WO2009106912A1

WO2009106912A1 - Roller for rotary serigraphy, particularly for the surface decoration of ceramic products such as tiles, bricks, slabs or the like

Info

Publication number: WO2009106912A1
Application number: PCT/IB2008/001319
Authority: WO
Inventors: Fabrizio Pignatti
Original assignee: A M P S.R.L.
Priority date: 2008-02-25
Filing date: 2008-05-26
Publication date: 2009-09-03
Also published as: ITMO20080049A1

Abstract

The roller for rotary serigraphy, particularly for the surface decoration of ceramic products such as tiles, bricks, slabs or the like, comprises a basic tubular element, a deformable cushioning layer associable at least partially with the outer side surface of the tubular element, and a decorative layer that is associable at least partially with the outer side surface of the deformable layer, is shaped on the surface according to a preset design for the rotary serigraphy of products, and comprises at least one sheet of material with hardness substantially between 0 and 10 Shore.

Description

ROLLER FOR ROTARY SERIGRAPHY, PARTICULARLY FOR THE SURFACE DECORATION OF CERAMIC PRODUCTS SUCH AS TILES, BRICKS, SLABS OR THE LIKE

Technical Field This invention refers to a roller for rotary serigraphy, particularly for the surface decoration of ceramic products such as tiles, bricks, slabs or the like.

Background art

With particular, but not exclusive reference to the ceramic industry sector, the technique of serigraphy is known with silicone rollers used to convey a decorative design on the visible surface of substantially flat elements such as, e.g. ceramic tiles and slabs.

Such printing technique is effected by rotating, around its own axis, a roller, the outer surface of which is shaped and defines the design to be conveyed onto the products. The roller usually consists of a cylindrical support frame, which is obtained by rolling sheets of steel, in the form of a continuous sheet or pre-perforated mesh, or by shaping a glass-reinforced plastic sheet.

To allow future fitting on a machine suitable for rotating the roller, the extremities of the cylindrical frame are associated with two steel coupling rings. The side surface of the cylindrical frame is afterwards coated with a layer of deformable material of adequate thickness and, externally to this, an outer layer of silicone is applied.

The outer silicone layer is of the type, e.g. of the product called ZA 30 NF manufactured by the company Zhermack® and has a hardness substantially equal to 30 Shore: in this respect, it must be underlined that in the present treatise all the hardness measurements of a material are taken with reference to the type A Shore scale.

The surface of the outer silicone layer is specifically engraved according to a pre-established design and has pockets intended to be filled with a colouring substance.

Once roller rotation has been started, the outer silicone layer comes into contact with the ceramic products to be decorated at the pockets and the colouring substance is transferred onto these, reproducing the pre-engraved design or image.

During this phase, the outer silicone layer is pressed against the surface of the ceramic product exploiting the deformability of the layer of deformable material.

The purpose of the layer of deformable material, in fact, is to cushion the pressing of the silicone layer and, in particular, consists of a sponge covering, e.g. flexible polyurethane foam.

Thanks to the presence of the layer of deformable material, the penetration hardness provided by the outer silicone layer and by the underlying layer of defoπnable material reaches 17 ÷ 20 Shore altogether.

These rollers of known type are liable to further upgrading aimed at making them more practical and efficient to use.

In this respect in fact, the fact should be considered that the traditional rollers are not always suitable for decorating ceramic products with textured type visible surface, i.e., with relief and/or grooved portions.

During the colouring of such products in fact, the pressing of the layer of deformable material is not enough to ensure that the entire decorative surface of the roller enters in contact with the product, in particular with the grooved portions that are harder to reach.

For this type of product therefore, it sometimes becomes necessary to study a different type of decoration, which does not require the colouring of the grooved portions, or alternatively do without the use of the rotary serigraphic technique with traditional silicone rollers. All this results in traditional rollers not being particularly suitable and efficient, inasmuch as they can determine the occurrence of imprecision during the rotation and transfer of the image onto the ceramic products.

