CA000376109 A CA 000376109A CA 376109 A CA376109 A CA 376109A CA 1193150 A CA1193150 A CA 1193150A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- paint
- carrier
- transfer member
- distensible
- thermoplastic
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
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Abstract
A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
PRINTING WITH PAINT
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Thermoplastic or photosensitive paint is used to print a design defined by a paint-pervious opening in a silk screen or by a debossed surface of a plate or a roller.
An insert in the screen, plate or roller defines code dating or other indicia for printing with the design, if desired.
The paint is spread from a supply reservoir across the sur-face of the screen or carrier by a squeegee and/or doctor blade. When thermoplastic paint is used, the screen, plate or roller is heated. A distensible transfer member made of soft silicone rubber is heated to carry thermoplastic paint from the design in the silk screen, debossed plate or debossed roller onto the surface of an article where the paint hardens upon contact by solidification. Ultraviolet light is used to harden the photosensitive paint on the article.
PRINTING WITH PAINT
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Thermoplastic or photosensitive paint is used to print a design defined by a paint-pervious opening in a silk screen or by a debossed surface of a plate or a roller.
An insert in the screen, plate or roller defines code dating or other indicia for printing with the design, if desired.
The paint is spread from a supply reservoir across the sur-face of the screen or carrier by a squeegee and/or doctor blade. When thermoplastic paint is used, the screen, plate or roller is heated. A distensible transfer member made of soft silicone rubber is heated to carry thermoplastic paint from the design in the silk screen, debossed plate or debossed roller onto the surface of an article where the paint hardens upon contact by solidification. Ultraviolet light is used to harden the photosensitive paint on the article.
Description
A ~ETHOD AND APPA~TUS FS:)R
PRINTING WII~I PAINT
This invention relat~s to prin~ing by transferring paint from a paint-lad~n design ~to the sur:fac.e of a dis-tensible ~ransfer member and ~hence on~o ~he surface of an article. More part.icularly, the present inven~ion relates to a method and apparatus to transfer paint from a pattern onto the surface of an ar~icle where the paint a~tains an instant-dry state by cooling thereof or by treatment wikh ultraviolet radiation.
As is known in the ~rt 3 pr:~nti.ng by gravure includes etching a design or image in a plate which is sur-ro~ded by side walls to retain a supply of a liquid solvent~
type paint~ The wet paint is spread across the surface of the plate and then a doctox blade is used to clean the plake surface so that only the etched .image is laden with paint.
A silicone rubber tr~nsf~r pad is pressed :~to contac~ with the surface of the plate so that some of the paint :in the image is earried by the pad onto the surface of an article at a distally-spaced location. The solvent in the paint on the surface of the article must be released to effect dryLng of the paint. The wet paint is usually dried in an oven by heating the container or only its surface. Whil~ printing a design in this gener~l manner has certain deæirable features, .it nev rtheless suf:Eers :Erom certain acute dis advantages which t].le present invention is designed to ~3~
overcom~. In the known process, t:he use of the recluired paint solvents is objectionable not only because undesirable working conditions are created but also because of the hazards and costs associated with supplylng the solvents.
The drying -~ime of the we~ paint demands the use of valuable space and expensive facillties to assure proper drying o the pa.intD ~oreover, usually a suppl~ of natural gas or bot~led gas is used to enhance the drying process through burners; thus the prscess demands the continued avaîlability of gas for heating purposes~
This type of printLng is useful for applying decorations, the name of packaged products and even more exten~ive information onto unma:rked containers3 but the printing process requires a periorl ic replacement o the etched plate~ usually on a daily basis when date coding is printed along with other indicia which is etched into the surface of the plateO Etched plates used to print designs along with an ever~changing cla~e or code inormation must be discarded even though the plate is undamaged because of 20 the need to update the printing of the proper date or cocle information. This is an important factc)r to the printing cost:5 .
The present invention oers advancements in the art for printing a desired pattern upon an article o any one o diverse forms and materials~ For example~ it is currently a practice to us~ a printed design on the safe~y glass o a windshield and/or backlight for an automobile~
One such printed design extends about one or more marglnal edges oE the safety glass ~o form a shield or barrier to prevent deterioration o:f adhesives or cther ma~erials by ultrav1olet radiation~ Suoh a barxier is also use~ or aes~hetic purpt~es. Films ~:E o~hPr material are used on safety glass to form a heater grid to prevent and/or remove an accumulation of fog and/or lce9 Because o:f ~he size o:E the design which must be printed upon the face of a glass sheet used to :Eorm the windshield andfor backlight ~or an automo-10 bile or other vehicle, printin~s by gravure was hPreto-foxe not believed possible. A siïk screen :as used in t~e present practice foY printirlg upon ~he fac:e of such a g1 ass shee~ . Damage and ~ven destru ~ion of the screen requently occllr because a sharp edge of the glass sheet contacks and severs the screen when it is moved into ~he proper posltion for print ing .
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved prin~ing method and appara~us ~o transfer palnt with a dîstensible transfer memb~r from a 20 pa:inl:-laden image or design onto the surface o:f an article to harden thereoII withs~ut heating the pa:in~ he article5 It is a further o~ect of the present :LIlveIIt:Lon to provide a method and apparatus :Eor printlng with thermoplast::Lc paint ~erein a ~i:Lk screen or an e~ched .1 ....
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sur:ace of a member ~orms a pain~bearing pa~tern that may be additiorlally defined by an insert by transfer of ~he pairlt wi~h a dis~ensible kransfer pad on~o the surface of an arl:icle ~o harden ~hereon prac~ical.ly inst ant ly by ¢ ool ing .
A s~ill fur~her objec~ o ~he present inven~iorl is to provide a me~hod and appaxa~us to hea~ ~hermoplastic paint for dispersion o~ ~he paint ~o fOrM a pain~: l~len image and transer of t:he lîquef ied paint at a.n elevated 10 temperature from the image onto the surface o~ an articleg More speci:Eically, the pxesent invention pro-vides a method and apparatus -or printirlg with ~hermo-plastic pai~t wher~in ~he me~hod includes t~e s~eps of supporting liquefied thermoplastic paint within a desired pattern, adhering the liquefied th rmoplastic paint in the patt rn to ~he heated surface of a distensible transfer member by contact therewith under su:Eficien~
force causirlg elastic deformation to the heated surface of the membes, thereaf~er moving the heated surace of the 20 distensible ~ransfer member wi~h the liquefied ~hermo plastic paint adhered theraon to a distally~s paced, pa lnt -discharging position, and pressirlg the heated s~rfaoe o:E the dîstensible trans:Ee~ member with the liq~lefi.ed thermoplastlc paint there~n agairlst a suxface of the article to trarlsfer the liquefied ther~oplastic paint by solidi-fica~iorl upon a sur:face of ~he article.
The inven~io~ provides various embodiments of appara~us which are preferred to caicry ou~ ~he aoresaid rrethod. The c~arrier used in the method and apparatu~ is a debossPd plate, a debossed roller or a silk-screen as~embly which may include a detachabl e inser~ deinillg addi~ional indicia for printing upon lû the article.. Such carriers are hea~ed, e.g., within the range of 150F to 300F, by electrical re~is~ive means or by in:Erared radiationO The distensible trans-iEer member is a spherically-shaped sili~one rubber pad~
or a transfer roller with an annularly shapad silicone sleeve thereonO The th~rmoplastlc paint is usecl in the method and/or apparatus, when desired, as a carrler fsr ceramic frit or firlely-d:Lvlded snetal particles, whereby upon post-print:ulg operatiolls, su~h as ~iring in a ~urnace, the paint is vaporiz~d 2û while ~he ri~ or pax~icles of meta:L are used ~o pro-duce a ~ lm on th~ article.
