US3859916A

US3859916A - Device for working, particularly printing of sheet materials

Info

Publication number: US3859916A
Application number: US401252A
Authority: US
Inventors: Peter Zimmer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-09-16
Filing date: 1973-09-27
Publication date: 1975-01-14
Anticipated expiration: 1992-01-14

Abstract

A device particularly for the printing of sheet materials includes a rotating cylinder screen and a roller squeegee rotating within the cylinder screen. A supply of a liquid or viscous compound such as a dye adjacent the cylinder screen and the roller squeegee is forced through the cylinder screen to a sheet material to be printed. Torque transmitting driving means is provided for the cylinder screen as well as for the roller squeegee. The roller squeegee is driven at least approximately the same circumferential speed as the cylinder screen.

Description

United States Patent [191 Zimmer 1 Jan. 14, 1975 DEVICE FOR WORKING, PARTICULARLY PRINTING OF SHEET MATERIALS [76] Inventor: Peter Zimmer, Untere Sparchen 54,

A 633 Kufstein, Austria [22] Filed: Sept. 27, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 401,252

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 181,054, Sept. 16, 1971,

abandoned.

[52] US. Cl 101/119, 68/202, 101/120 [51] Int. Cl. B411 15/42, B4lf 15/44 [58] Field of Search 101/119, 120,115, 116,

l0l/l23, 124, 121, 122', 68/200, 202

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l/1955 Dougherty et al. 101/120 2/1966 Kramer 101/120 3,285,169 1l/l966 Hartwig 101/207 3,487,775 l/l970 Chaney et a1. 101/114 3,625,144 l2/l97l Reinartz l0l/148 Primary Examiner-Robert E. Bagwill Assistant Examiner-R. E. Suter Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Wenderoth, Lind & Ponack [57] ABSTRACT 9 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAN14|975 3.859.916

SHEET 10F 2 PETER ZIMMER INVENTOR Mum. @441 ATTORNEY s PAIENIEU 3,859.916

SHEEI 20F 2 PETER ZIMMER} INVENTOR MJLIM,%%

ATTORNEYS DEVICE FOR WORKING, PARTICULARLY PRINTING OF SHEET MATERIALS This is a continuation application of application Ser. No. 181,054, filed Sept. 16, 1971, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a device particularly for the printing of sheet materials, wherein a liquid or viscous compound, such as a dye, is forced through a rotating cylinder screen to a sheet material by means of a driven roller squeegee rotating within the cylinder screen.

Such devices are generally used in rotary screen printing machines. However, the invention is not limited to squeegee rollers arranged inside the printing cylinder of such machines, but may also be used for applying a viscous liquid to a sheet-like material whereby the liquid may be a dye which penetrates into the material or may be any substance which forms a coating on the material.

In known devices the squeegee roller is pressed against the inner surface of the cylinder screen. When the latter rotates, the roller squeegee is put into rotation by friction between the roller and screen. Viscous liquid, in general dye, is fed into the interior of the screen to such an extent as to form a sump beside the roller. On rotating, the roller takes the liquid along with it and squeezes it onto and through the screen onto the material to be printed. The pressure in the liquid which is created by the squeezing effect of the roller determines the amount of liquid fed to the material.

For this reason, the amount of the dye supplied to the material to be printed in screen printing depends upon the pressure transmitted by the roller squeegee to the dye. With the known method, according to which the roller squeegee is rotated by frictional contact with the inside wall of the screen, the pressures produced in the dye or coating compound frequently are not sufficient to obtain a sufficiently intensive application to the sheet material or a sufficient permeation by the dye of the sheet material, particularly if a relatively thick sheet material is used. Furthermore, it is a shortcoming that when the roller squeegee is rotated only due to friction with the screen cylinder, the roller squeegee has to be pressed against the inside wall of the screen with relatively high pressure in order to insure that the roller squeegee is rotated. This relatively high contact pressure of the roller squeegee not only results in a considerable wear on the screen material but also in a strong and sometimes detrimental deformation of the sheet material to be printed.

OBJECTS AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to create a device, particularly for the printing of sheet materials, the use of which has economic and technical advantages compared to known devices.

It is a further object of the present invention to create a device particularly for the printing of sheet material which allows, with careful treatment of the cylinder screen and relative slight contact pressure between the cylinder screen on the sheet material to be worked, a supply of flowable compound, such as a dye, which is also sufficient for thicker material. This is effected according to the invention by providing that the roller squeegee has positive drive means for driving the roller squeegee at least approximately at the same circumfer ential speed as the cylinder screen.

A ratio of approximately 1:1 of the circumferential speeds of the roller squeegee and the cylinder screen may be achieved by having the roller squeegee driven by frictional contact with the cylinder screen. How ever, as already mentioned, this requires high contact pressure of the roller squeegee to prevent slippage from occurring. The high contact pressure also results in a considerable wear of the screen material. The roller squeegee according to the present invention is separately driven to provide a ratio of 121 between the circumferential speeds of the cylinder screen and roller squeeges, but does not require high contact pressures to maintain this speed ratio, thus saving the screen material as well as the sheet material to be worked.

The drive means of the roller squeegee may be provided with means to adjust the speed over wide ranges or by small incremental amounts, in order to adjust as precisely as possible the circumferential speed of the roller squeegee to the value of the circumferential speed of the cylinder screen.

