GB2045709A

GB2045709A - Conveying articles through decorating apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2045709A
Application number: GB8004339A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Malkin & Co Ltd F
Current assignee: Malkin & Co Ltd F
Priority date: 1979-02-08
Filing date: 1980-02-08
Publication date: 1980-11-05

Abstract

Apparatus for decorating flatware or holloware such as ceramic tableware incorporates support means 14 for an article to be decorated, the support means being moveable to different positions in one of which the article is horizontal and in another of which the article is vertical and the support being rotatable when in the latter position. The support means can also be moved to and maintained in inclined positions between the horizontal and vertical positions. In a preferred arrangement a number of support means are movably mounted relative to a plurality of decorating stations at each of which a decorating operation can be carried out on an article on the support means. There is preferably control means for selectively energising or de-energising selected ones of the decorating stations to carry out a predetermined sequence of decorating operations dependant on the article or articles being decorated.

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in and relating to decorating apparatus This invention relates to apparatus for decorating articles of flatware or holloware such as plates, bowls or cooking vessels. Such articles are generally made of ceramic materials, glass or metal.

Various different techniques are used in the decoration of flatware or holloware articles dependent principally on the nature of the decoration to be applied and the shape and size of the article concerned. A disadvantage of previously proposed apparatus is that it is generally designed to carry out one particular operation only and various separate machines are therefore required to enable complete decoration of a particular item. Moreover, different machines are usually required to decorate articles of different size or shape or which are to have different forms of decoration applied to them.

It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus whereby the above disadvantages may be obviated or mitigated.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided flatware or holloware decorating apparatus incorporating support means for an article to be decorated, the support means being moveable to different positions in one of which an article-supporting surface of the support means is substantially horizontal and in another of which the article-supporting surface is substantially vertical, there being means for retaining an article in position on said supporting surface and means for rotating the support means at least in said vertical position.

Preferably said support means is moveable into intermediate positions in which said supporting surface is inclined between said horizontal and vertical positions there being means for locking said support means in said intermediate positions.

Preferably also said support means is rotatable in said intermediate positions, means being provided for restraining the support means against rotation when said supporting surface is in said horizontal position.

Advantageously said support means comprises one of a number of similar support means moveably mounted relative to a plurality of work stations at each of which a work operation can be carried out on an article supported on the support means. For this purpose each support means may be mounted on a linear conveyor or on a turntable.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided flatware or holloware decorating apparatus comprising support means for an article to be decorated, the support means being moveably mounted to present the article in a plurality of different positions and being moveably mounted relative to a plurality of decorating stations, any selected ones of which can be arranged to carry out a decorating operation on an article supported on the support means.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided flatware or holloware decorating apparatus comprising a plurality of support devices for articles to be decorated, means for moving said devices relative to a plurality of work stations at which decorating operations can be carried out on said articles, and means for selectively energising or deenergising selected ones of said work stations to carry out a pre-determined sequence of decorating operations on a given article.

The work stations may comprise ware loading and ware centring stations, alternative printing stations, alternative lining or banding stations and a ware unloading station.

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 plan view of a decorating machine according to the invention; Figure 2 is a vertical cross-section through a ware supporting assembly incorporated in the machine of Fig. 1 showing the ware carrier in a horizontal position; Figure 3 is a side view of the ware supporting assembly viewed in the direction of arrow Ill in Fig. 2; and Figure 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the ware carrier in a vertical position.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown a machine for decorating articles of flatware comprising a frame 10 having a central vertical shaft 11 from which a plurality of radial arms 1 2 extend. Each arm carries at its outer end a ware supporting assembly 1 3 incorporating two rotatable ware carriers 1 4 which are moveable between horizontal and vertical positions, locking means being provided to prevent rotation of the carriers in the horizontal position. The ware supporting assembly 1 3 will be described in more detail hereafter with reference to Figs. 2 to 4 of the drawings.