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Th~ se :Eeat ure s and adv ant age s o~ t he present invention as well as others w;ll bP more fully understood when the fo:Llowing description is reaa in light o:E ~he accompanying drawings~ wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspec~ive view 3f one embodiment of the apparatus of the presen~ ins7en-~lon which is useflll or carryirlg out ~he me~hod thereof;
F:ig~ 2 is a sectional view taken along 10 llne II II of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a sectiorlal vlew taken alon~s line III- III o:E Fig . 1;
Fig. 4 is an elevational view of apparatus :Eor moving the 'cransfer pad b~ween pain~-receiving and paint-d;scharging positions;
Fig, 5 is an elevational view of a second embodiment of the apparatus of the present inven-tion which is also llseful to carry oll~ the method thereof, ,;
i''''' Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken aloIlg line VI-VI of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a perspec~ive viPw o:f a further embodi-ment of the apparatlls of the presen~ inventiorl which is useful for carrying out the method ~hereof~
Referring to Figs. 1~3, there is illustrated a carrier in the form of a debossed plate 10 located upon a suitable support 11. The upper exposed face surface of the plate includes an ~ched des.ign of an imag~ which, for the purpose of illustration only~ forms the words i'YOUR DAIRY".
The etched image represents the desired pattern to be print-ed. According to the preferred aspect of the present Lnven-tion, th plate Eurther Lncludes a recPss 14 in clo~e proxi-mity to the etched image. For the purpose of illustration only7 the recess 14 is loca~ed between the words "YOUR" and '1DAIRY" . When the recess 14 has a rectangular shape ~ an .unsert element 15 has a corresponding rectangular shape to tightly fit within the recess so that the top surface of the insert is flush with the top surface of the plate. The exposed face surface of the insert includes an e~ched pattern of indicia, such as code dating~
The insert is held within ~he recess 14 by asten-ers 16 which extend thro~1gh openings in the bottom o:E the plate into threaded engagement with tapped holes in the insert . While a rectangularly- shaped insert 15 has been selected or the purpose of illustrating the present .inven-tion, it will be unders~ood by those skilled in the art ~ha5c any desired shape of insert may be employed including circular, _ 7 -square or the like~ Secured to the plate lO about its outer peripher~l edges are upstanding side walls 18. The side walls 18 retaLn a supply of ~hermoplastic pain~ on ~he surface of the plate lO. A first supply reservoir of paint is denoted by reference numeral 1~ along one side edge of the plate and a second supply reservoir o:E paint i9 denoted by reference numeral 20 along the opposite side edge o~ ~he plate. According to o~e aspect of the present ~nvention~
the paint within these reservoirs is ~hermopl~stic hav~ng a 1~ liquidus temperature of about 200F but typically in the range of b~ween 150F and 300Fa The composition of one suitable form of thermoplastic pain~ is disclosed in U.~.
Patent No. 3,399,165.
Electrical h~atLng elemPnts 22 extend into bored holes in the plate. The heat~lg elements are connect d by a line coupled th~ough a rheostat 25 to a power supply 24.
The rheostat is used to vary the current delivered to the heating elements and thereby control the heating of khe plate 10 to a suf:Eicient temperature :Eor conductive:Ly heating the paint within the reservoirs 19 and 20 to a desired te~npera-ture such as Lndicated above. Photosensitive paint is utilized in reservoirs 19 and 20 according to a urther aspect of the present inventionO Such a paint dries withouk solvents by cur~g to a hard film when ~posed to ultra~
violet radiatLon.
A frame 26 is carried by two opposed side walls 18. The frame supports a squeegee 28 and a doc~or blade 2~
in a spaced apart and parallel relation so that each extends _~_ s~
downwardly toward the face surface of ~he pla~e. The frarne 26 is moved ei~her manually or by suitabLe power means across t~e face of the pla~e so that a supply of paint is carried from a reservoir by squee~ee 28. The frame is then rotated sli~htly about an axis extendin~ along its extended length so that do~tor blade 29 engages the surface of the plate to strip all ~he paint from ~he xurface of the plate while providing a paint-ladeII etched designO
A spherically-shaped distensible transfer pad 30 is preferably made from so~t silicone rubber and forms an elastomer transer member. The pad is supported by a earrier plate 31. When prLnting with thermoplastic paint~ the pad is heated to a temperature within the range above-indicated by conductive heat transer from heating elements 32 that ex~end into bored openings in the plate 310 The heating elements 32 are coupled to a controlled power supply Ln the same manner as described in regard to heating elements 22, The distensible transfer pad 30 is moved along a vertical path of travel into contact with the surface of plate 10 wherein the distensible transfer pad 30 is compressed into a somewha~ 1a~ened condition from the spherical shape shown in Fig~ l~ Ac, this occurs 7 some of the heated thermoplastic pain~ or photo-sensitive paint contained within the etched designs of plate 10 and insert 15 adheres to the soft silicone rubber material of the transfer pad in the same pattern as defined by the etched design. When paint is carried on the soft silicone rubber material of the transfer pad 7 the paint is ~aintained in a fluid state because the transfer pad is heated. Ater _g ~3~
~he transfer pad is lifted out o contact with the plate 10~ it is movPd to a dis~ally spaced locakion where it is brought into contact with the surface o~ an article ~or deposi~ing the paint carried on the surface cf the trans-fer pad, Because the sur:face of the article is at ambient temperature, h~ated thermoplastic pa.int solidifies on the surface of the article almost instantly. The rapid freeziIIg of the paint thus releases it from the transfer pa.d. When photosensitive paint is employedg the paint is dried by irradiation with ultraviolet energy~ A mercury arc vapor tu~e 33 is l.ocated wi~hin an adjustably-positioned housLng 34 that includes a movable arcuate reflector 34A. The ultra-violet radiation cures the paint very quickly wh~reby the paint is hardened to a dry state.
The movem~nts of ~he transfer pad as just described may be effected by hand-operation or preferably through the agency of a device shown in Fig, 4. Thls devlce essentially includes a vertical arm 35 secured to the car-rier plate 31. Parallel arms 36 and 37 a.re secured for pivotal movement to the arm 35 at spaced-apart locations. At simi3.arly-shaped locations, the arms 36 and 37 are secured by sha~ts 38 to a pivot ~haft 39~ The pi~ot shaft 39 is, in turn, supported in a housi.ng 40 ~hat includes a bracke~
41 projecting in a generally parallel directi~n w:ith arm 37O
The bracket includes arms 42 whlch~ in Lurn, rotatably sup~
port a cam 43 such t:hat the surEace of the Ca~D. engages a portion of arm 37. The arm 37 is ~naintained in c~ntac~ wi~h cam 43 by a spring 44 which interconrlects arm 37 and bracke~
41. A motor, not shown, is used to rotate cam ~3 and thus effect a ver~ical reciprocating motion ~:o ~he transfer pad by virtue o:E ~he parallel arms 36 cmd 37 be i.ng pivotally connec~ed to arm 35 and pivot sha~t 39~ These members form a parallelogram~ The ~ransfer pad is moved from a position overly~ng the plate 10 to a position where it overlies the surace of the ar~icle ~o receive ~he thermoplastic paint carried by the transfer pad. For this purpose; a cam 45 driven by a motor~ not shown, contacts the vertical surface o~ arm 37 so that upo~ ro~a~ion of cam 45, the arm is ro~a-ted about pivot shaEt 39. It will be understood by ~hose skillPd Ln khe art that linear actuators, such as piston and cylinder assemblies, may be used to move the support struc-ture for the transfer pad in a manner similar to that just described through the use of cams 43 and 45. It will also be understood by those skilled Ln the art that sources of infrared energy such as radiated by an incandescent lamp may be dirPcted toward the surface of plate 10 and another source directed toward the surface of transfer pad 30 Eor heating the ~hermoplastic paint in place of heating elements 22 and 32. Printing upon any one of diverse surface c~ltours of an article will now be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.
Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate a second embodirnent of the apparatus which is also useful to carry out the method according to the present inventio~. The apparatus utilizes rokary motion to transport heated thermoplastic paLnt or photosensitive paint :Erom a debossed carrier to c~m elaskomer 3~
member and thence onto the surface of an article. A housing 50 Eorms a gearcase wherein arbor shafts 51 and 52 are supported in a generally parallel relatîon by spaced-apart bearing~ 53. Gears 5~ and 55 are carried on the arbor shafts Sl ancl 52~ respectively, which are spaced apart for meshing engagement by the gears. A motor 56 is coupled to an extension or arbor 51 at one side of gearcase 50. A~
the opposite side of the gearcase 50,, arbor sha:~t Sl is coupled to a roller assembly 57 which includes an outer sleeve 58 carried on a support flange 59 that is~ in turn~
secured to arbor shaft 51. The arbor shaft 52 is coupled to an elastomer roller assembly 60 which includes a sleeve 61 made of silîcone elastomer material carried orl a support flange 62 secured to th~ arbor shaft 52. When printing with thermoplastic paiht~ each arbor shaft 51 and 52 has a ~entral bore to pass insulated wires from separate collector rings 63 located within the gearcase. Brushes 64 deliver electrical current ~rom a controlled power supply 65 which includes Q rheostat in a manner similar to that described ~0 previously in regard to Fig. 1. The .insulated wires extend from the ends of the arbors on which roller assemblies 57 c~nd 60 are supported. A junction box clistributes electrical power from the power supply 65 to radially, spaced-apart heating elements 66 embedded in each of the support 1anges 59 and 62. The heating elements 66 provide a sourc~ of hea~ t:o main~ain thermoplastic paint at a desirecl tempera~ure within the range indicated hereto:Eore~ The thermoplastic paint is con~a:ined within a reservoir 67 supported in a manner so tha~
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the peripheral surface of roller assembly 57 dips into ther~servoir below the surf~ce of the paint in t'ne reservoirO
As shown in Fig. 6, sleeve 58 is debossed by pro-viding an etched design defining the wo~ds "YOUR DAI~Y~.
~n Lnsert elPment 68 is secured wi~hin a recess adjacent the debossed area. The insert elemen~ is etched or other~
wise provided with a relief design defining-desired indicia to be printed along with the debossed design in the surface of sleeve 58. The ins~r~ element is readily replaceable by screw-type fasteners so that dif:Eerent insert elements hav-ing desired indicia may be used from time-to-time. As the etched surface of the sleeve 58 as well as the etch~d sur--face of insert element 68 pass into the reservoir, thermo-plastic paint adheres to the face surfaces of these members.
The roller assembly 57 is rotated in a clockwise direction, as one views Fig. 5, beyond the proJected edge of a doctor blade 70 which strips the thermopLastic pain~ from the face ~urfaee of the member 58 and insert 68 to provide paint-laden relief image~. The doctor blade is supported in an adjust-able manner by a mounting block 71 ~hat is, in turn, receivedwithin a carrier 7~ wherein it is releasably secured by a threaded sllaft 73. Shims 74 are used to position the doctor blade with respect to the roller assembly 57~ The paînt-laden relief images on the roller pass into contact with the elastomer sleeve 61 whereupon sorne of the paint rom the relief images is carried by the sleeve in a dlrection which is counterclockwise to the rotation of roller assembly 57O
At some point spaced from tlle contact between th~ roller asse~blies 57 and S0, the paint carried by the elastomer ~3~
sleeve is brought into contact wlth the article ~o be print-ed. l'ypically, articles printed by using the apparatus show~l ln Figs. 5 and 6 include bottle caps and similar clo~
sures. A conveyor 75 carries the articLe for printing hy contact with the elastomer sleeve 61. Prin~ing of such articles is carried out at a relatively high rateO
When printing with photosensi~ive paint9 heating of the roller assernhlies 57 and 60 is eliminated. The paint is dried by curing when exposed to ultraviolet radiation in the same manner as described hereinbefore in regard to Figs, 1-3. Typically, for exampleg the photosensitlve paint cures withirl microseconds depending, of course, on the thickness of ~h paint which is deposited on the article. Presen~ly, there are two known sources of supply o the photosensitive paint5 one called Linde Photo Cure from Union Carbide and one called Photo 5et from K.C. Coatings of Kansas City.
The embodimen~ of the invention shown in Fig~ 7 is particularly adapted for printing a desired pattexn upon a rela~ively large surface of an ar~icle such as safety glass to form a windshield or a backlight of an automobile.
By way of example, the method and apparatus of ~he present invention are useful to form a film on th~ glass extending along the marginal edge of one g several or even all of the sides of ~he safety glass. Such a band is currently pro~
duced on such articles by other methods and the band is typically about 1-1/2 inches in width to Eorm an impervious film to light for a2sthetic purposes and irnpervious to ultraviolet radiation for preventing adverse deteriorating \
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effects to the adhesive and other materials used to affix the safety glass to the frame of the vehicle. Another pattern that is curren~ly produced on safety glass for au~omobiles takes ~he form of a grid use~ ~or resistive heating of the safety glass to prevent or rernove Eo~ or ice accumulations on the glass. When prln~ing is carried out to foxm a pat~ern of a marginal light and ultraviole~
radiation impervious coating, thermoplastic paint is admixed with an effective amount of ceramic frit selected according to ~he desired color and other properties. The cerami.c frit is inely divided to such an extent to pass through a 350 or 400 mesh screen. The particles o~ ceramic frit should be sufficiently small to remain in s~lspension in the ll~uid thermoplas~ic paint~ The thermoplastic pain~ in thi~ în-stance serves as a carrier for the ceramic frit to produce dry printing of the desired pattern on an article for immed iate handling because the admixture of thermoplastic paint and ceramic frit solidifies almost instantaneously upon the safety glass~ When it is d~sired to print a pattern forming a heating grid on the safe~y glass~ a suspension is prepared by admixing the thermoplastic paint with finely divlded metal particles such as silver in effective proportionsO
A~er printing o~ the desired pattern, the glass is heated in a fuxnace to vaporize the ceramic paint and fuse the metal particles to the glass. A continuous metal film correspondLng to ~he print~d grid pa~ern i5 then allowed to cool.
