US2093485A

US2093485A - Relief printing method

Info

Publication number: US2093485A
Application number: US84599A
Authority: US
Inventors: Schneider Karl
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1935-05-17
Filing date: 1936-06-11
Publication date: 1937-09-21
Anticipated expiration: 1954-09-21
Also published as: BE415593A; FR806548A; GB460621A

Description

Sept. 21,1937; K. SCHILIEIDER 2,093,485

RELIEF PRINTING METHOD Filed June 11, 1956 .v/ -J l/l/ INVENTOR. KARL SCHNEIDER ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 21, 1937 Application June 11, 1936, Serial No. 84,599 In Germany May 17, 1935 This invention relates to a relief printing method employing elastic means for carrying the matter to be printed.

In the application of the known processes either ,caoutchouc forms as, in aniline printing or metal forms coated with rubber are used. Compared with the known methods, the invention proposes simply to apply a thin film of elastic or fiexible material, particularly caoutchouc, tothe form, the film being sucked on by means of a'high vacuum and thus so firmly and completely drawn and adapted to the form that the outlines of the carrier of the matter to be printed and all unevenesses of the form distinctly reappear on the surface of the film.

The essential technical difference between the known methods and the method according to the invention is therefore chiefly this, that the former employ forms which are either made of elastic material or wherein the latter is firmly united with the form, whereas according to the invention the elastic material is intimately but not firmly associated with the form. The new method affords considerable technical advantages. In the first place, the production of a vacuum form as proposed by the invention is much simpler than that of the forms hitherto employed in printing with elastic printing matter carriers. Furthermore,-the form according to the invention can be readily altered during printing, which'is not possible with forms of the existing kind. An-

other important feature is that easily workable and low-priced materials of any kind may be used in making a vacuum form, including those that usually are never considered for this purpose. The use of the new forms, finally, affords novel possibilities in the printing art, as for instance large surfaces can be entirely printed with .liefprinting.

a to

the new forms on standard printing machines,-

which up to the present was not possible in re- The application of the method is explained below with reference to a monochromatic print without tone values, such as a poster. For making the printing form the matter or characters to be printed, such as letters, figures, etc., are transferred to a suitable material of uniform thickness like cardboard, sheet metal, etc. and worked out. The transfer of the matter and the working out of the; carrier therefor may be effected by the usual technical means, but also by hand, for in-- stance byetching, embossing, cutting out, etc. The carriers of the matter are then placed on a foundation surface and covered with the thin elastic film, whereupon the air between the carriers and the film is sucked off by known means.

Owing to the vacuum produced, the film, by exterior atmospheric pressure, is firmly pressed onto the form and the foundation bearing-the latter but not cooperating in printing, so that the film becomes perfectly adapted'to the outlines. In this manner it will be possible to convert even materials which usually cannot be employed for carriers but which are much cheaper than the a usual ones, such as blotting paper, sand paper,

textiles, into a finished printing form, whereby production may be considerably simplified and cheapened. The elastic film pressed on by the vacuum is so firmly applied to the foundation and the carriers of the matter to be printed that the-latter are thoroughly pressed on to the foundation and need not be specially fastened thereto by pasting, etc.

The form thus produced is shown in one embodiment in the accompanying drawing which discloses a perspective view thereof, partly in section.

Referring to the drawing, l is the foundation consisting preferably of a solid piece of metal, though it may comprise also several parts. The foundation i contains one or more longitudinal channels 2 whence outlet conduits' 3 lead to the surface of the foundation. The printing form 4 is placed on the perfectly smooth surface of the foundation i and may consist .of a piece of cardboard or sheet metal treated in intaglio or embossed or cut out according to the matter to be printed, or which may comprise a plurality of parts having the effect of cuts. Besides sheet metal or cardboard, any other material possessing suflicient strength may be employed'for producing the form, and it is therefore possible to use for instance wires 40. to produce lines in printing. Over these sheets or parts producing the impression a very thin elastic film 5 is put the edges of which are preferably pasted onto the free surface of the foundation. The surface of the foundation and the film 5 form a closed space whence air is drawn off by the conduits 2 and 3. The drawingoff of the air causes the film 5 tobe so firmly pressed against the foundation and the parts lying thereon by atmospheric pres-- sure that the finest details of the parts as well is rough or fitted with elevations like sand paper. The intermediate layerwill also render the suction effect more uniform.