Object of the Invention

The main aim of this invention is to provide a roller for rotary serigraphy, particularly for the surface decoration of ceramic products such as tiles, bricks, slabs or the like, that is quick, easy and functional to use and permits making top-quality and precision prints with all types of ceramic products, in particular also with bricks and slabs with textured type visible surfaces. A further object of this invention is to provide a roller for rotary serigraphy, particularly for the surface decoration of ceramic products such as tiles, bricks, slabs or the like, that is of very simple construction, easy to assemble, of restricted weight and overall dimensions.

Another object of this invention is to provide a roller for rotary serigraphy, particularly for the surface decoration of ceramic products such as tiles, bricks, slabs or the like, that permits overcoming the mentioned drawbacks of the background art as part of a simple, rational and low cost, as well as easy and efficient-to-use solution.

The above objects are achieved by this roller for rotary serigraphy, particularly for the surface decoration of ceramic products such as tiles, bricks, slabs or the like, comprising at least one basic tubular element, at least one deformable cushioning layer associable at least partially with the outer side surface of said tubular element, and at least one decorative layer that is associable at least partially with the outer side surface of said deformable layer and is shaped on the surface according to a preset design for the rotary serigraphy of products, characterised by the fact that said deformable layer comprises at least one sheet of material with hardness substantially between 0 and 10 Shore. Brief Description of the Drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of this invention will appear more evident from the description of some preferred, but not only, embodiments of a roller for rotary serigraphy, particularly for the surface decoration of ceramic products such as tiles, bricks, slabs or the like, illustrated indicatively by way of non limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an axonometric view, partially in cutaway view, of a preferred embodiment of the roller according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a section view of a detail of the roller of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section view of an alternative embodiment of the roller according to the invention.

Embodiments of the Invention

With special reference to such figures, a roller for rotary serigraphy, particularly for the surface decoration of ceramic products such as tiles, bricks, slabs or the like, has been globally designated by reference number 1.

In a first embodiment of the invention shown in the figures 1 and 2, the roller 1 comprises a basic tubular element 2 which is made of a rigid material, such as glass-reinforced plastic, metal or the like, and is intended to act as a support frame for the roller 1.

The extremities of the tubular element 2 are associable to connection means 3 for fitting the roller 1 on a machine for the serigraphy of the products.

The connection means 3 are composed, e.g. of a pair of annular elements with diameter dimensions the same as those of the tubular element 2 and have a slot

4 suitable for allowing the interlocking connection with the extremities of the tubular element 3.

The connection means 3, in detail, allow fitting the tubular element 2 on a machine for the serigraphy of the products having equipment able to place the roller 1 in rotation around its axis.

At the outer side surface of the tubular element 2 is associated, e.g. by gluing, a deformable cushioning layer 5.

Usefully, the deformable layer 5 is composed of a sheet 6 of material with hardness substantially between 0 and 10 Shore. The sheet 6, in particular, is made of silicone of the type of the product called

ZA 00 REM manufactured by the company Zhermack®, and has a thickness between 1 mm and 20 mm.

In the particular embodiment of the invention shown in the figures 1 and 2, e.g. the sheet 6 has a thickness substantially equal to 3 mm but alternative embodiments cannot be ruled out in which the sheet 6 has different dimensions.

Around the outer side surface of the deformable layer 5 a decorative layer 7 is associated that is shaped on the surface according to a preset design for the rotary serigraphy of the products.

The decorative layer 7 is made of silicone of the type of the product called ZA 30 NF manufactured by the company Zhermack®, and has a thickness of between 1 mm and 4.5 mm.

In the particular embodiment of the invention shown in the figures 1 and 2, e.g. the decorative layer 7 has a thickness of 2 mm.

By means of a photo-engraving operation on the outer surface of the decorative layer 7 a plurality of pockets 8 is obtained according to the pre-established design that has to be reproduced on the products. During the serigraphy, the pockets 8 are filled with glaze or with another colouring substance and are then placed in contact against the surfaces of the products to be decorated to transfer the colour to these.

In the embodiment shown in the figures 1 and 2, in point of fact, the deformable layer 5 is such as to allow cushioning the pressing of the roller 1 due to the contact with the products and its limited hardness allows maintaining the decorative layer 7 in contact with the surface to be decorated even in the case of very pronounced grooves being present on these.