In Fig. 7, the apparatus of the present in~7ention shown therein includes a support 80 which may ~ake the form of - :1.S~
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a conveyor to move shee~s of glass or safety glass into a regis~ered posi~ion for printing upon the exposed face surface thereof. Usually, printing will be carried out on a glass sheet rather than a safety~glass assembly because the subsequent firlng opera~ion is detrimental to the plastic sheet used in safety glass, AE~er firing, a safety-glass assembly will be made up according to the usual practice. A sheet of safe~y glass is identified in Fig. 7 by reference numeral 810 The safety glass includes the usual lamLnated cons~ruction of glass sheets with a sandwiched layer of plastic material therebetween. The ex-posed face surface of the glass havLng undergone the prin~ing process ~f ~he present invention con~ains a printed layer of thermoplastic paint admix~d with ceramic frit extending abou~ the entire marginal edge of the glass sheet. The printed f ilm o-E this material is identif ied by re~erence numeral 82. The printing appara~us shown in Fig. 7 preferably includes a silk-screen assembly 83. This assembly includes a frame 84 having side walls defirling an opening in the frame between which a stencil screen 85 extends for attachment and support by an adhesive to the side walls of the frame. The silk screen, or stencil screen as sometimes identified in the art, bears outlines of the clesired design f~r printing by processing through the use of well-kno~l techniques and the use of an emul~ion or film to render the screen impervious to the passage o~ paint mixture except throllgh areas defined by the desired pattern. The areas of the screen which do not eontain a paint~impervious film are used to conduct the paint through the screen~ In this regarda thermoplastlc -~6-paint admixecl wi~h the selected finely~divided material ~orthe intended purpose i5 maintained in a liquefiecl state by contact with the screen which is heated. Tabs 86 and 87 extend from the ends of the frame 8~ ~or support by up-standing columns 89. T~e tabs 86 and 87 support or form conductors that are, in turn~ connected to th~ ~erminals of a con~rollPd power supply for resis~ive heating of the screen. The ~hermoplastic paint mi~ture is placed within the frame on the coa~ed screen where it is liquefi~d by resistive heatLng ~hereof~ The li~uefied thermoplastic paint is forced through the paint- pervious openings in the screen by a squeegee 88. A frame9 not showng above the silk screen is used to support the squeegee and pis~on and cylinder assemblies move the squeegee across ~he face of the screen under a controlled ccntact pressure. If desired, the squeegee is moved across the face of the screen inside the frame by the h~ld.
The support COlU~lS 89 are also used to pivo~ally carry levers 90 each having a projectecl end to which there is secured the rod end of a piston and cylinder assembly 91.
The levers 90 are mounted for pivotal movement by pins so that the ends of the levers projecting toward each other are moved ver~ically. These projected ends of the levers have slotted openings that receive pins carried by support blocks attached to a frame 92. The frame has a rectangular con figuration with slotted openings along its longitudinal sides that receive bearing chocks to sllde along the openings while carrying khe j ournals of a roller 930 The roller has a face eclual to or preferably greater than the width of ~he ~3~
silk~screen assembly 83. The roller has a drilled body toreceive heaters that are connected to a power supply in the same manner as previously descrlbed in regard to Figs. 5 and 6. A sleeve of distensible material~ preferalbly soft silicon rubber, is adhered to the roller to form an elas-tomer transfer member. The bearing chocks for ~he xsller are joined together by a cross member g4 that is, in turn~
coupled to the rod end of a piStOIl and cylinder assem~ly 9S. This piston and cylinder assembly is operated to move the bearing chocks and~ hence, also ~he roller supported thereby, ~long the slotted opening in the frame. When the frame is moved into its upper pOsitlO~ by operation of piston and cylinder assemblies 91~ the distensible sleeve is pressed agalnst the underface surface of the silk-screen assembly. As the roller is traversed across the underface surface of the screen, it rotates by frictional contact therewith or by a motor 96 coupled by a suitable drive to the roller. The heated thermoplastic paint admixed with the Lnely-divided substance is forced through the pervious open ing in the screen by the squeegee and adheres to the surface of the roller. -rt is wlthin the scope of the present inven-tion to move the squeegee across the screen prior to move~
ment of the roller; to move the squeegee and roller together with the squeegee forming a tangent ~o the roller~ or move the screen with t'ne squeegee tangent to the roller. More-over, the apparatus already described and sho~ in Figs. 5 and 6 is readily useful for printing on a glass sheetO
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It is to be understood, of course~ that ~he peripheral ace surface of the roller ls at least equal to but pre-ferably grea~er than the face surface of the siLk screen to ther~by insure that ~he r~ller rotates through no more than 1 revolution while displaced across ~he face of the silk screen. The roller 93 carries adhered thermo-plastic pain~ on the surface of the elastomer sleeve after movement out of contact with the silk screen. The frame ~2 is then lowered by actuation of piston and eylinder asem blies 91 into con~act with a sheet of glass which was pre-viously positioned beneath the frame. The frame is lowered to such an extent that the distensible sleeve thereof is brought Lnto contact with the glass sheet. As this occurs 9 the piston and cylinder assem~ly 95 and/or motor 96 is again actuated to rotate the contacting surface of the roller across the face oi the glass sheet. The liquefied thermo-plastic pa m t adhered to the surface of the roller solidifles upon contact with the surEace of the glass. The glass sheet with the solidified thermoplastic paint mixture thereon is then indexed ~rom its position below ~he roller and trans ported to storage -facilities, if desired, where the printecl sheets of glass can be immedia~ely stored without delay.
However, the printed glass sheets can he fed direc~ly into a Eurnace for firing to vaporiæe the thermoplastic paLnt and leave only the enameL frit on the surface of the glass sheet where it ruses to form the desired coating~ Other 'creatmen~ and processing of the glass after fusing of the admixed substance with the thermoplastic paint rnay be carried ou~ in any desired manner for the intended purpose of the artLcle.
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Although the invention has been shown in con-nection with certain speci~ic embodiments, it will be readily apparent to tho~e skilled Ln ~he art that various changes in form and arrangement of parts may be made to suit requirements without departung from the spiri~ and scope of the inventiorl.
PRINTING WII~I PAINT
This invention relat~s to prin~ing by transferring paint from a paint-lad~n design ~to the sur:fac.e of a dis-tensible ~ransfer member and ~hence on~o ~he surface of an article. More part.icularly, the present inven~ion relates to a method and apparatus to transfer paint from a pattern onto the surface of an ar~icle where the paint a~tains an instant-dry state by cooling thereof or by treatment wikh ultraviolet radiation.
As is known in the ~rt 3 pr:~nti.ng by gravure includes etching a design or image in a plate which is sur-ro~ded by side walls to retain a supply of a liquid solvent~
type paint~ The wet paint is spread across the surface of the plate and then a doctox blade is used to clean the plake surface so that only the etched .image is laden with paint.
A silicone rubber tr~nsf~r pad is pressed :~to contac~ with the surface of the plate so that some of the paint :in the image is earried by the pad onto the surface of an article at a distally-spaced location. The solvent in the paint on the surface of the article must be released to effect dryLng of the paint. The wet paint is usually dried in an oven by heating the container or only its surface. Whil~ printing a design in this gener~l manner has certain deæirable features, .it nev rtheless suf:Eers :Erom certain acute dis advantages which t].le present invention is designed to ~3~
overcom~. In the known process, t:he use of the recluired paint solvents is objectionable not only because undesirable working conditions are created but also because of the hazards and costs associated with supplylng the solvents.
The drying -~ime of the we~ paint demands the use of valuable space and expensive facillties to assure proper drying o the pa.intD ~oreover, usually a suppl~ of natural gas or bot~led gas is used to enhance the drying process through burners; thus the prscess demands the continued avaîlability of gas for heating purposes~
This type of printLng is useful for applying decorations, the name of packaged products and even more exten~ive information onto unma:rked containers3 but the printing process requires a periorl ic replacement o the etched plate~ usually on a daily basis when date coding is printed along with other indicia which is etched into the surface of the plateO Etched plates used to print designs along with an ever~changing cla~e or code inormation must be discarded even though the plate is undamaged because of 20 the need to update the printing of the proper date or cocle information. This is an important factc)r to the printing cost:5 .