The central shaft 11 is connected to a stepwise indexing mechanism (not shown) which serves to move the shaft and hence the ware supporting assemblies 1 3 in the manner of a turntable in a step-wise fashion past a plurality of work stations angularly disposed around the frame-work 10 of the machine. Each work station is designed to carry out a different operation on articles supported on the ware carriers 14. In the illustrated machine the work stations are marked with the letters A-J and the turntable is arranged to move the ware supporting assemblies past the work stations in the direction of the arrow M.

Station A is a ware loading station at which plates or other articles to be decorated are placed on the ware carriers 1 4 by a loading mechanism (not shown) which may be of any suitable construction. The plates are then indexed to station B at which each plate is accurately centred on the ware carriers 1 4 by centring arms carrying rollers 1 5 which are moved simultaneously into engagement with the edges of the plate in a known manner, following which suction is applied through the ware carriers to retain the plates in their correctly centred positions.

The ware supporting assembly is then indexed to position C at which, if operational, a decoration is applied to the surface of each plate by screen printing. Each screen printing apparatus, as also shown at station D, comprises a frame 1 6 supporting a circular screen 1 7 traversed by a rotary squeegee 1 8 and supplied with printing ink from a suitable reservoir (not shown). The screen is vertically slidable on pillars 1 9 between a raised position clear of the plate to be decorated and a lowered position in which the screen contacts the surface of the plate and the squeegee 1 8 is rotated to press colour through the screen on to the plate.The second screen printing station D is provided to enable a second printing in another colour to be applied to the plates previously decorated at station C, although either station may be utilised alone if required. Where both stations are utilised a thermoplastic or other quick-drying printing ink is preferably used to enable both printings to be applied in sequence without smudging.

From station D the turntable indexes the ware supporting assembly to station E at which pad printing may be carried out. The pad printing apparatus comprises a pair of plates 20 on which a pattern to be applied to the articles to be decorated is engraved, and a pair of printing pads 21 supported on carriages 22 which are moveable radially of the turnable between a printing position shown in Fig. 1 and an inking position in which the pads 21 are disposed over the plates 20. The pads 21 are also vertically moveable on pillars 23 and in operation they are lowered into contact with the plates 20 to pick up an ink impression from the plates, following which the carriages 22 are moved radially inwards to the printing position above the plates supported on the ware carriers 14, the pads then being lowered into contact with the surfaces of the plates to transfer the ink impression thereto.The pads are made from flexible material such as gelatine or silicon rubber. In an alternative arrangement the engraved plates 20 may be arranged to slide radially inwardly to a position beneath the pads for inking purposes instead of the pads being mounted for bodily movement radially of the turntable.

During screen printing or pad printing processes the ware carriers are locked against rotation in order to maintain the plates to be decorated in a fixed horizontal position relative to the screen printing or pad printing apparatus.

From the pad printing station E the turntable indexes the ware supporting assembly to station F at which lines or bands of decoration are applied to the plates. At this station the ware holders are rotated to present the plates in a vertical position and the line or band of decoration medium is applied to the plate by a wheel 24 which rotates in contact with the surface of the plate and is maintained at a desired distance from the edge of the plate by a guide roller 25 biased into contact with the edge of the plate. The periphery of the wheel 24 is supplied with printing ink from a suitable reservoir (not shown). At this station the work carrier is rotated and the movement of the plate causes rotation of the wheel 24 due to the contact maintained between them.

Following lining or banding at station F the ware supporting assembly is indexed to station G at which further similar operation can be carried out if required. Both stations F and G may be utilised where it is desired to aptly more than one band or line to the surface of the plate since it is not practicable to apply two bands at one station. Alternatively, stations F and G may be alternative stations used to apply bands of different thickness, in different positions or of different colours dependent upon the decoration required.

From station G the ware supporting assem bly is indexed to station H at which lines or bands may be applied to the plate by brush ing. For this purpose the ware carriers are moved to an inclined position between the horizontal and vertical positions and are maintained in that position during brushing. In this position the ware holders are rotated and the line or band is applied by movement of the plate past a fixed brush 26 which is mounted for raising and lowering movement to bring it into and out of contact with the surface of the plate and which is moveable longitudinally of a shaft 27 to adjust it to different positions radially of the plate dependent on the desired position of the line or band. The use of brushing to apply lines or bands instead of a lining or banding wheel of the kind used at stations F and G is preferable where it is desired to obtain a brush-stroke effect or where the band is wider than can satisfactorily be applied using a lining or banding wheel.