Embodiments of the invention are hereinafter described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings without, however, being limited thereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the printing device of a rotary screen printing machine according to the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the printing device of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a partial longitudinal section of a modified embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The cylinder screen 1 is formed as the cylindrical screen printing stencil of the printing device of a rotary screen printing machine according to FIGS. 1 and 2 and has end pieces 2 which are rotatably mounted in screen receivers, not shown in the drawings, of the support of the machine.

At the left end piece 2 (as viewed in FIG. 1) there is a gear 3 whose pitch diameter exactly corresponds to the diameter of the screen. This gear 3 mates with a drive gear 4 which receives its movement from a drive means such as motor 5. Underneath the cylinder screen 1 there is a flexible printers blanket 6 supporting the sheet material 6' to be printed and whose speed of movement corresponds to the circumferential speed of the driving gear 4. In the cylinder screen 1 there is a roller squeegee 7 which is urged downwardly by electromagnets 8 within the magnet bar 9. The cylinder screen 1 moves in the direction of arrow 10 during the printing operation. The roller squeegee 7 rotates at the same time in the direction of arrow 11. During the rota tion of the cylinder screen 1 and the roller squeegee 7, dye is applied from the supply or sump 7' adjacent the roller squeegee 7 on the upstream side thereof through the openings of the cylinder screen 1 to the sheet material 6'. The driving means of the roller squeegee 7 includes universal joints l2 and a drive shaft 13 (or a flexible shaft) driven by a driving motor 14 which are independent from the screen driving elements. Driving motor 14 is mounted on a bracket or support 15. This driving motor is provided with means to adjust the speed thereof over wide ranges and by small incremencontact with screen 1 during rotation thereof. The fixing of the vertical position of roller squeegee 7 essentially is effected by the field of the electromagnet 8.

- In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3, the drive means of the roller squeegee 7 in the inside of the cylinder screen 1 are formed differently than in FIGS. 1 and 2. Roller squeegee 7 is provided at one end thereof with a pinion 20 mating with an inner annular gear 21 which is mounted on one end piece 2 of the screen cylinder 1. When the pitch diameter 22 of the which the roller has an independent means, and contrary to FIG. 3 in which the roller is driven directly by the cylinder).

1 claim:

1. A device for the printing of a predetermined precise pattern on sheet material with a liquid or'viscous printing compound, said device comprising:

a perforated cylinder screen mounted for rotation against said sheet material;

means operatively connected to said cylinder screen for rotating said cylinder screen at a desired circumferential speed;

a roller squeegee mounted for rotation within said cylinder screen to contact the inner periphery thereof adjacent the line of contact between said cylinder screen and said sheet material;

means operatively connected to said roller squeegee for rotating said roller squeegee at the same circumferential speed as said cylinder screen is rotated by said 'means for rotating said cylinder screen, to thereby avoid relative frictional rotation between said cylinder screen and said roller squeegee; and

means, separate from and not connected to said roller squeegee or said means for rotating said roller squeegee, for supplying a liquid or viscous printing compound to a position adjacent said cylinder screen and said roller squeegee at the upstream side of said roller squeegee, whereby rotation of said roller squeegee and said cylinder screen forces said compound through the perforations in said cylinder screen and onto said sheet material without smearing said compound to thereby print said predetermined precise pattern on said sheet material.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means to rotate said cylinder screen rotates said cylinder screen in the same direction as said means to rotate said roller squeegee rotates said roller squeegee.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for rotating said cylinder screen comprises a gear attached to one end of said cylinder screen, a drive gear engaging said gear, and a first adjustable speed drive motor having a shaft supporting said drive gear.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means for rotating said roller squeegee comprises a second adjustable speed drive motor, and drive shaft means driven by said second drive motor and connected to said roller squeegee for transferring rotation of said second drive motor to said roller squeegee.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said drive shaft means comprises a shaftconnected between said roller squeegee and said second drive motor by universal joints.

6. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said drive shaft means comprises a flexible shaft.

7. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means for rotating said roller squeegee comprises a pinion connected to one end of said roller squeegee, and

. means interconnecting said pinion and said cylinder screen. i

8. A device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said interconnecting means comprises an annular gear on the inner surface of said cylinder screen, said pinion meshing with said annular gear.

9. A device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the pitch diameter of said annular gear equals the inner diameter of said cylinder screen, and the pitch diameter of said pinion equals the diameter of said roller squeegee.

Claims

1. A device for the printing of a predetermined precise pattern on sheet material with a liquid or viscous printing compound, said device comprising: a perforated cylinder screen mounted for rotation against said sheet material; means operatively connected to said cylinder screen for rotating said cylinder screen at a desired circumferential speed; a roller squeegee mounted for rotation within said cylinder screen to contact the inner periphery thereof adjacent the line of contact between said cylinder screen and said sheet material; means operatively connected to said roller squeegee for rotating said roller squeegee at the same circumferential speed as said cylinder screen is rotated by said means for rotating said cylinder screen, to thereby avoid relative frictional rotation between said cylinder screen and said roller squeegee; and means, separate from and not connected to said roller squeegee or said means for rotating said roller squeegee, for supplying a liquid or viscous printing compound to a position adjacent said cylinder screen and said roller squeegee at the upstream side of said roller squeegee, whereby rotation of said roller squeegee and said cylinder screen forces said compound through the perforations in said cylinder screen and onto said sheet material without smearing said compound to thereby print said predetermined precise pattern on said sheet material.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said drive shaft means comprises a shaft connected between said roller squeegee and said second drive motor by universal joints.

7. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means for rotating said roller squeegee comprises a pinion connected to one end of said roller squeegee, and means interconnecting said pinion and said cylinder screen.