GB1577468A - Ceramic ware decorating machine - Google Patents

Description

(54) CERAMIC WARE DECORATING MACHINE (71) We, HOLLINGTON LIGHT EN GINEERING LIMITED, a British Company of Gladstone Works, Chadwick Street, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention concerns ceramic ware decorating machines, especially but not exclusively machines for painting annular bands on flat plates and cups.

Several different designs of machines have been provided in the past for applying bands to plates. One such machine employs a turntable on which the plate is supported and rotated, the band of paint being applied by a roller contacting the plate surface, the roller having paint applied to its periphery by a further roller in contact with it and which dips into a reservoir of paint.

A further prior machine employs a brush which is held against a plate supported on a rotating turntable, paint being supplied to the brush through a tube which terminates in the brush interior. In this machine paint is supplied from a pressurised container and the supply of paint to the brush is controlled by intermittent operation of a valve in the paint supply line.

These prior machines have not been totally satisfactory as the amount of paint supplied to plates varies from plate to plate, this resulting in a non-uniformity of colour, smudging, running, etc.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate these disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a ware bonding machine comprising a rotatable support for an article of ware, brush means movable into contact with said articles, paint supply means to said brush and a flow inducer supplying a predetermined flow of paint to said brush means, said inducer comprising a rotatable member having at least one roller mounted thereon with its axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of said rotatable member, a support means having an arcuate surface concentric with said axis of rotation and a resilient tube for paint supported on said support means, the or each roller being spaced from the axis of rotation at such a distance that on rotation of the rotatable member said roller or rollers squeezes said tube between itself and the support member to induce a flow or paint in the tube.

Preferably means are provided to control the speed of rotation of the rotatable member and/or the time during which it is rotated thereby metering the flow of paint to said brush.

In this specification the term paint is intended to cover any decorating medium which can be applied by a brush or a roller.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates diagrammatically a banding machine for ceramic ware.

A banding machine comprises a base 10 on which is rotatably mounted a turntable 12 the turntable having resilient plate mounting means 14 fixed thereto, the mounting means having a concave upper surface to which negative pressure can be applied by means of a tube 16, so that an article of ware, for example, a dinner plate 18 can be fixed to the turntable 12 for rotation therewith.

Plate 18 can be placed on and removed from the turntable 12 manually or by some automatic means. In either case three centering rollers 20 (only two of which are shown) each mounted on pivotal arms 22 and spaced at intervals of 1200 around the centre of the turntable are brought into operation before vacuum is applied by way of tube 16 so that the plate is centered on the turntable.

The turntable is then rotated for a predetermined time and during this time an arm 30 supporting a brush 32 is lowered so that the brush contacts the plate. Paint is supplied to the brush by means of a supply line 34 from a paint reservoir 36.

The paint is supplied by means of a flow inducer 40 which includes a rotatable member 42 having three rollers 44 mounted thereon with the axis of the rollers parallel to the axis of rotation of the member 42 and mutually spaced at intervals of 1200.

The inducer includes also an arcuate support means 46, the centre of the arc being concentric with the rotatable member 42. Adjusting screws 48 are provided on the inducer 40 to vary the distance between the arcuate surface of the support means 46 and the centre of the rotatable member 42 whereby the clearance between the arcuate support surface and the rollers can be varied.

The supply line 34 is manufactured froze resilient plastics material and it will be observed that if its external diameter is greater than the space between the outer periphery of the rollers 44 and the arcuate surface of the support member 46 it will be squeezed therebetween, this squeezing action moving progressively along the tube as the member rotates this including a flow in the supply means 34.

This flow can be very precisely regulated by careful control of the speed of rotation of the member 42 and the spacing between the rollers and the arcuate surface.

Thus in operation the plate is rotated for a predetermined time, so that a precise amount of paint is supplied through the supply line 34 to the interior of the brush 32 which travels for a predetermined number of times over the annular band to be painted on the plate.

In view of the precise control of the painting conditions the thickness of paint supplied to the plate is precisely controlled so that from plate to plate the colour remains constant and smudging and runnine is avoided.

Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, for example, a plurality of brushes, each with a supply line can be provided to paint more than one parallel annular band.

Furthermore, the arrangement could operate with the plate in a vertical rather than a horizontal attitude. Alternative centering means and plate holding means could be provided.

In a further modification the machine can be adapted to apply bands to articles of hollow ware. In this modification the ware holding means would be altered, for example a cup chuck could be fitted to the turntable and the brush would be arranged horizontally.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A ware banding machine comprising a rotatable support for an article of ware brush means movable into contact with said article, paint supply means in said brush and a flow inducer supplying a predetermined flow of paint to said brush means, said inducer comprising a rotatable member having at least one roller mounted thereon with its axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of said rotatable member, a support means having an arcuate surface concentric with said axis of rotation and a resilient tube for paint supported on said support means, the or each roller being spaced from the axis of rotation at such a distance that on rotation of the rotatable member said roller or rollers squeezes said tube between itself and the support member to induce a flow of paint in the tube.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, in which means are provided to control the speed of rotation the rotatable member and/or the time during which it is rotated thereby metering the flow of paing to said brush.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the rotatable support includes a mounting device manufactured from a resilient material and having a concave upper surface, means being provided for evacuating the concave depression when an article of ware is supported by the mounting device.

4. A machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which automatic ware supply means are provided for placing articlefs of ware on the rotatable support.

5. A machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including means for centering an article of ware on the rotatable support.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 5, in which said centering means comprises at least two rollers against which the periphery of the ware is intended to abut.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 6, in which three rollers are provided, being equally spaced about a circle having its centre on the axis of rotation of the rotatable member.

S. A machine as claimed in ay one of the preceding claims, in which the distance between the support means and the axis of rotation of the rotatable member is adjustable.

9. A ware banding machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawing.

10. An article of ware when banded by a machine as claimed in any one of the

Claims (1)

1. preceding claims.