The present invention oers advancements in the art for printing a desired pattern upon an article o any one o diverse forms and materials~ For example~ it is currently a practice to us~ a printed design on the safe~y glass o a windshield and/or backlight for an automobile~
One such printed design extends about one or more marglnal edges oE the safety glass ~o form a shield or barrier to prevent deterioration o:f adhesives or cther ma~erials by ultrav1olet radiation~ Suoh a barxier is also use~ or aes~hetic purpt~es. Films ~:E o~hPr material are used on safety glass to form a heater grid to prevent and/or remove an accumulation of fog and/or lce9 Because o:f ~he size o:E the design which must be printed upon the face of a glass sheet used to :Eorm the windshield andfor backlight ~or an automo-10 bile or other vehicle, printin~s by gravure was hPreto-foxe not believed possible. A siïk screen :as used in t~e present practice foY printirlg upon ~he fac:e of such a g1 ass shee~ . Damage and ~ven destru ~ion of the screen requently occllr because a sharp edge of the glass sheet contacks and severs the screen when it is moved into ~he proper posltion for print ing .
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved prin~ing method and appara~us ~o transfer palnt with a dîstensible transfer memb~r from a 20 pa:inl:-laden image or design onto the surface o:f an article to harden thereoII withs~ut heating the pa:in~ he article5 It is a further o~ect of the present :LIlveIIt:Lon to provide a method and apparatus :Eor printlng with thermoplast::Lc paint ~erein a ~i:Lk screen or an e~ched .1 ....
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sur:ace of a member ~orms a pain~bearing pa~tern that may be additiorlally defined by an insert by transfer of ~he pairlt wi~h a dis~ensible kransfer pad on~o the surface of an arl:icle ~o harden ~hereon prac~ical.ly inst ant ly by ¢ ool ing .
A s~ill fur~her objec~ o ~he present inven~iorl is to provide a me~hod and appaxa~us to hea~ ~hermoplastic paint for dispersion o~ ~he paint ~o fOrM a pain~: l~len image and transer of t:he lîquef ied paint at a.n elevated 10 temperature from the image onto the surface o~ an articleg More speci:Eically, the pxesent invention pro-vides a method and apparatus -or printirlg with ~hermo-plastic pai~t wher~in ~he me~hod includes t~e s~eps of supporting liquefied thermoplastic paint within a desired pattern, adhering the liquefied th rmoplastic paint in the patt rn to ~he heated surface of a distensible transfer member by contact therewith under su:Eficien~
force causirlg elastic deformation to the heated surface of the membes, thereaf~er moving the heated surace of the 20 distensible ~ransfer member wi~h the liquefied ~hermo plastic paint adhered theraon to a distally~s paced, pa lnt -discharging position, and pressirlg the heated s~rfaoe o:E the dîstensible trans:Ee~ member with the liq~lefi.ed thermoplastlc paint there~n agairlst a suxface of the article to trarlsfer the liquefied ther~oplastic paint by solidi-fica~iorl upon a sur:face of ~he article.
The inven~io~ provides various embodiments of appara~us which are preferred to caicry ou~ ~he aoresaid rrethod. The c~arrier used in the method and apparatu~ is a debossPd plate, a debossed roller or a silk-screen as~embly which may include a detachabl e inser~ deinillg addi~ional indicia for printing upon lû the article.. Such carriers are hea~ed, e.g., within the range of 150F to 300F, by electrical re~is~ive means or by in:Erared radiationO The distensible trans-iEer member is a spherically-shaped sili~one rubber pad~
or a transfer roller with an annularly shapad silicone sleeve thereonO The th~rmoplastlc paint is usecl in the method and/or apparatus, when desired, as a carrler fsr ceramic frit or firlely-d:Lvlded snetal particles, whereby upon post-print:ulg operatiolls, su~h as ~iring in a ~urnace, the paint is vaporiz~d 2û while ~he ri~ or pax~icles of meta:L are used ~o pro-duce a ~ lm on th~ article.
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Th~ se :Eeat ure s and adv ant age s o~ t he present invention as well as others w;ll bP more fully understood when the fo:Llowing description is reaa in light o:E ~he accompanying drawings~ wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspec~ive view 3f one embodiment of the apparatus of the presen~ ins7en-~lon which is useflll or carryirlg out ~he me~hod thereof;
F:ig~ 2 is a sectional view taken along 10 llne II II of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a sectiorlal vlew taken alon~s line III- III o:E Fig . 1;
Fig. 4 is an elevational view of apparatus :Eor moving the 'cransfer pad b~ween pain~-receiving and paint-d;scharging positions;
Fig, 5 is an elevational view of a second embodiment of the apparatus of the present inven-tion which is also llseful to carry oll~ the method thereof, ,;
i''''' Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken aloIlg line VI-VI of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a perspec~ive viPw o:f a further embodi-ment of the apparatlls of the presen~ inventiorl which is useful for carrying out the method ~hereof~
Referring to Figs. 1~3, there is illustrated a carrier in the form of a debossed plate 10 located upon a suitable support 11. The upper exposed face surface of the plate includes an ~ched des.ign of an imag~ which, for the purpose of illustration only~ forms the words i'YOUR DAIRY".
The etched image represents the desired pattern to be print-ed. According to the preferred aspect of the present Lnven-tion, th plate Eurther Lncludes a recPss 14 in clo~e proxi-mity to the etched image. For the purpose of illustration only7 the recess 14 is loca~ed between the words "YOUR" and '1DAIRY" . When the recess 14 has a rectangular shape ~ an .unsert element 15 has a corresponding rectangular shape to tightly fit within the recess so that the top surface of the insert is flush with the top surface of the plate. The exposed face surface of the insert includes an e~ched pattern of indicia, such as code dating~
The insert is held within ~he recess 14 by asten-ers 16 which extend thro~1gh openings in the bottom o:E the plate into threaded engagement with tapped holes in the insert . While a rectangularly- shaped insert 15 has been selected or the purpose of illustrating the present .inven-tion, it will be unders~ood by those skilled in the art ~ha5c any desired shape of insert may be employed including circular, _ 7 -square or the like~ Secured to the plate lO about its outer peripher~l edges are upstanding side walls 18. The side walls 18 retaLn a supply of ~hermoplastic pain~ on ~he surface of the plate lO. A first supply reservoir of paint is denoted by reference numeral 1~ along one side edge of the plate and a second supply reservoir o:E paint i9 denoted by reference numeral 20 along the opposite side edge o~ ~he plate. According to o~e aspect of the present ~nvention~
the paint within these reservoirs is ~hermopl~stic hav~ng a 1~ liquidus temperature of about 200F but typically in the range of b~ween 150F and 300Fa The composition of one suitable form of thermoplastic pain~ is disclosed in U.~.
Patent No. 3,399,165.
Electrical h~atLng elemPnts 22 extend into bored holes in the plate. The heat~lg elements are connect d by a line coupled th~ough a rheostat 25 to a power supply 24.
The rheostat is used to vary the current delivered to the heating elements and thereby control the heating of khe plate 10 to a suf:Eicient temperature :Eor conductive:Ly heating the paint within the reservoirs 19 and 20 to a desired te~npera-ture such as Lndicated above. Photosensitive paint is utilized in reservoirs 19 and 20 according to a urther aspect of the present inventionO Such a paint dries withouk solvents by cur~g to a hard film when ~posed to ultra~
violet radiatLon.
