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WO2008017589A1 - Procédé et dispositif d'impression de feuille de métal - Google Patents

Procédé et dispositif d'impression de feuille de métal Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2008017589A1
WO2008017589A1 PCT/EP2007/057633 EP2007057633W WO2008017589A1 WO 2008017589 A1 WO2008017589 A1 WO 2008017589A1 EP 2007057633 W EP2007057633 W EP 2007057633W WO 2008017589 A1 WO2008017589 A1 WO 2008017589A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
printing
flat sheets
print head
sheet
print
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/EP2007/057633
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
James Maher
Denis John Houldey
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Crown Packaging Technology Inc
Original Assignee
Crown Packaging Technology Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Crown Packaging Technology Inc filed Critical Crown Packaging Technology Inc
Publication of WO2008017589A1 publication Critical patent/WO2008017589A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J3/00—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed
    • B41J3/54—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed with two or more sets of type or printing elements
    • B41J3/543—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed with two or more sets of type or printing elements with multiple inkjet print heads
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J13/00—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, specially adapted for supporting or handling copy material in short lengths, e.g. sheets
    • B41J13/0009—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, specially adapted for supporting or handling copy material in short lengths, e.g. sheets control of the transport of the copy material
    • B41J13/0027—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, specially adapted for supporting or handling copy material in short lengths, e.g. sheets control of the transport of the copy material in the printing section of automatic paper handling systems
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J3/00—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed
    • B41J3/28—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed for printing downwardly on flat surfaces, e.g. of books, drawings, boxes, envelopes, e.g. flat-bed ink-jet printers