In case of a monochromatic print having different tone values the impression producing matter is transferred as described, but worked out in relief corresponding to the necessary toning in a manner similarly to the one employed in copperplate printing. Owing to the different levels within the relief, different printing effects will be produced and bring about the desired tone values by the peculiarity of the elastic film. In this way full depths up to the finest gradations are obtainable without the use of screens.

In multi-color work the invention is applied to the color sheets produced in the usual manner.

The technical and economic advantages afforded by the new method are very considerable. Instead of the type, rules, cuts of metal or wood, linoleum engravings, etc. hitherto employed in the composing room printing forms may be used which may cheaply and simply be made for instance by cutting them out of cardboard or by resorting to materials that could not be used in printing till now. Even tonedprinting matter carriers not too rich in detail can be attained by hand cutting by building them up step for step according to the tone value. The method according to the invention can further be applied to obtain in an easy manner certain designs by interposing for instance corresponding layers, such as apiece of curtain, between the form and the elastic film.

After removal of the vacuum and the film the carriers of the matter to be printed are freely accessible to insure exact register and to make changes, and after completion of printing they may be put away for future use like other forms.

The elastic film easily adapts itself also to the unevennesses of the material on which the impression is to be made, so that printing can be done with less color'and without making ready and interleaving may be dispensed with.

method can be carried out on both flat and ary machines. In special instances, when cider machines are concerned, it might be advisable to cover also the cylinder with an elastic coating to render the method more eflective.

I claim: I

1. A printing device comprising a character, a separate flexible sheet, and suction means for releasably and intimately uniting the sheet with the character whereby the contour of the latter is transmitted to the sheet presenting a printing surface.

2. A printing device comprising a character, a separate flexible sheet, and means for releasably and intimately uniting the sheet with the character whereby the contour of the latter is transmitted to the sheet presenting a printing surface.

3. A printing device comprising a base, a character, a separate elastic film, and'means for releasably and intimately uniting the film with the base and character whereby the contour of the character is transmitted to the film presenting a printing surface.

4. A printing device comprising a base, a character, a flexible sheet, and suction means, said means being operable for fixing the character on the base, and for intimately uniting the sheet with the character to present a printing surface substantially having the contour of the character.

5. A printing device comprising a character, a thin flexible sheet presenting a printing surface, and means for releasably impelling the said sheet into intimate contact with said character whereby the contour of the character may be transmitted to said surface.

6. A printing device comprising a base, a character upon a surface of said base, a flexible film over and removable from said character, and means to intimately and removably unite said film to said character, said means including a passageway in said base connecting with its said surface and means to evacuate air through said passageway.

7. A printing device comprising a base. a character associated with said base, a plate intermediate said base and said character, said plate having a roughened surface, a thin flexible sheet over said character and said base and presenting a printing surface, and suction means for releasably holding thebase, plate, character and sheet in respective intimate contact and whereby the contour of the character is transmitted to said surface, said plate facilitating the suction efiect.

8. A printing device comprising a base, a character on said base, a film, and a flexible layer having a predetermined pattern or design disposed between said film and said character, said film intimately covering said character whereby the sheet substantially simulates the contour of the character.

9. A printing device comprising a base, a character on said base, a film, a flexible layer having a predetermined pattern or design disposed between said fllm and said character, and means to releasably secure said film to said layer, said means including a passageway in said base leading to a surface thereof and means to exhaust I substantially simulates the contour of the character.

12. A printing device comprising a base, a character associated with said base, said character being made of fibrous material, a separate thin flexible sheet covering said character, and means to releasably secure said film to said base,

said means including a passageway in said base leading to a surface thereof and means to exhaust air throughsaid passageway.

13. The method of producing a device for printing which consists in interposing a character between a flexible film and. a base and exhausting the air from between said film and base whereby the character is forced into relief.

' 14. The method of producing a device for printing which consists in placing a flexible film over a character and causing the film to be intimately united to the character by exhausting air therebetween, whereby the contour .of the character is transmitted to said film.

KARL SCHNEIDER.