From station H the ware supporting assem bly is indexed to station I which is a further brush banding station at which a second band in a different position or of a different width or colour can be applied or which may be used instead of station H dependent on the pattern to be applied to the plates. At these stations printing ink is applied to the brushes from a suitable pumped supply which is not shown in the drawing.

Finally from station I the turntable indexes the ware supporting assembly to station J at which the vacuum is reieased and the articles are removed by suction lifting devices or other suitable means.

Referring now to Figs. 2 to 4, each ware carrier 14 is mounted on a support 30 itself supported in a housing 31 by stub shafts 32 and 33. The shaft 33 carries a gear 34 which meshes with a toothed rack 35 carried on a slide-bar 36 having tapered edges which engage between pairs of grooved rollers 37. The bar 36 is arranged to be moved in a linear manner by a pneumatic cylinder 38 thereby moving the rack 35, rotating the gear 34 and shaft 33 and tilting the support 30 and the ware carrier mounted on it between the two extreme positions in which the ware carrier is respectively horizontally and vertically disposed. The two ware carriers 14 of each assembly 1 3 are independently moveable between the horizontal and vertical positions by similar actuating mechanisms. This enables two different articles of ware to be decorated simultaneously if desired.

Each ware carrier is rotated about its central axis by a drive motor 39 (Fig. 4) through drive rollers 39A, a shaft 39B, universal joints 40 and 41 and a shaft 42. The universal joints 40 and 41 enable drive to be transmitted to the ware carrier in its horizontal and vertical positions and intermediate inclined positions. When the ware carrier is in its horizontal position, a support disc 38 disposed beneath the carrier abuts against a brake pad 47 which prevents rotation of the ware carrier in this position. Vacuum is applied to the ware carriers to retain the plates thereon by means of suction applied to ducts 43 and 44 formed in the support 30 and shaft 42 respectively and inter-connected by an annular chamber 45 which is rendered airtight by upper and lower seals 46.

Referring again to Fig. 1, it should be appreciated that at stations A to E and J the ware carriers are disposed in their horizontal positions and are restrained against rotation by means of the brakes 47. At stations F and G the ware carriers are disposed in their vertical positions and are rotated to effect relative movement between the plates to be decorated and the decorating wheels. At stations H and I the ware carriers are inclined at a suitable inclination between their horizontal and vertical positions and are again rotated so that the line or band of decoration is applied by movement of the plates relative to the decorating brushes. By virtue of the construction of the gear and rack arrangement and its operation by a pneumatic cylinder, the ware carriers may be retained in the horizontal or vertical position or in any angular position between these two limit positions.In the arrangement described it is not necessary for the ware carriers to rotate in any of the stations at which they are horizontally disposed although cam means 47A (Fig. 4) is provided to release the brake 47 and permit rotation in the horizontal position if required.

Thus the apparatus described can be used to carry out a number of decorating operations on an article of ware such that when the article is removed at the unloading station it is completely decorated. This contrasts with previous arrangements where all or at least some of the steps had to be carried out on separate individual machines. The ability of the ware carriers to support the plates in different orientations and either fixed or rotatable enables static operations such as screen printing and pad printing as well as rotary operations such as banding to be carried out on the same apparatus. It also enables the correct angle between the brush and the ware to be maintained during brush banding thereby enabling a wide variety of decorating operations to be carried out.

