Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
  • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
  • B41J3/00—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed
  • B41J3/407—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed for marking on special material
  • B41J3/4073—Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
  • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
  • B41J3/00—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed
  • B41J3/407—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed for marking on special material
  • B41J3/4073—Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects
  • B41J3/40733—Printing on cylindrical or rotationally symmetrical objects, e. g. on bottles

Definitions

• the invention relates to a device according to the preamble of claim 1.
• Devices for printing on bottles or similar containers are known in various designs, for example devices (GB 2 376 920 A, WO 2004/009360 A1) in which the container area to be printed is arranged directly adjacent one or more printing heads during printing. Also known are devices (US Pat. No. 6,684,770 B2, US Pat. No. 7,011,728 B2) in which the printing takes place by rolling the container region to be printed on a printing plate colored with printing ink, which is provided on a circulating printing drum or on a circulating belt.
• the known devices make it possible to print on containers of high quality, ie with a high-quality, especially also sharp and distortion-free and / or defect-free imprint only if the containers to be printed have the smallest possible dimensional tolerances and on their area to be printed as well have no or possibly no bumps.
• the object of the invention is to provide a device that allows bottles or similar containers with high performance (number of printed containers per unit time) to print with high quality. To solve this problem, a device according to the patent claim 1 is formed.
• the inventive construction it is u.a. It is possible to print even bottles or similar containers, which have relatively large dimensional tolerances and / or unevenness, with high quality and at high output directly on the container outer surface.
• Fig. 1 in a very simplified representation and in plan view of a printing station for
• FIG. 2 is a simplified perspective view of the transfer drum of the printing station of FIG. 1 with the transfer elements, together with a bottle resting on a container carrier;
• Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of a section through a transfer element of the printing station of Figure 1;
• Figure 4 shows a schematic representation in plan view of an apparatus for printing bottles or the like containers on circular-cylindrical container outer surfaces with two printing station.
• FIG. 5 shows in a simplified representation and in plan view a further embodiment of the printing station according to the invention with several te provided on an auxiliary transport teur and with this circumferentially driven transfer elements.
• FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of one of the transfer elements of FIG. 5 together with a bottle standing up on a container carrier.
• the printing station is used for printing bottles 2 directly on an area of the bottle outer surface, for example on a bottle belly 2.1, as shown, or on a bottle neck 2.2, for example, in the shape of a circular cylinder or in a substantially circular cylinder.
• the printing station 1 comprises, inter alia, a transfer drum 3 driven circumferentially about its vertical axis in the direction of the arrow A, at the circular cylindrical peripheral surface at regular angular intervals about the drum axis offset a plurality of transfer elements 4, ie in the illustrated embodiment a total of three transfer elements 4 are preferably provided interchangeable , As FIG.
• each transfer element 4 has a multilayer structure, ie it consists, inter alia, of an adhesive layer 5 located outside on the axis of the transfer drum 3, of a material suitable for transfer printing, from a rubber-elastic intermediate layer adjoining the adhesive layer 5 6, for example, a harder rubber or an elastomeric plastic and from a subsequent to the intermediate layer 6 support layer 7 made of a metallic material or plastic, with which the respective transfer element 4 is attached to the circumference of the transfer drum 3.
• Each transfer element 4 is curved on its outer or transfer surface 4.1 formed by the adhesive layer 5 in the form of a partial circle cylinder around the axis of the transfer star 3 and there is cushion-like elastic, but fold-free deformable.
• the printing station 1 further comprises a print head 8, which is arranged on the periphery of the transfer drum 3 with this not co-rotating and with each of the complete, applied to a bottle 2 print image in a negative or mirror image form, ie as a negative print image on the transfer surface 4.1 of the transfer drum 4 is moved past the print head 8 when the transfer drum 3 is rotating.
• the printhead 8 is preferably an electronic printhead and comprises for multicolor printing a plurality of electronically controllable individual printheads which are provided consecutively in the direction of rotation A, for example a single printhead for black and a plurality of individual printheads for different color sets of a multicolor print.
• the individual print heads are, for example, those which are known by the name "Tonejet" and which each have a plurality of nozzle openings in a row which is oriented parallel or substantially parallel to the axis of the transfer drum 3.
• Each nozzle opening is assigned an electrode - Print heads or their electrodes are driven by the print image electronically generating control device 9, in such a way that at the nozzle openings at a change in the potential of the associated electrode relative to the potential of the nozzle opening printing ink for generating a pixel on the transfer surface 4.1 is applied.