A frame 26 is carried by two opposed side walls 18. The frame supports a squeegee 28 and a doc~or blade 2~
in a spaced apart and parallel relation so that each extends _~_ s~
downwardly toward the face surface of ~he pla~e. The frarne 26 is moved ei~her manually or by suitabLe power means across t~e face of the pla~e so that a supply of paint is carried from a reservoir by squee~ee 28. The frame is then rotated sli~htly about an axis extendin~ along its extended length so that do~tor blade 29 engages the surface of the plate to strip all ~he paint from ~he xurface of the plate while providing a paint-ladeII etched designO
A spherically-shaped distensible transfer pad 30 is preferably made from so~t silicone rubber and forms an elastomer transer member. The pad is supported by a earrier plate 31. When prLnting with thermoplastic paint~ the pad is heated to a temperature within the range above-indicated by conductive heat transer from heating elements 32 that ex~end into bored openings in the plate 310 The heating elements 32 are coupled to a controlled power supply Ln the same manner as described in regard to heating elements 22, The distensible transfer pad 30 is moved along a vertical path of travel into contact with the surface of plate 10 wherein the distensible transfer pad 30 is compressed into a somewha~ 1a~ened condition from the spherical shape shown in Fig~ l~ Ac, this occurs 7 some of the heated thermoplastic pain~ or photo-sensitive paint contained within the etched designs of plate 10 and insert 15 adheres to the soft silicone rubber material of the transfer pad in the same pattern as defined by the etched design. When paint is carried on the soft silicone rubber material of the transfer pad 7 the paint is ~aintained in a fluid state because the transfer pad is heated. Ater _g ~3~
~he transfer pad is lifted out o contact with the plate 10~ it is movPd to a dis~ally spaced locakion where it is brought into contact with the surface o~ an article ~or deposi~ing the paint carried on the surface cf the trans-fer pad, Because the sur:face of the article is at ambient temperature, h~ated thermoplastic pa.int solidifies on the surface of the article almost instantly. The rapid freeziIIg of the paint thus releases it from the transfer pa.d. When photosensitive paint is employedg the paint is dried by irradiation with ultraviolet energy~ A mercury arc vapor tu~e 33 is l.ocated wi~hin an adjustably-positioned housLng 34 that includes a movable arcuate reflector 34A. The ultra-violet radiation cures the paint very quickly wh~reby the paint is hardened to a dry state.
The movem~nts of ~he transfer pad as just described may be effected by hand-operation or preferably through the agency of a device shown in Fig, 4. Thls devlce essentially includes a vertical arm 35 secured to the car-rier plate 31. Parallel arms 36 and 37 a.re secured for pivotal movement to the arm 35 at spaced-apart locations. At simi3.arly-shaped locations, the arms 36 and 37 are secured by sha~ts 38 to a pivot ~haft 39~ The pi~ot shaft 39 is, in turn, supported in a housi.ng 40 ~hat includes a bracke~
41 projecting in a generally parallel directi~n w:ith arm 37O
The bracket includes arms 42 whlch~ in Lurn, rotatably sup~
port a cam 43 such t:hat the surEace of the Ca~D. engages a portion of arm 37. The arm 37 is ~naintained in c~ntac~ wi~h cam 43 by a spring 44 which interconrlects arm 37 and bracke~
41. A motor, not shown, is used to rotate cam ~3 and thus effect a ver~ical reciprocating motion ~:o ~he transfer pad by virtue o:E ~he parallel arms 36 cmd 37 be i.ng pivotally connec~ed to arm 35 and pivot sha~t 39~ These members form a parallelogram~ The ~ransfer pad is moved from a position overly~ng the plate 10 to a position where it overlies the surace of the ar~icle ~o receive ~he thermoplastic paint carried by the transfer pad. For this purpose; a cam 45 driven by a motor~ not shown, contacts the vertical surface o~ arm 37 so that upo~ ro~a~ion of cam 45, the arm is ro~a-ted about pivot shaEt 39. It will be understood by ~hose skillPd Ln khe art that linear actuators, such as piston and cylinder assemblies, may be used to move the support struc-ture for the transfer pad in a manner similar to that just described through the use of cams 43 and 45. It will also be understood by those skilled Ln the art that sources of infrared energy such as radiated by an incandescent lamp may be dirPcted toward the surface of plate 10 and another source directed toward the surface of transfer pad 30 Eor heating the ~hermoplastic paint in place of heating elements 22 and 32. Printing upon any one of diverse surface c~ltours of an article will now be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.
Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate a second embodirnent of the apparatus which is also useful to carry out the method according to the present inventio~. The apparatus utilizes rokary motion to transport heated thermoplastic paLnt or photosensitive paint :Erom a debossed carrier to c~m elaskomer 3~
member and thence onto the surface of an article. A housing 50 Eorms a gearcase wherein arbor shafts 51 and 52 are supported in a generally parallel relatîon by spaced-apart bearing~ 53. Gears 5~ and 55 are carried on the arbor shafts Sl ancl 52~ respectively, which are spaced apart for meshing engagement by the gears. A motor 56 is coupled to an extension or arbor 51 at one side of gearcase 50. A~
the opposite side of the gearcase 50,, arbor sha:~t Sl is coupled to a roller assembly 57 which includes an outer sleeve 58 carried on a support flange 59 that is~ in turn~
secured to arbor shaft 51. The arbor shaft 52 is coupled to an elastomer roller assembly 60 which includes a sleeve 61 made of silîcone elastomer material carried orl a support flange 62 secured to th~ arbor shaft 52. When printing with thermoplastic paiht~ each arbor shaft 51 and 52 has a ~entral bore to pass insulated wires from separate collector rings 63 located within the gearcase. Brushes 64 deliver electrical current ~rom a controlled power supply 65 which includes Q rheostat in a manner similar to that described ~0 previously in regard to Fig. 1. The .insulated wires extend from the ends of the arbors on which roller assemblies 57 c~nd 60 are supported. A junction box clistributes electrical power from the power supply 65 to radially, spaced-apart heating elements 66 embedded in each of the support 1anges 59 and 62. The heating elements 66 provide a sourc~ of hea~ t:o main~ain thermoplastic paint at a desirecl tempera~ure within the range indicated hereto:Eore~ The thermoplastic paint is con~a:ined within a reservoir 67 supported in a manner so tha~
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the peripheral surface of roller assembly 57 dips into ther~servoir below the surf~ce of the paint in t'ne reservoirO
As shown in Fig. 6, sleeve 58 is debossed by pro-viding an etched design defining the wo~ds "YOUR DAI~Y~.
~n Lnsert elPment 68 is secured wi~hin a recess adjacent the debossed area. The insert elemen~ is etched or other~
wise provided with a relief design defining-desired indicia to be printed along with the debossed design in the surface of sleeve 58. The ins~r~ element is readily replaceable by screw-type fasteners so that dif:Eerent insert elements hav-ing desired indicia may be used from time-to-time. As the etched surface of the sleeve 58 as well as the etch~d sur--face of insert element 68 pass into the reservoir, thermo-plastic paint adheres to the face surfaces of these members.
The roller assembly 57 is rotated in a clockwise direction, as one views Fig. 5, beyond the proJected edge of a doctor blade 70 which strips the thermopLastic pain~ from the face ~urfaee of the member 58 and insert 68 to provide paint-laden relief image~. The doctor blade is supported in an adjust-able manner by a mounting block 71 ~hat is, in turn, receivedwithin a carrier 7~ wherein it is releasably secured by a threaded sllaft 73. Shims 74 are used to position the doctor blade with respect to the roller assembly 57~ The paînt-laden relief images on the roller pass into contact with the elastomer sleeve 61 whereupon sorne of the paint rom the relief images is carried by the sleeve in a dlrection which is counterclockwise to the rotation of roller assembly 57O
At some point spaced from tlle contact between th~ roller asse~blies 57 and S0, the paint carried by the elastomer ~3~
sleeve is brought into contact wlth the article ~o be print-ed. l'ypically, articles printed by using the apparatus show~l ln Figs. 5 and 6 include bottle caps and similar clo~
sures. A conveyor 75 carries the articLe for printing hy contact with the elastomer sleeve 61. Prin~ing of such articles is carried out at a relatively high rateO
When printing with photosensi~ive paint9 heating of the roller assernhlies 57 and 60 is eliminated. The paint is dried by curing when exposed to ultraviolet radiation in the same manner as described hereinbefore in regard to Figs, 1-3. Typically, for exampleg the photosensitlve paint cures withirl microseconds depending, of course, on the thickness of ~h paint which is deposited on the article. Presen~ly, there are two known sources of supply o the photosensitive paint5 one called Linde Photo Cure from Union Carbide and one called Photo 5et from K.C. Coatings of Kansas City.