Definitions

  • the present invention provides an improved method and apparatus for transferring an image onto a flat sheet of material, for example leather, metal or plastic.
  • a photographic film of the desired image is placed in contact with a print plate, which has a photosensitive coating, and the plate is exposed to light. After development, the coating is removed with the exception of the image area, which is now a duplicate of the original film image.
  • the plate now has two chemically different sur ⁇ ces, the image that is receptive to printing inks but repels water and the background that is receptive to water.
  • the plate is affixed to a cylindrical drum on the printing press.
  • two sets of rollers apply a water mixture and ink to the plate; the water covers the background portions of the plate preventing the ink being transferred and therefore the ink adheres only to the image areas.
  • the plate rolls against a cylindrical drum covered with a rubber sur ⁇ ced canvas blanket, which picks up the ink. Metal sheets pass between the blanket drum and the impression cylinder as it rotates and the image is transferred to the metal sheet.
  • each repeated image on the metal sheet is called a "blank” and these blanks will be made into packaging containers, for example, an aerosol can.
  • a sheet can be used to produce a number of blanks, typically between four and thirty, depending on the size of the blank.
  • Offset lithography provides a means of providing a high quality image on a flat metal sheet and is by iar the most dominant form of commercial printing today within the industry. Improvements in pre-processing, and plate and ink materials have helped to maximise the technique's superior production speed and plate durability, making it an ideal choice for medium to high volume runs. Its disadvantage, however, is that it uses apparatus that is inflexible and a change-over from one design to another is slow (1-2 hours), which is uneconomic for use on a high speed packaging production line when run lengths are below 2,000 sheets, i.e. for low volume runs.
  • Patent Citation 0001 US 6135654 (TETRA LAVAL HOLDINGS & FINANCE, SA). 2000-10-24. describes a method and apparatus for printing digital graphic images directly onto a bottle. First, an electronically storable and retrievable digital image is generated. Next, the digital image is transferred to a printing site. Finally, the digital image is digitally printed using inkjet printing directly onto bottle at the printing site.
  • containers are normally printed whilst they are in their flat sheet form, i.e. before they are shaped into containers, as in this form it is easier to control the pressure between the plate cylinder and the metal substrate and also to align the printed inks with each other on the substrate.
  • beverage containers are normally printed "in the round” i.e. after being shaped into containers, but since they are low priced, commodity items they only demand a relatively low print resolution, typically 85-1001pi.
  • a print head has a nozzle plate with at least one row of nozzles, each row ejecting different coloured ink and conventionally cyan, magenta, yellow and black colours are used, together with any special colours.
  • To achieve a print resolution of 300 dots per inch requires a print head to contain 300 nozzles per inch.
  • "Uni-directional printing” is a scanning technique whereby a fkt sheet is printed in its entirety; the print head moves whilst the sheet remains stationary until printing is complete.
  • the print head initially sits at a "head” of the sheet, which is the leading edge of the sheet in a transport axis.
  • the "transport axis” is the axis of movement of the conveying means used to carry the sheets through the printing process.
  • the print head moves negatively in the transport axis, depositing ink on the way until it reaches a foot of the sheet.
  • the "foot” of the sheet is the trailing edge of the sheet as the sheet travels positively in the transport axis.
  • the print head pauses at the foot of the sheet and is then positively indexed in a scan axis.
  • the "scan axis" is orthogonal to the transport axis.
  • the print head pauses once more. It then travels positively in the transport axis and returns to the head of the sheet and pauses again, without printing on its way. After that, the print head once more travels towards the foot of the sheet whilst printing, and without being indexed, and then pauses. It is then indexed positively again in the scan axis and pauses. It travels back towards the head of the sheet without printing, and then pauses. This process is repeated for as many times as required until the entire sheet is printed.
  • Bi-directional printing is another scanning technique that partially reduces this lost time.
  • the technique is simikr to Uni-directional printing; the key difference being that the print head deposits ink as it is travelling both towards and away from the foot of the sheet.
  • the print head initially sits at the head of the sheet before moving towards the foot of the sheet whilst simultaneously printing. It pauses at the foot, is then indexed positively in the scan axis and then returns to the head of the sheet whilst printing. It pauses once more, is indexed positively in the scan axis, pauses, and then travels towards the foot of the sheet whilst printing. It pauses, travels back to the head of the sheet whilst printing and pauses once more. This process is repeated for as many times as required until the entire sheet is printed.
  • Patent Citation 0002 US 6935738 B J.ORENZ ET AL). 2004-02-26. discloses a method of printing image material in an inkjet printer which seemingly overcomes the drawbacks of bi-directional printing. However, here individual sheets are transported through the print site and they are printed whilst aligned in rows (see Figures). To apply the teaching of this document to printing in the metal packaging industry would lead to an impractically large print apparatus since the sheets that are used to make metal packaging have dimensions that are typically no less than Im x Im. Disclosure of Invention
  • the invention provides an apparatus for printing a plurality of flat sheets comprising
  • the printing site comprises a computer, for electronically storing and retrieving an image, and a print head comprising a plurality of nozzles connected to a plurality of inks, wherein the computer is adapted to control the transfer of inks from the nozzles onto each flat sheet to print one row of images on each sheet.
  • a second embodiment of the invention provides an apparatus wherein the conveying system is adapted to move the flat sheets in a scan direction, orthogonal to a transport direction.
  • a further embodiment of the invention provides an apparatus wherein the print head is adapted to move in a scan direction, orthogonal to a transport direction.
  • Yet another embodiment of the invention provides an apparatus wherein the printing site comprises a plurality of print heads, each print head adapted to print a corresponding row of images onto the flat sheet.
  • An alternative embodiment of the invention provides for a method of printing a plurality of flat sheets, comprising the steps of:
