Printing – Special article machines – Bed and platen
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-20
2001-08-21
Hilten, John S. (Department: 2854)
Printing
Special article machines
Bed and platen
C101S044000, C101SDIG029, C347S103000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06276266
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to pad printing, and more particularly, to an improved multicolor pad printing system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Pad printing is a common method for printing images on curved or other non-flat surfaces such as spherical, conical, cylindrical and other curved objects. Pad printing systems utilize a deformable pad which receives images from a flat cliche plate and transfers the images to the curved surface which is to be printed. Typically, an inverted cup containing a quantity of printing ink is used to apply the ink to the cliché plate. To apply a new coating of ink to the cliché plate, the ink cup and cliche plate are moved relative to each other following each ink transfer operation.
While pad printing is a very efficient method for printing single color images on spherical or other curved items, there is an increasing demand, particularly in the golf ball industry, for printing customized, multiple color images on curved objects. However, there are several significant problems with using conventional pad printing techniques to print multiple color images on an object.
Since conventional color separation printing utilizes four basic colors, namely blue, yellow, red and black, conventional multicolor pad printing systems are equipped with four separate color stations which enable the system to achieve any final desired color. Each color station includes an ink dispensing cup containing the colored ink and a respective cliché plate. As will be appreciated, such multicolor pad printing systems are not readily or cost effectively adaptable to print custom images because each of the four separate color stations must be reconfigured in order to run a new image. Moreover, to print a multicolored image, the printing pad must be successively cycled between the cliché plate of each color station and the object on which the image is to be printed, with each color image being deposited over the previously deposited image. Thus, unlike printing a single color image, which in most cases does not require precise positioning of the image on the object, printing multicolor images requires the individual images be printed in a precise location on the object.
With conventional pad printing systems, however, it is inherently difficult to print the individual single color images which comprise the multicolor image in precise overlapping relation, even utilizing expensive, precision controlled mechanisms for guiding and moving the printing pad and the object to be printed. Since the individual images are not printed in exact registry, the resultant multicolor image is blurred. Accordingly, it has been difficult to achieve high quality multicolor images with pad printing. Additionally, cycling the printing pad through the various color stations is a time consuming process which significantly reduces the potential production output of the pad printing system further increasing the cost of pad printing multicolor images.
It often can take several weeks to set-up a conventional multicolor pad printing system to run a particular image. In particular, some of the steps which have to be performed include color separation, producing the film for each color, dip coating the plates, exposing the coated plates, edging the plates and setting up the inks. As will be appreciated, because of the time and cost associated with setting up a pad printer to run a different image, it is not practical to use conventional multicolor pad printing systems to produce relatively small numbers of custom printed parts. Moreover, since the multiple ink dispensing cups must be cleaned and then refilled after each print run, often resulting in ink spills, these multicolor pad printing systems also waste a significant amount of printing ink.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, in view of the foregoing, a general object of the present invention is to provide a multicolor pad printing system adapted for high quality printing of multicolored images on spherical and other curved surfaces.
Another object is to provide a pad printing system as characterized above which can be operated more quickly and efficiently than existing multicolor pad printing systems.
A further object is to provide a multicolor pad printing system of the above kind which does not require expensive precision mechanisms for guiding and effecting movement of the printing pad and the object to be printed.
Yet another object is to provide a multicolor pad printing system of the foregoing type that is relatively simple in construction and lends itself to more economical manufacture and operation.
A related object is to provide such a multicolor pad printing system that more efficiently uses printing inks.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent upon reading the following description of a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention and upon reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
REFERENCES:
patent: 3990364 (1976-11-01), Paans
patent: 4723485 (1988-02-01), Berberich et al.
patent: 5054390 (1991-10-01), Birtles et al.
Dietz Volker
Fastje Kai-Uwe
Grob Heinz
Grohusky Leslie J.
Hilten John S.
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
Leydig , Voit & Mayer, Ltd.
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