In this respect, the fact is underlined that the penetration hardness provided by the combination of the deformable layer 5 and the decorative layer 7 is altogether variable between 4 and 15 Shore, e.g., 8 ÷ 10 Shore.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention illustrated schematically in figure

3, the roller 1 has a tubular element 2 and a decorative layer 7 the same as those of the previously-described embodiment, with the difference that the decorative layer 7 has a thickness of 2.5 mm. In this embodiment, furthermore, the deformable layer 5 is different and consists of a sheet 6 of material with hardness substantially between 0 and 10

Shore and a sponge covering 9 placed in between the sheet 6 and the tubular element 2.

The sheet 6 is made of silicone of the type of the product called ZA 00 REM manufactured by the company Zhermack®, and has a thickness of 5 mm.

The sponge covering 9, on the other hand, is e.g. flexible polyurethane foam and has a thickness between 5 mm and 20 mm, e.g., 10 mm.

Practically speaking, in the embodiment shown in figure 3 as well, the deformable layer 5 is such as to allow cushioning the pressing of the roller 1 following the contact with the products and to maintain the decorative layer 7 in contact with the surface to be decorated including in the case of products with textured surface. In detail, it has been proved that the penetration hardness provided by the combination of the deformable layer 5 and the decorative layer 7 as described and shown in figure 3 varies altogether between 8 and 17 Shore, e.g., 12 ÷ 13 Shore. It has in fact been ascertained how the described invention achieves the proposed objects.

In this respect, the fact is underlined that the particular solution of envisaging a deformable layer with a sheet of limited hardness between 0 and 10 Shore permits obtaining a roller of very practical and functional use which, unlike traditional rollers, is able to make top-quality and precision prints whatever the type of ceramic product being worked and, in particular, also on products with textured type surfaces.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all of which falling within the scope of the inventive concept. Furthermore all the details can be replaced with others that are technically equivalent.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to requirements without because of this moving outside the protection scope of the following claims.

Claims

1) Roller for rotary serigraphy, particularly for the surface decoration of ceramic products such as tiles, bricks, slabs or the like, comprising at least one basic tubular element, at least one deformable cushioning layer associable at least partially with the outer side surface of said tubular element, and at least one decorative layer that is associable at least partially with the outer side surface of said deformable layer and is shaped on the surface according to a preset design for the rotary serigraphy of products, characterised by the fact that said deformable layer comprises at least one sheet of material with hardness substantially between 0 and 10 Shore.

2) Roller according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that said sheet is made of silicone.

3) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said sheet has a thickness substantially between 1 mm and 20 mm. 4) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said sheet has a thickness substantially equal to 3 mm.

5) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said sheet has a thickness substantially equal to 5 mm.

6) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said decorative layer is made of silicone.

7) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said decorative layer has a thickness substantially between 1 mm and 4.5 mm.

8) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said decorative layer has a thickness substantially equal to 2 mm.

9) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said decorative layer has a thickness substantially equal to 2.5 mm.

10) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said deformable layer comprises at least one sponge covering substantially placed in between said sheet and said tubular element.

11) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said sponge covering has a thickness substantially between 5 mm and 20 mm.

12) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said sponge covering has a thickness substantially equal to 10 mm.

13) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that the hardness provided by the combination of said deformable layer and said decorative layer is altogether between 4 and 15 Shore.

14) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that the hardness provided by the combination of said deformable layer and said decorative layer is altogether equal to 8 ÷ 10 Shore. 15) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that the hardness provided by the combination of said deformable layer and said decorative layer is altogether between 8 and 17 Shore.

16) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that the hardness provided by the combination of said deformable layer and said decorative layer is altogether equal to 12 ÷ 13 Shore.

17) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said tubular element is made of glass-reinforced plastic.

18) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said tubular element is made of metal material. 19) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that it comprises connection means of the extremities of said tubular element with a machine for the serigraphy of products.

20) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said connection means comprise a pair of annular elements associable with the extremities of said tubular element.

21) Roller according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said annular elements comprise at least one slot suitable for allowing the interlocking connection with the extremities of said tubular element.