  • the printing site comprises a computer for electronically storing and retrieving an image and a print head, constrained from movement in the transport direction, and
  • the print head prints one row of images on each flat sheet.
  • Another embodiment of the invention provides a method of printing a plurality of flat sheets wherein the conveying system re-aligns the batch of sheets after printing the row of images to ensure that the next row of images is separate from the previous row.
  • the advantage of this embodiment is that the print head does not have to move at all, thus prolonging the life of the print head.
  • Yet another embodiment of the invention provides a method of printing a plurality of flat sheets, wherein
  • the conveying system is constrained to move in a transport direction
  • the print head moves in a scan direction, orthogonal to the transport direction, whilst the conveying system returns the batch of flat sheets to the printing site.
  • a further embodiment of the invention provides for a method of printing a plurality of flat sheets, wherein the step of preparing a plurality of flat sheets includes cutting the flat sheets into strips, the width of each strip determined by the width of the image.
  • This method of printing is advantageous for manuiacturing plants that are restricted in floor space; strip printing can be carried out inline with container manuiacture. Also no dwell time at all will be needed, as no indexing of the print head or flat sheets is necessary.
  • This configuration of the invention provides the greatest throughput of sheets on a print line.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic of the prior art lithographic printing press.
  • Figure 2 is a schematic of a prior art printing plate.
  • Figure 3 is a schematic of prior art uni-directional printing.
  • Figure 4 is a schematic of prior art bi-directional printing.
  • Figure 5 is a schematic of an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 6 is a schematic of another embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 7 is a schematic of a further embodiment of the invention.
  • the printing plate 2 is wrapped around and attached to the cylindrical plate cylinder 1.
  • Ink and water are supplied to the printing plate from the inkwell and water reservoir respectively to the printing plate via rollers.
  • An ink roller system 7 controls the ink flow and volume;
  • a dampening roller system 8 controls water flow and volume.
  • Ink is carried on the photographically developed parts of the plate and water washes over the non-developed areas, as explained in the Background Art.
  • the printing plate 2, attached to the plate cylinder 1 carries the image to the blanket cylinder 3 where the image is transferred to the rubber-covered blanket. As sheets pass between the blanket cylinder 3 and the impression cylinder 6, the image is transferred from the blanket cylinder 3 to the sheet 4.
  • the impression cylinder 6 provides pressure to the sheet assisting this last image transfer step.
  • the image may be a single image or it may be repeated many times across the breadth 51 and length 52 of the printed sheet 5.
  • Figure 2 shows an example layout of a printed sheet 5 where the image of the letter A is repeated in a regular array of columns 54 and rows 53 respectively.
  • the lithography process can print up to 3000 sheets per hour, with each sheet 5 containing typically 30 images. When these sheets are used for can making, up to 90,000 containers can be printed in an hour. However during a design changeover, the inks may need to be changed depending on how similar the designs are and whether or not they use the same colours.
  • the ink rollers 7 will need to be washed down, the printing plate 2 changed and the blanket 3 and impression cylinders 6 cleaned, or otherwise remains of the previous design will appear on the new design.
  • This changeover can mean that the printer is unable to print for 1-2 hours, equating to a loss of up to 180,000 containers. This ultimately means that the printer is unable to respond quickly to a change in design, which may be necessary when a customer requires a batch of printed cans at short notice.
  • Figure 3 is a schematic of uni-directional printing.
  • the print head initially sits at the head 56 of the sheet. It then moves negatively in the transport axis 9, depositing ink on the way 91 until it reaches the foot 57 of the sheet.
  • the print head pauses at the foot 57 of the sheet and is then indexed in the scan axis without printing 93.
  • the print head pauses once more. It then travels positively in the transport axis 9 and returns to the head 56 of the sheet without printing 92 and pauses again. After that, the print head once more travels towards the foot 57 of the sheet whilst printing 91, and without being indexed, and then pauses. It is then indexed again in the scan axis without printing 93 and pauses.
  • Figure 4 is used to illustrate bi-directional printing.
  • FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the invention.
  • An unprinted sheet 4 travels in the transport axis 9, arrives at the print site 33 and then passes underneath the print head 31.
  • the print head 31 remains stationery in the scan axis 10 and transfers ink onto the sheet 4 as the sheet continues to move in the transport axis 9.
  • the print head prints a kne 54 of images and the sheet 5 leaves the print site 33.
  • the sheets are collected and returned to the print site 33.
  • the conveying system is displaced 94 in the scan axis 10.
  • the print head 31 remains in its original position.
  • a second kne 54 of images is then printed and the sheets are collected.
  • FIG. 6 a second embodiment of the invention is shown.
  • An unprinted sheet 4 travels in the transport axis 9, arrives at a print site 33 and then passes underneath a print head 31.
  • the print head 31 remains stationery in a scan axis 10 and transfers ink onto the sheet 4 as the sheet continues to move in a transport axis 9.
  • the print head 31 prints a kne 54 of images and the sheet 5 leaves the print site 33.
  • the sheets are collected and returned to the print site 33.
  • the print head 31 is displaced in the scan axis 10 along a gantry 32, whereas the conveying system remains in its original position.
  • a print head 31' prints a second kne 54 of images, the sheets 5 leave the print site 33 and are then collected.
  • This embodiment requires the same basic amount of time as the previous example but requires time to displace the print head instead of the conveying system. Ideally however, the sheets would be returned to the print site whilst simultaneously the print head is moved, thus reducing the overall time taken between passes.
  • FIG. 7 a further embodiment of the invention is shown.
  • an unprinted sheet 4 is cut into strips 4'.
  • a strip 4' arrives at the print site 33, travelling in a transport axis 9.
  • a print head 31 transfers ink onto the strip 4', whilst the strip 4' continues to move in the transport axis 9.
  • the print head 31 remains fixed on the gantry 32 and does not move in a scan axis 10.
  • the strips 4' leave the print site 33 and are not collected for recirculation.
  • This embodiment requires no dwell time at all.

Landscapes

  • Ink Jet (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un procédé d'impression numérique sur une pluralité de feuilles planes, qui offre une alternative de haute qualité à un procédé d'offset et au cours duquel seule une partie de chaque feuille (4) est imprimée lors de chaque passage. Une tête d'impression (31) imprime une bande (54) d'images sur chaque feuille, les feuilles sont recueillies et renvoyées au site d'impression (33), la tête d'impression est déplacée le long d'un support (32) et, pendant un deuxième passage, une tête d'impression (31') imprime une deuxième bande d'images, ces opérations se répétant autant de fois que nécessaire.
PCT/EP2007/057633 2006-08-08 2007-07-24 Procédé et dispositif d'impression de feuille de métal Ceased WO2008017589A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP06118624.3 2006-08-08
EP06118624 2006-08-08

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2008017589A1 true WO2008017589A1 (fr) 2008-02-14

Family

ID=37581985

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/EP2007/057633 Ceased WO2008017589A1 (fr) 2006-08-08 2007-07-24 Procédé et dispositif d'impression de feuille de métal

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2008017589A1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AU2019202105B2 (en) * 2008-10-14 2020-09-17 Bluescope Steel Limited Method of producing cladding sheets

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2003127352A (ja) * 2001-10-29 2003-05-08 Konica Corp インクジェットプリント装置
US20040036738A1 (en) * 2000-08-03 2004-02-26 Bernard Lorenz In-jet printer and method for printing image material in an ink-jet printer
EP1531054A1 (fr) * 2003-11-12 2005-05-18 Solar Communications Inc. Système et procédé pour produire matériau personnalisé sur lequel une image est produite

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20040036738A1 (en) * 2000-08-03 2004-02-26 Bernard Lorenz In-jet printer and method for printing image material in an ink-jet printer
JP2003127352A (ja) * 2001-10-29 2003-05-08 Konica Corp インクジェットプリント装置
EP1531054A1 (fr) * 2003-11-12 2005-05-18 Solar Communications Inc. Système et procédé pour produire matériau personnalisé sur lequel une image est produite

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AU2019202105B2 (en) * 2008-10-14 2020-09-17 Bluescope Steel Limited Method of producing cladding sheets
AU2020286289B2 (en) * 2008-10-14 2023-02-02 Bluescope Steel Limited Method of producing cladding sheets

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