EP0278650A2 - Procédé et dispositif pour imprimer des tuiles - Google Patents

Procédé et dispositif pour imprimer des tuiles Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0278650A2
EP0278650A2 EP19880300819 EP88300819A EP0278650A2 EP 0278650 A2 EP0278650 A2 EP 0278650A2 EP 19880300819 EP19880300819 EP 19880300819 EP 88300819 A EP88300819 A EP 88300819A EP 0278650 A2 EP0278650 A2 EP 0278650A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
tile
transfer roller
silicone rubber
roller
belts
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.)
Granted
Application number
EP19880300819
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0278650B1 (fr
EP0278650A3 (en
Inventor
Peter Knott
Edward Charles Grosvenor
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
PRINT-FLO LIMITED
Original Assignee
PRINT-FLO Ltd
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by PRINT-FLO Ltd filed Critical PRINT-FLO Ltd
Publication of EP0278650A2 publication Critical patent/EP0278650A2/fr
Publication of EP0278650A3 publication Critical patent/EP0278650A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0278650B1 publication Critical patent/EP0278650B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41F—PRINTING MACHINES OR PRESSES
    • B41F17/00—Printing apparatus or machines of special types or for particular purposes, not otherwise provided for
    • B41F17/24—Printing apparatus or machines of special types or for particular purposes, not otherwise provided for for printing on flat surfaces of polyhedral articles
    • B41F17/26—Printing apparatus or machines of special types or for particular purposes, not otherwise provided for for printing on flat surfaces of polyhedral articles by rolling contact
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B28—WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE
    • B28B—SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER
    • B28B11/00—Apparatus or processes for treating or working the shaped or preshaped articles
    • B28B11/001—Applying decorations on shaped articles, e.g. by painting
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B28—WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE
    • B28B—SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER
    • B28B11/00—Apparatus or processes for treating or working the shaped or preshaped articles
    • B28B11/04—Apparatus or processes for treating or working the shaped or preshaped articles for coating or applying engobing layers
    • B28B11/046—Apparatus or processes for treating or working the shaped or preshaped articles for coating or applying engobing layers by rolling
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41P—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO PRINTING, LINING MACHINES, TYPEWRITERS, AND TO STAMPS
    • B41P2217/00—Printing machines of special types or for particular purposes
    • B41P2217/50—Printing presses for particular purposes
    • B41P2217/56—Printing presses for particular purposes for printing ceramic tiles