The embodimen~ of the invention shown in Fig~ 7 is particularly adapted for printing a desired pattexn upon a rela~ively large surface of an ar~icle such as safety glass to form a windshield or a backlight of an automobile.
By way of example, the method and apparatus of ~he present invention are useful to form a film on th~ glass extending along the marginal edge of one g several or even all of the sides of ~he safety glass. Such a band is currently pro~
duced on such articles by other methods and the band is typically about 1-1/2 inches in width to Eorm an impervious film to light for a2sthetic purposes and irnpervious to ultraviolet radiation for preventing adverse deteriorating \
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effects to the adhesive and other materials used to affix the safety glass to the frame of the vehicle. Another pattern that is curren~ly produced on safety glass for au~omobiles takes ~he form of a grid use~ ~or resistive heating of the safety glass to prevent or rernove Eo~ or ice accumulations on the glass. When prln~ing is carried out to foxm a pat~ern of a marginal light and ultraviole~
radiation impervious coating, thermoplastic paint is admixed with an effective amount of ceramic frit selected according to ~he desired color and other properties. The cerami.c frit is inely divided to such an extent to pass through a 350 or 400 mesh screen. The particles o~ ceramic frit should be sufficiently small to remain in s~lspension in the ll~uid thermoplas~ic paint~ The thermoplastic pain~ in thi~ în-stance serves as a carrier for the ceramic frit to produce dry printing of the desired pattern on an article for immed iate handling because the admixture of thermoplastic paint and ceramic frit solidifies almost instantaneously upon the safety glass~ When it is d~sired to print a pattern forming a heating grid on the safe~y glass~ a suspension is prepared by admixing the thermoplastic paint with finely divlded metal particles such as silver in effective proportionsO
A~er printing o~ the desired pattern, the glass is heated in a fuxnace to vaporize the ceramic paint and fuse the metal particles to the glass. A continuous metal film correspondLng to ~he print~d grid pa~ern i5 then allowed to cool.
In Fig. 7, the apparatus of the present in~7ention shown therein includes a support 80 which may ~ake the form of - :1.S~
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a conveyor to move shee~s of glass or safety glass into a regis~ered posi~ion for printing upon the exposed face surface thereof. Usually, printing will be carried out on a glass sheet rather than a safety~glass assembly because the subsequent firlng opera~ion is detrimental to the plastic sheet used in safety glass, AE~er firing, a safety-glass assembly will be made up according to the usual practice. A sheet of safe~y glass is identified in Fig. 7 by reference numeral 810 The safety glass includes the usual lamLnated cons~ruction of glass sheets with a sandwiched layer of plastic material therebetween. The ex-posed face surface of the glass havLng undergone the prin~ing process ~f ~he present invention con~ains a printed layer of thermoplastic paint admix~d with ceramic frit extending abou~ the entire marginal edge of the glass sheet. The printed f ilm o-E this material is identif ied by re~erence numeral 82. The printing appara~us shown in Fig. 7 preferably includes a silk-screen assembly 83. This assembly includes a frame 84 having side walls defirling an opening in the frame between which a stencil screen 85 extends for attachment and support by an adhesive to the side walls of the frame. The silk screen, or stencil screen as sometimes identified in the art, bears outlines of the clesired design f~r printing by processing through the use of well-kno~l techniques and the use of an emul~ion or film to render the screen impervious to the passage o~ paint mixture except throllgh areas defined by the desired pattern. The areas of the screen which do not eontain a paint~impervious film are used to conduct the paint through the screen~ In this regarda thermoplastlc -~6-paint admixecl wi~h the selected finely~divided material ~orthe intended purpose i5 maintained in a liquefiecl state by contact with the screen which is heated. Tabs 86 and 87 extend from the ends of the frame 8~ ~or support by up-standing columns 89. T~e tabs 86 and 87 support or form conductors that are, in turn~ connected to th~ ~erminals of a con~rollPd power supply for resis~ive heating of the screen. The ~hermoplastic paint mi~ture is placed within the frame on the coa~ed screen where it is liquefi~d by resistive heatLng ~hereof~ The li~uefied thermoplastic paint is forced through the paint- pervious openings in the screen by a squeegee 88. A frame9 not showng above the silk screen is used to support the squeegee and pis~on and cylinder assemblies move the squeegee across ~he face of the screen under a controlled ccntact pressure. If desired, the squeegee is moved across the face of the screen inside the frame by the h~ld.
The support COlU~lS 89 are also used to pivo~ally carry levers 90 each having a projectecl end to which there is secured the rod end of a piston and cylinder assembly 91.
The levers 90 are mounted for pivotal movement by pins so that the ends of the levers projecting toward each other are moved ver~ically. These projected ends of the levers have slotted openings that receive pins carried by support blocks attached to a frame 92. The frame has a rectangular con figuration with slotted openings along its longitudinal sides that receive bearing chocks to sllde along the openings while carrying khe j ournals of a roller 930 The roller has a face eclual to or preferably greater than the width of ~he ~3~
silk~screen assembly 83. The roller has a drilled body toreceive heaters that are connected to a power supply in the same manner as previously descrlbed in regard to Figs. 5 and 6. A sleeve of distensible material~ preferalbly soft silicon rubber, is adhered to the roller to form an elas-tomer transfer member. The bearing chocks for ~he xsller are joined together by a cross member g4 that is, in turn~
coupled to the rod end of a piStOIl and cylinder assem~ly 9S. This piston and cylinder assembly is operated to move the bearing chocks and~ hence, also ~he roller supported thereby, ~long the slotted opening in the frame. When the frame is moved into its upper pOsitlO~ by operation of piston and cylinder assemblies 91~ the distensible sleeve is pressed agalnst the underface surface of the silk-screen assembly. As the roller is traversed across the underface surface of the screen, it rotates by frictional contact therewith or by a motor 96 coupled by a suitable drive to the roller. The heated thermoplastic paint admixed with the Lnely-divided substance is forced through the pervious open ing in the screen by the squeegee and adheres to the surface of the roller. -rt is wlthin the scope of the present inven-tion to move the squeegee across the screen prior to move~
ment of the roller; to move the squeegee and roller together with the squeegee forming a tangent ~o the roller~ or move the screen with t'ne squeegee tangent to the roller. More-over, the apparatus already described and sho~ in Figs. 5 and 6 is readily useful for printing on a glass sheetO
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It is to be understood, of course~ that ~he peripheral ace surface of the roller ls at least equal to but pre-ferably grea~er than the face surface of the siLk screen to ther~by insure that ~he r~ller rotates through no more than 1 revolution while displaced across ~he face of the silk screen. The roller 93 carries adhered thermo-plastic pain~ on the surface of the elastomer sleeve after movement out of contact with the silk screen. The frame ~2 is then lowered by actuation of piston and eylinder asem blies 91 into con~act with a sheet of glass which was pre-viously positioned beneath the frame. The frame is lowered to such an extent that the distensible sleeve thereof is brought Lnto contact with the glass sheet. As this occurs 9 the piston and cylinder assem~ly 95 and/or motor 96 is again actuated to rotate the contacting surface of the roller across the face oi the glass sheet. The liquefied thermo-plastic pa m t adhered to the surface of the roller solidifles upon contact with the surEace of the glass. The glass sheet with the solidified thermoplastic paint mixture thereon is then indexed ~rom its position below ~he roller and trans ported to storage -facilities, if desired, where the printecl sheets of glass can be immedia~ely stored without delay.