• the printhead in the direction of rotation A is preceded by a cleaning station or position 10 is provided on the periphery of the transfer drum and this not mitcardend at which the transferred with the transfer drum 3 moving transfer elements 4 before applying the new negative print image on its transfer surface 4.1, ie existing residues of printing ink are removed.
• the cleaning station 10 is formed in the simplest case of one or more scrapers.
• Each provided with the negative print image on the transfer surface 4.1 transfer element 4 passes with the rotating transfer drum 3 to a printing area 11 when there on a bottle or container conveyor 12 upright, ie with its axis oriented in the vertical direction bottle 2 is moved past ,
• the container conveyor 12 is in the embodiment shown in Figures 1-3 a synchronized about a vertical machine axis with the transfer drum 3 rotatably driven turntable or rotor having a plurality of plate-shaped container carriers 13 which are provided at equal angular intervals about the vertical axis of the rotor rotor at the periphery thereof and are rotatable controlled about its vertical axis.
• each at its upper end by an unillustrated element, for example by a stamp secured against falling bottle 2 at the pressure area 11 is rotated about its axis (arrow C) 1 in such a way that this bottle 2 with the printing area (for example, bottle belly 2.1) without slip on the past moving transfer element 4 and the local transfer surface 4.1 rolls and thus the negative print image is applied by the respective transfer element 4 as a positive pressure on the relevant bottle 2.
• an unillustrated element for example by a stamp secured against falling bottle 2 at the pressure area 11 is rotated about its axis (arrow C) 1 in such a way that this bottle 2 with the printing area (for example, bottle belly 2.1) without slip on the past moving transfer element 4 and the local transfer surface 4.1 rolls and thus the negative print image is applied by the respective transfer element 4 as a positive pressure on the relevant bottle 2.
• Each bottle 2 printed in this way is then further moved on the associated container carrier 13, standing upright with the container conveyor 12 and reaches the like, inter alia. to a station 14 at which by action of energy or entry, for example by infrared radiation, UV radiation, microwave energy, hot air, etc., a drying, setting or baking of the applied directly to the bottle 2 printed image, preferably while continuing to its bottle axis with the container carrier 13 rotated bottle. 2
• a special feature of the printing station 1 is that on each transfer surface 4.1 when moving past the print head 8 in each case in negative form the complete, applied to the bottles 2 print image is generated.
• the elastic intermediate layer 6 ensures that even with dimensional tolerances, eg tolerances in the diameter of the bottles 2, the (tolerances) may well be in the range between 0.5 to 07 mm, but also in unevenness for the transmission of the printed image is ensured by the transfer element 4 to the respective bottle 2 required dense concerns the transfer surface 4.1 against the bottle area to be printed.
• the printing station 1 has the advantage that a high-quality printing in compliance with the necessary and very critical distance between the print head 8 and the transfer surfaces 4.1 is possible, despite considerable dimensional tolerances of the bottles 2, these fertilizer fertil fertilizer through the elastic training the transfer elements 4, that are compensated in the elastic intermediate layers 6.
• FIG. 4 shows a device 15 for printing on bottles 2 or similar containers, which (device) in turn has the container conveyor 12, which is designed as a rotor and revolves around a vertical machine axis in the direction of the arrow B, with the container carriers 13 provided on the circumference.
• the container conveyor 12 which is designed as a rotor and revolves around a vertical machine axis in the direction of the arrow B, with the container carriers 13 provided on the circumference.
• two printing stations 1 are provided, in the illustrated embodiment by 180 ° about the vertical axis of rotation of the container conveyor 12 offset from each other.
• the container carriers 13 are not only rotatable (arrow C) controlled by their vertical container carrier axis, but also controlled radially or substantially radially with respect to the vertical axis of the container conveyor 12, so that the container carriers 13 or the On these upright bottles 2 arranged on the printing area 11 of each printing station 1 are not only rotated about the vertical axis of the container carrier 13 (arrow C), but also move on a curved around the axis of the respective transfer drum 3 web, for example on a part-circular path , As a result, the usable for the transmission of the print image of the transfer elements 4 on the bottles 2 angular range of rotation of the container conveyor 12 is substantially increased, so that a high-quality printing of the bottles 2 at high performance of the device 15 (number of printed bottles 2 per unit time) ensured is.
• the bottles 2 are fed to the device 15 via a conveyor belt 16 and each arrive individually via an inlet star 17 on a container carrier 13.
• the printed bottles 2 are taken from the respective container carrier 13 on an outfeed star 18 and conveyed away with the conveyor belt 16.
• a printing of the bottles 2 takes place at different In principle, however, it is also possible to supplement the print image generated by the first printing station 1 in the transport direction B with the printing station 1 following in the direction of transport B, with the one printing station 1 and the bottleneck 2.2. zen, for example, individually different from bottle 2 to bottle 2 or individually different from bottle group to bottle group.
• a drying station 14 for drying, setting and / or baking of the printed image is again provided following each printing station 1.
• FIGS. 5 and 6 show, as a further embodiment, a printing station 1a, which differs from the printing station 1 essentially in that the transfer elements 4a corresponding to the transfer elements 4 in terms of their function and construction are provided on an auxiliary conveyor, in the form of at least one This is guided over at least two in the figure 5 with 20 indicated wheels and carries on the outside of the loop, the transfer elements 4a forming a closed oval loop, endlessly driven (arrow D) belt, belt or chain-shaped transport element.
• Each transfer element 4a in turn consists of the adhesive layer forming the transfer surface 4a.1, of the elastic intermediate layer and of a carrier element with which the transfer element 4a is held on the transport element 19.
• the transfer elements 4 a are flat or substantially planar on their transfer surface 4.1.
• the print head 8 and the cleaning station 10 preceding this print head 8 in the transport direction D of the transport element 19 are provided on a straight loop length 19. 1 of the transport element 19.
• the pressure region 11a is formed, on which the bottles 2 upright on a container conveyor 21 or on there plate-like container supports 22 are moved straight past, namely rotating the container carrier 22 and the bottles 2 about their vertical axes (arrow E) such that each bottle 2 slip-free on a transfer element 4a or the local arranged in a vertical plane transfer surface 4a.1 for transferring the negative print image rolls.
• the operation of the printing station 1a corresponds to the operation of the printing station
• the respective transfer surface 4a.1 is cleaned or, for example, at the cleaning position 10. freed by scraping from residual ink.
• the printed bottles 2 are carried along with the container conveyor 21, u.a. to a not shown, the drying station 14 corresponding drying station.
• the printing station 1a has the additional advantage that a relatively large length of the transport path of the container conveyor 21 is available for the transfer of the negative print images from the transfer elements 4a to the bottles 2, so that the printing station 1a is especially suitable for very high outputs ,
• the container conveyor 21 is a linear container conveyor and that accordingly the transfer elements 4 a are moved on the printing area 11 a on a straight loop length 19. 2 of the transport element 19.
• the transfer elements 4 and 4a are each made of a multi-layer, consisting of the adhesive layer 5, the intermediate layer 6 and the carrier layer 7.
• the adhesive layer 5 is also possible to produce several layers in one piece, for example the adhesive layer 5 as a closed outer skin or layer of a formed with a plurality of pores elastic intermediate layer 6.
• the elastic, pillow-like Forming the transfer element 4 is in any case a compensation of the bottle or container tolerances in the transfer element possible.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Coating Apparatus (AREA)
• Dot-Matrix Printers And Others (AREA)
• Ink Jet (AREA)
• Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)
• Specific Conveyance Elements (AREA)
• Wrapping Of Specific Fragile Articles (AREA)
• Printing Methods (AREA)
• Filling Of Jars Or Cans And Processes For Cleaning And Sealing Jars (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

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Family Applications (1)

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• 2008
  • 2008-08-28 RU RU2010119959/12A patent/RU2433049C1/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2008-08-28 WO PCT/EP2008/007043 patent/WO2009052890A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2008-08-28 BR BRPI0817347-8A patent/BRPI0817347A2/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2008-08-28 EP EP08801735A patent/EP2207684B1/fr not_active Not-in-force
  • 2008-08-28 JP JP2010529249A patent/JP5566893B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2008-08-28 CN CN2008801116370A patent/CN101827711B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2008-08-28 MX MX2010004029A patent/MX2010004029A/es active IP Right Grant
  • 2008-08-28 AT AT08801735T patent/ATE534526T1/de active
• 2010
  • 2010-04-19 US US12/762,964 patent/US10166781B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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