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method of, and apparatus for, applying a design to a ceramic tile.
  • Decorative ceramic tiles are used, for example, in kitchens and bathrooms to enhance the appearance of the room.
  • a number of techniques are used for providing the decorative marking on the tile during its manufacture. For example, it is known to screen print the design onto the unfired (i.e. 'biscuit') form of the tile.
  • the definition obtained by this method is not good and therefore only comparatively 'crude' designs may be printed. More accurate definition can be obtained by the use of transfers but this is a comparatively slow process and can only be used for applying designs to the fired tile.
  • a method of applying a design to a ceramic tile wherein the design is applied to the tile by an off-set rotary gravure printing process in which the transfer roller has an outer surface of silicone rubber.
  • the present invention also provides apparatus for applying a design to a ceramic tile the apparatus having a printing station comprising a rotary gravure cylinder and a transfer roller associated therewith wherein the transfer roller has an outer surface of silicone rubber.
  • Rotary gravure printing is of course a well established process used for the printing of paper and other web materials.
  • the use of rotary gravure printing for applying designs to ceramic tiles has not, to our knowledge, previously been successfully developed.
  • the inks used in the method of the invention preferably contain ceramic pigments.
  • the inks are at a higher temperature than the tile and of a type which dry quickly upon contact with the relatively cool surface of the ceramic tile. The quick drying nature of these inks allows the tile to be printed at successive rotary gravure printing stations so that a multi-colour design can be quickly and easily built up.
  • Silicone rubber has a number of properties which render it suitable for use as the transfer surface of the transfer roller. In particular, it is heat resistant (and is thus not damaged by the application thereto of the heated inks) and also has excellent ink transfer properties. Most preferably, the silicone rubber is provided as a comparatively thin sleeve bonded onto a rigid roller. This construction ensures that the silicone rubber does not 'wobble' during rotation of the transfer roller which thus allows the accurate transfer of the ink to the tile.
  • the tile is supported during its printing with the transfer roller by means of a support roller which has a silicone rubber surface of the same hardness as that of the transfer roller.
  • the diameter of the transfer toller (measured across the silicone rubber surface) has to be the same as that of the support roller (also measured across its silicone rubber surface). It is necessary to use such a support roller for the printing of unfired clay tiles in order to avoid breakage.
  • the spacing between the silicone surfaces of the transfer and support rollers will be related to the thickness of the tile to be printed and will determine the pressure which the transfer roller will apply to the file for applying the ink thereto. It is not however necessary to have the support roller with silicone rubber surface if biscuit tile are being printed and, in this case, a simple support plate may be employed.
  • the silicone surface of the transfer roller be in contact with the surface of a cleaning roller for removing excess ink from the surface of the transfer roller after the latter has printed onto a tile and before it is re-inked by the gravure cylinder.
  • a cleaning roller is also of value is the case where tiles are being fed successively through the printing station (ie to be printed by the transfer roller) and there are one or more tiles missing from the feed. In this cases, the transfer roller obviously does not print onto a tile and is cleaned by the cleaning roller before being re-inked.
  • the cleaning roller preferably has a PTFE surface. Additionally, the cleaning roller should be at a lower temperature than the gravure cylinder (which will typically be at a temperatureof above 100°C to ensure transfer of the ink onto the transfer roller but at a higher temperature than the transfer roller. Typically the surface of the cleaning roller will be at a temperature of 60-70°.
  • the silicone rubber is a Room Temperature Vulcanised silicone rubber (as opposed to condensation cured) and preferably has a hardness in the range 40-50°° Shore. Most preferably the hardness is about 45°° Shore.
  • gravure cylinders may be used for printing detailed designs and the invention thus allows such detailed designs to be applied successfully to tiles.
  • the gravure cylinders used should be half-tone etched cylinders which achieve a quality comparable to decals (transfers).
  • the etched depth of the cylinder is generally of at least double that of gravure cylinders used for the printing of paper.
  • the etched depth of the cylinder is 6.25 - ­7.5 ⁇ 10 ⁇ 3cm (0.0025 to 0.003in). This compares with 2.5 to 3.8 + 10 ⁇ 3cm (0.001 to 0.0015in) in cylinders used for printing paper.
  • the greater etched depth is required because of the different nature of the inks used in the present process, compared to those used for printing paper.
  • the gravure cylinder will preferably have up to 50 lines/cm (120 lines/inch).
  • the gravure cylinder will also be associated with a doctor blade arrangement for the removal of excess ink from its surface. Most preferably, reverse angle doctoring is used.
  • the gravure cylinder is applied to the silicone rubber surface of the transfer roller so as to produce an impression therein of about .025cm (.01").
  • the apparatus of Fig. 1 comprises a printing station 1 for the off-set rotary gravure printing of tiles. More particularly the printing station comprises a transfer roller 2 incorporating a silicone rubber sleeve 3 to which a design to be printed onto a tile is applied by a rotary gravure cylinder 4 (shown only schematically without details of the ink retention cells) supplied with ink from a tray 5 by a roller 6. Cylinder 4 may be internally heated by circulating hot oil therethrough and heaters (not shown) for the ink are provided in tray 5.
  • the transfer roller 2 has a horizontal axis of rotation and is located vertically above a support roller 7 itself having a sleeve 8 of the same silicone rubber as sleeve 3.
  • Sleeves 3 and 8 may for example be of 1.25cm (0.5") thickness and a hardness of about 45°° Shore.
  • a cleaning roll 9 with a PTFE surface is capable of rotating in contact with the roller 2.
  • Doctor blades 10 and 11 are provided for cylinder 4 and roll 9 respectively.
  • the apparatus further comprises a conveyor arrangement 12 by which tiles to be printed are supplied to and past the rollers 2 and 7. More particularly, this conveyor arrangement comprises a first pair of laterally spaced belts 13 running around and between the pulleys 14 upstream of the rollers 2 and 7, and a second pair of laterally spaced belts 15 which run around pulleys 16 from upstream of rolls 2 and 7 to downstream thereof.
  • the spacing between belts 15 is less than that between belts 13 and at their upstream ends the belts 15 locate between the downstream ends of belts 13.
  • Belts 13 are guided by rails 17 and are arranged such that their upper surfaces are very slightly higher than those of belts 15.
  • Support roller 7 has two annular grooves 19 axially spaced by a distance corresponding to the lateral spacing of belts 15. As will be seen from an inset to Fig. 1 the belts 15 run in these grooves on their passage past roller 7.
  • each of belts 15 Provided on each of belts 15 are a plurality of upstanding projections 20 at regular spaced intervals.
  • friction rollers 21 rotatable about horizontal axes locating between the adjacent belts 13 and 15.
  • Additionally means for the lateral location of a tile are provided in the form of a line of small vertical rollers 22 at the outer side of one of the belts 13 and a pulley belt 23 at the opposite side of the other belt 13 and being adapted to be urged into contact with a tile by spring loaded rollers 24.
  • the illustrated apparatus incorporates a drive arrangement for the gravure cylinder 4.
  • This arrangement has a drive shaft from which the rollers 2 and 7 and the belts 13 and 15 are also driven.
  • the illustrated apparatus is a modular unit which may be provided as one of a line of similar apparatus (each for printing a different colour ink) for building up a multi-colour pattern on a tile. More particularly, the tiles may be fabricated in a conventional production unit by pressing from clay, drying the pressed clay, then by applying a glaze and then a sealer before the tiles are fed to the illustrated printing apparatus (or line of such apparatus) from which the printed tiles are fed to a kiln for firing.
  • the unfired tiles T are fed to the apparatus by conveyors (not shown) and are received on the upstream ends of the belts 13 which are spanned by each tile.
  • the tiles are thus conveyed towards the upstream end of belts 15 (which are drive at the same speed as belts 13) and engage with friction rollers 20 which slow or stop the tiles until such time as a pair of projections 20 (one on each belt 15) engage against the trailing edge of the tile and advance it towards rollers 2 and 7.
  • the tile is laterally located by the arrangement of vertical rollers 22 and belt 23 (biassed towards the tile by the rollers 24) described above.
  • the return pulley 14 of the belts 13 are upstream of the rollers 2 and 7 and this is by a distance such that as the leading edge of the tile becomes supported on the roller 7, the trailing edge is still supported by belts 13.
  • the gravure cylinder 4 (rotating is the direction of arrow A) is supplied with ink by the roller 6 and applies a design to the silicone rubber sleeve 3 of roller 2 (rotating in the direction of arrow B) and this design is in turn applied to the tile which continues to be conveyed by belts 15 to the downstream end of the apparatus.
  • the tile may then be passed to a similar apparatus (for applying a different colour ink to the tile) or to a kiln for firing.
  • the ink used for the printing operation comprises ceramic pigments in a pressure sensitive ink medium.
  • the ink is held in tray 5 and maintained at an elevated temperature (by heaters not shown) for application to the printing cylinder 4 which is itself maintained at about 120°
  • Cylinder 4 is wiped by the doctor blade 10. This blade is oscillated in a direction parallel to the axis of the cylinder 4 to avoid uneven wear. Additionally, the angle of the blade 10 relative to cylinder 4 may be varied to suit particular printing applications.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Printing Methods (AREA)
  • Rotary Presses (AREA)
EP19880300819 1987-01-31 1988-02-01 Procédé et dispositif pour imprimer des tuiles Expired - Lifetime EP0278650B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8702170 1987-01-31
GB878702170A GB8702170D0 (en) 1987-01-31 1987-01-31 Applying design to tiles