However, the printed glass sheets can he fed direc~ly into a Eurnace for firing to vaporiæe the thermoplastic paLnt and leave only the enameL frit on the surface of the glass sheet where it ruses to form the desired coating~ Other 'creatmen~ and processing of the glass after fusing of the admixed substance with the thermoplastic paint rnay be carried ou~ in any desired manner for the intended purpose of the artLcle.
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Although the invention has been shown in con-nection with certain speci~ic embodiments, it will be readily apparent to tho~e skilled Ln ~he art that various changes in form and arrangement of parts may be made to suit requirements without departung from the spiri~ and scope of the inventiorl.
Claims (22)
1. A method for printing with thermoplastic paint, said method including the steps of supporting liquefied thermoplastic paint within a desired pattern of a heated carrier, adhering the liquefied thermoplastic paint in said pattern to the heated surface of a distensible transfer mem-ber by contact therewith under sufficient force causing elastic deformation to said heated surface of said member, thereafter moving the heated surface of the dis-tensible transfer member with the liquefied thermoplastic paint adhered thereon to a distally-spaced, paint-discharging position, and pressing the heated surface of the distensible transfer member with the liquefied thermoplastic paint there-on against a surface of an unheated article to transfer the liquefied thermoplastic paint by solidification upon a sur-face of the article.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step of supporting liquefied thermoplastic paint includes controllably energizing an embedded electrical heating ele-ment within a carrier defining said desired pattern for heat-ing the thermoplastic paint by conductive heat transfer.
3. The method according to claim 1 including the further step of heating a face surface of said distensible transfer member by controllably energizing an embedded electrical heating element within a support for the elastomer transfer member.
4. The method according to claim 1 including the further step of liquefying thermoplastic paint by directing a source of infrared energy toward such paint within a reservoir on a carrier defining said desired pattern.
5. The method according to claim 1 including the further step of heating at least a surface of said dis-tensible transfer member by directing a source of infrared energy toward said member to maintain the thermoplastic paint liquefied for adherence to said member.
6. The method according to claim 1 including the further steps of selecting an insert element having a sur-face defining a desired indicia for printing upon the surface of an article, and securing said insert element to a carrier such that the face surface of the insert adjoins the surface of the carrier to define said desired pattern to be printed.
7. The method according to claim 1 including the further step of liquefying thermoplastic paint by heating such paint to a temperature within the range of 150°F to 300°F on the face surface of a carrier defining said desired pattern.
8. The method according to claim 1 further including the steps of selecting a finely-divided material, admixing an effective amount of the selected material with liquefied thermoplastic paint, and thereafter supporting the mixture of material and thermoplastic paint on a carrier to form the desired pattern.
9. The method of claim 8 including the further step of firing the article having printed thereon soli-dified thermoplastic paint with the admixed finely-divided material to vaporize the thermoplastic paint and fuse the finely-divided material to form the desired pattern on the article.
10. Apparatus for printing with thermoplastic paint, said apparatus including the combination of means to liquefy thermoplastic paint, a carrier defining a desired pattern to support the liquefied thermoplastic paint within the desired pattern, a distensible transfer member to transfer lique-fied thermoplastic paint from the carrier onto an article, means to heat at least a surface of said dis-tensible transfer member for adherence of liquefied thermo-plastic paint: thereto, drive means to displace the heated surface of said distensible transfer member into contact with lique-fled thermoplastic paint in said pattern under sufficient force against said carrier causing elastic deformation to said heated surface, said drive means being operative to allow the elastically-deformed surface of the transfer mem-ber with adhered thermoplastic paint thereon to return to its predeformed shape by moving the heated surface of the distensible transfer member with the liquefied thermo-plastic paint adhered thereon to a distally-spaced, paint-discharging position, said drive means being operative to press the heated surface of the distensible transfer member with the liquefied thermoplastic paint thereon against a surface of the article at said paint-discharge position under a sufficient force causing elastic deforma-tion to at least the paint-carrying surface of said member to thereby transfer the liquefied thermoplastic paint from the heated distensible transfer member by solidification upon a surface of the article and move the deformed surface of the heated distensible transfer member from the article having the solidified thermoplastic paint thereon, and support means to carry an article at said paint-discharging position for printing upon a surface thereof.
11. The apparatus according to claim 10 further including an insert element attached to said carrier, said insert element having a surface to define part of said desired pattern.
12. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said means to liquefy thermoplastic paint includes an electrically-resistive heater contacting said carrier for conductively heating thermoplastic paint on the surface of the carrier.
13. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said means to heat at least a surface of said distensible transfer member includes an electrically-resistive heater, said apparatus further including a mounting fixture to carry said distensible transfer member and said electrically-resistive heater for conductive heating of said distensible transfer member,
14. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said means to liquefy thermoplastic paint includes a source of infrared radiation directed toward the surface of said carrier.
15. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said means to heat at least a surface of said distensible transfer member includes a source of infrared radiation directed toward the elastomer surface which is deformed by contact with said carrier.
16. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said drive means includes an arm supporting said distensible transfer member, and means to displace said arm toward the surface of said carrier and in a direction normal to the surface of said carrier.
17. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said drive means includes an arbor shaft supporting said distensible transfer member, and means to rotate said arbor shaft.
18. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said carrier includes a debossed roller including a rotat-able arbor, means to rotate said arbor, and a frame to support said arbor and said arbor shaft for continuous contact between the face surfaces of said transfer member and said debossed roller.
19. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said distensible transfer member includes a spherically-shaped silicone rubber pad.
20. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said distensible transfer member includes a transfer roller having an annularly-shaped silicone rubber sleeve thereon.
21. The apparatus according to claim 10 or 20 wherein said carrier includes a stencil screen frame, a stencil screen secured to one side of said frame, a paint impervious layer on said screen having a paint-pervious opening therein defining said desired pattern to be printed.
22. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said carrier includes a silk screen.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000376109A CA1193150A (en) | 1981-04-23 | 1981-04-23 | Method and apparatus for printing with paint |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000376109A CA1193150A (en) | 1981-04-23 | 1981-04-23 | Method and apparatus for printing with paint |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1193150A true CA1193150A (en) | 1985-09-10 |
Family
ID=4119812
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000376109A Expired CA1193150A (en) | 1981-04-23 | 1981-04-23 | Method and apparatus for printing with paint |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1193150A (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5111743A (en) * | 1989-05-29 | 1992-05-12 | Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. | Screen process printing plate for printing with high precision |
| US5999136A (en) * | 1998-08-07 | 1999-12-07 | Ppg Industries Ohio, Inc. | Use of electrically conductive ceramic paints in antenna systems |
| US6384790B2 (en) | 1998-06-15 | 2002-05-07 | Ppg Industries Ohio, Inc. | Antenna on-glass |
-
1981
- 1981-04-23 CA CA000376109A patent/CA1193150A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5111743A (en) * | 1989-05-29 | 1992-05-12 | Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. | Screen process printing plate for printing with high precision |
| US6384790B2 (en) | 1998-06-15 | 2002-05-07 | Ppg Industries Ohio, Inc. | Antenna on-glass |
| US5999136A (en) * | 1998-08-07 | 1999-12-07 | Ppg Industries Ohio, Inc. | Use of electrically conductive ceramic paints in antenna systems |
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |