GB1588224A

GB1588224A - Decoration of workpieces

Info

Publication number: GB1588224A
Application number: GB2623976A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Malkin & Co Ltd F
Current assignee: Malkin & Co Ltd F
Priority date: 1976-06-24
Filing date: 1976-06-24
Publication date: 1981-04-15

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO THE DECORATION OF WORKPIECES (71) We, F. MALKIN & COMPANY LIMITED, a British Company, of Campbell Road, 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 invention relates to banding or lining machines incorporating doctor blade assemblies.

Banding or lining machines are used in the decoration of workpieces, such as pottery tableware, to apply to the surface of the workpiece a circular band or line of a decorating medium such as a colour or a metallic solution or suspension.

In the decoration of articles of ceramic tableware by application of bands of colouring matter thereto it is known to apply the colour by means of a disc or roller, the peripheral surface of which carries the colouring medium and is applied to the article to transfer the medium thereto. It is necessary for achievement of clearly defined bands having sharp edges to ensure that the colouring material is applied uniformly and is kept free of the side faces of the roller or disc. The present invention is concerned with doctor blade assemblies which may be utilised in association with rollers or discs of this kind.

The invention provides a banding or lining machine including a doctor blade assembly for use in association with an applicator disc or roller, said assembly comprising a fixed doctor blade adapted in use to co-operate with the periphery of the disc or roller, a pair of wiper blades adapted to co-operate with the opposite side faces of the disc or roller and means resiliently biassing the wiper blades towards one another.

The wiper blades may be carried by respective pivotal arms in caliper fashion, the blades themselves being freely pivotally mounted on the arms so as to be selfaligning on contact with the disc or roller irrespective of the positions of the arms.

Preferably the edges of the wiper blades and doctor blade are disposed in a common plane.

The doctor blade assembly is preferably mounted on a common support with the associated disc or roller, the doctor blade assembly being pivotally mounted on the support and means being provided to adjust the position of the assembly so as to vary the distance between the doctor blade and the periphery of the disc or roller.

Preferably the machine also includes a follower member engageable with the edge of an article to be decorated and connected to applicator means incorporating said disc or roller whereby to constrain same to follow a path parallel to and spaced a fixed distance from said edge.

Preferably said applicator means and said follower member are mounted on a common support for movement in unison, means being provided for adjusting the position of the follower member relative to the applicator means whereby to vary the distance from the edge of the article at which said line or band is applied.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a doctor blade assembly and associated disc or roller; Figure 2 is a plan view of the arrangement shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of one form of decorating apparatus according to the invention; Figure 4 is a section on the line IV - IV in Figure 3; and Figures 5, 6 and 7 are respectively plan, end and side views of a stylus assembly incorporated in the apparatus shown in Figures 3 and 4.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the apparatus comprises a ware supporting assembly comprising a plate 110 having three angularly arranged, length-adjustable support pins 111, and a central suction cup 112 adapted in use to engage a plate or like article P to be decorated and draw some into engagement with the support pins 111. The ware support assembly is arranged to be rotated about the central axis of the suction cup by means of a drive unit 113.

The apparatus also includes a decorating unit 114 comprising a carrier frame 115, the lower portion of which supports a motor and gearbox assembly 116 and the upper portion of which supports an applicator unit 117.

The applicator unit incorporates an applicator roller or disc 118 mounted on a rotatable drive shaft arranged to be driven from the motor and gearbox assembly 116 bv a belt drive 120. The applicator roller is arranged to receive decorating medium from a reservoir 109 by means of an intermediate transfer roller 206 (Figure 1) a doctor assembly 121. shown in detail and described hereinafter with reference to Figures 1 and 2 being provided to confine the decorating medium to the peripheral edge of the applicator roller 118. The latter is positioned so that it may be brought into register with a peripheral portion of the plate P whereby to apply a band or line of decorating medium thereto. For this purpose the supporting frame 115 is pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis 122 to enable swinging movement to and from the ware support assembly whereby to bring the applicator roller into or out of contact with the plate P as desired.

Means is provided for guiding the applicator roller in a manner such that it follows a path parallel to the edge of the plate P. For this purpose a follower assembly 130 (Figures 4 to 7) is mounted on the applicator unit and comprises a follower roller 131 supported on a main support arm 132 which is pivotally connected at its lower end to one of a pair of carrier arms 133A. 133B which are annularly adjustable relative to one another. The upper end of the other carrier arm 133B is pivotally connected to an adjustment screw 134 one end of which is connected to the support arm 132 intermediate the ends thereof and the other end of which is provided with a knurled head 135.

By virtue of this arringement the position of the support arm 132 relative to the applicator unit may he adjusted. coarse adjustments being effected hv altering the angular position of the upright carrier arm I 33B relative to the other carrier arm 133A. and fine adjustments being effected by rotating the knurled adjuster 135.

In order to enable the applicator roller 131 to follow the edge of the plate P, the supporting frame 115 on which the applicator unit is mounted is pivoted about a horizontal axis 137 disposed at right angles to the axis 122. In this way the entire applicator unit moves against the resistance of a tension spring 138 (Figure 4) into positions determined by abutment between the applicator roller and the edge of the plate. The transfer roller 206 and the applicator roller 118 are rotatably mounted about fixed axes on a support 205 fixed to the frame 115. The transfer roller is arranged to run in a reservoir 109 of colouring material and the gap between the transfer and applicator rollers is adjusted so as to result in transfer of a predetermined quantity of colouring material from the transfer roller to the applicator roller.

The doctor blade assembly 121 referred to above is also mounted on the support 205 and comprises a mounting bracket 211 and a blade carrier 212 pivotally supported on a pin 213 carried by the mounting bracket. A threaded adjuster 214 is carried by the bracket 211 and projects therefrom into contact with the blade carrier 212. rotation of the adjuster 214 serving to pivot the blade carrier about the pin 213. A spring 215 acts between the blade carrier and a retaining member 216 carried by the support bracket 211 to urge the blade carrier into contact with the adjustor 214.

A fixed doctor blade 218 is secured to the blade carrier and projects therefrom in the direction of the applicator roller 118. The edge of the doctor blade 218 is positioned a predetermined distance from the periphery of the applicator roller in order to control the quantity of colour transferred thereto from the transfer roller 206. The width of the gap between the doctor blade and the applicator roller is determined by adjustment of the threaded adjuster 214.

A pair of wiper blades 219 are supported on arms 219A pivotally mounted on the blade carrier by pivot pins 220 so as to be movable to and from the opposite side faces of the applicator roller. A spring 221 acts between the ends of the arms 21C)A remote from the wiper blades so as to urge the arms apart and hence urge the blades into contact with the opposite faces of the roller 118. The wiper blades are pivotally mounted on the arms 219A bv pins 222 so as to align themselves automaticallv with the opposite faces of the roller irrespective of the spacing between the arms.

The operative edges of the doctor blade and the wiper blades are formed from tungsten carbide or other wear-resistant material so that wear is reduced to a minimum. but the resilient biasing of the wiper arms provides automatic compensa tion for wear should this occur.

The arrangement is such that, in use the quantity of colour applied to the periphery of the applicator roller is controlled by the doctor blade, and the wiper blades prevent colour from accumulating on the side faces of the roller. In this way a clearly defined sharp line or band is applied to the article to be decorated.

Thus in operation, a plate P is supported in the ware carrier and rotated by the drive assembly 113. The main support arm 132 of the applicator assembly is adjusted so that the distance between the follower roller 131 and the applicator wheel 118 corresponds to the desired displacement of the band or line from the edge of the article of ware. The applicator wheel is rotated in synchronism with the speed of rotation of the plate to be decorated by drive applied to the applicator wheel from the drive unit 116. The wheel is maintained at a constant distance from the periphery of the plate P by virtue of the follower roller engaging with and following the periphery of the plate under the resilient biasing action applied thereto. A band or line of decorating medium is therefore applied to the plate in a manner such that it is always equi-spaced from the edge of the plate thereby producing a decorated article of satisfactory appearance irrespective of slight irregularities in the shape of the plate.

It should be noted that the working edge of the doctor blade is in alignment with the edges of the wiper blades whereby doctoring of the colour and wiping of the side faces of the applicator roller are effected at the same radial region of the roller. This has been found to significantly affect the quality of the line or band applied to the article to be decorated.

When it is desired to remove the applicator roller and replace it by a disc or roller of different width in order to apply a band of colour of different width to articles to be decorated, the construction of the wiper blade arms is such that they will accommodate the replacement disc or roller between them and the blade members themselves will automatically align on contact with the disc or roller so that their contact edges are parallel to the opposite faces thereof.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the invention. For example the wiper blades could be mounted for bodily movement to and from the opposite side faces of the applicator disc or roller in the direction of its axis instead of being pivotally mounted in the manner described.

It should also be appreciated that apparatus according to the invention may be utilized in association with rollers or discs used for purposes other than the application of colouring matter to ceramic articles. Further the applicator unit and the follower assembly could be of different construction.

Certain features of the apparatus described above from the subject of our co-pending Applications Nos. 80/07960 (Serial No. 1588225) and 80/07961.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A banding or lining machine including a doctor blade assembly for use in association with an applicator disc or roller, said assembly comprising a fixed doctor blade adapted in use to co-operate with the periphery of the disc or roller, a pair of wiper blades adapted.to co-operate with the opposite side faces of the disc or roller and means resiliently biassing the wiper blades towards one another.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the wiper blades are carried by respective pivotal arms in caliper fashion, the blades themselves being freely pivotally mounted on the arms so as to be selfaligning on contact with the disc or roller irrespective of the positions of the arms.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the edges of the wiper blades and doctor blade are disposed in a common plane.

4. A machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, in which the doctor blade assembly is mounted on a common support with the associated disc or roller, the doctor blade assembly being pivotally mounted on the support and means being provided to adjust the position of the assembly so as to vary the distance between the doctor blade and the periphery of the disc or roller.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 4, in which spring means are interposed between said assembly and said support to bias said doctor blade towards said applicator roller, a threaded adjuster being mounted on said support with one end abutting said assembly whereby to limit movement of the doctor blade towards said roller.

6. A machine as claimed in any preceding claim, which also includes a follower member engageable with the edge of an article to be decorated and connected to applicator means incorporating said disc or roller whereby to constrain some to follow a path parallel to and spaced a fixed distance from said edge.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 6, in which said applicator means and said follower member are mounted on a common support for movement in unison, means being provided for adjusting the position of the follower member relative to the applicator means whereby to vary the distance from the edge of the article at which said line or band is applied.

8. A machine as claimed in claim 7 in which said adjusting means comprises a first arm carrying said follower member and mounted on said support, second and third

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. tion for wear should this occur. The arrangement is such that, in use the quantity of colour applied to the periphery of the applicator roller is controlled by the doctor blade, and the wiper blades prevent colour from accumulating on the side faces of the roller. In this way a clearly defined sharp line or band is applied to the article to be decorated. Thus in operation, a plate P is supported in the ware carrier and rotated by the drive assembly 113. The main support arm 132 of the applicator assembly is adjusted so that the distance between the follower roller 131 and the applicator wheel 118 corresponds to the desired displacement of the band or line from the edge of the article of ware. The applicator wheel is rotated in synchronism with the speed of rotation of the plate to be decorated by drive applied to the applicator wheel from the drive unit 116. The wheel is maintained at a constant distance from the periphery of the plate P by virtue of the follower roller engaging with and following the periphery of the plate under the resilient biasing action applied thereto. A band or line of decorating medium is therefore applied to the plate in a manner such that it is always equi-spaced from the edge of the plate thereby producing a decorated article of satisfactory appearance irrespective of slight irregularities in the shape of the plate. It should be noted that the working edge of the doctor blade is in alignment with the edges of the wiper blades whereby doctoring of the colour and wiping of the side faces of the applicator roller are effected at the same radial region of the roller. This has been found to significantly affect the quality of the line or band applied to the article to be decorated. When it is desired to remove the applicator roller and replace it by a disc or roller of different width in order to apply a band of colour of different width to articles to be decorated, the construction of the wiper blade arms is such that they will accommodate the replacement disc or roller between them and the blade members themselves will automatically align on contact with the disc or roller so that their contact edges are parallel to the opposite faces thereof. Various modifications may be made without departing from the invention. For example the wiper blades could be mounted for bodily movement to and from the opposite side faces of the applicator disc or roller in the direction of its axis instead of being pivotally mounted in the manner described. It should also be appreciated that apparatus according to the invention may be utilized in association with rollers or discs used for purposes other than the application of colouring matter to ceramic articles. Further the applicator unit and the follower assembly could be of different construction. Certain features of the apparatus described above from the subject of our co-pending Applications Nos. 80/07960 (Serial No. 1588225) and 80/07961. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A banding or lining machine including a doctor blade assembly for use in association with an applicator disc or roller, said assembly comprising a fixed doctor blade adapted in use to co-operate with the periphery of the disc or roller, a pair of wiper blades adapted.to co-operate with the opposite side faces of the disc or roller and means resiliently biassing the wiper blades towards one another.

adjustably interconnected arms one of which is pivotally mounted on said first arm and the other of which is adjustably connected to said first arm by means of a threaded member.

9. A banding or lining machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. A doctor blade assembly for use in association with a disc or roller and comprising a fixed doctor blade adapted in use to co-operate with the peripheral of a disc or roller, a pair of wiper blades adapted to co-operate with the opposite side faces of the disc or roller and means resiliently biassing the wiper blades towards one another.

11. A doctor blade assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.