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0278650A2 true EP0278650A2 (fr) 1988-08-17
EP0278650A3 EP0278650A3 (en) 1989-12-27
EP0278650B1 EP0278650B1 (fr) 1994-01-19

Family

ID=10611525

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19880300819 Expired - Lifetime EP0278650B1 (fr) 1987-01-31 1988-02-01 Procédé et dispositif pour imprimer des tuiles

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0278650B1 (fr)
DE (1) DE3887175D1 (fr)
GB (1) GB8702170D0 (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1072427A2 (fr) * 1999-07-28 2001-01-31 Valentino Bonetti Procédé pour l'impression variée d'images sur un matériau quelconque, en particulier des carreaux en céramique
EP1834768A1 (fr) * 2006-03-17 2007-09-19 Euram H.R. Ltd. Moyens de décoration tubulaire
WO2009044319A2 (fr) * 2007-10-03 2009-04-09 Antonio Maccari Procédés et dispositifs permettant de contrôler le fonctionnement de machines de décoration

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE202016008350U1 (de) 2016-10-25 2017-08-17 Olbrich Gmbh Walzenauftragswerk für das Auftragen einer Beschichtungsmasse auf einem strukturierten Substrat

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1807921A (en) * 1926-09-11 1931-06-02 Oxford Varnish Corp Transfer machine
GB482642A (en) * 1937-07-27 1938-04-01 Oxford Varnish Corp Improvements in the printing of articles having non-planar surfaces
GB1284841A (en) * 1970-01-24 1972-08-09 Myott Son And Company Ltd Method and means for printing on non-planar surfaces
FR2144235A6 (fr) * 1971-05-26 1973-02-09 Philipp Wilfried

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1807921A (en) * 1926-09-11 1931-06-02 Oxford Varnish Corp Transfer machine
GB482642A (en) * 1937-07-27 1938-04-01 Oxford Varnish Corp Improvements in the printing of articles having non-planar surfaces
GB1284841A (en) * 1970-01-24 1972-08-09 Myott Son And Company Ltd Method and means for printing on non-planar surfaces
FR2144235A6 (fr) * 1971-05-26 1973-02-09 Philipp Wilfried

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1072427A2 (fr) * 1999-07-28 2001-01-31 Valentino Bonetti Procédé pour l'impression variée d'images sur un matériau quelconque, en particulier des carreaux en céramique
EP1072427A3 (fr) * 1999-07-28 2003-09-24 Valentino Bonetti Procédé pour l'impression variée d'images sur un matériau quelconque, en particulier des carreaux en céramique
EP1834768A1 (fr) * 2006-03-17 2007-09-19 Euram H.R. Ltd. Moyens de décoration tubulaire
WO2009044319A2 (fr) * 2007-10-03 2009-04-09 Antonio Maccari Procédés et dispositifs permettant de contrôler le fonctionnement de machines de décoration
WO2009044319A3 (fr) * 2007-10-03 2009-07-23 Antonio Maccari Procédés et dispositifs permettant de contrôler le fonctionnement de machines de décoration

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE3887175D1 (de) 1994-03-03
EP0278650B1 (fr) 1994-01-19
EP0278650A3 (en) 1989-12-27
GB8702170D0 (en) 1987-03-04

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