It will be appreciated that no single article of ware will require all the decorating operations to be performed on it and the work stations are therefore all arranged to be activated or de-activated at will dependent upon the particular combination of stations required to decorate given articles. In general, articles requiring to be screen printed will not be pad printed and articles requiring to be lined or banded will not require brush banding. Moreover some articles may require sequential screen printing operations and sequential lining or brush banding operations whereas in other cases only a single such operation will be required.Control means is preferably provided to enable the sequence of stations required to be selected automatically by operating appropriate switches on a central control panel and the sequence of operation of the stations and of the individual movements of the apparatus at each station may be controlled by a micro-processor or other suitable means. A particular advantage of the arrangement described is that a variety of different decorating units of generally standard construction may be provided and these could be arranged to be replaceable by alternative units if required.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the invention. For example while in the arrangement described two ware carriers are incorporated in each ware supporting assembly so that two articles are simultaneously decorated at each work station, each assembly may instead incorporate only a single ware carrier or more than two. The number of work stations and the equipment provided at each station may be altered as required and the turntable could be replaced by a linear conveyer. The ware carriers may also be of different construction provided they can be adjusted to present the ware in different decorating positions.

Claims

1. Flatware or holloware decorating apparatus incorporating support means for an article to be decorated, the support means being moveable to different positions in one of which an article-supporting surface of the support means is substantially horizontal and in another of which the article-supporting surface is substantially vertical, there being means for retaining an article in position on said supporting surface and means for rotating the support means at least in said vertical position.

2. Decorating apparatus according to claim 1 in which said support means is moveable into intermediate positions in which said supporting surface is inclined between said horizontal and vertical positions there being means for locking said support means in said intermediate positions.

3. Decorating apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said support means is rotatable in said intermediate positions, means being provided for restraining the support means against rotation when said supporting surface is in said horizontal position.

4. Decorating apparatus according to claim 3 wherein movement of said support means between said positions and locking of same in said positions is effected by a gear mounted on a shaft on which said support means is also mounted, a toothed rack in meshing engagement with said gear, and a fluid actuator operatively connected to said rack to move same between limit positions in which the supporting surface of said support means is respectively in said horizontal and said vertical positions.

5. Decorating apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein said support means is rotatable by a shaft coupled to a drive motor through universal joints enabling rotation to be transmitted to the support means in any of the operative positions thereof.

6. Decorating apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein a pair of support means is provided which may be angularly adjusted and rotated either in unison or independently of one another.

7. Decorating apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein said means for retaining an article in position on said supporting surface comprises a suction pad incorporated in said supporting surface and connectible to a source of vacuum.

8. Decorating apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein said support means comprises one of a number of similar support means moveably mounted relative to a plurality of work stations at each of which a work operation can be carried out on an article supported on the support means.

9. Decorating apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said support means are mounted on a turntable.

10. Flatware or holloware decorating apparatus comprising support means for an article to be decorated, the support means being moveably mounted to present the article in a plurality of different positions and being moveably mounted relative to a plurality of decorating stations, and selected ones of which can be arranged to carry out a decorating operation on an article supported on the support means.

11. Decorating apparatus according to claim 9 or 10 wherein said support means is constructed in accordance with any of claims 1 to 7.

1 2. Decorating apparatus according to claim 10 or 11 wherein said support means is mounted on a turntable.

1 3. Flatware or holloware decorating apparatus comprising a plurality of support devices for articles to be decorated, means for moving said devices relative to a plurality of work stations at which decorating operations can be carried out on said articles, and means for selectively energising or de-energising selected ones of said work stations to carry out a pre-determined sequence of decorating operations on a given article.

14. A machine according to claim 1 3 wherein each of said support devices is constructed in accordance with any of claims 1 to 7.

1 5. Decorating apparatus according to any of claims 8 to 1 3 wherein said stations include at least one screen printing station.

1 6. Decorating apparatus according to any of claims 8 to 14 wherein said stations include at least one pad printing station.

1 7. Decorating apparatus according to any of claims 8 to 1 5 wherein said printing stations include at least one lining or banding station incorporating lining or banding wheels.

1 8. Decorating apparatus according to any of claims 8 to 1 6 wherein said stations include at least one brush banding station.

19. Decorating apparatus according to any of claims 14 to 1 7 including in addition a ware loading station, a ware centring station and a ware unloading station.

20. A flatware or holloware decorating machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

21. Any novel subject matter-or combination including novel subject matter herein disclosed, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding claims.